NGD...Springfield XDm 45acp 3.8 Compact

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smokehouse4444

New member
I thought long and hard about my next purchase; what I wanted and why. I still want that Kahr CW380 at some point for an easy pocket gun while doing some of those hard, dirty, sweaty, outdoor chores that so many of us have to do in the heat here in Texas. What I wanted more was a gun to take hiking (among other things) that could shoot 45 Super without having to change parts out on the gun...or at least, not that much. I wanted it to have a fairly high capacity. I thought long and hard about the Glock 29 in 10mm, but everytime I would get close to it, those same things would go on that turn me off of Glock that have been mentioned in another thread. I would L O V E to have an HK 45C, or a HK USP 45 compact, and I really started looking hard, but in the end, for what I wanted this gun for it was just too much to spend.

The other option was a Springfield Armory XD 45 compact. I researched everything I could on the XD line. My understanding is if a 1911 and a Glock had a baby, it would probably be an XD. I didn't want to spend much more than what I could find a decent XD 45 for, but I came across this XDm 45 3.8 compact at my most favoritist nearby mom and pop firearms shop. It was for all intents and purposes brand new. Maybe 50 rounds through it. All the case goodies, plus two extra 13 round mags for a very good price. Best thing of all is with my recent CHL, I walked in, bought it, shot the sh$t with the owners for awhile, then walked out with it. Me likes!













The last pic shows a comparison with my SIG P245 and my Kahr CM9.


I plan on carrying .45 Super in it, but will primarily shoot regular 45 acp when at the range. I plan on having a little fun with this handgun. I never would have even considered it with an HK, but I will be sending this one off to be Cerakoted. I saw a pic online that I really like what the guy did, with just a few minor little changes. Total ripoff/homage to the man's taste, but I don't care, I like it. I have plenty of all black guns anyway. I have seen a company that does it for a decent price, but if any of you know of someone that you really like, feel free to let me know. Very happy with this purchase; think I'm gonna like it!
 
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Hope you like your 3.8 as much as I like mine. My trigger has worn in very nicely and the gun just runs and runs. Mine is .40,has had zero issues even though it has had some rough treatment and I would buy another in a second if this one died or went missing.Enjoy
 
Thanks guys. I took the 45 3.8 to the range today, along with my SIG P245 to get a comparison. I also shot my buddy's .40 Glock. First impressions are that the XD is a very easy handgun to shoot well. I like the trigger much more than the Glock's, but of course, less than the SIG. The trigger was very smooth and light, the little safety bar recesses completely within the trigger so I don't notice it very much, and it has a fairly short reset that I get a feel for. I would never carry the Glock IWB with one down the pipe, but I feel very comfortable carrying the XDm with the added grip safety. It points very naturally, and fits my hand well...the grip angle is nice. It just feels...well...tough for lack of a better word...like it will be able to take quite a bit of abuse if it had to.

This handgun can be used in a lot of roles for me. I would prefer it as a truck gun over the SIG simply because I would be much more crushed if the P245 was "lost" in any way. As well, it has a larger capacity than the SIG with the flush magazine, and also comes with three 13 round mags. I plan on it being my hiking firearm as well, loading it up with 45 Super that I have already ordered from Underwood. I do not plan on banging off tons of the Super at the range and beating the gun up, but will throw a few downrange on occasion.

First impression is that I am very impressed with the XD 45 3.8 compact. Tough, points well, nice trigger, safe for carry, high capacity. Most excellent! :D
 
Just a bit of an update. Went to the range again and I really appreciate the XDm 45acp 3.8. It has performed about as expected after all of the reviews I read; and that most definitely is a good thing. I have already put it in the truck with the 13 round extension magazine. I keep the 10 round handy as well in case I feel like carrying it IWB. For the life of me, I don't understand the hubbub about the grip safety that some talk about. Hell, I have to concentrate to NOT engage it when about to shoot. Not like you have to think about it or do something extra...just point and shoot.

I received my most recent order from Underwood Ammo today that included a couple of boxes of 230gr .45Super. A guy on Youtube was getting an average of 1140 fps out of the shorter barrel of a Glock 30, so looking forward to testing those bad boys out...maybe tomorrow. Underwood RULES!!!

I also found a small company here in the Austin area that will Cerakote the frame as I want it for a very fair price. May do that in the coming week.
 
OK, first day at the range with the 45 Super, and thought I would shoot a quick phone video. Quality's not that great, but was just done on a whim. I received my Underwood Ammo .45 Super the other day, so I have been excited to see how the XD handled it. The answer is no problem whatsoever. I shot several magazine's full and there was not so much as a hiccup. No FTF, no FTE, no stovepipes...it worked flawlessly.

The Super definitely has more "pump", and you can feel it, but nothing that would slow down double-taps that significantly. I brought along my wife's Ruger SP101 2 1/2" .357 Magnum to compare the felt recoil between it and the .45Super. Plus, I had some new Underwood Ammo .357 125gr JHP XTP that is probably clocking in at about 1450 fps out of the short barrel, and I wanted to feel it compared to the Federal Low Recoil 130gr Hydra Shok. The Super felt about the same as the 130 HS, but more comfortable than the burner 125 Underwood. I have seen the Underwood 230 Super clocked at an average of 1140fps from a Glock 30, so should be about the same for my XDm.

In the video, I shoot two TulAmmo .45acp 230gr FMJ's, two Hornady .45acp+P 230gr XTP JHP's, and two Underwood Ammo .45 Super XTP JHP's. Hopefully you can tell the difference...but I was just holding the phone in my left hand.

I really dig the 45 Super for woods carry/hiking, along with maybe farther down the stack in the truck gun. I have no intentions of hammering the gun with a barrage of Super, but will send some down the range every so often and refresh as needed.

Shotgun Slim, I will definitely keep you in pictures when I have the frame Cerakoted. I may be taking that to the guys early next week, and they said it would possibly be a week or two to get it back.


http://vid354.photobucket.com/albums/r437/smokehouse4444/Guns/XD45Super003_zpsaba729a0.mp4
 
Have you tried to find an extra power recoil spring setup? I assume your 3.8 has the captured type dual spring like mine. I have not been able to find any different replacement,but I have been looking for a reduced power assembly because I shoot a lot of light reloads.
 
No Slim, I haven't looked at any new recoil springs. That was one of the reasons I wanted the XD series was to be able to fire the Super with moderation without having to change anything. I'll certainly keep my eye out for springs for ya.

Disappointed I wasn't able to connect with the guys for Cerakoting this weekend. Oh well...maybe this week at some point.
 
Well here she is! For the most part, I am done tinkering with my new XDm. I've fired around 300 or so rounds of regular 230gr FMJ and 230gr +P without a hiccup. I have fired 50 rounds of 45 Super through it with exactly one stovepipe/misfeed. That was during a "fast as I can" double tap. The 45 Super is definitely a load, but compared to the Ruger SP101 2 1/4" with hot stuff, it is not that bad at all.

The only glitch that I have encountered with this firearm, is that you really have to make sure you ram the 13 round magazine in the well at this point, and the mag release is still a little stiff. I think over time both of these will work themselves out.

I had it Cerakoted in Coyote Tan, and I really like the color. I originally was going with MagPul FDE, but different pics could be from yellowish to mud color. MPFDE was too dark, and Desert Sand was too light, so Coyote Tan was right in between. The guys did a great job of it.

I used the ol' fingernail polish trick as well. I was going to paint on bright red for all of the "M"'s, but it just didn't stick out enough...just looked like little red dots. Next time I do it, I will try to find just a little bit darker shade.

Overall, I'm very happy how it turned out.











 
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Why thank you Mr. Slim. The Cerakoting was done by Hayes Custom Guns in Round Rock. They were really fantastic to work with, and any other work I may want to do, I wouldn't hesitate to take it to them.

My wife brought home another shade of fingernail polish that is just a little darker and may match better. Might give it a try in the next couple of days to see how it looks.
 
If you are interested in a good recoil spring setup for shooting 45 Super, the one I bought for shooting 460 Rowland would probably fit the bill nicely. It comes with two external recoil springs of different strength and it has two internal recoil springs also. It seems to do a good job buffering the recoil of the Rowland, which is significant even with the compensator the kit comes with.

http://www.dpmsystemsusa.com/Springfield_c_16.html
 
Very nice color scheme smokehouse, and superb work ... :cool: I have to admit, it looks better than the factory color.

I've been thinking about the XDS .45 for another additional carry option.
 
Looks good! I dig mine. I have the stainless slide model though. I wish they made an OD version. I'd have gotten OD frame and black slide. The stainless slides look nice but they are a bit more slippery.
 
Thanks for the compliments, guys. I wasn't sure how I was really going to feel about it once I cerakoted it, but now that it is done and together, I really like it alot. It looks great in person, and very "custom". It is a bit of an everything handgun for me. I keep the 13 round mag loaded with 45 Super as a truck gun, and keep the 9 round mag loaded with 45acp +P. I can just switch out the mags if I decide I want to carry it at the time.

Thanks for the recoil spring set-up suggestion. As I said, I had the one misfeed out of 50 while shooting fast double taps with the 45 Super. Not sure if that was an anomaly or not. I'll be keeping tabs on it, and may decide to get one anyway. They look like really cool, quality recoil springs.

Uncle Malice, I saw one on this site somewhere that was OD and black and it looked very nice...nice enough that I even considered for awhile changing the color scheme that I had planned on this one.
 
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