The Springfield Armory XD-45 Tactical is a Croatian made pistol, but is being distributed out of Illinois. The 5” barrel has been available from Springfield since 2008. Most people do not like the 5” barrel model due to it being too long to carry every day, but for competition, it is great. The 5” barrel, especially in 45ACP, makes shooting really nice. The snap of the barrel, like most 45ACP pistols, does go up but quickly comes back down and you are back on target quickly.
The XD-45 Tactical overall length is 8.3”, overall height is 5.75”, and overall grip width is coming in at just 1.22”. It comes with two 13rd magazines, and comes in a variety of colors to include: Black, FDE, Olive Drab, and Two-tone Stainless and Black. The frame is a very nice polymer that incorporates a grip safety and a standard 1913 picatinny rail to mount whichever light option you choose. The forged stainless steel slide has a melonite-finish and incorporates a load chamber indicator. The XD-45 Tactical is coming in with an unloaded weight of 33oz or 2.06lbs.
The XD Tactical is also being offered not only in 45ACP, but 9mm, .357 Sig, 40 Caliber, and 45GAP. So for you IPDA shooters out there, there are some options available for your perfect ammunition of choice. The XD’s are also known for their trigger safety and on the back of the slide, there is a pin that sticks out to let the shooter know that the slide has been racked back. That pin does drop when you pull the trigger. The trigger pull is an avg of 7.4lbs, so it is quite heavy for a striker-fired pistol, but Powder River Precision offers a trigger kit for about $110, that will bring that trigger pull to an avg of 4lbs. These kits are being sold on Brownell’s.
So is the XD Tactical a good choice for IDPA? To me, it seems like the XD Tactical is the “forgotten pistol” so it seems. A lot of people use Glock 34’s, M&PL C.O.R.E., Sig Sauer P320, and so on. So is the XD Tactical for you? I think with the trigger kit installed from Powder River Precision, it could be a good choice for someone looking for something other than a Glock. Dawson Precision does offer their competition sights for the XD Models as well, which will make sight acquisition a lot faster.
The new XD Tactical models are coming with an ambidextrous thumb safety, so for all you thumb safety lovers out there; it’s now available from Springfield Armory. MSRP for this pistol is coming in at $649, but is selling locally for around $500. So if you are in the market for a great, accurate pistol, and really do not want to break the bank, or if you are thinking about starting some IDPA or 2 or 3 gun matches, check out the XD-45 Tactical with the 5” barrel and see if it’s right for you.
As always, ya’ll be good and be safe!
