Opinions on the XDS

[djerdl]

I came across a couple of the Springfield XDS's up at GnL in Hendersonville and was wondering if y'all had had any experience with them. Tried a forum search, but nothing came up. It would actually be something for the girlfriend, but after shooting some of my pistols, she's leaning heavily toward the 45 version over the 9. How reliable are they, and how do they compare over all to the XDCs?

 

[penguincomp]

I don't know yet. I love the XD9C. Haven't shot the XDS yet.

[babelt]

I love my XDS. Surprisingly little recoil for such a little package in 45. I love the slim design. I can hide the thing easy with a crossbreed. She won't be disappointed in it. Now I will say this I would try to find one in 45 to shoot before you bought her one. The reason being is because I have let a couple of women shoot mine and after a magazine they didn't want to shoot it again. It's really not that bad but it does kick a little. Mine has been very reliable but the slide is pretty stiff. It is hard to rack a big 45 with a gun that small. You have to put some force behind it. 

[ted]

I have the XDs 9mm wife has shot it says likes it but she likes her M&P shield 9mm better , same recoil but the shield fits her hand better , both are reliable .

[SonnyCrockett]

I ran out and bought an XDs45 last year and it would not run for me with many different ammos

sent it back for repairs and it came back the same so I sold it off

 

They said to me the gun was picky and did not like my hands , I said to them I don't like 

owning picky guns ......bought me another brand and never looked back . 

[SlapChopDonkey]

About 5 guys in my little shooting circle all own them.  We all love the gun.  It is surprisingly accurate and controllable for such a little gun. It has a hefty recoil spring, so making sure to always release it with the slide stop, or sharply from the full back position, and you shouldn't have any issues chambering a round. I would also recommend throwing a set of talon rubber grips on it. 

[leroy]

dj:___________

 

I've handled but not shot an xds 45.   I like it very much.  I tend to like the smaller "plastic" pistols for personal carry myself; and i need to pick up another one.  The single stack xds wuz my best liked pistol as well (...i own 3 glocks, one a compact; the other 2 are the "baby" models... a glock 27 ...40 sw and a glock 33... 357 sig....  both are double stacks...).   The reason i wanted another pistol is that i may give up my beloved sig 238 to my son and start carryin somethin like a kahr or the xds...

 

  My overall assessment is that it is a single stack glock clone with a bit better ergonomics.   The weight seems to be about the same as my baby glocks; but the width is "just right"; and that is what makes all the smaller pistols "consealable".  It also appears to me that the xds has a bit longer grip frame than the baby glocks; that makes it a bit easier to shoot if ya have big hands (...i do...).  All that makes for a relatively more easily consealable and quick handling pistol.  In summary, i really like the xds but i couldnt come to a "deal" on it with the guy that had it; so we didnt do business.  I'm like "scrooge mcduck"; i buy at reasonable prices and i didnt think the price wuz reasonable... enough said about that, but ya get the picture.

 

Now to the bad news.  I've been shootin pistols most all my life, and now im a relatively old geezer (...66...).  I only in recent times "converted" from the hard kicker revolvers (...think 44 special, magnum midrange, 45 acp...) to the semiauto pistol thing; basically for the same reason that everybody else does.  That reason.... weight reduction and concealability. 

 

I carry a pistol all the time.  If my pants are on, there is a pistol somewhere in them; either in a pocket or an iwb holster.   Weight means things in carryin a pistol; and the xds and the baby glocks are about the best ya can do and have a "real pistol".  I carry the 238 because it is lighter than these pistols by several ounces, and im confident in using it; and that's a real important thing. I aint sure that a 380 is a "real pistol" in the classic sense; but it damn sure will make ya sick if ya get the right dose of it...

 

I regularly shoot baby glocks in 40 sw and 357sig; and i figure the xds is in the same league.  They are reasonably hard kickers with a pretty good muzzle blast; so everyone that would shoot one needs to be aware of that; and be willing to practice enough with them to get used to that fact.   There is a fixed relationship between pistol weight and recoil.....They aint like my 380; they are gonna bark pretty loud and recoil quite a bit.....  It's managable, but it's there; and the 45 acp is gonna do the same thing. 

 

That recoil and muzzle blast is the bane of every "baby" pistol; whether it is a glock, kahr (...which i like a lot...) an xd, or even a mini 1911; if it has a pretty healthy cartridge bein shot out of it ---- and a 45 is a genuinely healthy one ----; they all will bark and torque in your hands when ya shoot em.  A 45 acp is a relatively hard kickin cartridge in a small pistol; or even a lightweight one (...ive got a lightweight colt commander... 27 oz; heavier by about 7 or so ozs than the baby glocks...); loaded with the right stuff (...230 grain loads...); the recoil is noticeable.  Can ya learn yourself to shoot 'em?..... sure... . Can ya teach someone else to do it?...shure.... . But be advised, shootin them aint like goin out plinkin with your 22 or my 380...

 

Now to the point of all this bit of ramblin.  Your help in a choice of a pistol for carry and protection of yourself or one of your loved ones needs to take this sort of thing into account.   If the person that needs the pistol is a relatively new shooter; the hard kickers may not be the best choice until they gain a bit of experience with the pistol they would like to have.  Practice really means something here.  Good competent pistol shooting means shooting a lot.  You have got to be comfortable with what you are shootin and confident of hitting your target with it.  That comes with practice. 

 

If ya look at "practice" with the apprehension of goin to the dentist to get a tooth pulled; ya probably aint gonna practice much.   I'm sure ya get the picture.... So, my council is to think about this a bit and go to places where ya can rent and shoot these pistols; then shoot em...  Even better, go shootin with your buddies that may have one.  Have the loved one or special person handle and shoot them before ya decide what to buy.

 

leroy

Edited July 26, 2013 by leroy

[BigK]

About 5 guys in my little shooting circle all own them. We all love the gun. It is surprisingly accurate and controllable for such a little gun. It has a hefty recoil spring, so making sure to always release it with the slide stop, or sharply from the full back position, and you shouldn't have any issues chambering a round. I would also recommend throwing a set of talon rubber grips on it.

^^^THIS EXACTLY^^^
I love mine too for all the same reasons. That extra strong double recoil spring is the key to that little design working so well with .45 ACP. Therefore, it is very stiff, so to the OP, have the girlfriend make sure she can lock the slide. I'm not disparaging her upper body strength, just saying it's a really stiff spring and it won't loosen up much like a single spring will.

There are more than a few stories on the internet of the gun having light primer strikes too. If you grip the gun aggressively and have a firm stance/wrists from the start, you'll probably never experience this issue. Otherwise, the gun is just simply bad a$$.

If you're willing to come to the TWRA range on Hobson pike with a box of ammo, I'd be more than happy to let you both try mine out. I'm there almost every weekend. Just shoot me a PM. Edited July 26, 2013 by BigK

[SupaRice]

Love mine... It's my carry gun. They have a rental at Nashville Armory, and that's what did me in. I was thinking about either XDs or M&P Shield in .40. I rented the XDs and I shot very well with it first magazine... So that did it for me.

 

I'd suggest you rent one so you can see for yourself.

[Guest rmse9]

I have been looking for a little more horsepower to carry for summer. I have carried one of my Glock 29's and it is too bulky for carry during the summer with light clothing. I have been carrying my Sig P238 in pocket during the summer but have never been a big proponent of 380 ACP. I always felt it is better than being unarmed, but I want more. I discussed the XDS 45 with several folks that own one and with the people in my preferred firearms shop and all agreed the XDS was the thing. I purchased one two weeks ago and have probably run around 500 rounds through it already. The package is neat and compact. Only 1" wide and very concealable. The recoil is noticeable but not extreme. I have not run any +p ammo which might make it tougher to handle. I ran 230 GR hardball reloads and Winchester Ranger 230 GR JHP. All functioned flawlessly and the accuracy was very good.

The gun comes in a case with a composite paddle holster, twin magazine case, an extra backstrap different size and of course a lock. I have now turned this into my primary carry gun. It is 5+1 and you can buy 7 round magazines, but they do increase the footprint for concealed carry. I bought several at Midway USA for $32.99. I am working to find a good carry holster and am using the included paddle holster until I make up my mind. I have understood some women and men that limp wrist the gun do have issues with the gun feeding properly. I watched a YouTube where a woman had many feed issues and it was because she was limp wristing. I have not experienced that at all and have not have a failure to feed on any of the rounds I fired. The only issue I have is the slide release is somewhat strong and at 65 yrs old I have to work at releasing it. Hopefully it will improve as I shoot it.

I highly recommend the XDS 45 ACP. Edited July 26, 2013 by rmse9

[djerdl]

Thanks for all of the thoughts/ advice guys. I know she would be comfortable shooting the .45, but I hadn't given thought to her being able to rack the slide (something she has had issues with on my mouse gun). She has shot my Bersa .45 several times, and loves it, but gripwise it's a much different feel than the XDS. She started out looking for a .40, but was having problems finding one to fit her hands- she's only 5'0", and really liked the small profile of the XDS. I may try and steer her toward the 9mm version.

 

I appreciate the offer for letting us try yours out Big K, but with our crazy work schedules, it would be difficult to know when we could meet up. I'm going to try and get us by Nashville Armory sometime and rent their's. (thanks for the heads up Supa).

 

I figure, worst case scenerio is she tries it, buys it, and hates it, and I'll end up buying it off of her as an upgrade from the Bersa... so it's  a win win for me.

[knewcomb]

Has she had the chance to try a shield?

[djerdl]

 So far as I know, she's only shot a gen one Glock and a 22 besides the Bersa and a Taurus TCP I have. We've looked at a couple of options, but AFAIK they were out of the compact version of the Shield when we looked. How are they size wise in comparison to the XDS?

[knewcomb]

Hickok45 does a comparrison between the xds 9 and shield 9. Id take a look at it on youtube.

[Dustbuster]

Love mine, carry it all the time away from work,when it first hit the street there were a handful of gripes but most people don't rtfm that came with it. It advises to hold it with authority in all aspects. The small frame has a lot of mass moving on top. Limp wristing it will produce problems. So IMHO based on @ 1k rounds through mine,hang on to it with authority keep it clean and enjoy it. Hope this helps


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk 2 Edited July 27, 2013 by Dustbuster

[ted]

My XDs in 9mm has about 850 rounds down it not the first problem , went with this holster tuckable model http://n82tactical.com/n82store/?page_id=2923 Edited July 27, 2013 by ted

[cgun86]

I ran out and bought an XDs45 last year and it would not run for me with many different ammos
sent it back for repairs and it came back the same so I sold it off

They said to me the gun was picky and did not like my hands , I said to them I don't like
owning picky guns ......bought me another brand and never looked back .

I was faced with the same task of arming my girlfriend as well. She's no stranger to big bore handguns, and picked out a XDs .45 a few months after they were released. At least 1 FTF every magazine. I tried 6 different brands of FMJ, and JHP .45 At first i thought it was limp wristing on her part, but the problem persisted with myself and two other experienced shooters. Turns out the firing pin was rubbing inside the channel causing light strikes. Springfield claimed the XDs has to be maintained differently than a regular XD. ie: "run it wet" the amount of gun oil the factory tech advised me to use was overkill in my opinion for any handgun. Your carry/duty weapon should RUN. PERIOD. Using the same maintenance procedures as your other weapons. Springfield was very considerate, and actually purchased the XDs back from me for exactly what I paid new. Don't hesitate to purchase one in either caliber. They're a great manufacturer, and I believe the problems are few and far between. They also stand behind their products. I bought her a M&P 9 shield new, and a J frame airweight used as a replacements for just a little over what the XDs cost me. We've been very happy with the performance of both using the same maintenance practices for all my other guns.

[Chadastrophic]

So far as I know, she's only shot a gen one Glock and a 22 besides the Bersa and a Taurus TCP I have. We've looked at a couple of options, but AFAIK they were out of the compact version of the Shield when we looked. How are they size wise in comparison to the XDS?

I wouldn't be surprised if she liked the XDs 45 over the TCP shooting wise. The TCP is such a snappy little gun.

Sent from my SCH-I605 using Tapatalk 2

[BigK]

I wouldn't be surprised if she liked the XDs 45 over the TCP shooting wise. The TCP is such a snappy little gun.

Sent from my SCH-I605 using Tapatalk 2

I've had both and would actually agree. I didn't like shooting the TCP, but I LOVE shooting my XDS.

[Fourtyfive]

Picking up a .45 Bi-tone I ordered from Joe Bob's tomorrow , can't wait to shoot it.

[chrisw670]

I've had my XDs .45 for about 5 months now and it's been a reliable shooter so far. 

[Guest nashville]

I own a XD40, love my Springfield.
Rented a XDS45 at Nashville Armory.
I will never own one.
The web between my index finger and thumb was 'raw' after about 30 rounds.
Not a gun I would want to put 200 down range with.
People that say a 40 is 'too snappy' for them...have never shot a XDS45.
My 40 is a lamb next to the XDS45 on recoil.

That said, I would like to try the XDS9, or a Shield.
The XD40 is a load to carry.

[djerdl]

I wouldn't be surprised if she liked the XDs 45 over the TCP shooting wise. The TCP is such a snappy little gun.

Sent from my SCH-I605 using Tapatalk 2

 

You're not kidding. I bought that one last year for a Summer/ date carry weapon. I can handle it, but most of my friends that have tried it quit after less than a magazine. I really only carry it if I absolutely have to be sure I'm concealed. If I end up liking the XDS, I might trade it in on a 9mm version (with a little cash, of course).

Edited August 2, 2013 by djerdl

[djerdl]

I got to check out the Shield 9mm, when I was in On Target trying out my new AR Monday. I really like the way it feels, and the concealability, but I need to drag her by there, or the Armory to get her opinion...

[dou44]

i just bought one and i like it .my usual carry is a xd40sc and i really like it hut i wanted something smaller when i needed it.