Springfield XD… now in 45 ACP!

Springfield Armory has fielded a pistol in recent years called the XD. This firearm may prove to be serious competition to the polymer pistols of Gaston Glock which are noted for their simplicity, reliability and ruggedness. The XD stands for “eXtreme Duty” and the pistol is a slightly altered version of the Croatian HS2000 (by IM Metal) that Springfield has licensed for import into the United States. The XD has a polymer and metal frame, a trigger safety and is striker fired like the Glock. Additional features include a grip safety and a grip angle similar to 1911 style pistols. Other nice features include ambidextrous magazine release buttons, an the accessory rail under the muzzle, cocked striker indicator and a loaded chamber indicator. The XD had been available in the following calibers: 9mm, .40 cal, 45GAP and 357SIG. About 2 weeks ago, Springfield announced they were adding another caliber to that list… the venerable .45 ACP. When I found this little bit of information out, all I could say to myself was, “I am in trouble!”

I have been looking at the XD for a while now. It’s an ugly thing, but I like it for some reason. It is certainly “less ugly” than a Glock in my opinion and it seems to have the same level of reliability and a few extra features. Sure… I don’t need another gun. However, I view the XD as a good choice for a carry pistol, should I ever move to an area that doesn’t frown on that practice.

I have had my eyes on the 9mm 4 inch barrel service model (XD-9). My eyes opened even wider when I tried the XD-9 at the Gunsite 350 class I attended in September. A student was putting one to the test in the class and let me try it out one day. It was an extremely light, comfortable, and controllable pistol. I fired a full magaziine at a target from the three yard line and made one hole about an inch wide. I know that is really close range, but the instructor still felt the need to utter and encouraging four-letter expletive when I was done. The 25 seconds that pistol spent in my hands sealed the deal for me, but I don’t need another pistol… right?

I can legally modify Beretta 92FS pre-ban 15 round magazines to fit in an XD-9, giving the pistol the 15 +1 cartridge capacity it was designed for. I would be comfortable carrying a 9mm, especially if I could carry 16 rounds in the weapon. I don’t know what side of the “Caliber Wars” you are on… I feel that a hit with a smaller bullet is much better than a miss with a big bullet. Also, a hit with a big, heavy, slower moving bullet is better than a hit with a small, light, fast moving bullet. That said, I definitely like the 45ACP round that my 1911 fires much better than a 9mm. The recoil has a different feel and as they say, a 9mm may expand, but a .45ACP will never shrink. While I love the idea of a Government sized 1911 for comcealed carry, they are a little heavy and a bit large.

I have looked into compact 1911-style autos, but they always have a low round capacity… 6 or 7 max. OK… that is not entirely true. Para Ordnance does make some compact 1911 style autos (Nite Hawg, Warthog) that hold 10 +1. Kimber has its compact versions of the “Ten II” line of pistols also. The prices of these pistols approach the $1,000 mark though and they have 3 inch barrels. You definitely pay the price as far as ballistics and economics are concerned. What would be cheaper, lighter and still have a decent round capacity and fire the .45ACP? Enter the Springfield XD-45ACP!


Can you beleve they cram all this in the XD-45ACP's magazine?

Somehow, Springfield’s engineers were able to work with the HS2000 design and fit 13 rounds into the magazine well without making the pistol much different in size when compared to its cousins (XD-9, XD-40, etc.). Make no mistake... the XD-45ACP is a full-sized pistol, but it is lighter in weight than double stack metal framed 1911s. 13 rounds of the large 45 ACP does present a design problem to firearms manufacturers. Material was shaved off in spots, other areas were beefed up – but the pistol is really not that much different than the other versions firing much smaller an lighter rounds. It is a little heavier (especially when loaded) and a little taller, but preliminary reports from owners of other XD versions say that the 45ACP version is just as comfortable and nearly identical in feel when compared to its relatives. The price is right as well. It will probably hover around $475-$550 when all the hype wears off. I can see dealers jacking up the price for these new firearms that haven’t been manufactured in any real quantity yet. At the moment, Springfield is shipping some XD-45ACP gear with the pistols. You get a Kydex holster, a double magazine carrier, and a magazine loader. This may be a “while supplies last” type of thing. The holster is cool because it has an accessory rail on it where you can clip weapon mountable light. The pistol ships with the standard 2 magazines with a 13 round capacity. If I bought one in my area, I would be sent 10 round mags as NY State has its own so-called Assault Weapons Ban. 11 rounds of .45ACP is fine with me though.


XD-Gear holster and magazine carrier

I wish Springfield luck with its foray into polymer frame style pistols. Many manufacturers have been entering this market innovated by Glock. You have Smith and Wesson with its M&P, Beretta with its PX4 Storm, Taurus with their 24/7, Walther’s P99, Kahr has its “PM” line of pistols, Fabrique Nationale (FN) has the Five-seveN and recently Kimber introduced a non-1911 style polymer framed pistol called the KPD. Springfield seems to have all the bases covered with the XD-45ACP. It seems as reliable as other XDs, it is light in weight, safe, full of features, reasonably priced, fires a decent caliber and has a decent magazine capacity. But what do I know?


Made in Croatia... imported by Springfield


Two XD Sub compacts (top) and a 4 inch barreled Service Model (bottom)


The Croation HS2000

Who’s Afraid of the Big Bad Wolf?

A box of Wolf ammunition in .45 ACP

Not me… at least not anymore. The rifle and pistol cartridges made by Wolf are either loved or hated by the firearms community. There seems to be no middle ground here. Wolf ammunition is made in Russia and I think that does a lot to create negative feelings in the minds of firearms enthusiasts. It is also inexpensive and in the minds of many people, “inexpensive” means “cheap junk”. Some also criticize it for being a dirty firing ammo and for smelling bad. Well, I guess you’ll just have to take 5 more minutes to clean you firearm. Oh yeah… by the way… all ammo smells bad when you get a whiff burning powder while shooting.

Then there is the little matter of the cases being made from steel instead of brass. Some have said that steel cases will cause undue wear and possible breakage of small parts like an extractor claw. However, I am sure the steel used to create the casings is a very low grade. The steel used in the manufacture of firearms should be significantly stronger and not adversely affected by the steel of the casings. This is a debate that occurs weekly in the various internet forums for firearms enthusiasts. Many people have a friend who has a friend who saw some guy at the range blow up a $2,500 Wilson Combat Custom 1911 because he used Wolf ammo in it. Maybe it did happen? Who knows?

Some people have changed their stance regarding Wolf ammo due to recent improvements in the Wolf “formula”. Previously, the cases of the ammunition were coated in a laquer to prevent corrosion during storage. This laquer supposedly had a habit of melting when firearms got hot and gumming up the works. Extraction and feeding problems were reported. Well, Wolf has addressed this problem (after several years of criticism) by formulating a different coating. Old Wolf ammo had shiny olive drab colored coated steel cases – new and improved Wolf ammo has a grey case. The primers are still drenched in red sealant which has a habit of getting all over the inside of breech face, but I don’t think enough can accumulate to cause any problems with function.


An old Wolf cartridge is on the left... new and improved Wolf on the right

I started out with Wolf ammunition a few years ago when I used it to “break in” my first firearm… a Kimber Custom TLE II. The people on the message boards were horrified that I would feed my upper middle class 1911 such junk during its maiden voyage. I was scared away from Wolf ammo, even though it seemed to work just fine. I moved on to other brands like Winchester (the cheap kind known as “Government” or “White Box”), PMC, Sellier and Bellot, UMC (Remington) and CCI Blazer Aluminum. I decided to try the last ammo on the list for a few reasons. First off, it was cheap. I couldn’t argue with $7.00 a box plus shipping. Ammo prices have been going up and I needed to change brands to save some money. Also, the cases are made from relatively soft non-reloadable aluminum. I had no worries about wear and no problems throwing them away. I have been saving my brass since I started shooting. Although I do not reload, I have a real hard time throwing out perfectly good cases that I can give to someone I may meet some day who may reload them. Ammunition manufacturers actually charge more for the brass cased ammo because you can reload it. Technically, I have been throwing money away by buying brass cased ammo all this time.

So why am I switching back to Wolf? Well, the Blazer is loaded a little hot. Whatever powder they use creates a little more recoil than I like to experience when I am out for a day of fun at the range. Don’t get me wrong, it is not like the kick of a +P self defense round. Still, it is a little more than I like. Although it is controllable and I can handle it, it seems unnecessary. Why should I have a sore hand for an hour after I leave the range if I can avoid it? Then there is the price: $6.45 for .45ACP… that’s like $3.50 cheaper than other brands. The Wolf cases are not realoadable either, so I can toss ‘em with a clear conscience. I think I am going to stock up on some 45ACP and some 9mm soon.

[Nuts! I just checked the price and the .45ACP is now $7.19 a box. When you see a deal on ammo DON’T WAIT TO BUY IT! Buy a bunch and save it for later! Your wallet will thank you.]