Springfield Armory Semi-Automatic Review

Gun Reviews By Women – Springfield XD-S – Jennifer

Springfield XDS Gun Review

By Jennifer

 

Specifications

Model: XD-S

Caliber: 9mm

Barrel Length: 3.3”

Ammunition Capacity: 7+1, 8+1, or 9+1 magazines

 

Springfield XD-S Usage & Features

Primary Use:

Target Shooting/Training

Are you right handed or left handed?

Right

What features does this gun have that appealed to you?

Small overall size, small grip with interchangeable backstraps, highly visible fiber optic front sight, easy to conceal if necessary, easily manageable recoil.  I also like the safety features and ambidextrous magazine release.

Tell us about shooting this gun:

This was my first gun purchase, and I am pleased.  It has been fun to shoot and relatively easy to develop my skills with.  One of the best features of this gun is the visible and tactile loaded chamber indicator on the top of the slide, which is slightly elevated when a round is chambered.  I can check both visually and with a quick swipe of a finger to verify that the gun is ready to shoot.

How does it fit your hand, how do you like the sights, how difficult is it to rack the slide, how would you describe the trigger pull, and how would you describe the recoil?

The Springfield XD-S fits well and comes with interchangeable backstraps; I have installed the small for my smaller grip.  The sights are one of the best things:  the front fiber optic sight gathers light well and makes acquiring a target fast and easy.  Racking the slide is NOT easy; I couldn’t do it initially in the store, and it has taken some time to become comfortable with it.  It has eased up a bit, and I have also become more adept.  Trigger pull is long and takes some getting used to.  Recoil is good, i.e. very manageable.

How reliable is it?

Very!  Once I figured out how to properly clean around the extractor, I have had not misfires of any kind in over 2,000 rounds fired.

Any problems with any type of ammunition?

None. I have fired mostly FMJ with aluminum casings but am moving to brass.  Have also fired a few hollow points.

Does this gun have any specific ammunition requirements? If so, please explain:

None.

What do you dislike about shooting this gun, if anything?

Primary difficulty with the Springfield XD-S is racking the slide.  It is quite stiff, and small hands have a hard time simultaneously holding the gun, racking the slide, and engaging the slide stop.   But it can be done, and now I don’t give it a second thought.  Also, no fault of the gun, but cleaning instructions in the included manual were quite minimal.  After the first few hundred rounds, I started getting light primer strikes and ejection failures, which I was finally able to attribute to lack of cleaning around the extractor.  That is a very basic cleaning step, but it took a LOT of hours watching videos and reading chat forums for this novice shooter to figure that out.  The trigger pull is longer than on other guns I have since fired, but that is just what it is.

Was it easy to take down and clean?

Very easy to field strip.  Rack the slide back, turn the takedown lever, pull the trigger, and ease the slide off.  (MAKE SURE GUN IS UNLOADED!!!)  Only four parts:  frame, slide, barrel, and recoil spring assembly.  Very easy to take down, clean, minimal lube, and reassemble.

Would you recommend this gun?

Yes.

For someone considering this gun, what would you tell them?

Knowing what I know now, I probably would not recommend this as a first handgun for someone as inexperienced as I was when I bought it.  (I had never fired any type of weapon except for dart guns and water squirters.)  BUT for someone with more experience, absolutely I would recommend it.  It is a treat to shoot at the range, and I am enjoying becoming a better shooter.  Great little gun at a very reasonable price.

Anything else you would like to share about the gun?

It is a fun-to-shoot, reliable, small gun that I am comfortable using and wouldn’t hesitate to use in a self-defense situation.

 

 

XD-S

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