Springfield XD-45 (COMPACT) - Tactical Tim

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Springfield XD-45 (COMPACT)
Pre-Review Comments:
Before this gun showed up, I was really excited to get it.
In my mind, I envisioned the Springfield XD-45 Compact to
be just like a Glock but only better.
Now that I’ve had a chance to check it out “up close and
personal”, I’m not quite as excited as I used to be. There
ARE some cool features on this gun (like the ambidextrous
mag release), but there are also some features that I don’t
like... at all!
Oh well, here we go. Let’s get down to business!
Nitty-Gritty Specs:
Caliber .45 ACP
Gun Type Double Action Only
Capactiy 10+1
Height 5.00 in.
Length 7.30 in.
Thickness 1.295 in.
Weight (Unloaded) 1.792 lbs.
Weight (Loaded) 2.298 lbs.
Concealability Factor 4.939
Barrel Length 4.04 in.
Sight Radius 6.048 in.
Sight Type 3 dot
1st Trigger Pull 6.50 lbs
2nd Trigger Pull n/a
MSRP $ 588
Street Price (New) $ 520
Used Price $ 485
Quality, Fit & Finish:
Overall the fit and finish is exactly what you’d expect
from a gun that costs between $500 and $600. The injection
molded frame and grip and very comfortable. Even though
I don’t like the trigger design at all (It’s a total copy of the
Glock trigger and I think we all know what I think of the
Glock trigger!) the actual trigger itself feels pretty good.
My biggest beefs with this gun have to more to do with
design than quality. The manufacturing execution of the gun
is very good. The problem is that the gun itself is a hodgepodge
of design ideas that do not work well together.
Let’s start with the grip safety. Really? Why on earth does
Accessory rail is
always nice!
This grip safety sure
seems redundant.
This slide lock catch is
pretty lame. They should
copy the design from the
Taurus PT 745!
The traditional 3-dot combat sight
found on this stock XD-45 works
just fine. Nothing fancy, it just
works!
Traditional 3-dot sight.
Not fancy, but it works!
The standard 3-dot sight
is more than adequate.
Bravo on a welldesigned,
ambidextrous
magazine release!
Nice copy of the Glock
trigger. I still don’t like it.
This grip is way more
comfortable than my Glock 21.

a DAO gun need a grip safety? You’ve got a 6 to 7 pound
trigger with an integral safety doo-dad that needs to get
actuated before this gun will fire. I just can’t imagine why
you’d want to add a grip safety to this gun.
I’m also not a big fan of the “Glock-Style” safe trigger.
But at least Springfield Armory did a better job with the
trigger than Glock did.
On the positive side, the 3-dot combat sights are not bad
and the accessory rail on the front of the frame is a nice
touch.
Ergonomics & Shootability:
As far as shootability goes, this gun does pretty well. The
ambidextrous magazine release is well designed and well
implemented. The mags fell free every time I tested them.
The mags also fit very nicely into the mag well with the
magazine base plate.
I wish that Springfield Armory made the second magazine
identical to the first. The standard magazine holds 10 rounds
and the second mag holds 13. So now you’ve got this backup
magazine with a giant plastic grip extension hanging off the
bottom.
Reliability & Accuracy:
As you can see from my target, I was able to keep MOST
of my rounds in a 2.28” diameter circle at 21 feet. I have NO
idea what the heck happend to the 2 rounds below my nice
tight group. Looks like a case of the yips!
Concealability:
The concealability rating is determined by the formula below. The lower
the number the better! Cfactor = (LxWxTx(loaded weight))/(7*π)
This gun gets a concealability rating of 4.939 which is
kind of on the high side. Of course the magazine capacity
is 10+1 which is quite a few rounds of .45 ACP. The holster
supplied by Springfield Armory is a complete piece of junk.
Please throw it in the trash right away! The good news is
that you’ll have no trouble finding a high quality holster as
the XD45 line of guns is very popular.
Conclusion & Summary:
In the beginning of this review I mentioned that I was
excited because I thought the XD45 would fix all the
problems that Glocks have. Well, I was wrong. While the
XD45 is a fine gun, it has its own fair share of design flaws.
If I were choosing between this and a Glock, well... it would
be a tough choice. I think it’d come down to which gun felt
better in my hand. And then I’d just live with my decision.
Hey look, a super cheesy,
injection molded holster. Why
on earth does SA do this?
You have GOT to be
kidding me. This is a
rail mounted loading
tool? REALLY?
The second magazine is
a 13-round mag with an
extension plate.
Things I LIKE:
¨ Very well-designed and comfortalbe grip.
¨ The accessory rail is a nice addition.
¨ 3-dot, combat sights are good.
¨ Ten round magazine is well designed.
Hmmm... I wonder what
I’ll do with this?
Things I DONT Like:
¨ I don’t like the grip safety. Why is it there?
¨ I don’t like the “Glock-Copy” trigger.
¨ I don’t like the 13-round, second magazine. I wish it
were identical to the first mag.

Now that’s what I call a nice
tight group.
I have NO idea what the heck
happened here! ;-)