The Springfield Armory XD-S 4.0 9mm is one of the new carry guns that I got a chance to shoot during range day at this year’s SHOT Show. It’s identical in every way to the original 9mm XD-S, except it has a 4-inch barrel and slide as opposed to the 3.3-inch of the original. At SHOT, I thought it seemed like a pretty interesting gun, so we got our hands on one to do a more in-depth review.
Springfield Armory XD-S 4.0 ReviewFor a couple years now, the big trend in concealed handgun design has been the single stack nine millimeter. Almost every major handgun maker has one in current production, with the exception of Glock. And they’ll probably join the bandwagon before too long. Springfield Armory introduced their nine millimeter XDS in 2013, and the overall reaction has been positive so far. So they followed it up this year with the XDS 4.0, which is identical to the standard XDS but has a four-inch barrel and slide instead of a 3.3 inch. Traditionally, they concealed carry handgun market had demanded the progressive decrease of handgun size and weight. But Springfield has thumbed their noses at that conventional wisdom by instead increasing the dimensions of a compact carry pistol. That’s leaving a lot of people asking, why do we need a four-inch barrel XDS? I understand the confusion, but I actually think this is a pretty cool concept. Inside-the-waistband holsters are really popular right now. And if you carry that way, you know the most difficult part of the gun to conceal is the grip. Now, with the seven-round flush-fitting magazine, the XDS 4.0 has a grip that’s just as short as the standard 3.3-inch version. It’s pretty short, pretty easy to conceal. It’s also really thin, which is going to make it comfortable. The only thing that’s different is just a little bit more length in the slide and barrel. Now, that might make it a little less comfortable depending on where on your belt you carry, but the trade-off is that you get a longer site radius, you get a little bump in muzzle velocity, and you’re going to have slightly less recoil. Now if we take out the seven-round magazine and we put in the nine-round extended mag with the grip sleeve here, now I think this gun gets pretty interesting. It’s got a really good-sized grip now. It’s almost the same size as a full-size XDM. So now that I’ve got a gun that feels like it’s made to actually be shot, not just carried. It actually kind of reminds me of the old school, single-stack all-metal nine millimeters, like the Smith and Wesson Model 39, their very semi auto, or the Sig P225, or maybe a nine millimeter 1911 with a lightweight commander-size frame. Those guns are just a little bit smaller than a full size, and they feel like they’re just made to fit in my hand. They’re really fun to shoot, not quite as fun to carry because of the poor ratio of weight to ammo capacity. For a modern alternative, I don’t know of any other polymer frame carry gun that has a comparable form factor to those old nine millimeters, except the XDS 4.0. So in theory, I should be the target audience for this pistol. But before I lay down the verdict, let’s take a look at some of the gun’s features. The front site is a fiber optic. Now, at this price point, I would rather see a set of Tritium night sights. But it’s all welcome change from the white three-dot set up that most new guns have. The box even includes two extra fiber optic rods in case you lose the original or you want to change the color. For magazines, it comes with the two that I mentioned– one seven round and one nine round. There’s also a smaller back strap and sleeve for the nine-round magazine in case you want to change the dimensions of the grip. Unfortunately, no eight-round magazines are currently available, which would be a nice middle option. Like most XD pistols, the trigger has a good bit of take-up with a break on kind of the mushy side. I’ve been able to overlook that quality in most of the other XDS that I’ve shot because the triggers were also relatively light, ranking at about five or six pounds. But the XDS trigger weighed in at over eight pounds, which is a little on the heavy side for a striker-fire pistol. It wasn’t really a hindrance to slow-fire accuracy, though. The first five shots I fired from the gun gave me this 1 and 1/4-inch group at 20 yards. But for me, the weight and uncertain feel of the trigger make rapid fire accuracy difficult. If I was committed to carrying the gun, I could probably get used to the trigger with some more practice. But this wouldn’t be necessary if it felt more like the XDM trigger. You might call the XDS 4.0 a spiritual successor to the older generation of single-stack nines, but I wouldn’t say it’s a huge improvement. At 25 ounces, it’s only two or three ounces lighter than some of those old ones, but it’s still six ounces heavier than its major competition, the nine millimeter Smith and Wesson Shield. Now, with a longer barrel and superior sights, I did find the XDS to be a little more accurate than the shield. For a carry gun, the recoil is light, but not a whole lot lighter than the Shield. And it didn’t feel anything like shooting those old steel and alloy frame guns. But you know what? That’s OK. I’m probably not the target audience for this gun after all. If I had to guess, I’d say Springfield Armory is going after the guy who wants just one self-defense handgun– something he can carry and use for home defense. Now, ideally you’d use a smaller double stack that can take larger, full-sized, high cap magazines. But if you just have to have something that’s really thin, the XDS 4.0 with the seven-round and nine-round magazine options makes a pretty good compromise.
Here are a couple photos and some additional thoughts on the XD-S 4.0 that didn’t make it into the final cut of the video.
Grip Safety
One of the big complaints I have had with the XD series is the way the grip safety functions. If it’s not completely engaged, the slide cannot be fully retracted, even manually. That means you can’t clear the gun if there’s some kind of malfunction that’s preventing the grip safety from working. You also can’t perform a standard “tap rack” malfunction clearance unless you maintain a good firing grip. Neither of those are likely scenarios, but I’ve still always considered this a serious design flaw. Fortunately, Springfield Armory did not include this “feature” on the XD-S. There’s still a grip safety, but it no longer prevents movement of the slide when it’s not engaged.
The XD Briefcase
A distinctive feature of the XD series has always been the inclusion of an oversized plastic briefcase that includes a paddle style holster and magazine carrier. I have mixed feelings about this “feature”. On one hand, it kind of makes sense, at least for the full size guns. The holster and mag carrier are both far too bulky and flimsy to be used for everyday concealed carry. I’m sure people do it, but you wouldn’t have to spend much to find some far better options for either accessory. On the other hand, they aren’t bad for casual use at the range, and would even work for anyone just starting out in the action shooting sports.
But for a small carry gun like the XD-S, you’re going to have to get a concealment holster anyway, so the plastic paddle holster is unnecessary. It’s not so much that I object to the inclusion of the holster per se, it’s the $599 MSRP that I find somewhat offensive. The gun itself has some interesting features, but there’s nothing about it that should warrant a price tag $150 higher than almost every other polymer single stack on the market. The included accessories come across like a half-hearted attempt lessen the sting of the comparatively high cost. Here’s a suggestion for Springfield; dump the holster and mag carrier, include night sights, and two additional magazines, and then I’ll feel less grouchy about the asking price.
What’s Your Take?
Do you carry an XD-S in 9mm or .45ACP? How does it compare to other guns you’ve carried in the past? Anyone hoping Springfield Armory will release a 4.0 version of the .45ACP XD-S?
