Springfield XDs 9mm & Glock 42 .380

[BlackKnight]

One of the advantages of being a rangemaster for my department is that I get to shoot a lot and many times other peoples guns. Between last week and this week I shot new guns that belonged to one of our detective's.
So, I would like to give a small range report on each.

Glock 42
This is Glock new pistol. It is a .380. It is a slim, single stack magazine handgun. It fit the hand okay, but it you have large hands your pinky is going hang in the air.
It shot very well. It fit my hand pretty comfortably although I have long fingers. My only gripe was I felt the trigger was too tight, much more so than our G19's. Plus, I don't personally like the .380 round.
But, I can see the gun be a good BUG, off duty, or undercover gun.

Springfield XDs 9
Now, this gun is a little larger that then the G42. The gun fit the hand much more comfortably, but again, if you have large hands, the pinky will hang freely. The detective did have an extended mag. I do not know if they have these for the G42.
The trigger was little hard as well, but much less then the G42, and much smoother.
What I really liked, and I may look into for some of my other guns, was the hi-viz fron sight complemented by the the rear two dot system. My eyes picked up the sights much easier and faster.
This guns also shot very well with no issues.
Must be my tired old eyes.

So that's my short range report.

[skosh69]

Thanks for the review ! Do you have access to a M&P Shield to review? Curious as to how it stacks up in your eyes against the Glock and the S/A.

[Caleb]

Was thinking of getting the XDs9 but, would lije to shoot it first. The g42 is ok but, for the sixe itbis you can get a 9mm with the same round count.

Thanks for the reviews, much apppretiated.

[pony up]

I agree with the BlackKnight. I have XDs' in 9mm and .45. They both are incredible fugly with none of the sweetness of a 1911. They both shoot well, The .45 incredibly well warranting a trip back to the mother ship as," holy Sh*t FULL AUTO- FULL MAG. Would have been fun if it hadn't cost me two years off my life. About crapped my pants. The .45 is nasty, the 9 snappy. both are awkward in the hand. The pinky rest helps with the standard mags. The extended mag makes both calibers better shooters. The sights are easy to pick up. The 6 mile long travel of the trigger and 8# pull (the only safety) are consistent and although weird if you are used to 1911s, are better than some striker fire pistols I have fired. I picked up the 9mm to fill in while the .45 was being "fixed." I have moved on to the wonderful Dan Wesson ECO for carry and the XDs duo will be moving on as well. Friends do not let friends carry fugly guns even if they are fun to shoot these are not. Your mileage may vary.

[BlackKnight]

So Thursday I'm at the range and a Sheriff's Officer brings his Springfield XDs 9 to shoot. He had just bought it and was the first time he was going to shoot it.
I don't really know the guy so I'm not paying much attention. Afterwards, I hear everyone talking about the gun. Something to the effect it must be the safety.
Turned out the gun wouldn't shoot. The trigger wasn't working. We all agreed that it felt as if the grip safety wasn't disengaging. Weirdest thing. It's a brand new pistol.
First I've ever seen something like this. He's sending it back to the factory.

[RKP]

Just an FYI / additional info, if needed:

I installed these on an XDS .45 and it cleaned up the trigger feel quite a bit as well as the pinky hanging issue ....

Powder River Precision Trigger Spring Kit:
http://shop.powderriverprecision.net...&categoryId=15

Pearce Grip Extension:
http://www.pearcegrip.com/Products/S...0Armory/PG-XDS

A 3 Part Video Series On The Detail Disassembly Of The Springfield Armory XDS Pistol:
http://www.tacti-cool.com/detail-disassembly/

The above info / parts pertains to the XDS 9mm as well.

[BlackKnight]

Well, in either case it wouldn't be pistols I would buy anyway.

[RKP]

Not my favorites either .... I just figured I'd post the above info for anyone who may need it.

[pony up]

I seem to get a surge of my hand gun jones when I am in Maine and my FFL is 1800 miles away. Can't explain it other than all the woods, fields and streams and ponds and the great wide ocean at about 34* fires up all on my wonderful feelings of young life in the Maine outdoors. Florida for me is about hiding from the sun next to the AC until we return north to mother nature as she was before the last round of Global warming. Anyway one afternoon as I was doing my monthly maintenance of the collection it occurred to me that should a BG give me no choice while I was carrying one of my prized 5K pieces I was very likely to never see it again. Unable to remedy that from here in Maine I called my FFL in Florida and he set aside a .45 XDs for me to pick up when we returned. I had never seen one until I picked it up. We walked back into the range ran the target holder back about 10 yards and I promptly relived the first time I fired the grease gun the USMC gave me in 2nd Force Recon Co. It was fun and I expected then to be spraying .45 caliber slugs stitching into the sky. I had no such expectations when I stitched the roof of the range. I would not have gotten more attention if I was Kim K. shooting in the buff. On the positive side it thinned the crowd. It was very disappointing that my FFL, his range officer nor I could repeat the fun. Anyway, Springfield did no charge rebuilds on all of them as I was not the only thrill ride passenger. My FFL gave me a real discount on the 9MM to hold me over and I started shopping for the DW ECO carry gun. I have not been able to over deliver with the 9 but I have tried. It and the rebuilt .45 have been very dependable and surprisingly accurate for stone age ignition system tiny handguns but I would not recommend one unless ones financial situation demanded it. It is easy to disassemble, has good sights but I believe the designer either flunked freshman geometry or has very strangely shaped hands. Of note, the DW ECO is as fine a shooter and is as dependable as any of my 4 to 5K pistols and I carry it because it is the one I trust the most and shoot the best in quick reaction situations. I paid $1250 for it over a year ago as it is a Blemish.. I think I found the blemish after about 2 weeks of looking. I could be wrong. I would recommend this carry gun to anyone in either caliber.

[ColMike]

Originally Posted by pony up

of note, the DW ECO is as fine a shooter and is as dependable as any of my 4 to 5K pistols and I carry it because it is the one I trust the most and shoot the best in quick reaction situations. I paid $1250 for it over a year ago as it is a Blemish..I would recommend this carry gun to anyone in either caliber.

I"m not in the LEO business. It seems a luxury to be able to test drive a gun before buying.

I've never fired an ECO. My preferences lean to CCO. I have two. A Colt and and a DW. Both are well made, configured identically (big dot sights) and reliable. I've never had a malfunction with either. The colt is older than the DW. The DW is cosmetically nicer. Oddly enough, the Colt shoots better groups for me than the DW does. I've only got about 500 rounds through the DW so maybe it's still in break in phase.

If I was going to carry one today and my life depended on it, I"d carry the Colt. I may change my mind over time but only time and rounds will tell.