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[FROM HANDGUNS]
THE XD EXTREME DUTY SERVICE AUTO PISTOLSpringfield Armory adopts a Croatian design for its first striker-fired polymer-frame pistol.By David W. ArnoldIf this pistol looks familiar to you, you are not mistaken. We reviewed it in a Firing Line report in the September 2000 issue of Handguns (see "HS 2000 9mm Auto Pistol," page 82). Generally speaking Firing Line reports are reserved for reviews of products that have already been introduced, but are appearing in a different configuration. Sometimes things happen in reverse, as is the case here.
The HS 2000, as it was originally called, was first imported into this country by HS America of Knoxville Tennessee. The 2000 that I shot impressed me as a reliable good shooting auto, so Springfield's decision to include it in the company's handgun line makes a lot of sense. From what I can see from the three XDs that Springfield sent me, there are few if any significant changes to the HS 2000 that I shot almost a year ago. Even the calibers of 9mm, .357 SIG and .40 S&W (Figure 1) are the same.
ACTION TYPE AND FEATURES
The common practice of reinforcing the frame rails with steel inserts is not employed. Instead, rails are incorporated in a steel locking block (Figure 5) that operates the barrel locking cam and a similar steel housing that houses the trigger release mechanism. Both of these items use cross pins to secure them to the frame. The frame's dust cover is slotted to facilitate the attachment of laser and light modules like the Maor multi-purpose Laser module (Figure 6).
The pistol's controls consist of a dismantling catch, slide stop and magazine catch, all located on the left side of the frame (Figure 7). The button style magazine catch is, however, ambidextrous and can be operated from either side of the frame (Figure 8). This pistol has four safety systems consisting of an internal passive firing pin and drop safety, a trigger safety and a grip safety (Figure 9). The latter must not only be fully depressed to operate the trigger, but also to cycle the slide. The striker is partially cocked on cycling the slide and protrudes out of the back of the slide (Figure 10) to indicate it is in the firing mode. The extractor also acts as a loaded chamber indicator by protruding out of the top of the slide when a round is chambered (Figure 11).
Magazine capacity of all the XDs we received was 10 rounds (Figure 12). The magazines are chrome plated for easy insertion. The steel fixed high-visibility sights have three white dots (Figure 13 & 14).
The pistol fieldstrips down to five basic components (Figure 15). The disassembly procedure is simple and easy. First make sure the pistol is unloaded and safe. Then lock the slide open on the empty magazine and rotate the take down latch up (Figure 16). After removing the magazine, allow the slide to return forward. The trigger is then pulled to disengage the action so that the slide can be pulled off the frame (Figure 17). Stripping is completed by removing the recoil spring assembly and barrel from the bottom of the slide. The pistol is assembled in reverse order.
FIT AND FINISH The two stage double-action-only trigger has a consistent short smooth pull that measured at around 5.5 pounds. The sights are well defined and easy to acquire when the pistol is brought quickly into the aim. I liked the grip which is very comfortable and points well for my hand. I was able to properly access the trigger and operate all the controls without having to alter my grip on the pistol.
SHOOTING PERFORMANCE As usual, accuracy shooting was done at 25 yards from a seated benchrest. I found all three Extreme Duty pistols very pleasant to shoot. Recoil was mild; sights provided a good clear sight picture while the triggers were easy to control. The DAO trigger of many of the striker fired pistols I have shot in the past tend to have a very light pre-travel and then harden up considerably just before firing. This was not the case with these pistols, as the final release seemed to be surprisingly light. This was consistently the case with all three pistols. All three Extreme Duties delivered acceptable 25-yard groups. The XD-40 seemed to have the best overall accuracy, while the XD-9 shot the best group of the day. This was shot with Magtech 115-grain JHP and measured 2 1/2 inches. The pistols all showed a marked tendency to shoot 4 & 1 groups with four shots clustered closely together in a small group that was spoilt by a single flyer.
A good example of this was one 5-shot string shot with Cor Bon 90-grain JHP where there were four shots in a tight 1 1/4-inch group spoilt by a single high shot that turned it into a 7 1/2-inch group. The sights were quite well regulated with all pistols grouping slightly above my point of aim. On the combat range the pistols all performed well, keeping all ten shots within the nine and eight rings of the target. Once again the XD-9 was the best placing nine shots in the ten and one just on the nine/eight line (Figure 18). The XD-40 was next with eight in the ten and two out in the nine (Figure 19) the XD357 was close behind with seven tens and three nines (Figure 20).
RELIABILITY |
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