Monday, September 3, 2007

XD40 Service Model Review

Here's a review I wrote a couple years ago I guess. I've bought a couple G17s and a G21, but still not an XD.

EDIT, 11/27/09: Added a G19 to the mix, and an M&P, but still no XD.

I've owned a Glock 26 for a couple years now, fired over 2,000 rounds though it, and I'm very satisfied, but I like to try new guns. I have also rented most other Glock pistols at least once. I've been reading a lot of good things about these Springfield XD pistols, but until recently I've not been able to actually shoot one.

EDIT, 11/27/09: Over 7000 rounds between the G17s, over 4000 through the G26, and almost 1500 through the G19.

I tried out the XD40 service model at Targetmaster as soon as I could. I suppose I may be spoiling the review by saying this so early, but I'm not horribly impressed, and will be sticking to Glocks.

Trigger
The trigger face does seem to be slightly closer to the backstrap. I have pretty large hands, but was able to make do, not a serious issue. The trigger pull is not noticably smoother or crisper than a standard Glock trigger. The pull weight is, however, heavier than the standard 5.5 pound Glock trigger. About half way though a box of UMC .40 S&W, I noticed that the trigger was heavy enough to cause some discomfort. I hear from others that they find XD triggers lighter than Glock triggers, but that was not my experience.

The Grip Safety
I've heard some moaning from Glockers about the grip safety. It didn't bother me at all. The spring is light; I didn't find it uncomfortable, and it slid into the grip as soon as I wrapped a hand around it. I do, however, find it somewhat unnecessary, and I suppose it could make the pistol useless should it become jammed or broken somehow.

Loaded Chamber/Cocked Indicators
The XD has a loaded chamber indicator that sticks up from just behind the barrel hood on the top of the slide, whereas the Glocks extractor serves as a loaded chamber indicator. The XDs have a little button that sticks out of the rear end of the slide when the pistol is ready to fire, or dry fire. What does all this mean? Not much. If you want to dry fire, you had better make sure the magazine is removed and/or a dummy magazine is in place, and that the chamber is definately empty. The XDs loaded chamber indicator is somewhat more convenient to check, big friggin' whoop.

I have read one report of a broken cocked pistol indicator, so you can't even trust that feature wholeheartidly.

Recoil
I didn't notice much of an increase in recoil over a Glock, but then I didn't have a G23 at hand to do a side-to-side comparison. I'm not very recoil sensitive anyway. Unless I stagger 115 gr. and 124 gr. +P ammo in the same magazine, I don't notice any difference in recoil.

Controls
Controls and placements are very similar to those on a Glock. I had no problem wiping the slide stop lever. The mag release on the XD is ambidextrous, and no more difficult to push than the Glock button: one bonus point to the XD design.

What Would I buy
4"+ barrel autopistol - Glock 17/22/31, Glock 21/20, or a Practical/Tactical Glock. I actually have 2 G17s, a G21, and I'd buy a 34 if I could justify it.
4" barrel autopistol - G19, G23, or G32. I prefer the lighter trigger, and more modularity. Some G19s have feeding problems with certain followers and Klinton mags in general, but a call to a Glock service tech will solve almost all of these problems.
3.5" barrel autopistol - I'm definately keeping my G26, for the same reasons.

Overall I feel that the XD is not a bad pistol, it's just not a stellar one.

7 comments:

Anonymous said...

You are not saying much here in this review.... A review should consist of YOUR findings and not just state that "I heard/read this is a problem" so it must be a problem with all of them. This is how invalid information is spread over the internet. It is quite obvious that you are bias towards Glocks.

Suburban said...

Pardon?

Considering that I only spent an hour with the pistol, the review is fairly lengthy. I stated in the review that I rented the pistol, so it's not like I'm trying to say that this is an in-depth long-term review.

There is an article on the Springfield Armory website with a report of a broken striker indicator. I brought it up because it is a possible safety issue if the owners of such pistols are not aware of it.

Anonymous said...

The broken indicator was from a 20,000 round torture test. The reviewer literally threw the pistol down several times on concrete trying to break it. 20,000 rounds, 0 ftf. They froze it in a block of ice, soaked it in sand and mud. The only issue with the mud was people getting mud thrown on them while it fired perfectly. You need to check your facts before you try to suggest this is a problem with all of them. Or better yet, don't write a review on a pistol you rented for about an hour.

Jason

Suburban said...

Who said it was a problem with all of them? Reread what I wrote! I wasn't going out of my way to bash the pistol, I was looking out for the safety of the readers.

Stop trolling my website, anonymous XD fanboy.

Justin said...

Perhaps you shouldn't do a review of a pistol you haven't spent much time with.

Also, when Glock starts making grips that don't feel like I'm trying to palm a basketball, maybe I'll get one. Until then, the XD works great.

Suburban said...

Deja vu?

The 9mm/40/.357Sig Glocks fit me perfectly, the 10mm/45ACP Glocks are pushing it a bit, though I haven't tried the SF (Short Frame) 10mm/45ACP pistols. Your mileage may vary.

Anonymous said...

For a weaker, smaller hand operator, the XD is definitively more confortable. I was looking for a Glock and ended buying the XD. I was not convinced at first and did not like the handle safety, but after trying both and comparing, found this one more "fit" to my hand. A bigger person (or bigger hands) would probably find the XD too short comparing with Glock. Also lighter and easy to operate. Maybe was just the one I now own, but I'm very happy with my decision.