# Springfield Arms XD compact .40



## Ratfink (Jul 4, 2007)

Went to the range this morning. Couldn't think of a more American way to start off my Independence day. 

Tried out a few guns, because I am still shopping for a good carry .40 semi-auto. 

I was looking forward to trying out the new XD after looking at it online for the last couple weeks. 

I was actually disappointed. Didn't feel good in my hands, and it was really hard to load the magazine to full capacity by hand. Could be that I am new at it, but I had no problems loading 5 other guns, and this one was really making my thumb sore to just get 10 .40 rounds in it. 

I like some of the features, and the price is not bad. But I don't see owning one any time soon. Maybe it was just circumstances, but if you guys have some more insight on it, that would be cool.


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## KingAirDriver (Aug 13, 2006)

Ratfink said:


> I was actually disappointed. Didn't feel good in my hands, and it was really hard to load the magazine to full capacity by hand. Could be that I am new at it, but I had no problems loading 5 other guns, and this one was really making my thumb sore to just get 10 .40 rounds in it.


Don't get too discouraged; they may have been new(er) mags, which are usually pretty stiff. :smt1099


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## Ratfink (Jul 4, 2007)

Good to know. 

Anyone own one that can attest to that statement?


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## Todd (Jul 3, 2006)

I have an XD40 and the new mags are stiff. It gets easier over time.


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## Baldy (Jun 21, 2006)

Hey Ratfink go to a shop and get one of them plastic thumb loaders. They cost about $8.00 but they will save the thumb. You could load your mags to max and leave them that way for a few days. Might help a little. Good luck.


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## Todd (Jul 3, 2006)

Baldy said:


> Hey Ratfink go to a shop and get one of them plastic thumb loaders. They cost about $8.00 but they will save the thumb. You could load your mags to max and leave them that way for a few days. Might help a little. Good luck.


If he buys the XD new, a loader is part of the "great" XD gear package that comes with the XD.


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## Mike Barham (Mar 30, 2006)

I agree with the other fellows. Mag springs are often stiff when new. Whenever I get new mags for my Glock 26, they are hard to fully load the first few times. Don't see why an XD would be much different, since the guns are similar in concept.

None of which fixes the poor feel in your hand, but I have a higher regard for the adaptability of the human hand than many.


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## TOF (Sep 7, 2006)

I had an XD40 Tactical and XD9 Service. The 9 was not as bad as the 40 when loading the last 2 rounds but neither improved over 4000 40's and 1000 9's. I replaced both with M&P full size models. The Mag's were easier to load from the getgo the grip (adjustable) fit my hand significantly better and I shoot better with both.

Mike, we can adapt to many things but I choose to wear the correct shoe and glove size for me. I also chose to own and shoot guns that fit ME. I could care less if they work well for some one else except insofar as they operate reliably. Have fun with your Glocks , I am enjoying my M&P's.

:smt1099


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## Mike Barham (Mar 30, 2006)

TOF said:


> Mike, we can adapt to many things but I choose to wear the correct shoe and glove size for me. I also chose to own and shoot guns that fit ME. I could care less if they work well for some one else except insofar as they operate reliably. Have fun with your Glocks , I am enjoying my M&P's.


That was a little out of left field, but okay. The M&P seems a perfectly serviceable pistol, even if it is basically just a Sigma with a facelift. It remains to be seen if it will have the long, wide and deep track record of reliability that the Glock has. I hope it does, since it is probably the best American pistol of this generation.

I shot a 1911 for almost twenty years before finally switching to Glock. The latter felt very foreign to me since I was so long accustomed to the 1911, but I was committed to the Glock because of the reliability issue, and now it feels perfectly natural to me. I simply adapted to the new tool - just as my hand can use a hammer, a jigsaw, a screwdriver and a ratchet with equal facility.


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## Rustycompass (Jun 25, 2006)

*I have an XD also ....*

Hey Rat,

I have an XD, a 4" Service model in 45 ACP. I've had it for over a year & 1/2 now & shot I don't know how many rounds through. When it was new the 13 round mags were tight but they not a problem now.
It's become one of my favorite weapons & also my CCW in a Blackhawk holster.


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## Ratfink (Jul 4, 2007)

I am going to own a Sig P229 .40 very soon. Next paycheck. But I will still keep the slot open for the XD if I get a second gun. It has some good features. All I want to see now is for it to be shot so many times that it builds a good service record, like the Sig's and Glocks. I think it can.


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## spacedoggy (May 11, 2006)

Mike Barham said:


> That was a little out of left field, but okay. The M&P seems a perfectly serviceable pistol, even if it is basically just a Sigma with a facelift. It remains to be seen if it will have the long, wide and deep track record of reliability that the Glock has. I hope it does, since it is probably the best American pistol of this generation.


Mike I don't understand your statement. I know nothing about the M&P or Sigma's. What got me confused is when you said "since it is probably the best American pistol of this generation." Is it because it's a S&W and they have the power to get a handgun that title even if it does not have the reliability? If the M&P is a sigma with a face lift why are they so dam cheap? I looked at one but the price was so low I didn't trust it and that was not a sale price. Made me think it was a Rossi or a High-point.


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## Mike Barham (Mar 30, 2006)

spacedoggy said:


> Mike I don't understand your statement. I know nothing about the M&P or Sigma's. What got me confused is when you said "since it is probably the best American pistol of this generation." Is it because it's a S&W and they have the power to get a handgun that title even if it does not have the reliability? If the M&P is a sigma with a face lift why are they so dam cheap? I looked at one but the price was so low I didn't trust it and that was not a sale price. Made me think it was a Rossi or a High-point.


I should have written "best service-grade American pistol." I think the Kahr still beats the M&P overall.

Have you had bad experiences with the M&P in terms of reliability? Most of the major instructors have had quite a of of them through their schools, and report good reliability. John Farnam has been quite effusive about the pistol. My own personal experience with it is limited to one pistol.

And which gun did you see at a low price, the Sigma or the M&P? Sigmas have been cheap for years. Before I deployed, I saw M&Ps going for slightly more than Glocks, which isn't expensive but isn't exactly Hi-Point territory, either. But the M&P has some things in common with the Sigma, especially the trigger group - though it is much improved.

Pricing on Sigmas and M&Ps seems to be what the market will bear. Few people would buy a Sigma for the same price and an XD or Glock. But people will shell out money for the new gun, especially since it is ergonomically better than the old one. Hey, look at how much HK charges for a polymer gun just because it says "HK" on it.


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