Springfield Armory XD

Infobox Weapon


caption= The 4" XD .45 ACP with 13 rounds of JHP
name=HS 2000 / Springfield Armory XD
origin=flagcountry|Croatia
type=Semi-automatic pistol
is_ranged=yes
is_UK=
service=1999-present
used_by=Croatian Armed Forces
wars=
designer=Marko Vuković
design_date=
manufacturer=HS Produkt
production_date=1999 (Croatia)
number=
variants=See "table"
weight=
length=
part_length=
width=
height=
diameter=
crew=
cartridge=9x19mm Parabellum .357 SIG .40 S&W .45 GAP .45 ACP
caliber=
action=Short recoil operated
rate=
velocity=
range=
max_range=
feed=Detachable box magazine
sights= Fixed and illuminated night sights

The Springfield Armory XD is a semi-automatic pistol manufactured in the city of Karlovac, Croatia by HS Produkt (formerly I.M. Metal), and licensed and sold in the US by Springfield Armory, Inc. [cite web | url = http://www.hs-arms.com/europe/files/faq/faq_engl.htm | title = Frequently Asked Questions | publisher = HS Arms | accessdate = 2007-11-22 | date = 2007-05-20 ] The HS2000 (Hrvatski Samokres (Croatian Pistol)), or XD (X-Treme Duty) series of pistols are polymer-framed and striker-fired. It is available in standard barrel or a ported barrel to soften recoil and reduce muzzle rise.

History

The XD traces its roots back to a service pistol known as the PHP (Prvi Hrvatski Pistolj or "First Croatian Pistol"), which was first produced in Croatia by privately owned industrial parts firm I.M. Metal in 1991Fact|date=February 2008. 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. [cite web| url=http://www.xd-hs2000.com/hsarms/news/swat_12_00.html| title=A New Polymer-Frame Service Pistol From Croatia| last=Fortier| first=David M.| month=December | year=2000| publisher="S.W.A.T."] 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 todayFact|date=February 2008. 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 firearmFact|date=February 2008.

In 2002, Springfield Armory, Inc. secured the licensing rights to the US market, and rebranded the pistol as the XD-9 (X-treme Duty 9x19 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 yearsFact|date=February 2008. 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 The Shooting Industry Academy of ExcellenceFact|date=August 2008.

Features

General

*Short recoil,
*Self loading, safety locked action
*Captive dual recoil spring assembly
**3" & 4" Models (Sub-compact, Compact, Service)
*Stand off fixed guide rod
**5" Models (Compact Tactical, Tactical)
*Fires under water up to convert|3|m|ft|1
*Tenifer Plus Finish of all Steel Parts
*Easy adjustable Steel Sights

The stand-off devices, which protrude from the slide spring guide rod under the barrel. Its purpose is to keep the firearm in battery when pressed against an object such as somebody's chest, an animal, or an up-close entanglement in self-defense situations. This prevents the slide from being moved back because the device pushes the surface area of objects away from the slide, thus increasing the chance that the gun will function normally.

Barrel

*Cold Hammer Forged Premium Barrel
*Match Barrel Quality
*Enlarged Muzzle

*A fully supported chamber design which reinforces the rear of the ammunition case. :A fully supported chamber reduces the possibility of an ammunition case rupture that could cause injury to the shooter and severely damage the gun. This is an especially important feature for owners who intend to use +P and/or reloaded ammunition.

Frame

*Light Weight Improved High Impact Polymer Frame
*Optimal Grip Angle
*Oversized Heat Treated Steel Slide Rails
*Integral Accessory Rail System for Laser & Lights
*Grooved non-slip Grip
*Combat Style Trigger
**Average trigger pull weight is approx. 5.5-7.7 pounds by manufacture.
*Thumb rests
*Grooved Trigger Guard and Trigger

Indicators

*Loaded chamber indicator
*Firing pin status indicator

Two significant features in the design are the striker status and loaded chamber indicator. The loaded chamber indicator is a small button, just above the breech on top of the gun's slide, which pops up when a round is in the chamber. This button doesn't rise high enough to interfere with the shooter's sight picture, but is high enough to be seen easily, or felt by hand if a shooter needed to verify the gun's status in the dark. The cocked indicator works much the same way, but is located on the rear face of the slide, so the shooter can instantly tell whether or not the gun is cocked. If either or both of these indicators fail, the firearm will continue to fire and cycle cartridges normally.

Safety

*Trigger safety
**Commonly referred to as: 'Ultra Safety Assurance' (USA)for the Springfield Armory XD models.
*Firing pin block (drop) safety
*Grip safety
*Out-of-battery safety
*Ambidextrous Manual Safety
**Available optional on the 4" & 5" XD-45 ACP only.

The pistol features four or five safety mechanisms. The first is called a 'trigger safety', similar to that found on Glock handguns. The trigger safety requires the shooter to depress a secondary embedded trigger while pulling the primary trigger. This ensures that the gun cannot be fired unless the trigger is depressed. The second safety is called a 'grip safety', most often associated with the many 1911 variants on the market. The grip safety is situated on the back of the XD's grip, and is depressed by the palm of the shooter's strong hand when the pistol is held. This ensures that the gun cannot fire unless the shooter has a firm and steady grip on the weapon. The third mechanism is an internal 'drop safety', which prevents the striker from releasing if the gun is dropped or exposed to a significant impact. The fourth mechanism is an out of battery safety, which prevents the gun from firing unless the slide is fully closed. The fifth optional safety, As of 2008, Springfield Armory announced that the 4" and 5" XD .45 ACP Service models would be available with an optional ambidextrous 1911 pistol style safety. This option is only available for the 45 ACP XD at this time. [cite web |url=http://www.gunsholstersandgear.com/2008/02/07/springfield-xd-service-pistol-in-45-acp-with-a-thumb-safety/ |title= Springfield XD .45 ACP Service Pistol With Thumb Safety]

Magazine

*Chrome Plated Drop Free Magazine
*Ambidextrous Magazine release
* Staggered-column magazine (Limited Capacity Magazines are available in jurisdictions that prohibit Full Capacity Magazines.)

Variants

*Other variations are available from the Springfield Armory Custom Shop.

Pros and cons

Pros

* The XD can be field stripped easily and quickly with no tools [ [http://www.springfield-armory.com/xdfeatures.php Springfield Armory ] ]
* Springfield Armory provides a lifetime warranty with every XD pistol. [http://www.springfield-armory.com/assets/downloads/warranty.pdf]
* The XD series has undergone a reliability test in which an XD-9 was run over with a truck, frozen in a block of ice, caked with sand, stripped and degreased, and firing nearly 20,000 rounds without a single malfunction in the process. [cite web | url = http://www.hs-arms.com/europe/files/tests/frame_engl.htm | title = Torture Test | publisher = HS Arms | accessdate = 2007-11-22 | date = 2007-05-20 ] [cite web | url = http://springfield-armory.primediaoutdoors.com/SPstory11.php | title = XD TORTURE TEST | publisher = Springfield Armory | accessdate = 2007-11-22 | first = Chaim | last = Stein ] [cite web | url = http://arsenal.mojo4m.com/1852/ | title = Springfield 45 ACP Service Model | publisher = Ragnar Danneskjold | accessdate = 2008-05-08 | date = 2008-02-15 ]
* The XD's grip angle is the same as that of a 1911, an angle commonly thought to be naturally pointable. [cite web | url = http://www.hs-arms.com/europe/files/benfits/handling_engl.htm | title = Handling: Best Grip Angle | publisher = HS Arms | accessdate = 2008-03-05 ] Many polymer-framed pistols such as Glocks tend to have a more oblique grip angle. [cite web | url = http://www.learnaboutguns.com/2008/07/03/glock-22-chambered-for-40-sw-review/ | title = Glock 22 (Chambered for .40 S&W) Review | publisher = LearnAboutGuns | accessdate = 2008-08-02 ] Whether or not this is a positive trait is largely a matter of personal opinion and/or previous experience. The similar grip angle may offer an easier transition to 1911 users as opposed to a Glock.
* The sight mounts on XD pistols are essentially the same as sight mounts on the popular line of pistols made by SIG, meaning that there is a large variety of aftermarket sights that can be installed on an XD without modification. [cite web | url = http://www.hs-arms.com/europe/files/accessory/access_engl.htm | title = Accessories: Sights | publisher = HS Arms | accessdate = 2008-03-05 ]
* The XD uses a fully supported chamber design which reinforces the rear of the ammunition case. A fully supported chamber reduces the possibility of an ammunition case rupture that could cause injury to the shooter and severely damage the gun. This is an especially important feature for owners who intend to use +P and/or reloaded ammunition.
* The sights, trigger, guide rod, and magazine of the XD are made of metal instead of plastic.
* The XD-45 (The most popular model) has become notable for its 13-round magazine capacity (+1 chambered); a very large number for a pistol chambered for the thick .45 ACP. This has made the XD-45 quite attractive for shooters who favor .45 ACP, as most pistols chambered for this cartridge have a fairly limited magazine capacity, 10 rounds being the general maximum.Fact|date=April 2008

Cons

* Springfield Armory does not currently sell many individual XD parts, which can cause delays in repairing a damaged model
* Installing aftermarket sights may require the services of a gunsmithFact|date=May 2007
* In 2006 Springfield Armory changed their finish coating from "Bruniral" to "Melonite", possibly due to rust complaints about their previous finish. Fact|date=April 2007

References

External links

* [http://zagreb.usembassy.gov/odc/hs_produkt.html US Embassy's profile of HS Produkt]
* [http://www.hs-arms.com/ HS-Arms Europe - Information of the distributor for the German Market]
* [http://www.springfield-armory.com/xd.php Springfield Armory's XD website]
* [http://www.brainlubeonline.com/trigger.pdf Guide to replacing the trigger components]
* [http://www.xdtalk.com/ XDTalk Forums]
* [http://www.xd-hs2000.com XD & HS2000 General information, old HSARMS website]
* [http://world.guns.ru/handguns/hg48-e.htm Modern Firearms & Handguns - HS2000/XD Page]
* [http://www.txdpsa.com/ Texas XD Practical Shooters Association]
* [http://www.xd-hs2000.com/disassembly/disassembly.html XD Complete Disassembly Guide]
* [http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0BQY/is_12_51/ai_n15736814 Guns Magazine - Supported Chamber Q&A]
* [http://www.gunsandammomag.com/techside/xd_010305/ Guns and Ammo Magazine Action Profile - Inside the XD]