Springfield XD Mod.2 for Home Defense

by Joshua Gillem

The Springfield XD Mod.2 is an accurate adaptation of the already well-designed XD handgun that has been around for years. The Mod.2 offers several key upgrades to make it one of the best handguns on the market today.

The XD Mod.2 is a polymer framed, semi-automatic pistol that is striker fired. It is available in 9mm, .40S&W and .45ACP. The gun that Springfield Armory sent for my test and evaluation was chambered in the venerable .45 ACP.

This sub-compact pistol comes with a 3.3 inch barrel (3 inches for the less powerful rounds), and a less blocky, re-designed slide. However, I do want to note here that I held it up to a regular XD, and it did not seem any less blocky. The best redesign on the slide were the serrations. The have been cut deeper into the slide, to make them more pronounced. This offers up a more positive grip on the slide, whenever you want to send a round to the chamber or clear the weapon.

The sights on this sub compact have also been improved upon by adding a fiber optic front, coupled with a new lower profile rear sight. The sights are great for easier target acquisition, which is great when you need to dispatch an attacker.

It is safe to say that the best, and most controversial redesign on this weapon is the frame itself. Namely, the “Grip Zone.” Over all, the grip feels excellent in hand. And after time, you even start to feel as though this gun was made just for you.

Truly, this gun has to be felt in hand to be believed. The wording on the grip, however, is tacky. And, I’ve heard many a gun enthusiast say that whoever spearheaded that needs to be fired. There is one other inherent problem with the “Grip Zone” that many people don’t talk about, or aren’t yet aware of.

The main issue, is that if you carry the gun without a barrier between it and your skin, the rough texture of the grip begins to drive the gun carrier nutty. After about a month of carrying it and trying different holsters, I replaced the gun altogether, and retired it as a backup home defense gun.

The gun is a blast to shoot, however, and if you’re used to wearing a barrier in between your gun and your skin, there is no reason why this sub-compact concealed carry gun wouldn’t work well for you.

After about 100 rounds through this gun over the course of almost two hours, my hand was just beginning to fee the negatives of firing .45 ACP. This is likely because the grip was re-designed to allow the strong hand to sit higher on the gun, to reduce the amount of felt recoil. I am also happy to report, that after several hundred rounds of varying types of ammunition, there were no failures.

One thing that many people love about the Springfield XDs, is that they are one of the safest weapons on the market. This is especially appealing to newer shooters, who are yet to be comfortable with deactivating a manual safety, or having no safety at all.

As usual, the Mod.2 comes with a striker status indicator to let you know that the slide has been pulled back, and a chamber status indicator so you can see when there is a round in the chamber. The usual grip and trigger safeties are also in place, to prevent an accidental discharge. And, unless those safeties are disengaged with a firm grip or pressure on the trigger, the gun will not fire.

One thing that I’d like to see Springfield change in the future, is the location of the magazine release. It is hard to explain without seeing it, but unless you release your good grip of the gun to push it, or use your other hand, it is hard to reach.

Another improvement that I’d like to see on the next development of the XD, is a truly ambidextrous gun. Or, at least a separate line of lefty guns. While the mag release is available to both strong hands, the slide release is only available to the thumb of the right hand. This makes it more difficult for those who are left hand dominant.

Finally, the Mod.2 comes with the usual XD Gear that fans of Springfield have come to love. This means that you get the speed-loader, holster, bore brush, cable lock, magazine holster, a nine round flush mounted magazine, a 13 round extended magazine, two extra fiber optic sights and the hard carry case. Overall, this gun comes prepared with everything you’d need to get started.

I do recommend that you not carry this gun in the holster it comes with. It is far too flimsy and wobbles with each passing step. Instead, go out and buy a decent holster that you think you may be comfortable with.

The MSRP on this handgun is just over, or just under the $600 mark depending on the slide you choose. I liked the gun so much that I ended up buying one. And, even though it is uncomfortable for me to carry, you can never have too many guns.

Over all, Springfield Armory’s XD Mod.2 is an excellent gun that fired flawlessly no matter what kind of junk ammo was thrown at it. That, coupled with the fact that it is deadly accurate out to 15 yards, makes this the concealed carry choice of many.

 

Photo Credit – Joshua Gillem