SPRINGFIELD XD .40 SUB-COMPACT

This chopped polymer powerhouse is surprisingly shootable for its size..

By Payton Miller

Springfield's XD .40 Sub-Compact is the latest addition to the company's import line.

Ever since Springfield Armory began distributing the Croation-made Extreme Duty DAO auto back in 2001, the reputation of the polymer-framed workhorse has been steadily growing.

Last year saw the introduction of the 5-inch Tactical and 3-inch Sub-Compact 9mm. But the 9mm Sub-Compact had barely hit the market before folks began clamoring for an ultra-short .40. Well, it's here now. And if our preliminary shooting impressions are on the mark, this should be the CCW gun to beat for the next couple of years.

For anyone who missed out on the XD phenomenon, the pistol is a moderately priced, polymer-framed workhorse that bears a passing resemblance to a Glock. It's a Browning-style tilt-barrel with a captive dual-spring recoil-guide assembly and a striker-fired DAO action.

The XD features what is called an Ultra Safety Assurance Action Trigger System that features a trigger safety lever, plus an internal firing-pin block that deactivates when the trigger reaches the striker release point. On top of that, there's a grip safety that must be fully depressed before the trigger and slide can be moved. The whole system is a lot simpler than it sounds; the XD is pretty much a point/shoot pistol provided you grab it right.

I've had thousands of rounds through a .40 5-inch Tactical and have been very impressed with it, so when a 3-inch .40 Sub-Compact showed up, I was pretty hot to try it out. The ammo I ran through it included Winchester USA 180-grain JHP, Hornady 155-grain JHP, Remington UMC 165-grain FMJ, Black Hills 155-grain JHP and Speer 180-grain GDHP.

The long and the short of it: The Sub-Compact .40 (right) is a CCW-friendly alternative to the 5-inch Tactical .40 (center). (left) Fieldstripping the XD into its four major elements can be done in less time than it takes to read this caption.

Shooting the abbreviated XD was an eye-opener. I'm used to shooting the 5-inch Tactical Model, so I was a bit apprehensive about that short sight radius, but my 25-yard results from a sandbagged rest certainly supported the contention that short barrels can be as inherently accurate as long ones. The best performers from my particular gun turned out to be the Winchester USA 180s and the Hornady 155s.

(left)An imposing bore, broad sighting plane and rugged dovetailed sights are the front-end features of the XD Sub-Compact .40. (right) The shorter double-stack Sub-Compact magazine (left) only holds one less round of .40 S&W than that of a full-size XD magazine.

The Winchesters produced five-shot clusters at around two inches while the Hornadys came in at around 1 3/4 inches. Everything else ranged from 2 1/2 to 3 1/2 inches. What impressed me about the XD .40 Sub-Compact was the fact that--despite its 24-ounce weight--it did an excellent job of distributing the recoil impulse, although those hot 155s did cause more muzzle upflip than I'd been used to with full-size XDs.

Excellent 25-yard groups were obtained with Hornady 155-grain XTPs (left) and Winchester USA 180-grain JHPs (right).

XD DAO triggers aren't as light as those of tuned 1911s, but the pulls are plenty crisp and short enough for accurate shooting. The .40 Sub-Compact's broke at 7 1/2 pounds with a very manageable amount of takeup. That's definitely in spec with the company claim of 5.5 to 7.7 pounds. Since Glock comparisons are inevitable, I'd like to state that, for my own use, I much prefer the more "CZ 75-ish" grip angle of the XD. The handles on a Glock exhibit too much of an acute backsweep for me personally--I have a tendency to shoot high with a Glock when I'm in a hurry; I have to consciously force the front sight down.

The sighting plane of the XD seems as broad as a six-lane highway--you're definitely getting a "big gun" sight picture on the Sub-Compact. Unless you have extraordinarily small hands, your little finger is going to have to contend with the short-grip magazine toe, but it's rounded and fairly comfortable.

Even with a round as potent as the .40 S&W, the XD Sub-Compact is pretty comfortable to shoot, but if you intend on rapid two-shot pairs, you're going to have to acclimate yourself to the upflip on that short barrel. And the power increase of the .40 over the 9mm version is definitely worth the extra time spent in familiarizing yourself with the enhanced recoil.

With the .40 Sub-Compact, Springfield Armory has come up with a chunky, no-nonsense, state-of-the-art CCW pistol. It's powerful, simple to operate, more accurate than it needs to be and boasts a 10-round capacity (with one in the chamber). If you're looking for potency in a small package, in the case of the XD Sub-Compact .40, less is definitely more.

Shooting Facilities provided by Angeles Shooting Ranges, Dept. GA, 12651 Little Tujunga Road, San Fernando, CA 91342; (800) 499-4486.