Springfield Armory XD

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The XD and a knife.

Manufactured in the city of Ozalj, Croatia by HS Produkt (formerly I.M. Metal), and licensed and sold in the US by Springfield Armory, the XD (X-Treme Duty) series of pistols are polymer-framed, magazine-fed, single-action, semi-automatic handguns with a striker-based firing mechanism. Features include double-stack high-capacity magazines, an Ultra Safety Assurance™ (USA) Trigger System, a 1911-style grip safety, ambidextrous magazine release buttons, a loaded chamber indicator, striker status indicator, and accessory rail.

Springfield Armory offers the XD to the US market in five calibers: 9x19 mm, .357 SIG, .40 S&W, .45 GAP, and .45 ACP. Five primary models are available including a Sub-Compact model with a 3" barrel, a Compact version with a 4" barrel, a Service model with a 4" barrel, a Tactical model with a 5" barrel, and a Ported V-10 model with a 4" barrel and upward-facing ports on the XD's slide to soften recoil and reduce muzzle rise. All five models in the XD line are available in one of four finishes: Bi-Tone, OD Green, Black, and a fourth finish called "US Mil-Spec Flat Dark Earth" (tan) has been recently released to the market. Ammunition capacity varies depending on the caliber and model, but generally speaking the XD holds 16+1 (16 in the magazine, 1 in the chamber) rounds of 9x19 mm, 12+1 rounds of .40 S&W, or 13+1 rounds of .45 ACP.

1 History
2 Features
3 XD Pistols
4 Pros & Cons
- 4.1 Pros
- 4.2 Cons
5 External links

[edit] History

What we know today as the XD traces its roots back to a service pistol known as the PHP, which was first produced in Croatia by privately owned industrial parts firm I.M. Metal in 1991. Designed by a team led by Marko Vukovic, the PHP was considered to be a solid (if unexceptional) design, but early versions were plagued by quality issues, due in large part to the difficulties of manufacturing during a liberation war. Vukovic's team continued to tweak and improve the design over the next decade, releasing the HS95 (Hrvatski Samokres or "Croatian Pistol") in 1995, and the HS2000 in 1999.

The HS2000 was adopted by the Croatian military and law enforcement as their standard issue sidearm, and continues to fill that role today. In addition, the pistol was exported to the US market by Intrac and distributed by HSAmerica, which sold the pistol in 9mm as the HS2000, and started to gain a reputation as a cost-effective, reliable, and innovative new firearm.

In 2002, Springfield Armory, Inc. secured the licensing rights to the US market, and renamed the pistol the XD-9 (X-treme Duty 9x19 mm). Since that time Springfield Armory has expanded the line to include five different calibers, three different barrel lengths, and three finishes. Due in part to Springfield Armory's aggressive marketing and competitive pricing, but also to the pistol's inherent quality and features, it has consistently gained in both reputation and market share over the last four years. The introduction of the XD-45 (in the extremely popular .45 ACP caliber) in January of 2006 has made the XD the "most talked about handgun" in the eyes of many interested shooters. The industry press took notice as well, awarding the XD-45 the title of "Handgun of the Year" from both American Rifleman magazine and the The Shooting Industry Academy of Excellence.

Noted firearms author and commentator Chuck Taylor has described the XD as "The first true 21st-century pistol". While not a revolutionary design, few would dispute that it is a solid evolutionary step. By combining the most popular features of its predecessors, adding a few innovations of their own, and putting it all in a reliable, simple, cost-effective platform, many believe the Croatian designers have advanced the art of handgun design by a significant margin.

[edit] Features

The 4" XD .45 ACP with 13 rounds of JHP.

The XD pistol features three safety mechanisms. The first is called a 'trigger safety', similar to that found on Glock handguns. The trigger safety requires the shooter to depress a secondary embedded trigger while pulling the primary trigger. This ensures that the gun cannot be fired unless the trigger is depressed. The second safety is called a 'grip safety', most often associated with the many 1911 variants on the market. The grip safety is situated on the back of the XD's grip, and is depressed by the palm of the shooter's strong hand when the pistol is held. This ensures that the gun cannot fire unless the shooter has a firm and steady grip on the weapon. The third mechanism is an internal 'drop safety', which prevents the striker from releasing if the gun is dropped or exposed to a significant impact.

Two significant features in the XD's design are the striker status and loaded chamber indicators. The loaded chamber indicator is a small button, just above the breech on top of the gun's slide, which pops up when a round is in the chamber. This button doesn't rise high enough to interfere with the shooter's sight picture, but is high enough to be seen easily, or felt by hand if a shooter needed to verify the gun's status in the dark. The cocked indicator works much the same way, but is located on the rear face of the slide, so the shooter can instantly tell whether or not the gun is cocked.

Other features of the XD include an integrated picatinny-compatible rail under the muzzle to accommodate the installation of lights, lasers or other accessories. An ambidextrous magazine release allows the shooter to drop the magazine from either the left or right side of the weapon.

[edit] XD Pistols

Model	Barrel (in)	cal	Mag Capacity	Blk	OD	BT	DE
Sub-Compact	3.01	9x19 mm	10	X	X	X
""	""	.40 S&W	9	X	X
Compact	4.04	.45 ACP	10	X	X		X
""	5.01	.45 ACP	10	X	X		X
Service	4.05	9x19 mm	16	X	X	X
""	""	.40 S&W	12	X	X	X
""	""	.357 SIG	12	X	X	X
""	""	.45 GAP	9	X	X	X
""	""	.45 GAP	9	X	X	X
""	4.04	.45 ACP	13	X	X	X	X
Ported V-10	4.05	9x19 mm	16	X	X
""	""	.40 S&W	12	X	X
""	""	.357 SIG	12	X	X
Tactical	5.01	9x19 mm	16	X	X
""	""	.40 S&W	12	X	X
""	""	.357 SIG	12	X	X
""	""	.45 GAP	9	X	X	X
""	5.01	.45 ACP	13	X	X	X	X

Blk: Black, OD : Olive Drab, BT : Bi-tone, DE : Flat Dark Earth

[edit] Pros & Cons

[edit] Pros

The XD can be field stripped easily and quickly with no tools.
Springfield Armory promises a lifetime guarantee with every XD pistol.
The XD series has only been on the market for a few years, so shooters are unable to judge its long-term track record, but the line has already established a reputation for bombproof reliability. One so-called 'Torture Test' was conducted (see external link below) in which an XD-9 was run over with a truck, frozen in a block of ice, caked with sand, and even stripped and degreased, firing nearly 20,000 rounds without a single malfunction in the process.
The primary aspect that many first-time XD shooters comment on is the gun's ergonomics. It is considered to have a very solid, stable feel, with a grip that feels extremely comfortable in the hands of even smaller shooters. These types of comments are especially impressive when applied to the XD-45, since grip size has been a major problem for other high-capacity .45ACP pistols.
The XD's grip angle is the same as that of a 1911, which tends to make the gun more naturally pointable in the view of most American shooters. Many polymer-framed pistols such as Glocks tend to have a more severe grip angle (wrist is held such that a 1911 syle pistol would be pointed more towards the ground), which has been regarded to be more of an acquired taste.
The sight mounts on XD pistols are essentially the same as sight mounts on the popular line of pistols made by SIG, meaning that there is a large variety of aftermarket sights that can be installed on an XD without modification.
The XD uses a fully supported chamber design which reinforces the rear of the ammunition case. A fully supported chamber reduces the possibility of an ammunition case rupture that could cause injury to the shooter and severely damage the gun. This is an especially important feature for owners who intend to use +P and/or reloaded ammunition.
The sights and trigger of the XD are made of metal instead of plastic

[edit] Cons

Though some parts can be purchased through aftermarket suppliers, Springfield Armory refuses to sell some individual XD parts. Springfield Armory's position seems to be that with a lifetime warranty that includes repair work, parts sales are not necessary. This is a major stumbling block for shooters who are involved in competitive pistol activities, because they are unable to keep a small stock of parts on hand for emergencies. People who carry their pistol every day (and thus are unable to ship their gun off for a week while it's being repaired) have also complained about the policy.
As of 2006, there are no aftermarket trigger springs. This means that shooters cannot adjust the trigger pull weight of their XD pistols for competition or personal preference.
Those who have tried installing aftermarket or custom sights on XD's have reported that removing the existing sights can be an extremely difficult process, often requiring the services of a gunsmith.
Pre-2006 versions of the XD were protected with a metal treatment called Burinal™. Some who own pistols with the Burinal™ treatment have reported significant rust problems - especially those who carry the XD against their skin. Fortunately, current versions of the XD are being manufactured with a treatment called Melonite™, which is the same process as the near-legendary Tenifer™ coating used on Glocks.