Springfield Armory's XD-S Pros and Cons

yj93ben · Dec 21, 2012

I've been looking for a small/compact 45acp. I see a lot of XD-S's out there for sale second hand. Is there a problem with this new firearm? People are on waiting list to get these, but I'm seeing them on the internet for less than the original MSRP. Right now I'm kind of leaning toward the S&W 1911 with the 3" barrel. Any input on a good CC 45acp would be appreciated. You know, what have you got and why you like it? thanks, Glenn

nwo · Dec 21, 2012

I have handled one of the XD-s pistols and I found it to be a solid gun. If I had the money at the time I would have purchased it.

They are comfortable to hold, point well, and are very concealable. I dont know about shooting one, but I would imagine recoil is noticable as they are very lightweight, and small.

yurik · Dec 21, 2012

ATCclears · Dec 21, 2012

I bought a XD-S and it is my concealed carry. I like it such that I bought a second one.

I think some people are buying them and then immediately flipping them to make a buck, and others may have done an impulse buy.

Can you rent the gun somewhere to see if you like it?

Peter

ATCclears · Dec 22, 2012

The January, 2013 edition of American Rifleman (NRA mag) has a detailed article on the XD-S.

Peter

OEDub · Dec 29, 2012

I purchased one several months ago. I was initially pretty concerned about the recoil (due to the size & composition), however it really isn't bad at all. I read comments about people claiming that "It's not something your going to be able to shoot repeatedly", but it makes me wonder if they have ever actually shot the gun themselves. The first afternoon out, my wife burned through over 200 rounds with the XDs...mag after mag. Is the recoil more noticeable than my full-size stainless Ruger P90? Yes, but it's by no means unmanageable at all. If we would have had more daylight, I think she would have exhausted my whole ammo supply!

The gun has great ergonomics, feels great in my hand & while shooting, is reliable, and VERY concealable! Initially, when cycling it by hand at my house, I was worried about reliability & possible feeding/ejection issues. I learned that the XDs is a masochistic little bugger! It likes it rough! Slingshotting the slide resulted in FTF...especially with HP ammo. However, when shooting it and with the recoil, the gun functioned just fine. Also, dropping the slide with the slide-stop works well. Another quirk is making sure that your mag is fully seated if you are inserting it while the slide in battery. You can feel a little "click" as it slides in, but really need to push hard to get it to fully lock (I told you she was masochistic!). If it isn't fully seated, then mag will drop when the slide cycles...but it's more user error than the equipment. The gun doesn't like to run dirty or dry, either. Just clean & lube it and you'll love it. The trigger isn't match grade, but then again, it's designed as a striker-fired carry piece meant to be packed around with one in the chamber. I haven't shot the S&W that your talking about. However, I've shot the full-size S&W E Series and it was awesome! I'm quite sure you'd be happy with either, but they are such different handguns, that you & only you can choose which platform you want to trust your life with.

Addicted · Dec 29, 2012

Just bought the XDS today for $529....Havnt shot it yet but a billion excellent reviews on it!

PX4WA · Dec 29, 2012

had one... sold it here for what I paid for it...

I didn't like the trigger and it was not something I could fix..

I've polished my xd and xdm's triggers or put in aftermarket stuff... but the xd-s trigger was gritty and not designed to be disassembled easily...

for what it is, a self defense weapon, it works well. recoil was a bit more, but not much more than my 9mm kimber solo or xdsc in .40sw

I was hitting the 8 inch target at 10 yards no problem but shots were all over the place, I guess I expected a bit more from me (not the gun)...

if you get it, you won't regret it as long as you are aware the trigger is different from other xd's..

OEDub · Dec 29, 2012

That's correct & a good thing to point out. The trigger was definitely a bit different compared to the other XD family guns I've shot. It seemed longer with a bit more take-up, but the gritty feeling did seem to ease with use. Apparently Springer Precision in Bend is doing some pretty nice work with the XDs trigger. I haven't actually tried one with their mods, but have heard positive things.

97321 · Dec 30, 2012

I've been thinking of these, too. I like a short grip for cc, which has put me off 1911s for the most part . However, I like the longer barrel length offered by a compact 1911. Per the OP's first post, does anybody have something to contrast the XDs with? Maybe a Para Slim Hawg or something else?

ironmike86 · Jan 4, 2013

ATCclears said:
I bought a XD-S and it is my concealed carry. I like it such that I bought a second one.

I think some people are buying them and then immediately flipping them to make a buck, and others may have done an impulse buy.

Can you rent the gun somewhere to see if you like it?

Peter

Where did you find it? I can't find them anywhere

ATCclears · Jan 5, 2013

I found one for sale on here, and one at Dougs Boats (and guns) in Woodinville. I've also seen them for sale here:
ARMSLIST - Washington Gun Classifieds

Peter

ATCclears · Jan 5, 2013

ironmike, I was in AMS Guns in Woodinville (behind the Target store) and they had both the all-black XD-S and the stainless XD-S. Their prices seemed high though.

You might give them a call...

Peter

ironmike86 · Jan 5, 2013

ATCclears said:
ironmike, I was in AMS Guns in Woodinville (behind the Target store) and they had both the all-black XD-S and the stainless XD-S. Their prices seemed high though.

You might give them a call...

Peter

Thanks. Found one today. More than I wanted to spend. I've seen the Black for $499 and the Bitone for ~$568 but never jumped. Never saw them again but received and Email from Lgs. $608 for Bitone.. Wanted a black but decided hell with it an got it. But then I got a delay?? wtf I never have before with my Cpl. Oh well at least I should be able to get it next week.