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One of the most anticipated handguns to come along, is the new Springfield Armory XDs, single-stack, 5+1 shot, .45ACP pistol. This gun was due to be released in March of this year, but there were production  delays that had to be worked out. And, I am grateful for a company like Springfield Armory, who won’t release a gun until it is what it is supposed to be, instead of releasing the gun sooner, and then facing a recall of thousands of guns down the road because of some kind of glitch. Still, people want what they can’t have – and the demand for the all-new XDs was there – people were placing orders with their local gun shops for the gun, long before they were due to come out. Some people always must have the newest guns, or be the first on their block to own a new gun model. I have to admit, I was always hounding Deb Williams, at Springfield Armory for my sample. I know that she got sick and tired of the weekly e-mails, asking when the XDs was coming out. She has a job I don’t want!
 
Okay, the new XDs arrived, and to be honest with you, it was more than I expected – the gun was nicer in all respects than I anticipated from the press releases and the web site. I like it when I’m pleasantly surprised in a good way. Since Springfield Armory first came out with the XD line of handguns, it has been a real hit for them and the consumer. And, along the way, there were improvements made, as well as smaller compact and sub-compact models, and even newer models, like the XDm – which has also been a big hit. So, I was expecting something super-kool with the XDs, and I wasn’t disappointed in the least.
 
With so many folks getting their concealed carry licenses, there is a vast market for small, concealable handguns that can stop an attack. If you’ve read any of my articles on SurvivalBlog for any length of time, you know I don’t like the .380ACP as my main concealed carry gun – I think, at best, the .380 ACP is a marginal manstopper. I prefer something in 9mm or .38 Special an larger. And I think the .40 S&W and .45ACP are even better manstoppers. The market is flooded with itty-bitty .380 ACP handguns, and to be sure, they are really nice guns, well-made and very small for concealed carry. I carry a Ruger LCP .380 ACP in an ankle holster. But I carry that as a back-up to whatever my main carry gun is.
 
Make no mistake, I love the .45ACP as a manstopper, so I knew the new Springfield Armory XDs was gonna find a new home in my meager firearm collection, even before it arrived. Okay, what we have with the XDs is a 5+1 shot sub-compact .45ACP pistol. The gun only weighs 21.5 oz, and that’s light for such a powerful round. Part of the lightness comes from the polymer frame. The frame has aggressive checkering on it, for a secure grip. The barrel is only 3.3″ long – about as small as you can get, and still have a gun work reliably in this caliber. Overall height of the gun is only 4.4″, with an overall length of 6.3″, and the width is only 1″ – we’re talking a VERY concealable, and powerful handgun here, folks. The slide is Melonite coated, for a long-lasting and durable finish – and a bi-tone model is also available, with bare stainless steel slide.
 
I like the sights on the XDs, the front sight is a red, fiber optic one, and it really stands out, even under low-light. The rear sight is a combat-style, with two white dots – the front and rear sight are very fast to pick-up when you raise the gun to eye level to shoot it. The barrel is Melonite coated and it has a fully supported ramp, too – for easy of chambering a round from the magazine. The slide is forged stainless steel, too. The gun comes with two, 5 round mags, but there is an optional 7 round mag you can get, too. For carry, I’ll go with the 5 round mag, and use the 7 round magazine as my spare, in a pouch on my belt.
 
The USA trigger system is on the XDs – this is what Springfield Armory calls their Ultra Safety Assurance trigger system. There is a little lever in the face of the trigger, that acts as a safety – the gun won’t fire if you don’t have your finger on the trigger. There is also a grip-safety – and you have to have a firm grip on the gun, that allows the grip safety to be depressed before the gun will fire, too. There is also a striker safety, that locks the striker in place – so the gun won’t fire if dropped. There’s a loaded chamber indicator on top of the slide, too. A fail-safe disassembly procedure makes certain that you can’t disassemble the gun with a round in the chamber. As already mentioned, there is aggressive checkering on the polymer frame – it was so popular on the XDm line-up, that Springfield Armory made it even more aggressive on the XDs for a sure purchase on the gun when firing.
 
One thing I’m really big on is, how does a gun feel in my hand? If it doesn’t feel right or fit my hand, I’m simply not gonna shoot it as well as I could shoot it. The XDs comes with two backstraps – that allows you to customize the frame of the gun to fit your hand best. This is a great idea, and more gun companies are following suit in this regard. The XDs just feels “natural” in my hand. I mean, this baby really feels good – I don’t know how else to spell this out. There is also a Picatinny rail on the frame of the gun, for mounting a laser or light – most sub-compact handguns don’t have this feature. Another plus in my book for the XDs.
 
The XDs is really small, and when laying in my hand, it’s hard to believe that this is a .45ACP handgun – I have sub-compact 9mm and .40 S&W handguns that are bigger than this – and many .380 ACP full-sized pistols are even bigger than the XDs is. The XDs is made in Croatia, and they are doing this gun up right for Springfield Armory. Being made in eastern Europe helps keep the cost of the gun down.
 
So, how does the XDs shoot? Glad you asked, bet you thought I was never gonna get around to that, didn’t you? Well, with all the super-kool features on this gun, I wanted to point some of ’em out to you. I had a good selection of .45ACP on-hand for testing, this included the Winchester 230 grain FMJ white box USA load – which is always a good round for target practice and function testing. I also had Black Hills Ammunition’s new steel cased 185 grain JHP ammo, as well as their steel case 230 grain FMJ load. Also from Black Hills Ammunition, I had their 185 grain all-copper Barnes TAC-XP hollow round, which is rated +P. From Buffalo Bore Ammunition I had their 185 grain Barnes all-copper TAC-XP load, that is also +P rated, and their 230 grain JHP +P load, and their 255 grain Hard Cast FN +P load. So, I had a good variety of .45ACP to test in the next XDs. Deb Williams, at Springfield Armory asked her husband Dave, who heads-up their Custom Shop, and Robbie Leatham, who is their Ace competition shooter, how well the XDs would handle +P loads. They both said it wouldn’t be a problem, but they told Deb to tell me, that I wouldn’t enjoy shooting +P loads in the little XDs.
 
I did my accuracy shooting from 15-yards, which is a fair distance, for such a small pistol. And, all the loads mentioned above kept my rounds inside of 3″ or less – and more often than not, most of the rounds were always in the 2″ to 2 1/2″ range. So, how did the XDs like the +P loads? Well, there were no problems with any of the +P loads – the gun functioned 100% of the time – not a hint of a bobble. The Black Hills Ammunition 185-gr Barnes TAC-XP load that is +P rated didn’t feel bad at all, nor did the 185-gr JHP steel cased load, or their 230-gr FMJ steel cased load. The Winchester 230-gr FMJ load felt like it “kicked” a little more than the Black Hills 23-gr FMJ did – could just be my imagination, though. The Buffalo Bore +P loads – they just weren’t any fun to shoot in this little gun. Of course, I was getting tired, after firing more than 200 rounds in my first shooting session, and my hand was getting a little sore. The Buffalo Bore 255-gr Hard Cast FN load – that one was a real killer in the little XDs – you don’t want to fire more than one 5 round mag of this stuff. Still, the little XDs just perked along without any problems. Buffalo Bore ammo isn’t for wimps, and their 185-gr Barnes TAC-XP +P load really caught my attention, as did their 230-gr JHP +P load. I think I’ll reserve these loads for larger guns. While the XDs devoured everything I put through it – the Buffalo Bore loads were just too much for me to shoot a lot. I’ve fired these loads through full-sized 1911s, and didn’t feel the recoil I felt in the XDs – then again, we’re talking a 21.5-oz sub-compact pistol here.
 
To be honest, I was surprised the XDs handled such a wide variety of ammo, from standard pressure loads, to the hotter +P loads, without any problems. I thought for sure, that the hot +P loads, especially those from Buffalo Bore, would cause the gun to burp a little bit – it didn’t! This is not an indication that you can’t or shouldn’t use Buffalo Bore +P loads in your XDs – just be advised, these loads are really gonna get your attention in short order. My preferred load in the XDs would be, hands down, for everyday carry, the Black Hills Ammunition, 185-gr Barnes TAC-XP +P load. This load didn’t “kick” as hard as the 230-gr FMJ load from Winchester in my humble opinion – and keep in mind, this IS a +P load. The Buffalo Bore 185-gr Barnes +P load is loaded hotter than the Black Hills 185-gr Barnes load – that’s why it recoiled a lot more. If I were out hiking in the boonies, I’d stoke the XDs with a full mag of the Buffalo Bore 255-gr Hard Cast FN +P – to take care of large critters that I might encounter. You probably wouldn’t feel the excessive recoil of this heavy and hot round, when your life depended on it.
 
I really liked the short trigger pull on the XDs, as well as the very short trigger re-set after your fire a round. I can’t think of any other double-action type pistol, that has such a short re-set on the trigger than the XDs has – unless you compare it to the XDm – which is the same trigger design. Of course, the XDs comes in a very nice, foam-lined carrying case, along with a holster and double mag pouch. Why other gun companies aren’t doing this is beyond me. One of the hardest things about new gun models, is finding a suitable holster – other than going with a cheap generic type soft-side ballistic Nylon holster. Holster makers take a wait and see attitude – they want to want and see if a new gun model is gonna be popular and stay around, before committing to making holsters for new guns – I can’t blame ’em, either. However, Springfield Armory has taken care of that for you by providing a polymer holster and double mag pouch for you in the carry case.
 
In three shooting sessions with the XDs, I managed to put slightly more than 400 rounds down range, with not a hint of a problem. I will say though, that in my last shooting session, I restricted myself to mostly Winchester’s USA white box 230-gr FMJ ammo. I didn’t want to burn-up all my JHP ammo. I did fire more than enough rounds of JHP ammo, to ensure the XDs wouldn’t choke on these rounds. And, you should always put enough rounds through you gun, of the particular brand and type of ammo, that you are going to carry for self-defense, to make sure the gun will function 100% of the time with that ammo.
 
So, what was my overall impressions of the new XDs? Well, as I stated at the start of this article, the gun was actually more that I thought it would be. I really liked the way it felt in the hand. I like the look of the gun, too – just imagine you are a bad guy, looking down the business end of this little gun – all you are seeing is that great big ol’ .45 caliber hole in the end of the barrel. I loved the sights on the XDs, too – they were fast to pick-up, even for my aged eyes. The safety system – what’s not to like – they are all passive, you simply have to hold the gun in a proper shooting hold, and all the safeties take care of themselves – nothing to think about.
 
I could get 2-3/4 of my fingers around the grip when firing – and this was more than enough for a sure grip on the gun. However, I’m sure Pearce Grip will come out with one of their dandy magazine floor plates, that will allow all three fingers to get a purchase on the frame of the gun. I don’t need to add an extra round – like some of the Pearce Grip adaptors allow – like on the Glocks. But I’d like just an itty-bitty more to hold onto when I grip the XDs. My wife shot the XDs and the smile on her face said it all – I had to beg for a second sample for her – which she will pay for, out of her own pocket.
 
One thing I don’t like seeing is, some gun dealers are selling the XDs for more than retail right now. (I see the guns on Gun Broker for more than retail.) And, I think this is shameless if you ask me. They are taking advantage of people who want this gun right now, instead of waiting a month or so, for supply to catch-up with demand. I believe that if your local gun shop is doing this that you should take your business someplace else. If they are willing to take advantage of you in this respect, they will take advantage of you some place else in their business dealings.

Full retail on the XDs, all black model is $599 and even at that price, this is a great bargain, for so much gun. If you carry concealed, and want big-bore power, the XDs might be just what you’re looking for.
 
I don’t usually make predictions, however, I dare say that, Springfield Armory will sell tens of thousands of the XDs – if not hundreds of thousands of these dandy little guns.  The price point is right where it should be, and the quality is there, too. You could buy a lot less gun, for a lot more money – but why? Check out the new XDs at your local dealer – I think you’re gonna really like it – I know it was more than I was expecting. Make sure to visit the Springfield Armory web site, for full details and photos of the XDs – you’re gonna agree, that this little gun has a lot going for it.

Author: David Nash
Copyright Date: January 2011
Publisher: Looseleaf Law Publications
ISBN: 978-1608850259

I was contacted by David Nash, who wrote “Understanding the Use of Handguns for Self-Defense” and I did a little checking around, to see what his credentials were, before deciding to review his book.
 
One of the first things that caught my attention, was the Foreword – written by SurvivalBlog’s own Editor At Large, Michael Z. Williamson, and he gives Nash a good review for his efforts. Secondly, and this really caught my attention was the Introduction, written by Nash. Here’s part of what Nash humbly says about himself: “I’m not a policeman. I wasn’t a special operations warrior, and I don’t compete in national level shooting competitions. What I am is a student of the art and science of firearm usage. I am by no means a self-proclaimed or self-important gun guru. I learn from every class I teach. I like teaching, and I particularly like teaching firearm usage…” I like that in a teacher – I couldn’t tell you how many firearms “instructors” I’ve run across in my life, who were all some sort of SpecOps types – when in reality, there were nothing more than armchair commandos or mall ninjas, and didn’t know which end of the weapon a bullet came out of – and they surely didn’t know anything about firearm safety.
 
In the “Mindset” chapter, Nash talks about the color code, and this is simply your own state of mind. White means you are totally unaware of your surroundings – and you should never be in this mindset. Yellow means you are at least aware of your surroundings and what is going on all around you. Orange means you have shifted into an alert state of mind – something isn’t quite right, and you are preparing your mind for what might come your way. Lastly, is red, and you are engaged! Some instructors use a different color code, or add another color or lesser colors but it is important that you have some sort of code in your mind if you are going to carry a firearm. Nash also talks about “it takes longer to react than to act” – this is a simple fact, and I taught this to my martial arts students over the years, as well as in my own firearms classes. If you have to react, you are already behind the eight-ball.
 
The “Legal” chapter starts right off, where I start with my own students. David Nash starts right out with “The average cost of defending a justified use-of-force shootings is $40,000…” I tell my students, that no matter how justified a self-defense shooting might be, that they are still a suspect in a homicide – that catches their attention. Nash also talks about different right to carry state laws – and these laws are every changing, so be advised of the laws in your own state. And, you need to be aware of the consequences of buying and selling guns for a profit – if you are in the “business” of selling guns, you’d better get a federal firearms license – be advised!
 
Chapter three talks about safety, and I constantly stress safety in my firearms classes, and thankfully, I’ve never had a student have an negligent discharge (ND) in one of my classes. If I see a student not performing safe gun-handling, I ask them to remove themselves from the firing-line and think about what they are doing wrong. If I have an assistant instructor with me, I hand that student over to them for further safety instruction. Nash touches on many of the common-sense safety issues – that aren’t so common-sense to a lot of folks who own firearms. I applaud him for bringing this up in his book.
 
What Happens In a Gunfight is what Chapter four is all about. Gunfights are very dynamic according to Nash, and they are ever-changing – starts out this chapter. And, I couldn’t agree more with this. I’ve been involved in a couple shootings – as a civilian – not as a police officer. And, these things are over almost as fast as they started. This is why your training is important – if you train hard, and train properly, you will react as your trained! If you believe that all gunfights are over in 2.5 seconds, as many stats claim, you might be in for a surprise, if you are engaged in a gunfight that lasts for minutes, or if there are multiple armed attackers – Nash covers this, too. A lot of things happen to you mentally as well as physically in a gunfight, and this book will help you realize what to expect and how to overcome it – as best you can.
 
In Chapter Five, Nash talks about the use-of-force. And, to be sure, this does vary from state-to-state, and locale-to-locale. You have to understand what actually justifies the use of deadly force against another human, and Nash does a great job discussing this in his book. I used to recommend that my firearms students sit down with a criminal defense lawyer – and you will pay them for their time – and discuss the use of deadly force against another person. However, if you talk to ten different lawyers, you’ll get ten different opinions on this. And, I steer my students clear of talking to law enforcement officers for the same reason – you’ll get ten different answers from ten different cops on this subject. As an example, in Oregon, you are allowed to own and use automatic knives – however, most police officers are ignorant of this fact – this law! And, they arrest people all the time for this “offense” – only to have the case tossed once it goes to court. In the meantime, the person arrested then has an arrest record because the police officer was ignorant of the law. Nash covers the use of force nicely in this book, and it is just good, common-sense in most cases, where you can use deadly force.
 
Choosing A Gun is Chapter six, and this is always a real subjective thing in my book. David Nash does an excellent job in this chapter discussing choosing the right gun for you! Don’t expect some clerk behind the counter at the local gun shop to choose a gun for you. Sure, the Glock 19, 9mm handgun might be right for 9 our of 10 people, but that doesn’t mean the gun is right for you. You have to have a gun that fits your hand, and a caliber you can handle. Choosing a 6″ .44 Magnum revolver isn’t a good choice for a woman who is 5″ tall and has petite hands. Spend some time researching various firearms on-line, or in gun magazines before going to the local gun shop. Don’t let the clerk sell you something that they want to sell you. Do you need a revolver or a semiauto pistol? Nash covers the differences in this chapter, as well as choosing the right caliber, too. Most people don’t understand the importance of picking the right firearm for themselves – and many just go with whatever the gun store clerk recommends to them. Whenever possible, I bring out a variety of different handguns for my students to test on the range – so they have a good feel for what feels right for them. About a year ago, I did several handgun classes, in which all of the students shot best with the Ruger SR9, 9mm pistol. In another class, several students picked a Glock 23, .40 S&W handgun for themselves. So, there is no one-size fits all when it comes to handguns. If you live in an area that has an indoor shooting range, and rents guns, test several different guns before deciding on one.
 
I’ve watched this hundreds of times on the television show “Cops” – when they take a firearm from a suspect, and they have no idea how the gun operates – they don’t know how to unload the gun or safely handle it. Sure, they know about the handgun they are carrying, but they are totally lost when it comes to a different handgun – they look stupid, on television, not knowing how to properly check to see if a gun is loaded, or how to unload it. David Nash covers this in Chapter Seven “Operating A Handgun” and this is more important than most people think it is. You need to know the different parts on a gun: barrel, cylinder, safety, etc. You also need to understand what happens when a gun fires, or when it fails to fire, as in a misfire, hangfire or squib-load. You need to know about malfunctions, too – and how to handle them. Again, Nash covers this, in layman’s language, that you can understand, if you are a new shooter, or an old hand. Do you know how and when to clean your handgun? Many people don’t – a lot of folks never clean and maintain their firearms, nor do they have any idea how the guns actually function, because they didn’t bother to read the owner’s manual.
 
My local gun shop gave me a Ruger LCP .380 ACP pistol to check out for them – I repair a lot of their firearms for them, as they carry me as an employee on their books, so I can do some minor gunsmithing. A customer purchased this Ruger LCP, 9 months ago – and never fired it. Then decided to see how the gun operated after 9-months. The customer brought the gun in and said it “jammed” all the time. Well, that doesn’t tell me anything. I took the gun out and test-fired it – it worked every time, for 75 rounds. I took the gun back to the shop and the owner picked it up. He brought it back in and said it still “jammed.” Well, I figured out what the problem was. This fellow would load the magazine, insert it into the gun, and he would retract the slide and “ride” the slide forward (keeping his hand on the slide as it went forward) – and rounds weren’t feeding into the chamber. This is not the way to chamber a round in an semiauto pistol. You retract the slide fully rearward, and release it – a round chambers properly. When this was explained to the customer, he didn’t have any more “jams” after that. Nash covers properly gun handling very nicely in this chapter.
 
Carrying A Gun is Chapter 8, and this is a important subject for all of us. Do you want to carry openly or concealed? Know the laws of your state and locale. In my area, it’s not uncommon to see folks carrying a handgun openly – we just don’t give it a second notice. In some areas, it will result in the police getting called – even if you are carrying openly, legally. Nash talks about the different methods of carry – inside the waistband, on the belt, in the pocket, in a shoulder holster, on the ankle, etc. And, you need to find what works best for you and your firearm. I carry on the belt, on my right side, and I carry a back-up in an ankle holster – this works best for me, but it might not work best for you. Experiment with different methods of carry, and find a good holster that works best. Don’t get a cheap, one-size fits many, ballistic Nylon holster – save your money and purchase a good holster – you’ll thank yourself later on. Many firearms books don’t even touch on this subject for some reason, Nash does a fine job!
 
Shooting Techniques is Chapter Nine, and Nash isn’t dogmatic here, like many instructors are. Some instructors believe that their way is the only way, and that simply isn’t true, and I don’t care who the instructor is. While their technique might work for 99 students, it won’t and can’t work for student number 100 for some reason. There are different ways to grip a gun, different firing techniques like the Weaver or Isoceles stance. You also need to learn how to properly draw a handgun and re-holster it. Sight alingment is important, as well as the proper sight picture – again, Nash does a fine job covering these topics. Proper trigger-pull is important, too – no matter how well you have a perfect sight picture, if you don’t have proper trigger control, you’ll blow the shot, You should also know how to “read” your target, so you know what you are doing right or doing wrong – it’s covered in this chapter, and most books don’t cover this topic.
 
I talked about “tactics” and Chapter ten covers this topic…you react the way your train, and this is covered in Nash’s book, too. You’ll learn the difference between cover and concealment – and they are not the same, You’ll learn about low-light shooting, and this is a very important topic, as most shootings take place in low-light conditions.
 
Many common myths are explored in Chapter Eleven. I’m sure many of you have been told by someone who is totally ignorant, that if you shoot someone outside of your house, to drag them inside, and claim they broke in – don’t do this, you are only inviting legal trouble, Nash discusses the “one-shot stop” myth. Sure, it happens, but not all the time – if someone is high on drugs, it may take many shots to stop them from harming you or a loved one. And, shot placement comes into play here – it doesn’t matter what caliber you have in your handgun, if you don’t place the shots where they need to go, it may not stop an attacker. Nash discusses the Mozambique Drill – that’s two shots in the chest and one in the head – it’s a good thing to practice on the range, and it can sure help under real-life circumstances.
 
Chapter Tweleve deals with the criticism that you might get from your loved ones, friends and co-workers, because you made the decision to carry a handgun. I don’t recall any other publication dealing with this topic, but Nash covers it. It’s important to know how to deal with this subject. And, one of the best ways is to not get into a debate over it – it’s your decision to carry a firearm, and you know the reasons for carrying. So, don’t get into a heated debate with anyone – the less people who know you are carrying the less problems you’ll have.
 
The last chapter covers additional training. No book will teach you how to shoot – you actually have to get out there and do some shooting, and you should pick an instructor who’s credentials you can varify. I’m an NRA Certified instructor in several different disciplines, but that doesn’t mean that I’m the world’s best instructor. However, it does let my students know that I am a trained and certified instructor. Some of the best instructors I know aren’t NRA Certified. My good friend, John Farnam, is one of the most underated instructors I know, for some reason, but he is also one of the VERY best instructors in the world in my humble opinion. Seek out qualified training instructors for advanced training, and don’t be afraid to ask them to show you their creditials or letters of recommendation. Be a little leery of someone who claims they are an ex SpecOps person – more than likely, they are NOT!
 
I’ve been around firearms for 45-years now, and I learned a lot from this book. Nash did a great job covering some common-sense topics, that we all should be aware of when understanding the use of handguns for self-defense. If I can learn something from this book, than you can, too. You can find this book on Amazon.com and you can contact David Nash at his school’s web site – The Shepherd School. You’ll really get a lot out of this book – I know I did.