Dave Bahde Ben Battles

Dave Bahde Ben Battles

DAVE BAHDE BEN BATTLES AVING TESTED SPRINGFIELD ARMORY XD PISTOLS SINCE Armory has brought it all together. High-capacity, optics Htheir introduction in 2002, I’ve found them to be and suppressor ready, and with the META trigger it is the among the most comfortable-shooting pistols on the culmination of years of development and customer input. market today, commanding a very strong following among owners. Several officers purchased their own, carrying them Dots and Cans as duty pistols when I was the department armorer. They LIKE MOST LONG-IN-THE-TOOTH SHOOTERS (ESPECIALLY THOSE were accurate, reliable, and—aside from some magazine with a police background) red-dot sights have been a slow issues very early on—served well. With the introduction of burn. Over time that has changed and I have become a the XD-M (Match) version in 2008 they only increased in pretty strong advocate of them. Maybe it’s experience, or popularity. Often seen at local action-pistol matches, they maybe age and a failing ability to get anything that resem- continued their popularity as model choices grew. As time bles “focus” on a front sight. Up close there is not much of passed several models have been added, including those an advantage for me, but at distance a red-dot sight is night accepting red-dot sights and suppressors. Testing the Elite and day, making it a regular feature on any pistol I carry OSP using a Vortex red-dot sight and Liberty suppressor consistently. Arguments still rage, just like they did for red- it was accurate, reliable and truly a blast to shoot. With dots on rifles, but the battle is about over. Regularly seen in the introduction of the XD-M Elite series, Springfield competition and duty, even the military has adopted them 14 ontargetmagazine.com ontargetmagazine.com 15 1—AS OF WRITING THIS, THE NEW XDM ELITE PLATFORM IS AVAILABLE IN FIVE DIFFERENT CONFIGURATIONS AND THREE DIFFERENT SLIDE LENGTHS. OUR TEST PISTOL WAS THE FLAT-daRK EARTH COLORED 4.5” OSP MODEL WITH A 1/2X28 5.28- INCH THREadED BARREL FOR AT- TACHING A SOUND SUPPRESSOR. SPECIFICATIONS: ACTION: STRIKER FIRED CALIBER: 9mm BARREL LENGTH: 5.28 INCHES OAL: 8.6 INCHES WEIGHT: 30 OUNCES 1 MSRP: $709 for certain applications. Red-dots are here to stay. people who are sensitive to muzzle blast, they tend to tame Threaded pistol barrels for suppressors are still warming recoil a bit as well. I have also used them to great effect on me. Some suppressors are pretty short and you can at hunting hogs with a handgun, especially with a red-dot least fantasize about practical application. For the most sight, or even better, night vision and infrared light. Not part, they are just flat out fun, especially on rimfire pistols. much for concealment, they have their place in the tactical Zero recoil, incredibly quiet and easy to shoot, they smack world, but remain pretty rare in real world applications. of fun on the range. Attaching a suppressor to your .22 LR Pistols that accommodate both a red-dot sight and suppres- pistol is the epitome of fun plinking on the range. Move sor are starting to pop up, and Springfield Armory’s XDM- to center fire and they still have their advantages. Great for Elite OSP is one fine example. 16 ontargetmagazine.com 1 2 Springfield Armory XD-M Elite OSP 9mm THE NEW XD-M ELITE PISTOLS ARE BUILT around Springfield Armory’s META (Match Enhanced Trigger Assembly) trigger, one of the smoothest factory triggers out there on a polymer-framed, striker-fired pistol. A flat face provides control and speed, while the integral overtravel stop provides precision. Reset is short and it has proven reliable and predictable. Capacity with the removable magwell is a healthy 22 +1 rounds of 9mm. Remove the magwell and you still have 20+1 rounds. Er- gonomics have been improved for a solid grip and comfortable feel over long range sessions. Controls are improved, with an ambidextrous slide stop to match the ambi magazine release. Enhanced slide serrations are cut on a slide that contains a match-grade, ham- mer-forged barrel with loaded chamber indicator. Although fitted with a 4.5-inch slide, this model includes a threaded (1/2 x 1—SLIDE STOP AND MAGAZINE RELEASE ARE BOTH AMBIDEXTROUS. OPTIC READY 28) 5.28-inch barrel to accept suppressors or (TRIJICON’S 3.25 RMR HRS SHOWN), THIS OSP MODEL IS EQUIPPED WITH TALLER other muzzle devices. Capping the barrel is a SUPPRESSOR-HEIGHT SIGHTS FROM THE FACTORY FOR A CO-WITNESS SIGHT PICTURE, nicely matched thread protector with grooves AND INCLUDES OPTIC-MOUNTING PLATES FOR ALL OF TOdaY’S POPULAR OPTICS. for access with gloved hands or in inclement 2— SPRINGFIELD’S NEW MATCH ENHANCED TRIGGER ASSEMBLY (META) IS ONE weather. Optics ready, the Elite OSP includes OF THE UPGRADES YOU GET WHEN STEPPING UP TO THE ELITE LINE. ENHANCED SLIDE plates for popular red-dot sights, including SERRATIONS ARE ANOTHER. the Trijicon RMR used for testing. The 18 ontargetmagazine.com EST YARD SHOT PERFORmaNCE CamE WITH PERFORMANCE: VELOCITY GROUP SIZE 1—B 25- /5- AmmO INC’S 147-GR. FMJ LOad, PRODUCING A VERY FEDERAL 124-GR. +P HST 1,215 1.60 INCHES RESPECTABLE1.40 GROUP. OTHER ammUNITION PRODUCED FEDERAL HST 147-GR. 1,040 1.50 INCHES VERY SIMILAR RESULTS. HORNADY 135-GR. CRITICAL DUTY 1,155 1.60 INCHES 2—WORKING IN CONJUNCTION WITH THE REMOVABLE AMMO INC 147-GR. FMJ 1,015 1.40 INCHES FLARED maGWELL, CAPACITY OF THE TWO INCLUDED maGA- DOUBLETAP 115-GR. +P 1,295 1.55 INCHES ZINES IS A HEALTHY 22-ROUNDS. GROUPS FIRED FROM BAG REST ON THE HOOD OF MY TRUCK AT A RANGE OF 25 YARDS. THREE 5-SHOT GROUPS FOR COMPARISON. VELOCITY IN FEET PER SECOND MEASURED WITH A CHRONY CHRONOGRAPH. 1 drift-adjustable rear sight is black with serrations, and sup- pressor height to co-witness with the red-dot sight of your choice. The font sight is a red fiber-optic. Coated in a Flat Dark Earth finish, it ships with two 22-round magazines in a useful padded nylon carry case. Range Time EVERY XD-M TESTED HAS BEEN SOFT SHOOTING FOR ITS respective caliber, and the Elite is no exception. Part of that is the fact this is a full-sized pistol, but its dual recoil springs are some of the best out there. My large hands enjoy full-sized pistols and it allows for some pretty impressive accuracy all around. My best group from 25 yards was four rounds clus- tered, with one ringer, that still measured just over 1.5 inches firing Federal’s 147-gr. HST. The same was true for most everything tested, but it seemed to shine with the Federals. This round is always accurate, but more often than not, the +P rounds tend to win out in the long run; not with this pis- tol, even at 50 yards. With the RMR zeroed at 50 yards it put ten rounds into a group the size of my fist, around 4.5 inches. 2 20 ontargetmagazine 1—THE XDM ELITE RAN EXTREMELY WELL WITH BOTH THE DEad AIR WOLFmaN AND SILENCERCO OME- GA-K (PICTURED) SUPPRESSORS AT- TACHED. EVERY XD-M THE AUTHOR HAS TESTED TO daTE HAS BEEN SOFT SHOOTING FOR ITS RESPECTIVE CALIBER, AND THE ELITE WAS NO EXCEPTION. 1 Not bad using the hood of my truck fine unsuppressed, but just didn’t have normal height sights, and they can be and a bag for a rest. Even at 100 yards it enough juice with the suppressor. easily changed. This pistol out of the box was still accurate, although Doubletap’s is really set up for adding an RDS and/or 115 +P loaded with the Barnes TAC-XP Other Considerations suppressor and handles both really well. bullet was a tad tighter at this distance; MOUNTING THE TRIJICON RMR TYPE 2 it’s a screamer, making just under 1,300 is pretty straight forward. Like every- Bottom Line f.p.s. out of this 5.28-inch barrel. thing with this RDS, you will need the THIS IS REALLY THE “BIGGER IS BETTER” I’ve never had reliability issues with Trijicon mounting kit that includes the pistol for those looking to use an RDS, any XD-M. I put a tad over 700 rounds thin metal plate and the properly sized suppressor, compensator, light or all of through this one over two days and it screws, otherwise they are just too long the above together. You can pick and never missed a beat unsuppressed. and will not mount the RMR securely. choose, but it will accommodate them Shooting suppressed, center-fire Using this kit and thread locker on the all with 23 rounds online. pistols can be an adventure. Some screws they just don’t shoot loose. Springfield Armory is one of the best suppressors seem to have fewer issues, I suppose you could carry this pistol, companies for providing what their cus- but I’ve never had a pistol/suppressor as people carry all kinds of stuff, but tomer base wants. With so many com- combination that ran everything. That that’s not its strong point. Having carried panies ignoring their base and building being said, the Dead Air Wolfman full-sized, all-steel pistols for years, I get it at the whim of social media and the used during testing is one of the best and know the drill, but this is a big pistol.

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