Shot a Match with an Untried Springer XDs

[doc540]

Springfield XD-S in .45 ACP w/3.3" barrel
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v334/doc540/Guns/XDs/1b5b1a3c-e757-4ada-a3c4-df0c5d631ef1_zpse63eb45e.jpg

cliffs:
Opened the box last night, bought "used" (could find no evidence of it having been fired) with two, extended mags.
Stripped, cleaned, and lubed.

Before the match I shot 14 rnds of WWB, 230gr FMJ at 25yds.
No problems

Match: semi-IDPA (no covering garments, 3 stages, no timed reloads)
6 shots timed
Used the factory holster, mag pouch, and extended mags.

Shot 48 rnds during the match.

Placed 11th out of 22, but grouped 90% of my misses. Shot the match more as a function test.

Functioned perfectly (except for two of MY mistakes...more later)

After the match I went from the action range to the pistol range and set up two targets: 25yd paper on stand and 50yd 8" steel swinger.
First shots at the 8" steel swinger at 50yds - 3 out of 5 hits

At 25yds I shot 230gr WWB FMJ and my 230gr LRN over 4.6gr of Win231.

Total rounds: 150

Here's the ONLY problem I encountered:

If I didn't get a FIRM, HIGH grip I wouldn't disengage the grip safety. Long, thin, boney hands and not much meat in the web beside my thumb.

That is MY fault, not the gun's.

Function: perfect
Accuracy: exceptional
Ergonomics: jury's still out

Best 5 shot group of 230gr WWB at 25yds - about 4"- 5"
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v334/doc540/Guns/Targets/04a4ea2f-fc8e-4571-bc1d-97b25a700b24_zps4ba7aa80.jpg

[mr surveyor]

yep, that's exactly what I'm on the lookout for - at the right price.

Thanks for posting the positive report

[doc540]

yep, that's exactly what I'm on the lookout for - at the right price.

Thanks for posting the positive report

Shoot before you buy. ;)

[mr surveyor]

good advice, Doc, but I'm probably only going to buy new on this one.

what's your perception of the recoil/muzzle flip ... particularly with the standard flush mag (if you tried it)? I'm guessing it's no more "snap" than the CM9 and about the same felt recoil, or slightly more "push", as the CW9.


Thanks

surv

[doc540]

good advice, Doc, but I'm probably only going to buy new on this one.

what's your perception of the recoil/muzzle flip ... particularly with the standard flush mag (if you tried it)? I'm guessing it's no more "snap" than the CM9 and about the same felt recoil, or slightly more "push", as the CW9.


Thanks

surv

You're right, they're about the same, and I did test the flush fit mags.

For a plastic, .45 sub it's very manageable.

I put 150 thru it today, and can't feel it this evening in my hands or wrists.

fwiw: my BUG is a CM9 and my carries a CW9.

[mr surveyor]

we seem to have that in common. When I'm not carrying my faithful .357 "work gun", I either carry a CW9 IWB, or on those occasions I absolutely can't wear a cover shirt/jacket the CM9 is clipped in my boot top. Well, lately a S&W j-frame has taken the place of the CM9 for the most part.

The XDs 45 is at the top of my list, but I really would like to give one a try first. It will have to be able to digest a lot of cast .230's as that's the only loads my Kimber gets now.

From my short opportunity to fondle an XDs a couple of weeks ago, it did seem obvious that the slide/upper was no wider than the CW9, and the grip not much thicker. I also noticed that the mags actually popped out.

Looks like a great carry gun.

[Jason4x4]

I want it when it comes out in a .40 caliber.

[doc540]

I want it when it comes out in a .40 caliber.

I shot the XDs next bigger brother, the Sub Compact .40 for the first time this morning.

Thick as a brick, but it SHOT GREAT.

Excellent trigger (much better than my XDs :o)

I only shot four rounds at 21 feet (sounds further than 7 yards!).

Gospel truth: out of four shots, three made one hole, and it wasn't ragged...it was a HOLE.:eek:

[mr surveyor]

I couldn't make it to the local gun show this weekend, and couldn't spare the money anyway, but had a buddy checking prices on the XDs 45 for me. He called and said he found two dealer tables with them for $499 NIB. The one I fondled at my local shop was tagged $599 :ohmy:. When I get back from "the trip" in a couple of weeks, and if the stars are all aligned properly, I will track down those dealers.

One of my friends that doesn't shoot much, but wanted to "get into shooting" several years ago was dead set on starting with a 40. Nothing could convince him otherwise, even though his arthritic hands can barely grip a slide to operate a semi-auto. Between our ffl friend and me, we convinced him to get a full sized gun for a starter, partly to reduce the snap/recoil, and partly for the larger slide surface for him to get a grip on. He bought the XDM 40 and can handle it "adequately", even though the slide is still a problem for him. It's mainly a "house gun" so reloads probably would never be an issue. That gun has one of the best triggers I've ever felt on a plasticfantastic handgun, and extremely accurate. I was under the impression that all the XD line triggers were similar?

[doc540]

Evidently, the quality of the trigger varies from gun to gun.

The XD compact .40 I shot today had an exceptional trigger.

My .45 XDs is good, but not that good.:eek:

(yet) ;)

[gb6491]

Evidently, the quality of the trigger varies from gun to gun.

The XD compact .40 I shot today had an exceptional trigger.

My .45 XDs is good, but not that good.:eek:

(yet) ;)
I put Powder River Precision's spring kit im my XD-S and felt it improved the trigger (IMO, well worth the money: about $15 (http://shop.powderriverprecision.net/product.sc?productId=87)).
Regards,
Greg

[AIRret]

I bought the 45 XDs in Feb for $476. I bought it when Selfridge ANG base opened it's gun store so I didn't even pay tax.
It's a great little gun; very accurate, and mine has a great trigger and the recoil is not much greater than my PM9.
The only reason I'm not carrying it yet is that I have an occasional problem getting the 7
round mag to feed. Last time I shot it was Thursday and I tried loading it from slide lock and I had a 40% failure to load. I've never had a problem with a 5 round mag. but I was
hoping on carrying the 7 rounders as my spare mags.
This is what happens; I firmly place the mag in the well hit the slide lock and when it's not successful a round is in the chamber but the trigger doesn't reset (go into battery)!!
Any ideas?
I'll shoot the gun again later this week and I will place another 7 round mag into the rotation and see what happens.

[arizona98tj]

Evidently, the quality of the trigger varies from gun to gun.

The XD compact .40 I shot today had an exceptional trigger.

My .45 XDs is good, but not that good.:eek:

(yet) ;)

The XDs9 and XDs45 do not share the same trigger found on the other XD platforms. The first giveaway from that is easily noticed when conducting dry practice. The XDs triggers stay locked back until the slide is cycled...not so with the XD and XDm triggers.

I'm hoping that PRP will come out with a trigger kit. Their spring kit is not worth the $15 I spent on it...I immediately had light primer strikes. The PRP striker spring was pulled and the factory striker spring installed....things were then back to their previously reliable condition.

[gb6491]

The XDs9 and XDs45 do not share the same trigger found on the other XD platforms. The first giveaway from that is easily noticed when conducting dry practice. The XDs triggers stay locked back until the slide is cycled...not so with the XD and XDm triggers.

I'm hoping that PRP will come out with a trigger kit. Their spring kit is not worth the $15 I spent on it...I immediately had light primer strikes. The PRP striker spring was pulled and the factory striker spring installed....things were then back to their previously reliable condition.My experience differs from yours as the PRP spring kit continues to function without issue in my XD-S (still , you've gotta go with what works for you ;)).
Regards,
Greg

[AIRret]

I bought the 45 XDs in Feb for $476. I bought it when Selfridge ANG base opened it's gun store so I didn't even pay tax.
It's a great little gun; very accurate, and mine has a great trigger and the recoil is not much greater than my PM9.
The only reason I'm not carrying it yet is that I have an occasional problem getting the 7
round mag to feed. Last time I shot it was Thursday and I tried loading it from slide lock and I had a 40% failure to load. I've never had a problem with a 5 round mag. but I was
hoping on carrying the 7 rounders as my spare mags.
This is what happens; I firmly place the mag in the well hit the slide lock and when it's not successful a round is in the chamber but the trigger doesn't reset (go into battery)!!
Any ideas?
I'll shoot the gun again later this week and I will place another 7 round mag into the rotation and see what happens.


Well Folks, I shot my XDs again today and I had the typical 40% failure to load with the
7 round mags but today I had a problem with the 5 rounder for the first time!!!!!! UGH!
Any ideas?
Do you load from slide lock or from sling shot? I've tried both.
HELP!

[jocko]

oh myu!! u7 mean even XD's can give issues!!! Whats next? Ovomit packing a kel tek 9mm???

[AIRret]

oh myu!! u7 mean even XD's can give issues!!! Whats next? Ovomit packing a kel tek 9mm???


What have you been drinking Jocko? You know He's (Ovomit) is not a stand up
guy!!
He's afraid of guns!!!!
He'd try to shoot a handgun like he "shot skeet" at Camp David!!!!!

Don't worry Jocko, I carry a lot of different guns, often times two guns!
But I ALWAYS carry my PM9!!!
My pm9 has been elevated to my 27 year old Sig status when it comes to what kind of rounds I can put through it. For example, anytime I had a hollow point
tip that was getting chewed up I would run it through the Sig, but heck for the last year my pm9 has ate up all those nasty chewed up rounds. I came to this decision because the gun has been so good that I thought what the heck, I'll see if it can shoot the crap rounds and it has never disappointed. So don't worry Jocko, the PM9 is still my go to carry gun.

[gb6491]

Well Folks, I shot my XDs again today and I had the typical 40% failure to load with the
7 round mags but today I had a problem with the 5 rounder for the first time!!!!!! UGH!
Any ideas?
Do you load from slide lock or from sling shot? I've tried both.
HELP!
I don't have any of the 7 round mags, but I've found with the 5 rounders that it's best to operate the slide quickly and fully. A large percentage of the time, if I short stroke the slide or work it too slowly, the first round will pop out of the magazine at a bad angle jamming the operation. That said, I've not had any issues with this other when chambering the first round.
Regards,
Greg

[AIRret]

I don't have any of the 7 round mags, but I've found with the 5 rounders that it's best to operate the slide quickly and fully. A large percentage of the time, if I short stroke the slide or work it too slowly, the first round will pop out of the magazine at a bad angle jamming the operation. That said, I've not had any issues with this other when chambering the first round.
Regards,
Greg

Thanks for the feedback.
Do you load all your mags sling shot or slide release??

[gb6491]

Thanks for the feedback.
Do you load all your mags sling shot or slide release??
Mostly slingshot, but I do you the slide release now and then. If you are having issues using the slide stop, you might check that the rounds are seating fully to the rear of the magazine. If that doesn't help, there is one other thing that might (IMO) help, but it involves taking the extractor apart.
Regards,
Greg

[AIRret]

Mostly slingshot, but I do you the slide release now and then. If you are having issues using the slide stop, you might check that the rounds are seating fully to the rear of the magazine. If that doesn't help, there is one other thing that might (IMO) help, but it involves taking the extractor apart.
Regards,
Greg

Thanks for the suggestions. Next time out I will make sure the rounds are fully seated to the rear of the mag. However, if that doesn't work I'm not going to take the gun (extractor) apart. I bought it in Feb and I don't want to risk messing up my warranty.
If things continue to be trouble some I'll call the company and possibly send the gun back for repair.

Something else I have found interesting is that I'm more accurate with the 5 round mag. than I am with the 7 rounder!!? I thought the opposite would be true but hey I'm not complaining.

[Popeye]

It has never been a bad idea with any Semi auto pistol/rifle to tap the mags on there back to make sure the rounds are set all the way to the rear of the mag. Even an M1 Garand will have problems chambering a round if the rounds are not set all the way to the rear of the clip. This is even more critical with short stroked pistol slides.

[AIRret]

Thanks Popeye

[mr surveyor]

I'm picking up an XDs45 tomorrow morning at a gun show from a dealer I called today that is planning to have a booth. I figure $499+tax is a pretty good deal.

After that the next (and last for a long time as far as I can see) "need-must have" is a Gamo Whisper or Bone Collector and several years worth of pellets.

For the next few years I will be happy to just buy reloading components, holsters, sights, etc.

[Popeye]

Surv That is a very good price for the XDS45. The cheapest I've seen them is $519 plus Tax.
The Gamo Bone Collector is one wicked kick butt Pellet rifle. I bought one a while back when 22 LR ammo was almost impossible to get around these parts. Not going to tell you it was as much fun to shoot as my 22 rifles firing real ammo but it sure helped get me through those lean times.
8901

[mr surveyor]

Popeye

Thanks for the heads up on the Bone Collector. That will be among the choices of my next hardware purchase. I've been toying with the idea of .22 instead of .17, but only if I buy 4k-5k pellets to put back. I'm still uncertain as to the functional round count life span of the Gamo rifles.

As for the XDs45 ..... it's sitting on my table right now waiting for it's "second" cleaning. Got home at about 11:00 a.m. with it, field stripped, examined, cleaned and lubed. Then walked next door to my son's house and we popped 20 rounds of Rem UMC ball. I'm a happy camper, with the exception of not having an IWB holster it will fit. So, the XDs45 holster first (actually, that may be considered software), then the pellet pusher. :)

[Popeye]

Surv I've been thinking of ordering one of these for my XDS9. Seems like a decent product for the money. That and I like the idea of it can be used inside as well as outside the waist band.
http://www.firearmholster.com/

[doc540]

Update:

All XDs pistols were recalled.

After 60 days mine arrived back with a different trigger/action system.

I did all the right things: cleaned, lubed, dry fired, range fired.

Today, my gunsmith examined it and explained the new spring system is the reason for the degraded trigger/action, not the spring tension...the design.

Sold it this evening.

[mr surveyor]

Doc
I may not be far behind you. I'll give it a fair range trip when life allows me, but if it still shoots like it did the weekend after I got it back from the recall, it's a goner.

JD

[ParabellumJ]

So much for the handgun of the year.

[berettabone]

I'll stick with my P220...................never had an inkling to get an XD..............

[Barth]

I'll stick with my P220...................never had an inkling to get an XD..............

I love my P220 and will always keep it.
My HK45C edges out the P220 for carry.
But I favor my HK USP Tactical 45 over both of them.

Although my Tactical cost more than twice as much as a XDs NIB.
Three times as much after I added some upgrades!

I had considered getting a XDs 45 initially.
But my Kahr MK40 Elite complained.

I'm thinking about maybe a HK USP Expert 9mm...
http://img259.imageshack.us/img259/1889/9mmexpert1.jpg