Review of the Springfield XD .45 ACP Compact

Springfield XD .45 ACP Compact user review.

I bought my XD new from a local dealer about 4 years ago now, for $600. I knew I could grab a cheaper one on the used market, which would pose no problems in Alabama, but I wanted to make sure I had every guarantee possible for a pistol that I had no experience with at the time. Let me go ahead and say that I have NO regrets to this day!

I bought mine in .45 ACP compact(4 inch barrel.) I got all the standard XD gear, one 13 round mag, one 10 round mag, mag loader, belt open carry holster, dual mag pouch, bore brush, XD branded cable lock, and of course the hard case it all came in.

To this day I have put about 8,000 rounds down range with it and it still functions flawlessly. It has never had an issue feeding any type of ammunition, and I have use quite a wide variety(Winchester ball, Remington HP, Hydrashock, Wolf, Tul, Armscor, Remington UMC, just about any cheap surplus ammunition that I could get a hold of, and countless brands that I have forgotten.) Without a single stovepipe, failure to feed, failure to eject, or any other type of issue! I did have one friend use an improper grip that sent brass flying back over his head, but I managed to correct him on that and it never happened again.

I've shot a few .45s in my day, but nothing has compared having this beast at my waist. Recoil is lower than I expected, so those follow up shots come with great ease(makes me eager to try an XDM in 9mm!)

Features include a 1911 style grip safety, a Glock style trigger safety, and a picatinny accessory rail. The recoil spring also has a piece that sticks out the front just a little under the barrel, allowing it to be pressed up against something without moving the slide out of battery, a feature that may save your life one day. Newer models also include a manual safety, but I will not review that as I opted for a model without one.

For anyone not familiar with Glock and 1911 safety’s, the Glock trigger safety has a spring safety in the trigger, so if you don't hold the trigger properly, it won't pull all the way back and release the striker.. The 1911 grip safety is very similar, except that it is on the back of the pistol grip and requires a proper grip to disengage the safety.

When I carry concealed(properly licensed of course,) I use a Blackhawk Nylon holster that I found at Wal-Mart once for $29.99, though I would suggest any holster by Blackhawk personally. As well as the 10 round magazine(it doesn't snag or protrude from my waist as much as the 13 round mag with grip extension, and drops a little weight,) with Remington 230 grain jacketed hollow points. I do change up the brand of rounds I carry every now and the, but I get the tightest grouping on average with the Remington s.

Weight:

Pistol with empty 10 rd mag = 1 lb and 12.9 oz

w/ full 10 rd mag of Rem 230 JHP = 2 lb and 4.25 oz

w/ full 10 rd mag and holster = 2 lb and 7.95 oz

I will update these weights with the 13 rd mag w/ grip extension as soon as I get one out of my range bag.

The field strip is simple, and I will provide Illustrations below.

Field Strip

1. Remove your magazine

2. Make sure you check and recheck your chamber for a round by racking it and visually inspecting it

3. Pull the slide all the way to the rear position and lock it in place

4. Rotate the the take down lever up at a 90 degree angle

5. Release the slide to it's forward position

6. Make sure that you point the firearm in a safe direction and squeeze the trigger, causing the slide to move forward

7. Pull the slide off the front of the grip

8. Remove the recoil spring

9. Remove the barrel

To reassemble, just preform these steps in the reverse order while omitting number 6, and do make sure that your recoil spring is seated properly.

P.S.

Sorry about the image rotations! Hubpages did it, but I will come back and fix it shortly.