REVIEWS
Sizing Down, Powering Up
Springfield's newest XD puts .45 ACP punch into a compact, shootable package.
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Mr. McGuire: I want to say one word to you. Just one word.
Benjamin: Yes, sir.
Mr. McGuire: Are you listening?
Benjamin: Yes, I am.
Mr. McGuire: Plastics.
--From "THE GRADUATE," 1968
Now, nearly 40 years after that wry little cinematic exchange, space-age plastics are a manufacturing byword--no more so than in the world of auto pistols. Ever since the introduction of the Glock 17 back in 1985, polymer (a sexier term than "plastic") framed autos have comprised the fastest-growing segment of the pistol market. Every manufacturer, it seems, makes them--Kimber, Smith & Wesson, Ruger, Springfield Armory, Glock, CZ, H&K etc. And practically every serious shooter's got at least one.
Springfield Armory introduced the XD (Extreme Duty) pistol amid considerable fanfare back in 2002. To be sure, the polymer-framed, Croatian-made auto had been in existence in this country prior to Springfield's involvement. Initially, the pistol was called the HS2000 (brought in in 2000 by HS America of Knoxville, Tennessee).
What sold a lot of shooters on the HS/Springfield pistol was the fact that, although slightly heavier than the Glock, it had a grip configuration that was patterned somewhat on the CZ 75 and was friendlier to a lot of American shooters--who have a tendency to shoot high when they are in a hurry because of the Glock's more acutely swept grip angle.
Under the Springfield banner, the XD platform was initially cut for the 9mm, .40 S&W and .357 SIG. Variants included the Service model (four inch) and Tactical model (five inch). These were followed by a Sub-Compact (three inch) a year later.
Then came the .45 GAP version, which followed a similar progression of variants. You'd have thought that would've satisfied those who felt undergunned with anything less than a .45-caliber pistol, but many of those big-bore aficionados had to have a full-length .45 ACP, not the truncated (although practically ballistically identical) GAP number.
But when dealing with the design requirements necessitated by the longer .45 ACP cartridge, it was easier to come up with a Compact rather than a Sub-Compact platform.
And that's the route Springfield took. "The recoil-spring system on the .45 ACP takes up more space and there's a slide-travel issue," says the company's Bill Dermody. "To come up with a sub-compact is a tricker job, one that we can't pull off overnight. We mean to keep trying, but it may or may not happen."
The resulting Compact pistol is essentially a Service model with a shortened grip. But as far as I can see, this engineering difficulty is probably a blessing in disguise. When you're talking about concealed carry, the benefits of a three-inch-barreled gun as opposed to a four-inch-barreled gun are mostly illusory. There's a fine line between optimum concealability and adequate shootability.
A three-inch gun is considerably less forgiving of minor sighting errors than a four-inch gun. And while any errors may be inconsequential at the powder-burn ranges at which defensive shooting is most liable to take place, it seems short-sighted to deal oneself out of the game if longer distances are called for--even as statistically unlikely as they may be.
By the same token, the 0.7-inch shorter grip on the Compact isn't just an affectation. The benefits for concealed carry are real indeed; it makes the gun less prone to "printing," a major concealed fashion faux pas in which the gun's outline shows through clothing.
Like all XDs, the .45 ACP Compact features a unique trigger, which, strictly speaking, wouldn't be classified as double action only. Springfield refers to the action as the Ultra Safety Assurance system. The internal striker is loaded when the slide cycles. The result is a trigger with a relatively short arc; the break is remarkably consistent and measures (usually) around eight pounds or so.
It certainly isn't as crisp as a single action, but it is consistent, which solves the usual problem with conventional double-action/ single-action autos--namely having to navigate a heavy, spongy pull and a light, spongy one.
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