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For those looking to get an XD45 ACP 5” Tactical model, here is my little report. I’m not going to go into all the features of the Springfield Armory line of XD pistols. There is plenty of information & opinions out there on all the unique XD features. I’ll just focus on the XD45acp. I’ve only put 100 rounds through it so far and I have to say it’s one of the sweetest shooting 45s I’ve ever shot. When I get a chance to put some more rounds through her I’ll elaborate more on recoil, accuracy, reliability, etc.
All the hype generated about this pistol comes from the fact that it holds 14 rounds of 45 ACP, in a narrow ergonomic grip that even people with smallish hands can appreciate. For those big bore aficionados there seams to have been this ongoing search for the holy grail of combat pistols…A high capacity 45 with a grip size that fits a normal persons hand…i.e. lots of big bullets in a small grip. I think Glock has been working on this for many years. First with there Glock 21 (with it”s 2x4 like grip) and then, looking at the problem from a new direction, with the 45 GAP. Glock engineers decided to make the bullets smaller rather than try and stuff a lot of 45 ACP bullets in a small grip. I guess Springfield’s engineers didn’t want to give up on the 45 ACP and continued to work the problem until they made it all fit. I have small hands and the XD45 grip fits my hand well. I was impressed the first time I held it at the gun shop. I’ve taken a few photos of the XD45 5” Tactical next to a 1911 5” Kimber for comparison.
Over all the two appear to be about the same size. In the following photo, the muzzle of both pistols was aligned with the edge of my desk. Here are some of my observations. The OAL of the 1911 is a tad bit longer due to the protruding grip safety but the sight radius of the XD45 is a bit longer.
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Here are a few photos showing a grip length and thickness comparison. Keep in mind that both pistols are resting on their sights, on a flat desk. The sight height of the 1911 Kimber might be a bit taller…say about 3/32” taller.
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And the last photo gives you an idea of how thick both pistols are.
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I compared the XD45 4” Service model with the 5” Tactical model at the gun shop. They are the same size other than the slide, barrel and spring/guide rod being 1” longer. I went with the 5” Tactical model because I wasn’t in the market for another concealed carry pistol. If you can conceal full size 1911 then you should be able to conceal the 5” model XD45 as well. The grip is thicker and a bit longer so the key would be to get a holster setup that would pull the pistol grip tight into your body. IWB carry would be less comfortable than the 1911 because the XD45 is thicker overall…and loaded with 14 45ACP bullets makes this thing heavy as well.
-------------Editing in second part----------------
Well I this weekend I put 400 more rounds through my XD45acp Tactical.
200 rounds of Win. White box 230grn
50 rounds of Win. Ranger T’s 230grn
50 rounds of Win. Ranger T’s 230grn +P
50 rounds of Fed. Hydra Shocks 230grn
50 rounds of Rem. UMC 230grn
I only had one failure to extract and it was with the Rem UMC ammo. At about the third round into the second mag of Rem, I got what sounded like a dud with almost no recoil. I dropped the mag, pulled the slide back and a very dirty expended shell casing came out of the chamber. I thought “OOh $hit, there is a slug stuck in the barrel”. Then I looked at my 7yrd target and didn’t see any wild bullet holes so I broke the pistol down and looked through the barrel. To my relief the barrel was clear. I’ve had other problems with Rem. UMC ammo in the past so I think that’s the last time I’ll be using that stuff again.
The trigger pull, when I got the pistol, was a bit gritty but now seams to be broken in and feels smoother. Accuracy, I thought, was very good. I did all of my shooting at 7 to15 yards and off hand. Here are two of my best 7 yard targets. The first one is 26 rounds, slow & aimed and the second one is 26 rounds, double taps, at a reduced size B-29 type target. Both targets were shot with the Win. Ranger ammo. This 5” barrel XD45, with it’s longer sight radius, made it easy to shoot a one hole group at 7yrds.
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Recoil was very manageable and felt more controllable than my kimber 1911. As expected, recoil with the Win. Ranger +P ammo was a bit more stout. As luck would have it, some other guy at the range let me fondle and shoot his 4” XD45acp. The recoil was about the same and maybe a bit more stout than the 5”…but still very manageable for a 45. The grip on this pistol only feels a bit bigger than my XD40s grip and is longer by about ¼”. Here is a photo showing a comparison of the two grip lengths.
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One last tid-bit of information about this pistol. The XD45acp should fit almost any holster made for the other XD40 & 9. When I was at the gun shop we tried the XD45acp 4” model in most of the holsters they had for the XD40/9 and it fit all of them. It fit the Fobus, Blade-Techs, Galcos and some other cheaper nylon holsters. I tried my 5” Tactical in my Mil Sparks VM-II made for the XD40 and it fit perfect….well other than the barrel sticking out an inch. I think I’m going to try and get a custom leather holster made, in a similar style to the Milt Sparks VM-II, which will cover the entire length of the slide.
My over all opinion is that the XD45acp 5” is one hell of a 45. I’ll save my opinion on how reliable it is after I put another 500 to 1000 rounds through it. If you are thinking of getting one for CCW then I’d get the 4” Service model. If you want a real BLASTER (Thoughts of Han-Solo for all the Star Wars nerds out there) then get the 5” Tactical. I didn’t come up with the Star Wars blaster analogy by the way. One of my LEO friends did.
All the hype generated about this pistol comes from the fact that it holds 14 rounds of 45 ACP, in a narrow ergonomic grip that even people with smallish hands can appreciate. For those big bore aficionados there seams to have been this ongoing search for the holy grail of combat pistols…A high capacity 45 with a grip size that fits a normal persons hand…i.e. lots of big bullets in a small grip. I think Glock has been working on this for many years. First with there Glock 21 (with it”s 2x4 like grip) and then, looking at the problem from a new direction, with the 45 GAP. Glock engineers decided to make the bullets smaller rather than try and stuff a lot of 45 ACP bullets in a small grip. I guess Springfield’s engineers didn’t want to give up on the 45 ACP and continued to work the problem until they made it all fit. I have small hands and the XD45 grip fits my hand well. I was impressed the first time I held it at the gun shop. I’ve taken a few photos of the XD45 5” Tactical next to a 1911 5” Kimber for comparison.
Over all the two appear to be about the same size. In the following photo, the muzzle of both pistols was aligned with the edge of my desk. Here are some of my observations. The OAL of the 1911 is a tad bit longer due to the protruding grip safety but the sight radius of the XD45 is a bit longer.
Here are a few photos showing a grip length and thickness comparison. Keep in mind that both pistols are resting on their sights, on a flat desk. The sight height of the 1911 Kimber might be a bit taller…say about 3/32” taller.
And the last photo gives you an idea of how thick both pistols are.
I compared the XD45 4” Service model with the 5” Tactical model at the gun shop. They are the same size other than the slide, barrel and spring/guide rod being 1” longer. I went with the 5” Tactical model because I wasn’t in the market for another concealed carry pistol. If you can conceal full size 1911 then you should be able to conceal the 5” model XD45 as well. The grip is thicker and a bit longer so the key would be to get a holster setup that would pull the pistol grip tight into your body. IWB carry would be less comfortable than the 1911 because the XD45 is thicker overall…and loaded with 14 45ACP bullets makes this thing heavy as well.
-------------Editing in second part----------------
Well I this weekend I put 400 more rounds through my XD45acp Tactical.
200 rounds of Win. White box 230grn
50 rounds of Win. Ranger T’s 230grn
50 rounds of Win. Ranger T’s 230grn +P
50 rounds of Fed. Hydra Shocks 230grn
50 rounds of Rem. UMC 230grn
I only had one failure to extract and it was with the Rem UMC ammo. At about the third round into the second mag of Rem, I got what sounded like a dud with almost no recoil. I dropped the mag, pulled the slide back and a very dirty expended shell casing came out of the chamber. I thought “OOh $hit, there is a slug stuck in the barrel”. Then I looked at my 7yrd target and didn’t see any wild bullet holes so I broke the pistol down and looked through the barrel. To my relief the barrel was clear. I’ve had other problems with Rem. UMC ammo in the past so I think that’s the last time I’ll be using that stuff again.
The trigger pull, when I got the pistol, was a bit gritty but now seams to be broken in and feels smoother. Accuracy, I thought, was very good. I did all of my shooting at 7 to15 yards and off hand. Here are two of my best 7 yard targets. The first one is 26 rounds, slow & aimed and the second one is 26 rounds, double taps, at a reduced size B-29 type target. Both targets were shot with the Win. Ranger ammo. This 5” barrel XD45, with it’s longer sight radius, made it easy to shoot a one hole group at 7yrds.
Recoil was very manageable and felt more controllable than my kimber 1911. As expected, recoil with the Win. Ranger +P ammo was a bit more stout. As luck would have it, some other guy at the range let me fondle and shoot his 4” XD45acp. The recoil was about the same and maybe a bit more stout than the 5”…but still very manageable for a 45. The grip on this pistol only feels a bit bigger than my XD40s grip and is longer by about ¼”. Here is a photo showing a comparison of the two grip lengths.
One last tid-bit of information about this pistol. The XD45acp should fit almost any holster made for the other XD40 & 9. When I was at the gun shop we tried the XD45acp 4” model in most of the holsters they had for the XD40/9 and it fit all of them. It fit the Fobus, Blade-Techs, Galcos and some other cheaper nylon holsters. I tried my 5” Tactical in my Mil Sparks VM-II made for the XD40 and it fit perfect….well other than the barrel sticking out an inch. I think I’m going to try and get a custom leather holster made, in a similar style to the Milt Sparks VM-II, which will cover the entire length of the slide.
My over all opinion is that the XD45acp 5” is one hell of a 45. I’ll save my opinion on how reliable it is after I put another 500 to 1000 rounds through it. If you are thinking of getting one for CCW then I’d get the 4” Service model. If you want a real BLASTER (Thoughts of Han-Solo for all the Star Wars nerds out there) then get the 5” Tactical. I didn’t come up with the Star Wars blaster analogy by the way. One of my LEO friends did.
