Springfield Armory XDM 9mm Review
First lets start of with the fun disclaimers. I have just been a gun affictionado for years. Whole family has them. This is however, my first.
I have shot before but I couldnt tell you the difference between a bazillion different "loads" or "brands" of ammo.
** So now on to the gun **Ergonomics? This gun defines them. Customizable backstraps to help the gun fit better into your hand. It naturally comes with the medium (as I call it) backstrap and the large and small backstraps are in the case. The instructions tell you to push out the lanyard pin with a punch. Its not terribly easy but its not rocket science. In the end, you want it to have some effort to the chore so it does not fall on its own. Swapping was straight forward and I liked the smaller backstrap to accomodate both mine and my wifes hand better.
I have seen a ton of reviews about this gun. Each owner basically stating what they liked and hated about the gun. Its my first but not the first I have fired. I am no authority but I know what I like. For me, it boils down to this. If anyone asked me what handgun to recommend, I would say the Springfield Armory XDM. Hands down. Why? Mainly because it has the whole package rolled into one. After buying this gun, I only had to purchase a cleaning kit and ammo. The rest is in the box!
** On to shooting the gun **
It was my wifes first time ever shooting a gun at a range. I think she had shot rifles as a kid and BB guns but not a real handgun like this.
The sights on our gun are the standard white dots. What I liked about the gun is how true it fired. We both fired off 3 magazines. The first 2 magazines were into 1 target and the last magazine got its own target.
Trixies 3rd magazine.
So hows that for accuracy? I have videos on this website of us shooting if you want to see how we quickly we fired and whatnot. This is straight out of the box and really highlights that the bullet goes where you want it to.
** Now what do you get in the box? **
You get the Gun, the cleaning brush, lock, two 19 round magazines, the XD Gear XD(M)™ Paddle Holster, XD(M) Double Magazine Pouch, XD Magazine Loader, 2 additional backstraps as mentioned before, the user instructions and very nifty lockable case (you supply your own lock!).
The XD Gear alone is worth $77 from their website.
Now I will admit that my "brush" that came with the package was not the correct size. Not to worry, this let me do my next most favorite thing in the whole wide world. Call CUSTOMER SERVICE. If I was a fan when I shot this gun the first time, they have sealed their status in my mind with their customer service. Phone hold time was very low. Less than 2 minutes. Then the agent was personable. I explain my issue. She puts me on hold and contacts the tech dept. She returns on the line less than 2 minutes later to get my mailing address to send me the correct brush. Now that is service. Plain, simple, and easy.
Now, I like to know other things that reviews never told me. How much does the gun weigh in the different stages.
So here ya go!
** What does it weigh **
Gun alone: 1lbs 9oz.
Gun with empty magazine: 1lb 12oz
Gun with fully loaded magazine: 2lb 4oz
Now I have seen people say that the XD Magazine Loader was not a good thing. Me and my wife would disagree. I can load a full new magazine by hand. Its not the fastest process in the world. It does become way faster to use the loader. It is simple and effective and gets the reloading task done quickly. Best of all, it can be mounted to either the gun or the Double magazine pouch. The key is to use it on a flat surface. Much easier than holding it in your hand.
Would I buy another? Most definately.
This gun is the standard for me, by which all others must be compared. There are guns I have shot that did not shoot true. Perhaps thats because this unit has the "MATCH" barrel. Whatever the "MOJO" they have it and its well worth it!
