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Springfield XDS 9mm

10K views 16 replies 6 participants last post by  Snurd 
#1 · (Edited by Moderator)
Well, well, well. My friend has had an XDS for a while now. When we go to the range I have a chance to shoot it. Every time I shoot it, I think that I should really get one. One of the last range trips, I figured it was probably time.

Have any of you played Battleship? You can get targets that have the game, and you have to shoot the other guys dots on the ships to sink them and win. We were at the Bountiful range and couple of the shooters next to us were using these targets. They gave us one so we could try it out. Immediately I was told that it was going to be me against my wife, friend, and his brother. I have more experience than all of them, but my wife and friend are pretty good shots. The brother doesn't have much shooting under his belt yet. Still, for every shot I had, they each got one shot. So that's one for me, and three for their team. I was a little nervous.

Since I was all by myself, I said that I should be allowed to choose which gun I was going to shoot. We had a choice between a Glock 19, 26, 35 and 30S, and two XDS pistolas. Both the XDS guns were 9mm. I went for my friends XDS with Talon Grips. It took me a little bit to figure exactly where to shoot to hit the dots on the ships, but I was hitting them fairly regularly. After many shots, I was hitting them almost every time. That gun is great. We started the game at about 20 or so feet. After a little while we decided to bring it in to maybe 15 feet. :thumbsup: The results of the game are below. I was shooting at green. For those who may be color blind, that's the left side of the photo.

ImageUploadedByTapatalk1426197750.341152.jpg


I was pretty happy with the win. :D My friend and his brother shot maybe 10-15 rounds more after that game at their target, and they said they hit a couple more dots. They were shooting quickly, so the shots spread out a bit. While I do have more experience shooting than the others, I have to say that the gun really helped a lot. It is a fantastic little shooter.

I decided to sell the Shield so that I could buy one. My amazing wife allowed me to buy one before the Shield sold. I found one on UGE for an awesome price. I was able to snag it yesterday. Yes, my wife is totally awesome. :dancing:

My friend, the same one spoken of above, and I went to the range today to test out a couple new guns. The XDS and he snagged a S&W M&P CORE 9mm. That is a nice gun too. Anyway, here are a couple pics from the range session. The smaller group of shots was 10 shots at about 20 feet with target loads shooting slowly. The larger group I was shooting faster with 17 Federal HST's.

Yes, the Shield is a great little gun, but for me the XDS shoots better. This may or may not be the same for others, but this is what I have found for myself.

ImageUploadedByTapatalk1426197770.153683.jpg

ImageUploadedByTapatalk1426197786.888477.jpg


Sent from iSnurd
 

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#2 ·
I guess I should add a little more. The XDS comes with two magazines. One 7 round flush fit mag, and a 9 round extended mag. Like the other XD models, it has a grip and trigger safety. One thing they got right about the trigger safety is the fact that the safety sits flush with the trigger when it is depressed. It is a heavier trigger pull than the Shield, though that may be because this one is brand new, and the Shield has had a number of rounds down the pipe. It's a smooth pull though, and it's pretty easy to keep the gun on target when pulling it.

It has an ambi mag release, which could be helpful for lefties. It comes stock with white dot rear sight and a fiber optic red front sight. It also comes with extra red and also green fiber optic rods. In the box are the usual XD gear mag holder and holster, though I don't really care for them. I would rather have a good holster.

The XDS has a rail for flashlights, or maybe that awesome rail mounted knife you find on the internets.

I think about the only thing that is a little annoying about the gun, is the grip texture. It's a little aggressive, and not as nice as some of the other guns. It's not awful, but a good set of rubber Talon Grips makes a big difference. I already ordered the grips, so they should be here fairly soon.

I'm pretty happy with the purchase.
 
#3 ·
Nice write up. I had the same experience with the xds vs the shield. I took my wife out to shoot all the rentals last year and she picked the shield. I liked the xds better so I sold my M&P40c to purchase the xds. The only thing I didn't like at first was I had to change my grip a little. I was resting on the slide release so it would not stay open after the last shot.

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#4 ·
Welcome to the family! The XD is a totally awesome pistol. You will always enjoy such a sweet tool! :D
 
#5 ·
Cinhil said:
Welcome to the family! The XD is a totally awesome pistol. You will always enjoy such a sweet tool! :D
Thanks. :D

I've shot the XD line before. One of my friends had a subcompact .40 a while back. I believe it was when they first came out. I didn't like the trigger very much. The edges weren't quite rounded enough and would dig into my finger when firing. I wasn't a fan. I have also shot the XDm. That was a good shooter, and was comfy, but I never felt giddy enough to buy one. The friend that I went shooting with that has the XDS also had recently bought an XD .45. That shot nicely, but I still don't think I would get one.
The XDS is what snagged my attention. My wife doesn't like the trigger too much. It is a little longer and heavier than the guns she is used to. Though she was shooting her G26 that has a Zev Trigger and is smooth and light. I'm guessing that was the main issue. But since she wasn't too impressed with the trigger, she might not try to take it from me. :D

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#9 ·
Compared with the Shield, how is the concealability of the XDS? I've always toyed with the idea of a Shield, but have an XDm and am used to and really like the Springfield line of guns. And, to be frank, I would probably be more comfortable carrying with the grip/trigger safety features of the XDS.
 
#10 ·
gj_1980uk said:
Compared with the Shield, how is the concealability of the XDS? I've always toyed with the idea of a Shield, but have an XDm and am used to and really like the Springfield line of guns. And, to be frank, I would probably be more comfortable carrying with the grip/trigger safety features of the XDS.
I'll try to remember to take a picture of them side by side so you can see the difference. I would say that they are both very easy to conceal. I'm using a SmartCarry right now with the XDS and I don't notice a difference between the two. I don't have an IWB holster for it yet, but they are both very slim and relatively small, so I doubt there will be a noticeable difference in the ability to conceal it. I think the XDS is a little heavier, but not enough to worry about.

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#12 ·
1 911 said:
DeSantis makes a good pocket holster for it too if you're so inclined.
I have a DeSantis holster for the Glock 42. It's ok. My pocket has to be just the right size, otherwise the it's either a little harder to get the gun out (if the pocket is a bit too small), or the holster comes out with the gun if the pocket is too big.

Sent from iSnurd
 
#15 · (Edited by Moderator)
gj_1980uk said:
Compared with the Shield, how is the concealability of the XDS? I've always toyed with the idea of a Shield, but have an XDm and am used to and really like the Springfield line of guns. And, to be frank, I would probably be more comfortable carrying with the grip/trigger safety features of the XDS.
Here are a few pics of the XDS and Shield together. Looking at them, they are almost the same size. The XDS is slightly longer. The grip on the Shield is a bit bigger from front to back. But overall, they are very comparable in size.

ImageUploadedByTapatalk1426305301.308123.jpg

ImageUploadedByTapatalk1426305310.459794.jpg

ImageUploadedByTapatalk1426305318.779427.jpg


Sent from iSnurd
 

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