I finally picked up my XDs 9mm this lunchtime so with it being such a topic for hot debate lately I thought I would post up a quick review and some pictures for those that may not have had the opportunity to handle one...
As we all know its is basically the same platform as the XDs 45, so if you want to play around with one, find a 45 and its the same!.. bar a slight weight increase for the 9mm (and the caliber of course!).
Here is a pic of the box, excellent presentation, good quality box and the usual Springfield XD type goodies:
A closer look with the extra fibre optic sight inserts:
Here is a close up of the actual firearm: (These 2 pictures have the 'larger' of the 2 included backstraps)
The gun feels very nice in the hand, its a little heavier than i was expecting but it does feel balanced even when not loaded. There is a slight weight towards the front (barrel obvious culprit) when unloaded, but this is countered when carrying a loaded magazine.
One of the things that i was very pleased (and surprised about) was the extent of the polished internals, especially the feed ramp. It is very smooth to the touch and obviously shiny:
I have 'girls hands' according to my wife, so i was playing around with the grip to see if an extended pearce grip would be needed as well as assessing the comfort level of the 2 included backstraps. It comes shipped with the larger backstrap but with an additional 'smaller' one. Here is a pic of the larger backstrap as shipped:
Here is the swapped out smaller backstrap:
Here is a pic of the 2 backstraps placed together, i have the small one fitted to the XDs and the larger one it comes shipped with next to it for comparison. The size difference is not huge, its more a difference in profile. You can clearly see that the larger strap has a more consistent full radius and curves all the way from the handle towards the magazine well. The smaller one starts off similar but reduces rather sharply down towards the mag well reducing the overall circumference of the grip. With my 'girl hands' my preference is with the smaller backstrap, although the larger one is still relatively comfortable and definitely usable.
My pinky fits relatively comfortably on the grip, although from a psychological perspective I may just get the pearce grip in addition to my ordered extended mag. (FYI - This is with the larger backstrap)
A lot has been made of the fibre optic front sight and how people wish it had night sights. I don't mind them at all. It comes fitted with a red fibre optic insert and a 2 white dot rear sight. Here is a sight pic:
In daylight conditions the red insert is very bright and visible. I personally prefer how the yellow / green insert looks and to me, my eye pics it up quicker and easier. Here is a picture of the 2 different inserts to compare:
Overall my impressions are excellent, as always the XD line (and springfield) impresses with their presentation and included 'freebies'. The feel of the gun is fabulous, thin, compact and manipulates well. The feed ramp is excellently polished and the overall fit and finish feels top class. A very solid concealed carry and much more convenient than my current EDC, a CZ P07 Duty..... although again, i know the statistics on amounts of rounds used in conflicts etc... but i find myself battling the physical comfort of concealability aspect Vs the psychological comfort of capacity!!! I guess i can use both depending on the situation and weather?! ;o)
I will be picking up my IWB Leather Holster from Winthrop Holsters this afternoon so I will update this with some more pics of the holster and give my thoughts.
Go find an XDs 9mm!!!
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As we all know its is basically the same platform as the XDs 45, so if you want to play around with one, find a 45 and its the same!.. bar a slight weight increase for the 9mm (and the caliber of course!).
Here is a pic of the box, excellent presentation, good quality box and the usual Springfield XD type goodies:
A closer look with the extra fibre optic sight inserts:
Here is a close up of the actual firearm: (These 2 pictures have the 'larger' of the 2 included backstraps)
The gun feels very nice in the hand, its a little heavier than i was expecting but it does feel balanced even when not loaded. There is a slight weight towards the front (barrel obvious culprit) when unloaded, but this is countered when carrying a loaded magazine.
One of the things that i was very pleased (and surprised about) was the extent of the polished internals, especially the feed ramp. It is very smooth to the touch and obviously shiny:
I have 'girls hands' according to my wife, so i was playing around with the grip to see if an extended pearce grip would be needed as well as assessing the comfort level of the 2 included backstraps. It comes shipped with the larger backstrap but with an additional 'smaller' one. Here is a pic of the larger backstrap as shipped:
Here is the swapped out smaller backstrap:
Here is a pic of the 2 backstraps placed together, i have the small one fitted to the XDs and the larger one it comes shipped with next to it for comparison. The size difference is not huge, its more a difference in profile. You can clearly see that the larger strap has a more consistent full radius and curves all the way from the handle towards the magazine well. The smaller one starts off similar but reduces rather sharply down towards the mag well reducing the overall circumference of the grip. With my 'girl hands' my preference is with the smaller backstrap, although the larger one is still relatively comfortable and definitely usable.
My pinky fits relatively comfortably on the grip, although from a psychological perspective I may just get the pearce grip in addition to my ordered extended mag. (FYI - This is with the larger backstrap)
A lot has been made of the fibre optic front sight and how people wish it had night sights. I don't mind them at all. It comes fitted with a red fibre optic insert and a 2 white dot rear sight. Here is a sight pic:
In daylight conditions the red insert is very bright and visible. I personally prefer how the yellow / green insert looks and to me, my eye pics it up quicker and easier. Here is a picture of the 2 different inserts to compare:
Overall my impressions are excellent, as always the XD line (and springfield) impresses with their presentation and included 'freebies'. The feel of the gun is fabulous, thin, compact and manipulates well. The feed ramp is excellently polished and the overall fit and finish feels top class. A very solid concealed carry and much more convenient than my current EDC, a CZ P07 Duty..... although again, i know the statistics on amounts of rounds used in conflicts etc... but i find myself battling the physical comfort of concealability aspect Vs the psychological comfort of capacity!!! I guess i can use both depending on the situation and weather?! ;o)
I will be picking up my IWB Leather Holster from Winthrop Holsters this afternoon so I will update this with some more pics of the holster and give my thoughts.
Go find an XDs 9mm!!!
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