History:
The XD traces its roots back to a service pistol known as the PHP, which was first produced in Croatia by privately owned industrial parts firm I.M. Metal in 1991. Designed by a team led by Marko Vuković, the PHP was considered to be a solid design, but early versions were plagued by quality issues, due in large part to the difficulties of manufacturing during a liberation war.Vuković’s team continued to tweak and improve the design over the next decade, releasing the HS95 (Hrvatski Samokres or “Croatian Pistol”) in 1995, and the HS2000 in 1999.
The HS2000 was adopted by the Croatian military and law enforcement as their standard issue sidearm, and continues to fill that role today. In addition, the pistol was exported to the US market by Intrac and distributed by HSAmerica, which sold the pistol in 9mm as the HS2000, and started to gain a reputation as a cost-effective, reliable, and innovative new firearm.
In 2002, Springfield Armory, Inc. secured the licensing rights to the US market, and rebranded the pistol as the XD-9 (X-treme Duty 9×19 mm). Since that time Springfield Armory has expanded the line to include five different calibers, three different barrel lengths, and four finishes (Black, Bi-Tone, Olive Drab frame, and the newest Dark Earth frame). Due in part to Springfield Armory’s aggressive marketing and competitive pricing, but also to the pistol’s inherent quality and features, it has consistently gained in both reputation and market share over the last five years. The introduction of the XD-45 (in the extremely popular .45 ACP caliber) in January of 2006 has made the XD the “most talked about handgun” in the eyes of many interested shooters. The industry press took notice as well, awarding the XD-45 the title of “Handgun of the Year” from both American Rifleman magazine and the Shooting Industry Academy of Excellence.
History provided by wikipedia.
Spec’s:
- Barrel Length: 102.5 (4in)
- Sights: Front and Rear Dove tail 3 dot
- Trigger Pull: 5.5-7.7
- Frame: Polymer
- Slide: Forged Steel melonite finish
- Recoil: Dual Spring with Full length guide rod
- Length: 7.3in
- Height: 5.75in
- Weight Empty: 30oz
Review:
The XD was the first pistol that i bought. I did allot of thinking before I bought it I was torn between a Glock and the XD I went with the XD because 13 Rounds of 45ACP it don’t get much better then that! Fully loaded it’s not too heavy but once you shoot it you feel its full power and know you’re shooting a 45! The XD is a great pistol I have nothing but good things to say about the XD some people I talk to don’t like it but I doo. It’s easy to field strip as far as detail strip I am unaware of how to doo that as of yet! I have fired over 1000 rounds out of my XD and have had no malfunctions yet(*read below)! It has dual Mag releases that make it easy to release the mag from either side. It Has a Round in chamber indicator. A Firing pin “status” indicator so you know if you need to recycle the weapon to fire. The newer versions of the weapon are going to have a manuel safety aside from the grip safety and the trigger safety and the firing pin block that are already on the pistol. But all in all shot wise and handling of the weapon I have been impressed with the XD I recommend it to anyone!
Malfunctions:
Well I went and got a box of the New Winchester SXZ training ammo picture below. I got a box of 100 and when I was at the range shooting every other round was miss feeding! the round would try to chamber but wind up getting wedged facing down ward in the Mag I think it was more the rounds snub nose rather than the gun but let me know if any of you have had any issues?
Photo’s:
