Note: The safety can be applied with the hammer cocked or forward. For this reason, unlike the XD pistols’ grip and trigger safeties, the XD-E is fitted with an ambidextrous thumb safety that allows you to carry the pistol in “cocked and locked” mode or, when pushed all the way down, safely drops the hammer on a loaded chamber and returns the trigger to DA mode. Of course, when you are done firing, you are left with a pistol with a cocked hammer. The SA trigger pull broke with exactly 5.25 pounds of pressure, which I feel is just about right on a handgun intended for close-range personal defense or even police service. The DA trigger pull on the pistol I received displayed some “new gun” stiffness, but I feel that it will improve with use. Unlike the XD series with their Ultra Safety Assurance (USA) triggers, the XD-E features a traditional double-action/single-action (DA/SA) trigger, which allows the shooter to fire the first shot with a rather long DA trigger stroke while subsequent rounds are fired in SA mode. These are generally small and require one to look closely or actually feel them, whereas with an external hammer, you can instantly see your pistol’s condition.Īcknowledging the external hammer leads us to two more of the XD-E’s features that differentiate it from its older cousins: the trigger and safeties. Most striker-fired designs feature some sort of external indicator that tells you if the pistol is cocked and ready to fire-or not. There are those persons who like to know the condition of their pistol at first glance. Up until this point, all XD pistols were striker-fired, but the XD-E uses an external hammer to ignite cartridges. The steel slide reciprocates on four steel rails, one pair on the internal locking block and another pair on the hammer housing at the rear of the frame. As the slide goes into battery, the barrel is pulled upward, and its hood enters the ejection port, locking the two units together. A dual recoil spring assembly located under the barrel then pulls the slide forward, stripping the next round out of the magazine and chambering it. When fired, the barrel and slide recoil together a short distance before the barrel is cammed downward, allowing the slide to continue to the rear, extracting and ejecting the spent case. Breech locking is accomplished by the barrel hood moving up into and bearing on the front edge of the ejection port. The CNC-machined slide has a Melonite finish and is fitted with a red fiber-optic front sight and a low-profile rear sight for target acquisitions and transitioning. The slide release and takedown levers are serrated for positive manipulations and mounted close to the frame so as not to snag on clothing or gear when the Springfield pistol is quickly drawn from concealment. As on other XD-type pistols, the XD-E comes standard with an ambidextrous magazine release and, unique among pistols of this class, a Picatinny rail that allows you to mount tactical lights or lasers. The Springfield XD-E is a combination of both old and new pistol design features, the “new” being its polymer frame with aggressive GripZone checkering on the sides, front- and backstraps that provides a secure purchase, even with wet or oily hands or when wearing gloves. As several manufacturers have recently introduced compact polymer-framed pistols with slimmer dimensions, Springfield decided to offer a competitive product. While this is not normally a problem when carried in a belt holster under a roomy coat or jacket, it can be problematic if you prefer IWB, pocket, ankle or handbag carry. Yes, XD pistols tend to be a bit wide for concealed carry. 45 ACP.īut, as those of us familiar with the XD breed can tell you, the compact and subcompact pistols labor under one, might we say, disadvantage-their width. Today, Springfield’s website lists no fewer than 34 members of the XD family in subcompact, compact, full-sized, long-slide and competition models available in 9mm. The XD proved popular with civilians, law enforcement agencies and competitive shooters, leading Springfield to introduce the XDM and XD-S series with improved ergonomics and a better trigger. After some minor changes, it was introduced to the American market as the Springfield Armory “Xtreme Duty” pistol, better known as simply the XD. While Springfield Armory was originally known for its extensive line of 1911-A1 pistols and M1A1 rifles, in the 1990s the company decided to break into the burgeoning polymer pistol market and saw what it needed in a striker-fired pistol made by IM Metal of Croatia. There are only three holes, but the author fired five rounds. The XD-E printed this tight group with Winchester’s 147-grain Win3Gun FMJs.
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