joshualee49
Sharpshooter
Ok INGO - Here is my AAR for the Springfield Armory XDs. I'll start with a couple general observations, then continue into the actual performance review...
First off, I have to say that this little gun is a BULLDOG. Recoil is definitely manageable, however there is no doubt that you are shooting 230 grains of lead once you pull the trigger. I wouldn't necessarily call it snappy - the handgun seems to be designed well in that it "pushes" against you instead of snapping up or to the left very much. +1 Springfield. As advertised, the stippling is very aggressive. I found it to be comfortable, however I would imagine it would start to beat you up after an extended range session. I fired 200 rounds of 230 grain ball ammo, and 25 rounds of Remington UHD 230 grain BJHP's. (These are, ballistics wise, Remington Golden Sabers in a different package). At the end of the session, my grip hand was on the verge of sore. Nobody ever said this was a range target gun though, right?
The sights work well and point of aim seems to be right on out to 15 yards. I found that the window between the front sight post and the rear sight posts is very modest - you don't have a whole lot to split. This might be a turn off to shooters accustomed to more generous sight post gap. That aside, the FO front sight allowed for good tracking of targets and decent follow up shot time.
The distance between the bottom of the trigger and the trigger guard is negligible. During 5 shot strings, I found my finger getting somewhat pinched between the two surfaces as the trigger was resetting. Might be a non issue to someone who uses a higher trigger hold, but I seem to have the best luck keeping my finger as low on the trigger as possible. During recoil, I also found my trigger finger creeping to the left relative to it's starting position. One will probably spend more time between shots reacquiring their normal grasp than reacquiring the target. The trigger is an OK trigger. Not something to complain about, but not really an awesome trigger either. It makes sense in the role of a carry gun without a safety, but since the XDs has the Springfield grip safety, I think they could have lightened it up a pound or so. I would estimate it to be between 6-7 pounds with a very clean break and no creep or stacking. The trigger reset is VERY nice on the gun, which would be even more beneficial if one's original grip and trigger finger placement weren't altered by the little bulldog in their hands. I would give the overall trigger system a B+. If the trigger lightens up a bit after break in, I think it will be a really decent setup.
Magazine springs are STIFF out of the box - I filled both up yesterday and left them to sit overnight. The followers seem to be quality and the mag overall has a quality feel. It was not overly difficult to load them to capacity and when inserted they respond with a satisfying and positive "click". Mag release is ambi and pretty pronounced. Magazines fall freely when the release is pushed, as expected.
The LCI, however you feel about them, doesn't seem as obtrusive as on some of the other SA autos. Not a HUGE fan of them myself, but I can tolerate the low profile version much easier than a huge plastic red flag that pops up out of the top of your slide...
The first target you will see represents the first shots I took with the XDs. Obviously, I am not a marksman nor will I claim to be throughout this review. YMMV of course, depending on your skill level. I hope to illustrate what the gun is CAPABLE of given proper execution of fundamentals. I loaded up 25 rounds and shot at a moderate pace...
All were either within or touching the 9 ring. No busting on my n00bishness!
The next two targets represent a 5 shot string and a 3 shot string. Same distance, however this time I really dialed in the target and slow fired. Pretty impressive results from such a short barrel and a little package. For my money, anyhow...
Not bad...not bad....
Now, again I will preface this by saying that I am a rather novice shooter. Truth be told, I have been shooting for all of about 4-5 months with any regularity - especially handguns. That being said, the following target is off hand at 15 yards. As mentioned in the overview, I found the narrow airspace between the sights to be a hindrance out at 15 yards. I feel this is representative of my ability at this point off hand at a moderate speed.
All but 3 rounds out of 15 hit the target at some point, which I would compare to a humanoid sized center mass area. I feel that I could adequately defend myself out to 15 yards with this handgun.
Now, HERE'S where this little beauty REALLY impressed me. On the following target, you will notice several flyers which was more of the same off hand shooting at 15 yards. Well, I decided to bear down and shoot off the bay with my cheek resting on my outstretched bicep. More or less a supported position. The two flyers at 6:00, the one at 8:00, and the one at 10:00 were all off hand. The remaining 10 shots, including the flyer at 11:45 were from the above mentioned supported position. Out of those, arguably 3 were in the bull, 3 in the 10 ring, 3 in the 9 ring, and the one flyer. I think that accurately illustrates the POTENTIAL of this firearm. Clearly, I have work to do on my personal shooting ability, but I firmly believe this little gem shoots WAY better than I do.
So, in summary, I am thoroughly impressed and excited to own this sweet little shooter. I would highly recommend getting your hands on one and trying it out.
Thanks for taking the time to read my review. Shoot straight.
***** OVERALL IMPRESSIONS *****
First off, I have to say that this little gun is a BULLDOG. Recoil is definitely manageable, however there is no doubt that you are shooting 230 grains of lead once you pull the trigger. I wouldn't necessarily call it snappy - the handgun seems to be designed well in that it "pushes" against you instead of snapping up or to the left very much. +1 Springfield. As advertised, the stippling is very aggressive. I found it to be comfortable, however I would imagine it would start to beat you up after an extended range session. I fired 200 rounds of 230 grain ball ammo, and 25 rounds of Remington UHD 230 grain BJHP's. (These are, ballistics wise, Remington Golden Sabers in a different package). At the end of the session, my grip hand was on the verge of sore. Nobody ever said this was a range target gun though, right?
The sights work well and point of aim seems to be right on out to 15 yards. I found that the window between the front sight post and the rear sight posts is very modest - you don't have a whole lot to split. This might be a turn off to shooters accustomed to more generous sight post gap. That aside, the FO front sight allowed for good tracking of targets and decent follow up shot time.
The distance between the bottom of the trigger and the trigger guard is negligible. During 5 shot strings, I found my finger getting somewhat pinched between the two surfaces as the trigger was resetting. Might be a non issue to someone who uses a higher trigger hold, but I seem to have the best luck keeping my finger as low on the trigger as possible. During recoil, I also found my trigger finger creeping to the left relative to it's starting position. One will probably spend more time between shots reacquiring their normal grasp than reacquiring the target. The trigger is an OK trigger. Not something to complain about, but not really an awesome trigger either. It makes sense in the role of a carry gun without a safety, but since the XDs has the Springfield grip safety, I think they could have lightened it up a pound or so. I would estimate it to be between 6-7 pounds with a very clean break and no creep or stacking. The trigger reset is VERY nice on the gun, which would be even more beneficial if one's original grip and trigger finger placement weren't altered by the little bulldog in their hands. I would give the overall trigger system a B+. If the trigger lightens up a bit after break in, I think it will be a really decent setup.
Magazine springs are STIFF out of the box - I filled both up yesterday and left them to sit overnight. The followers seem to be quality and the mag overall has a quality feel. It was not overly difficult to load them to capacity and when inserted they respond with a satisfying and positive "click". Mag release is ambi and pretty pronounced. Magazines fall freely when the release is pushed, as expected.
The LCI, however you feel about them, doesn't seem as obtrusive as on some of the other SA autos. Not a HUGE fan of them myself, but I can tolerate the low profile version much easier than a huge plastic red flag that pops up out of the top of your slide...
***** 7 YARD RANGE REPORT *****
The first target you will see represents the first shots I took with the XDs. Obviously, I am not a marksman nor will I claim to be throughout this review. YMMV of course, depending on your skill level. I hope to illustrate what the gun is CAPABLE of given proper execution of fundamentals. I loaded up 25 rounds and shot at a moderate pace...
All were either within or touching the 9 ring. No busting on my n00bishness!
The next two targets represent a 5 shot string and a 3 shot string. Same distance, however this time I really dialed in the target and slow fired. Pretty impressive results from such a short barrel and a little package. For my money, anyhow...
Not bad...not bad....
***** 15 YARD RANGE REPORT *****
Now, again I will preface this by saying that I am a rather novice shooter. Truth be told, I have been shooting for all of about 4-5 months with any regularity - especially handguns. That being said, the following target is off hand at 15 yards. As mentioned in the overview, I found the narrow airspace between the sights to be a hindrance out at 15 yards. I feel this is representative of my ability at this point off hand at a moderate speed.
All but 3 rounds out of 15 hit the target at some point, which I would compare to a humanoid sized center mass area. I feel that I could adequately defend myself out to 15 yards with this handgun.
Now, HERE'S where this little beauty REALLY impressed me. On the following target, you will notice several flyers which was more of the same off hand shooting at 15 yards. Well, I decided to bear down and shoot off the bay with my cheek resting on my outstretched bicep. More or less a supported position. The two flyers at 6:00, the one at 8:00, and the one at 10:00 were all off hand. The remaining 10 shots, including the flyer at 11:45 were from the above mentioned supported position. Out of those, arguably 3 were in the bull, 3 in the 10 ring, 3 in the 9 ring, and the one flyer. I think that accurately illustrates the POTENTIAL of this firearm. Clearly, I have work to do on my personal shooting ability, but I firmly believe this little gem shoots WAY better than I do.
So, in summary, I am thoroughly impressed and excited to own this sweet little shooter. I would highly recommend getting your hands on one and trying it out.
Thanks for taking the time to read my review. Shoot straight.
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