I am out of control.
That's why I told myself I needed to relax. I have gone through an awful lot lately at work and in my personal life. So today is a one day vacation I've had planned for about 5 weeks. I'm giving myself a one day vacation from all my problems to do whatever the hell I want to do consequences be darned, pardon my language.
Now would you trade an XD40 with 2 ten round mags, an 1891/30, and $89.72 for this?
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And what a great oven it is. It cooks my taters good.
Behold the XD45ACP.
Short version: Buy this gun.
I didn't go looking to trade into a gun today. I really did not. I had told myself and others I was going to wait for the bitone model. You know what, I'm not going to.
This was the only one on the floor, the only one the dealer had. Luckily for me, the dealer is also a CHL trainer AND a diehard 1911 fan, else he would have kept this first one for himself as so many other sellers have! Bruces45 and this gentleman would get along very well. Tangle would like him too but less, because his opinion is that if you don't carry a 1911 you should carry a double stack .45 ACP. Ha!
My seller was very professional unlike some of the people at this show (lots of folks pointing empty guns at each other here) and even gave me a quick lesson to improve my shooting grip.
Indeed there were many XDs at the show this time around and at very good prices. Last time I went to this show I saw hardly any, about three in total, all XD9s, one service, two subcompacts. The only thing conspicuous by its absence were the .357 SIG models. News gets around.
Anyway, initial impression: Wow. I cannot believe this is a double stack .45 ACP pistol. It's so sleek and feels real good.
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Dirty towel not included.
Let's compare just a little bit here to the XD40. On the XD40, my fingers are almost crowded, but not quite. It is the smallest gun I've ever encountered I can comfortably put a three finger grip on without the last finger slipping or completely losing circulation.
The grip of the XD45ACP is just a wee bit longer. It's not enough to notice at first, but let me tell you it makes a world of difference. My fingers have just enough real estate for there to be some space between them now, and my pinky finds more solid purchase. The gun is maybe 3/8" longer than the XD40 overall, but it makes all the difference. Presentation from the holster is much easier if you've practiced with the smaller XD40.
Yet at the same time, I don't think people with smaller hands, unless their hands are really small, would have any trouble with this at all. I bet your wife could grip it to her satisfaction with a 70% chance of me being correct. It might still feel "big" but it'd be comfortable.
It is just as concealable as the XD40. Unless the XD40 is a big honkin' gun to you, you should have no trouble with the XD45ACP.
Springfield has really hit the ball out of the park with the ergonomics on this one. There is a reason they boast about the ergonomics of these models. The gun is, much like my other XD, well made and easy to field strip and clean. Very user friendly.
I've handled the HK USP in .45 ACP before. It was a very nice gun and comfortable to hold, but it felt like a double stack .45 ACP to me. This gun does not.
For further comparison the same seller had the Glock 21 right next to it. The Glock feels like a brick. The XD feels like heaven. I realize this is subjective from person to person but if Glocks feel "wrong" to you, I think you'd appreciate knowing that. If you like Glock then just keep doing what you're doing.
I purchased 450 rounds of various dirt cheap and some not so dirt cheap ammunition. I got some Winchester White Box, some Wolf, and some Winchester Ranger SXT, all 230 grain loads. I took it to the range this very same afternoon.
Making a great day even better, the range was empty except for four fellows sighting in their rifles. Pistol range was all mine. Weather was fair but overcast, range was muddy.
I set out targets at 7 yards and fired slow, unsupported two handed groups. Then I moved to rapid fire, one handed fire, and then I played at 15 yards. The four guys sighting in their rifles all left together and it was just me and the range officer for almost an hour. SoI got a special treat : I got to under oath of secrecy shoot some reactive steel targets. The range is considering adding something like this as a new feature to attract more customers because it's fun, along with their newly added clay shooting facility. The four guys sighting in their rifles all left together and it was just me and the range officer for almost an hour.
I'll address the static paper in a minute, but the steel was set up on the CHL qualification range. The objective was to run along the firing line and knock each target over in as little time as possible. Targets were spread to various distances from 7 to 20 yards. The first run reminded me I've not been practicing enough since my father passed. The second time I got three of them, and on about the fourth run I started getting 4 out of 6 in about 10 seconds. It was about the eigth run when I started to get 5 out of 6, but I slowed down a little, about 12 seconds. But then some other people showed up and we had to quit.
We didn't write the results down as we'll both deny it ever happened so just going off memory. BTW I don't know what kind of targets they were but they were evil. If you didn't hit the smaller yellow circle with about a 3" diameter in the middle, they wouldn't fall consistently. I had a lot of shots hit and just make a nice metallic sound.
I'm not really good at making long detailed professional sounding range reports, so I'll just make one point here. This is 26 rounds of Wolf FMJ 230 grainers shot two handed unsupported standing at 7 yards.
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Now, this is 13 rounds of Winchester Ranger SXT 230 grainers shot right after that, same conditions.
![]()
The difference, to me, is astonishing. I know a large part of that is me committing human errors, but still.
Carry the good ammo. Enough said. I know which one of those two loads I'd want in my gun if I had to use it.
The gun did not have a single failure of any sort and ate all that ammunition up and was begging for more. Interestingly enough, all that ammunition was relatively clean. I was surprised.
The gun definitely recoils differently, which I will have to adjust myself to. It's not a hard recoil at all, it's just different. The .40 S&W XD has more muzzle climb. The .45 ACP is more visceral, like it's some kind of monster let loose. It recoils straight back at you, rather than back at you and up.
Still it is very mild. The XD tames 40S&W down to a kitten and does the same with .45 ACP.
Anyway, included with the XD45ACP you get a lot of crap. Crap is about the right word for it.
-Prequisisite papers and idiot lock
- XD Gear Belt Holster
- XD Gear Speedloader
- XD Gear Dual Mag Holder
- 2 13 round capacity magazines.
The XD Gear stuff isn't much to write home about. For injection molded accessories, they're pretty nice, but there's better out there. It'd be good stuff for patrolling the mall or range or training perhaps. I don't think IDPA will ever endorse any of it.
They're really getting hung up (pun intended) on this rail thing. Apparently Springfield Armory is mad at me for not hanging things on the rail. Get this: the magazine speedloader (which really doesn't work very well I tried it) mounts on the gun's accessory rail. Yes.
The mag loader also has a rail on it, so you can apparently somehow mount the loader to the rail and then mount the XML light (not included) to the loader. Why? Why Springfield why?
The mag holder does hold the magazines at a comfortable angle, but I would never wear this thing on the street.
The Holster is the best thing of the lot, and it's mediocre. It's a slide holster and that alone puts me off. But it does work. It could be used if you were stuck waiting on a good holster to show up in the mail one day. It also has an accessory rail. Why? I do not know. Perhaps they intend for you to be able to transfer a light from gun to holster... but why not design a holster to accomadate the light, which this one does...
This gun is fantastic but the stuff it comes with is pure comedy. It looks cool though, all set up in the case, all black and shiny.
The magazines however are wonderful. They improved the XD mags!
Now if you don't have an XD yet, you have to understand XD mags made a believer out of me that a service pistol magazine's springs could stay stiff indefinitely. These are the absolutely tightest magazines you've ever had the displeasure to load. I cannot stuff all the rounds in a new XD magazine without a speedloaer. They are tight, tight, tight. Now eventually they break in and are nice and smooth and slick, but for about 3-4 months it's a battle.
These magazines are tight, but without even using the XD Gear speedloader or its accessory rail, I was able to fully load them both. The last round is a bit tough. Much smoother, more refined. A subtle but much needed improvement.
In operation the gun feels slightly different, but if you have an XD already you've nothing to fear.
A final remark, all your XD40 holsters, will fit the XD45ACP to a tee!
Positives:
- Ergonomics.
- Plenty accurate for combat; points very naturally for unsighted shooting, sights line up naturally too.
- Ate all the ammo without a hiccup, even the cheap WWB and Wolf.
- Soft recoil.
- Fun to shoot.
- Don't have to buy any new holsters.
- Induces maniacal grinning. The other XDs I've owned and shot are fine firearms but they don't induce maniacal grinning. This one does.
Negatives
- Stupid accessories. Nice idea Springfield and I see what they're trying to do, but I'd much rather be able to buy this pistol with another magazine or two or even the XML light. Leave holsters to holster makers.
- Should have been released a long time ago. I'm POed I had to go through the XD40; essentially I feel like I had to buy this gun twice. FYI I am keeping my bitone XD40, as it's a fine gun too and I trust it too much to let go if it. The one I got rid of was my spare, which was a worthy gun too but I don't need it any more.
- I have never experienced the corrossion issue and I don't care if I leave holster wear marks, but I'm keeping my eye out.
I have spent all day with this pistol, from 8 AM to 4 PM stopping only for lunch. You need one of these. Get one.
As for me I think I have a new primary carry piece. And if you want a double stack .45 ACP or just a nice gun period, you should strongly consider the XD45ACP.
That's why I told myself I needed to relax. I have gone through an awful lot lately at work and in my personal life. So today is a one day vacation I've had planned for about 5 weeks. I'm giving myself a one day vacation from all my problems to do whatever the hell I want to do consequences be darned, pardon my language.
Now would you trade an XD40 with 2 ten round mags, an 1891/30, and $89.72 for this?
And what a great oven it is. It cooks my taters good.
Behold the XD45ACP.
Short version: Buy this gun.
I didn't go looking to trade into a gun today. I really did not. I had told myself and others I was going to wait for the bitone model. You know what, I'm not going to.
This was the only one on the floor, the only one the dealer had. Luckily for me, the dealer is also a CHL trainer AND a diehard 1911 fan, else he would have kept this first one for himself as so many other sellers have! Bruces45 and this gentleman would get along very well. Tangle would like him too but less, because his opinion is that if you don't carry a 1911 you should carry a double stack .45 ACP. Ha!
My seller was very professional unlike some of the people at this show (lots of folks pointing empty guns at each other here) and even gave me a quick lesson to improve my shooting grip.
Indeed there were many XDs at the show this time around and at very good prices. Last time I went to this show I saw hardly any, about three in total, all XD9s, one service, two subcompacts. The only thing conspicuous by its absence were the .357 SIG models. News gets around.
Anyway, initial impression: Wow. I cannot believe this is a double stack .45 ACP pistol. It's so sleek and feels real good.
Dirty towel not included.
Let's compare just a little bit here to the XD40. On the XD40, my fingers are almost crowded, but not quite. It is the smallest gun I've ever encountered I can comfortably put a three finger grip on without the last finger slipping or completely losing circulation.
The grip of the XD45ACP is just a wee bit longer. It's not enough to notice at first, but let me tell you it makes a world of difference. My fingers have just enough real estate for there to be some space between them now, and my pinky finds more solid purchase. The gun is maybe 3/8" longer than the XD40 overall, but it makes all the difference. Presentation from the holster is much easier if you've practiced with the smaller XD40.
Yet at the same time, I don't think people with smaller hands, unless their hands are really small, would have any trouble with this at all. I bet your wife could grip it to her satisfaction with a 70% chance of me being correct. It might still feel "big" but it'd be comfortable.
It is just as concealable as the XD40. Unless the XD40 is a big honkin' gun to you, you should have no trouble with the XD45ACP.
Springfield has really hit the ball out of the park with the ergonomics on this one. There is a reason they boast about the ergonomics of these models. The gun is, much like my other XD, well made and easy to field strip and clean. Very user friendly.
I've handled the HK USP in .45 ACP before. It was a very nice gun and comfortable to hold, but it felt like a double stack .45 ACP to me. This gun does not.
For further comparison the same seller had the Glock 21 right next to it. The Glock feels like a brick. The XD feels like heaven. I realize this is subjective from person to person but if Glocks feel "wrong" to you, I think you'd appreciate knowing that. If you like Glock then just keep doing what you're doing.
I purchased 450 rounds of various dirt cheap and some not so dirt cheap ammunition. I got some Winchester White Box, some Wolf, and some Winchester Ranger SXT, all 230 grain loads. I took it to the range this very same afternoon.
Making a great day even better, the range was empty except for four fellows sighting in their rifles. Pistol range was all mine. Weather was fair but overcast, range was muddy.
I set out targets at 7 yards and fired slow, unsupported two handed groups. Then I moved to rapid fire, one handed fire, and then I played at 15 yards. The four guys sighting in their rifles all left together and it was just me and the range officer for almost an hour. SoI got a special treat : I got to under oath of secrecy shoot some reactive steel targets. The range is considering adding something like this as a new feature to attract more customers because it's fun, along with their newly added clay shooting facility. The four guys sighting in their rifles all left together and it was just me and the range officer for almost an hour.
I'll address the static paper in a minute, but the steel was set up on the CHL qualification range. The objective was to run along the firing line and knock each target over in as little time as possible. Targets were spread to various distances from 7 to 20 yards. The first run reminded me I've not been practicing enough since my father passed. The second time I got three of them, and on about the fourth run I started getting 4 out of 6 in about 10 seconds. It was about the eigth run when I started to get 5 out of 6, but I slowed down a little, about 12 seconds. But then some other people showed up and we had to quit.
We didn't write the results down as we'll both deny it ever happened so just going off memory. BTW I don't know what kind of targets they were but they were evil. If you didn't hit the smaller yellow circle with about a 3" diameter in the middle, they wouldn't fall consistently. I had a lot of shots hit and just make a nice metallic sound.
I'm not really good at making long detailed professional sounding range reports, so I'll just make one point here. This is 26 rounds of Wolf FMJ 230 grainers shot two handed unsupported standing at 7 yards.
Now, this is 13 rounds of Winchester Ranger SXT 230 grainers shot right after that, same conditions.
The difference, to me, is astonishing. I know a large part of that is me committing human errors, but still.
Carry the good ammo. Enough said. I know which one of those two loads I'd want in my gun if I had to use it.
The gun did not have a single failure of any sort and ate all that ammunition up and was begging for more. Interestingly enough, all that ammunition was relatively clean. I was surprised.
The gun definitely recoils differently, which I will have to adjust myself to. It's not a hard recoil at all, it's just different. The .40 S&W XD has more muzzle climb. The .45 ACP is more visceral, like it's some kind of monster let loose. It recoils straight back at you, rather than back at you and up.
Still it is very mild. The XD tames 40S&W down to a kitten and does the same with .45 ACP.
Anyway, included with the XD45ACP you get a lot of crap. Crap is about the right word for it.
-Prequisisite papers and idiot lock
- XD Gear Belt Holster
- XD Gear Speedloader
- XD Gear Dual Mag Holder
- 2 13 round capacity magazines.
The XD Gear stuff isn't much to write home about. For injection molded accessories, they're pretty nice, but there's better out there. It'd be good stuff for patrolling the mall or range or training perhaps. I don't think IDPA will ever endorse any of it.
They're really getting hung up (pun intended) on this rail thing. Apparently Springfield Armory is mad at me for not hanging things on the rail. Get this: the magazine speedloader (which really doesn't work very well I tried it) mounts on the gun's accessory rail. Yes.
The mag loader also has a rail on it, so you can apparently somehow mount the loader to the rail and then mount the XML light (not included) to the loader. Why? Why Springfield why?
The mag holder does hold the magazines at a comfortable angle, but I would never wear this thing on the street.
The Holster is the best thing of the lot, and it's mediocre. It's a slide holster and that alone puts me off. But it does work. It could be used if you were stuck waiting on a good holster to show up in the mail one day. It also has an accessory rail. Why? I do not know. Perhaps they intend for you to be able to transfer a light from gun to holster... but why not design a holster to accomadate the light, which this one does...
This gun is fantastic but the stuff it comes with is pure comedy. It looks cool though, all set up in the case, all black and shiny.
The magazines however are wonderful. They improved the XD mags!
Now if you don't have an XD yet, you have to understand XD mags made a believer out of me that a service pistol magazine's springs could stay stiff indefinitely. These are the absolutely tightest magazines you've ever had the displeasure to load. I cannot stuff all the rounds in a new XD magazine without a speedloaer. They are tight, tight, tight. Now eventually they break in and are nice and smooth and slick, but for about 3-4 months it's a battle.
These magazines are tight, but without even using the XD Gear speedloader or its accessory rail, I was able to fully load them both. The last round is a bit tough. Much smoother, more refined. A subtle but much needed improvement.
In operation the gun feels slightly different, but if you have an XD already you've nothing to fear.
A final remark, all your XD40 holsters, will fit the XD45ACP to a tee!
Positives:
- Ergonomics.
- Plenty accurate for combat; points very naturally for unsighted shooting, sights line up naturally too.
- Ate all the ammo without a hiccup, even the cheap WWB and Wolf.
- Soft recoil.
- Fun to shoot.
- Don't have to buy any new holsters.
- Induces maniacal grinning. The other XDs I've owned and shot are fine firearms but they don't induce maniacal grinning. This one does.
Negatives
- Stupid accessories. Nice idea Springfield and I see what they're trying to do, but I'd much rather be able to buy this pistol with another magazine or two or even the XML light. Leave holsters to holster makers.
- Should have been released a long time ago. I'm POed I had to go through the XD40; essentially I feel like I had to buy this gun twice. FYI I am keeping my bitone XD40, as it's a fine gun too and I trust it too much to let go if it. The one I got rid of was my spare, which was a worthy gun too but I don't need it any more.
- I have never experienced the corrossion issue and I don't care if I leave holster wear marks, but I'm keeping my eye out.
I have spent all day with this pistol, from 8 AM to 4 PM stopping only for lunch. You need one of these. Get one.
As for me I think I have a new primary carry piece. And if you want a double stack .45 ACP or just a nice gun period, you should strongly consider the XD45ACP.
