SPRINGFIELD ARMORY XD

Manufactured in the city of Ozalj, Croatia by 'HS Produkt' (formerly 'I.M. Metal'), and licensed and sold in the US by 'Springfield Armory', the HS 2000, or 'XD' ('X'-Treme 'D'uty) series of pistols are polymer-framed, magazine-fed, striker-fired, semi-automatic handguns. Features include double-stack high-capacity magazines, an Ultra Safety Assurance (USA) Trigger System, a 1911-style grip safety, ambidextrous magazine release buttons, a loaded chamber indicator, striker status indicator, and accessory rail.
Springfield Armory offers the XD to the US market in five calibers: 9x19 mm, .357 SIG, .40 S&W, .45 GAP, and .45 ACP. Five primary models are available including a Sub-Compact model with a 3" barrel, a Compact version with a 4" barrel, a Service model with a 4" barrel, a Tactical model with a 5" barrel, and a Ported V-10 model with a 4" barrel and upward-facing ports on the XD's slide to soften recoil and reduce muzzle rise. All five models in the XD line are available in one of four finishes: Bi-Tone, OD Green, Black, and a fourth finish called "US Mil-Spec Flat Dark Earth" (tan) has been recently released to the market.

Contents

History

Features

HS2000 / XD Pistols

Pros & Cons

Pros

Cons

External links

History

The XD traces its roots back to a service pistol known as the PHP, which was first produced in Croatia by privately owned industrial parts firm I.M. Metal in 1991 . Designed by a team led by Marko Vukovic, the PHP was considered to be a solid design, but early versions were plagued by quality issues, due in large part to the difficulties of manufacturing during a liberation war. Vukovic's team continued to tweak and improve the design over the next decade, releasing the HS95 (Hrvatski Samokres or "Croatian Pistol") in 1995, and the HS2000 in 1999 .
The HS2000 was adopted by the Croatian military and law enforcement as their standard issue sidearm, and continues to fill that role today. In addition, the pistol was exported to the US market by Intrac and distributed by HSAmerica, which sold the pistol in 9mm as the HS2000, and started to gain a reputation as a cost-effective, reliable, and innovative new firearm.
In 2002, Springfield Armory, Inc. secured the licensing rights to the US market, and rebranded the pistol to XD-9 ('X'-treme 'D'uty 9x19 mm). Since that time Springfield Armory has expanded the line to include five different calibers, three different barrel lengths, and four finishes (black, stainless steel, Olive Drab frame, and the newest Dark Earth frame). Due in part to Springfield Armory's aggressive marketing and competitive pricing, but also to the pistol's inherent quality and features, it has consistently gained in both reputation and market share over the last five years. The introduction of the XD-45 (in the extremely popular .45 ACP caliber) in January of 2006 has made the XD the "most talked about handgun" in the eyes of many interested shooters. The industry press took notice as well, awarding the XD-45 the title of "Handgun of the Year" from both American Rifleman magazine and the The Shooting Industry Academy of Excellence.

Features

The XD pistol features three safety mechanisms. The first is called a 'trigger safety', similar to that found on Glock handguns. The trigger safety requires the shooter to depress a secondary embedded trigger while pulling the primary trigger. This ensures that the gun cannot be fired unless the trigger is depressed. The second safety is called a 'grip safety', most often associated with the many 1911 variants on the market. The grip safety is situated on the back of the XD's grip, and is depressed by the palm of the shooter's strong hand when the pistol is held. This ensures that the gun cannot fire unless the shooter has a firm and steady grip on the weapon. The third mechanism is an internal 'drop safety', which prevents the striker from releasing if the gun is dropped or exposed to a significant impact.
Two significant features in the XD's design are the striker status and loaded chamber indicators. The loaded chamber indicator is a small button, just above the breech on top of the gun's slide, which pops up when a round is in the chamber. This button doesn't rise high enough to interfere with the shooter's sight picture, but is high enough to be seen easily, or felt by hand if a shooter needed to verify the gun's status in the dark. The cocked indicator works much the same way, but is located on the rear face of the slide, so the shooter can instantly tell whether or not the gun is cocked.
Other features of the XD include an integrated picatinny-compatible rail under the muzzle to accommodate the installation of lights, lasers or other accessories. An ambidextrous magazine release allows the shooter to drop the magazine from either the left or right side of the weapon.

HS2000 / XD Pistols

Model	Barrel	Caliber	Capacity	Black	Olive Drab	Bi-Tone	Dark Earth
Sub-compact	3 in	9 mm Luger .40 S&W	10 or 16 rounds 10 or 13 rounds	X	X	X
Compact	4 or 5 in	.45 ACP	10 or 13 rounds	X	X		X
Service	4 in	9 mm Luger .40 S&W .357 SIG .45 GAP .45 ACP	16 rounds 12 rounds 12 rounds 9 rounds 13 rounds	X	X	X	X
Ported V-10	4 in	9 mm Luger .40 S&W .357 SIG	16 rounds 12 rounds 12 rounds	X	X
Tactical	5 in	9 mm Luger .40 S&W .357 SIG .45 GAP .45 ACP	16 rounds 12 rounds 12 rounds 9 rounds 13 rounds	X	X	X

Other variations available from Springfields Custom Shop

Pros & Cons

Pros

★ The XD can be field stripped easily and quickly with no tools.

★ Springfield Armory promises a lifetime warranty with every XD pistol. http://www.springfield-armory.com/assets/downloads/warranty.pdf

★ The XD series has only been on the market for a few years, so shooters are unable to judge its long-term track record, but the line has already established a reputation for bombproof reliability. One so-called 'Torture Test' was conducted (see external link below) in which an XD-9 was run over with a truck, frozen in a block of ice, caked with sand, and even stripped and degreased, firing nearly 20,000 rounds without a single malfunction in the process.

★ The first thing many first-time XD shooters comment on is the gun's ergonomics. It is considered to have a very solid, stable feel, with a grip that feels extremely comfortable in the hands of even smaller shooters. These types of comments are especially impressive when applied to the XD-45, since grip size has been a major problem for other high-capacity .45ACP pistols.

★ The XD's grip angle is the same as that of a 1911, an angle commonly thought to be naturally pointable. Many polymer-framed pistols such as Glocks tend to have a more oblique grip angle. Whether or not this is a positive trait is largely a matter of personal opinion and/or previous experience. For 1911 users looking for a high capacity, lightweight pistol, the XD may offer an easy transition.

★ The sight mounts on XD pistols are essentially the same as sight mounts on the popular line of pistols made by SIG, meaning that there is a large variety of aftermarket sights that can be installed on an XD without modification.

★ The XD uses a fully supported chamber design which reinforces the rear of the ammunition case. A fully supported chamber reduces the possibility of an ammunition case rupture that could cause injury to the shooter and severely damage the gun. This is an especially important feature for owners who intend to use +P and/or reloaded ammunition.

★ The sights and trigger of the XD are made of metal instead of plastic.

Cons

★ Though some parts can be purchased through aftermarket suppliers, Springfield Armory refuses to sell some individual XD parts. Springfield Armory's position seems to be that with a lifetime warranty that includes repair work, parts sales are not necessary. Because owners cannot keep spare parts on hand, this policy of Springfield Armory essentially inserts a mandatory delay ranging from days to weeks between the gun breaking and the gun working again. This is a major stumbling block for shooters who are involved in competitive pistol activities, those who are using their XD on a daily basis, or those who may find themselves in a situation where continual, uninterrupted self-defense capability becomes very important (for example, during riots or a natural disaster with looting). Buying an identical second XD for the purpose of serving as a complete spare part set is one answer, but this approach is expensive. Some have reported that Springfield Armory will sell parts upon calling their customer service division, though the parts offered for sale are limited to user serviceable components.

★ Those who have tried installing after-market or custom sights on XD's have reported that removing the existing sights can be an ''extremely'' difficult process, often requiring the services of a gunsmith.

★ Pre-2006 versions of the XD were protected with a metal treatment called ''Bruniral''. Some who own pistols with the ''Bruniral'' treatment have reported significant rust problems - especially those who carry the XD against their skin. Fortunately, current versions of the XD are being manufactured the ''Melonite'' brand of Carbonitriding, which is the same process as the ''Tenifer'' coating used on Glocks.

External links

★ US Embassy's profile of HS Produkt

★ HS-Arms Europe - Information of the distributor for the German Market

★ Springfield Armory's Website

★ XDTalk Forums

★ XD & HS2000 General information, old HSARMS website

★ XD Torture Test

★ Modern Firearms & Handguns - HS2000/XD Page

★ Texas XD Practical Shooters Association

★ XD Complete Disassembly Guide

★ Guns Magazine - Supported Chamber Q&A

★ Guns and Ammo Magazine Action Profile - Inside the XD