The Down Range Forum
Member Section => Handguns => Topic started by: jaybet on July 26, 2012, 02:51:29 PM
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Just won a Gunbroker auction for a Springfield XDS in Bi-tone. Will do range report & photos eventually if all goes well.
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Very cool..... I am looking very seriously at the XDs.
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Congrats Jay, my dad has an XD and love's it.
Enjoy, look forward to the pics and range report.
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I have fired a couple of regular sized XDs, but this is the 3.3" bbl, 1" wide .45 acp. It's got great reviews, and I'm hoping it'll be a great pocket powerhouse.
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You finally scratched that itch!
Enjoy...
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Not a SIG . I am shocked!!! ;D ;D ;D
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Not a SIG . I am shocked!!! ;D ;D ;D
Yeah, Huh? Sig isn't making a tiny 45 just yet. That was the goal. I was looking at Colt Defenders, Kimber Ultra Carry, the XDS and Glock G36. I had missed a nice spiffed up Glock, an XDS, and a great deal on a Kimber crimson trace, then the XDS deal popped and I jumped. A 45 wsith under 3.5 inch barrel and a narrow grip was the driving force.
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I'm thinking about swapping my Glock 27 for one of these so that all my SD handguns will be the same caliber. I'd like to keep the G27 because it makes a great pair-up with my Kel-Tec sub rifle and both are .40 cal......but I don't think finances will allow keeping both. :(
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Congrats jay,....looking fwd to the range report of the "leetle .45".....
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I was extremely interested in the XDM in 45 when I saw the first reviews and when I finally got one in my hands I bought it (saved like a Scrouge too). The XDS has the same spell on me and I'd like an unbiased review, which I know Jay you are more than capable of.
I am thinking this would be a good "gun to carry when you can't carry a gun", a great ankle holstered back-up or a pocket carry (never have carried in a pocket though). I join those that are eagerly anticipating a range report. 8)
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Well, the XDS came in yesterday, I picked it up and took it to the local pistol night at my club.
The thing looks and feels great.
I have heard some reports that it will bite the top of your hand and it does...you have to keep everything below the bottom of the slide behind the grip.
It's a handful...200 & 230 gr ball ammo gives a pretty good thump, and at 25 yards (fixed distance at pistol night) it is exactly what you would call "hit or miss". I had zeroed in to hitting a 12 inch target at the 25 yards, but it's a little teeny barrel, and I suck.
I put 50 rounds of ball through it, then some jacketed reloads, then about 35 lead reloads with zero problems. THEN it happened. Fired the first round of a full mag, then pulled the trigger again and nothing happened- striker didn't release. Could not rack the slide to clear it. We worked on it for about 1/2 hour but couldn't get the round out.
It definitely ejected after firing the first round, and I could not find a damaged casing, but it's possible something broke up and jammed it. Since the trigger didn't reset and we can't rack it (it only moves back about 1/4"), maybe something broke on the gun. It has a grip safety that stops all function, so mayb something went wrong there.
Anyway, this is my second "new model" piece and my luck is the same.
I'm going to try a local smith to get the round out- since it was a reload Springfield may not be helpful, but I can't ship it with a round in it anyway.
I LIKE it...it's just not working right yet.
(http://i289.photobucket.com/albums/ll237/jaybethel/xds.jpg)
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Dang, Jay..... talk about snakebite......... Hope you get it going.
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Dude, it doesn't matter if it's a vehicle, or a new brand of skivvies, NEVER buy the first year of production unless you plan on sealing it in plastic as a collectors item.
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Yeeeeeppp! You'd think I woulda' learned before this.
We'll see.
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I put 50 rounds of ball through it, then some jacketed reloads, then about 35 lead reloads with zero problems. THEN it happened. Fired the first round of a full mag, then pulled the trigger again and nothing happened- striker didn't release.
Jaybet, just curious....was the mag loaded with more lead bullets or jacketed bullets?
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More lead, semi wad cutters. I don't mix types of rounds in one magazine.
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Gotcha.
Some people (Phx PD) have bulged barrels in semiautos going from lead to jacketed bullets in one session.
Consider yourself smarter than the old weapon evaluators that used to work the PD range. (and the SIG rep) ;D
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Gotcha.
Some people (Phx PD) have bulged barrels in semiautos going from lead to jacketed bullets in one session.
Consider yourself smarter than the old weapon evaluators that used to work the PD range. (and the SIG rep) ;D
I don't know about that.... I'm aware that the lead will fill up lands pretty quickly in some types of barrels (parabolic?- can't remember what they're called...Glocks and Bersas use it.) Lead leaves more deposits, but I think unless you're shooting a few boxes of lead it shouldn't be an issue...still wouldn't do it though. I'll go from FMJ to lead all day long, though.
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It's called polygonal Jay, but M25 said he shoots more lead through his Glocks than jacketed with zero problems.
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It's called polygonal Jay, but M25 said he shoots more lead through his Glocks than jacketed with zero problems.
Are factory or aftermarket barrels though ?
As I understand it the aftermarket barrels, like Lone Wolf don't have all the warnings that factory barrels do .
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Are factory or aftermarket barrels though ?
As I understand it the aftermarket barrels, like Lone Wolf don't have all the warnings that factory barrels do .
I suppose we'll have to wait for Benny to answer that!
http://www.downrange.tv/forum/index.php?topic=916.msg8746#msg8746
With this, I retract my statement.
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I don't know about that.... I'm aware that the lead will fill up lands pretty quickly in some types of barrels (parabolic?- can't remember what they're called...Glocks and Bersas use it.) Lead leaves more deposits, but I think unless you're shooting a few boxes of lead it shouldn't be an issue...still wouldn't do it though. I'll go from FMJ to lead all day long, though.
SIGs have regular rifling so that wasn't the fly in the ointment. Going from FMJ to lead like you do is the proper sequence if you are going to switch at all in a range session. Lead to jacketed is risky.
I hope the fix on the XDM comes quickly - and inexpensive!
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SIGs have regular rifling so that wasn't the fly in the ointment. Going from FMJ to lead like you do is the proper sequence if you are going to switch at all in a range session. Lead to jacketed is risky.
I hope the fix on the XDM comes quickly - and inexpensive! free
FIFY ;D
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Are factory or aftermarket barrels though ?
As I understand it the aftermarket barrels, like Lone Wolf don't have all the warnings that factory barrels do .
I believe Lone Wolf barrels are standard grove and land rifling rather than polygonal. They might also have improved support in the ramp area over OEM barrels.
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Well, Springfield Armory agreed with me that I can't ship the pistol with a hot round in it and suggested I see the local gunsmith. Got that set up for this evening, and we'll see how that goes. I'm going to include a bill for the gunsmith when I send the piece in to SA- if they don't want to cover it maybe they'll throw me a few 7 rd mags and some swag.
Just want to get the thing working right.
We have a Ruger GP161 that had to go back new out of the box and it has been great ever since. I think when they get them back they make SURE they're working right before they send them out again.
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Met with the local smith tonight. He tried a couple of things and then noticed that he didn't like the way the grip safety felt...messed around and boom- got that round off downrange with and extraction and ejection. The weapon seems to work now, but it's going out to Springfield asap.
It cost me $25 to do things the safe way...well worth it.
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Met with the local smith tonight. He tried a couple of things and then noticed that he didn't like the way the grip safety felt...messed around and boom- got that round off downrange with and extraction and ejection. The weapon seems to work now, but it's going out to Springfield asap.
It cost me $25 to do things the safe way...well worth it.
Let Springfield know about that $25. Be interesting to see how they adjust for that.
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Let Springfield know about that $25. Be interesting to see how they adjust for that.
He wrote a nice invoice to include. A 7 round mag would be a nice consolation.
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Well, the XDs came back today cleaned and lubed. The invoice said, "Tested extensively" with several types of ammo they named "with no malfunctions". "Suspect bad round".
Even though the local smith freed the thing up working the grip safety, they say no problem, so I have it back. No effort from SA to compensate me for my time or expense in sending it back either so I'm not very impressed.
I'll get out to the range soon and we'll put a few hundred rounds through it and see how it holds up.
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This thread has caused me to return my checkbook to my pocket..........at least for now. Please keep us posted Jay.
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Actually I misspoke. "Cleaned and lubed" is not correct. It was nearly dripping with oil, but was not, by any means, clean. I grubbed up 3 shotgun swatches just pushing them around the parts and around the firing pin.
Anyone who has sent a gun in for repair...what kind of condition did it return? Perhaps they were trying to prove they tested it "extensively" by leaving it dirty? I sent two other pistols away clean to Ruger in the past, and they came back cleaner than when I sent them. SA sent this thing back dirty.
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Not cool that they sent it back to you dirty. Not professional in my opinion. Not good customer service.
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Worked with a man back in '75 as a computer operator. He was training me on the shop routine.
One point he made that I'll still remember as it applied to every job every where.
He made a big deal about lining up the lines on the old Green Bar paper (if anyone remembers it?) and would restart the printout when it was right on so the entire report was aligned properly.
He said that no matter how good a job everyone in the department does on getting the reports out, if we are sloppy with aligning the printing, that is what people are going to see first and judge the quality of our department by.
Sounds like SA needs that guy to give a talk to whoever touches customer guns last. I see the condition your gun was returned to you as pretty much given you an opinion of the quality of the company.
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I'm not jumping the gun (pardon the pun) because I know a lot of people who think a LOT of Springfield. I'm just curious...I'm thinking they wanted me to see how much they had fired it or something. I don't know.
If I never have another lick of trouble with it it'll probably go by the wayside, but I was not impressed.
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I've gotten guns back dirty (S&W, SIG) and I think you're right - they seem to want to prove that it shoots. ::)
I'm OK with it as long as they run 100%. (they did)
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If they really wanted to impress you they would send you a video of the testing with your serial number clearly shown, return the gun immaculately clean and a bag with all the spent cases they used in the testing.....and a hat.
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LOL!
I sent them in dirty. I figured that I had spent time futzing with malfs while it was dirty, they could too. :P
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OK-FINALLY got to take the Springfield out to the range. It was a two week turnaround from shipping day to delivery day- not too bad. As I said the gun had come back dirty, which it seems isn't out of the ordinary. I wiped it down and oiled it again. After this range trip it's obvious it needs to be sloppy while breaking in. OK so the big test is firing.
I took a friend with me who is ex-LEO and SWAT, been to Blackwater, blah, blah, blah. Being one of the few people in NJ who can carry, his carry piece is a G30, so he's a .45 enthusiast, and has handled a lot of weapons.
We set up to shoot at 10 yards. The 5 round magazines that come with the XDS are stiff- as is the gun, and it has a pretty tight area to move those big fat cartridges around in. Pretty amazing really.
So after about 10 rounds I figured it out, and we both fired the thing. My friend was amazed at how I was able to shoot the gun almost right away- shoot it WELL. The bright red fiber optic sight on the front is really easy to see and get back on target. I was firing pretty rapidly and was able to get right back on target. The trigger reset is like a Glock- 3/8 to 1/2 " from full back position gets you another round on the way. Not a bad trigger. If you can maintain good grip control through a magazine you can place a nice tight group. And I'm an absolutely LOUSY shot!
My friend said it was a great shooting gun, and reminded him of his G26, but with LESS RECOIL!. We fired a combination of misc. ball ammo and I ran some of my home-made plated ball through it- not one hiccup.
So all in all we fired about 175 rounds with not one failure of any kind. The gun got hot and dirty and spewed stuff all over- it's a tiny little thing. I think it's going to get smoother with a few hundred more rounds through it.
Here's a target, 10 rounds at 10 yards with a 3.3 inch barrel. For me this is magical shooting.
(http://i289.photobucket.com/albums/ll237/jaybethel/8002.jpg)
As you can see, it'll get the job done.
All in all I'm impressed and really jazzed about it- I want to get out there and throw another few hundred rounds downrange to loosen this thing up. it's not EASY to shoot- it's a tiny 45. But it's well designed to handle and disperse the recoil and muzzle flip, and it's a damn nice shooting gun. I'd like to have a few more rounds standard (5 round mag) but it's 5 rounds of 45, and hopefully I can do what I need to do with that.
Two thumbs up and a finger snap for the Springfield Armory XDS.
(http://i289.photobucket.com/albums/ll237/jaybethel/xds.jpg)
(Big toe not included)
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Big holes are fun, ain't they?
Enjoy it Jay..
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Bump! The hell with politics, we're talking new gun here guys! Where is everybody?
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Check your local Walmart. Mine has the WWB value pack (100 rounds) for $29.97. It aint cheap but it's the best price I've seen in a long, long time.
P.S. I used to think my .45s were expensive to feed, then I got a 10mm. :o
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Bump! The hell with politics, we're talking new gun here guys! Where is everybody?
Petting a new AR..... ;) ;D ;D ;D ;D
Seriously, glad it's shooting well for you now. :D
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Bump! The hell with politics, we're talking new gun here guys! Where is everybody?
No, YOU'RE talking new gun, we're sulking because it's not ours. ;D
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Check your local Walmart. Mine has the WWB value pack (100 rounds) for $29.97. It aint cheap but it's the best price I've seen in a long, long time.
P.S. I used to think my .45s were expensive to feed, then I got a 10mm. :o
Thanks fellas...that's better. Ichi- I think you pretty much have to be a reloader to shoot 10mm, which is harder to find than a democrat politician with a conscience.
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Midway and Cheaper than Dirt both have 10 MM.
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Jay did you compare the XDS to the 3.8 XDM? I have been debating on my next gun purchase, 9 mm 5.25 XDM for USPSA (my daughter wants to shoot with me), a strictly CCW gun (the two mentioned above), an AR for 3 gun (which WILL happen just not sure if it'll be next), a bolt gun (Ruger Scout most likely), a 22 handgun (cheaper to shoot than reload for any of the other choices), or a 1911.
Add to the mix I need a safe too and I need to win the lotto, put my new degree to work or some inheritance ;D
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Jay did you compare the XDS to the 3.8 XDM? I have been debating on my next gun purchase, 9 mm 5.25 XDM for USPSA (my daughter wants to shoot with me), a strictly CCW gun (the two mentioned above), an AR for 3 gun (which WILL happen just not sure if it'll be next), a bolt gun (Ruger Scout most likely), a 22 handgun (cheaper to shoot than reload for any of the other choices), or a 1911.
Add to the mix I need a safe too and I need to win the lotto, put my new degree to work or some inheritance ;D
Magoo,
I did NOT compare XDs to 3.8XDM, although I did hold one in a shop and thought it was pretty nice. I was going strictly on the most concealable 45 I could get and so it was between the XDs and small 45s. The small 45s were several hundred more dollars, heavier, and wider- my main concern as I have a middle gut roll that tends to push a holster outward.
As far as the XDs for carry I think it's comparable to the Kahr 45 in size and weight, but smaller all around to the 3.8 version. If you can conceal the larger size of the 3.8 it's probably the better choice (because I'm assuming it carries more rounds). XDS is only 5+1.