Triangle Tactical Podcast and Blog on Guns, Gear, and Competition Shooting
If you have been reading Triangle Tactical for any length of time, you probably know that I’m very particular when it comes to pistols for concealed carry. Since I began carrying several years ago, all I’ve wanted was a small, singlestack, 9mm pistol, with no external safety, and a decent trigger.
Smith & Wesson came close with the Shield, but the itty bitty safety is just too small for me.
There are a lot of other offerings out there as well, with the closest to what I want being the Walther PPS, but even it has that funky european magazine release.
Enter the Springfield XDs 9mm that was announced last week at the SHOT show.
Small, check.
Singlestack, check.
9mm, check.
Decent trigger, (if its like the .45) check.
No external safety, Ahh…sort of check.
The XDs 9mm shares the grip safety that the rest of the XD line is known for. I could do without the grip safety, but I don’t think it’s a deal breaker. I can’t think of a situation where the grip safety wouldn’t be deactivated when I’m gripping the safety, so it’s a non-issue for me.
The only real con I can find for the XDs 9mm is that if it ships with the same sights as the XDs .45, I’ll have to find something to replace the front fiber optic sight with, as I have a habit of breaking fiber optic sights pretty regularly.
What do you think? Are you interested in the XDs 9mm when it’s released?
I shot the XD-S in .45 yesterday and I’m very interested in the 9MM. I’m fairly new to shooting so how to you go about buying a gun that is new to the market? From what I understand it won’t be available until “the spring” and then there will be a wait for holsters. So this may not be a viable option for 4-6 months?
Yeah, that’s probably a pretty accurate time frame. From the sounds of things, the .45 version is just now starting to hit store shelves regularly, after being released in Jan 2012.
As far as holsters go the XDS .45 has “been out” for over 6 months now and these guns are literally the same other than the barrel and mags. So with that being said I would have to assume that by spring we should be able to get the 9mm and holsters with little to no problem, I think Crossbreed and a few others are already working on holsters.
Are they the same size? I could swear I heard that the 9mm was smaller? If they are the same, that should eliminate the holster issues.
I am a big fan of the XD’s but I like you have been sad over a small compact carry pistol, the only one I found that I liked (sort of) was the Beretta Nano but I just couldn’t quite put my finger on what was bugging me about that gun. So I am very excited for this gun and will be awaiting it’s arrival! I also heard they will be releasing a .40 version at the time (or soon after the release of the 9mm).
From what I understand they are the same gun the only difference is the barrels and really they are all cut from the same piece of metal (and of course the mags). I don’t think the specs are on their website yet.
Xds9 is exactly the same external dimensions, just a little heavier due to a smaller bore in the same barrel, and some extra material in the magwell for the narrower mag.
I’m totally fine with that, more weight = less recoil. Same size means holsters will be readily available. Good news.
Sounds like a nice carry gun, but with my complex about my guns having to be made in the USA, I doubt I’ll have one, lol.
On the holster front, if one were to order a crossbreed now, the holster would probably arrive before the gun (nice!) I have been waiting for the XDs9 for some time, & for the same reasons as Luke. As reliable as my XDm has been, I can’t wait to put my money down. SA & Crossbreed are the rig for me. May even have to trade my XDm 40 for a 9, just to have same caliber…
I emailed Springfield to confirm that the XDs 9mm will use the same holsters as the XDs .45, and they confirmed that yes they will have the same external dimensions.
Good news!
Luke, Thank you so much for sharing that. This would be my first carry gun so I’m interested in holster recommendations. I’ll prob order one when I put down the deposit on the gun. The gun store I frequent told me they can take early orders as soon as Springfield lists it for sale.
Is anyone following this thread using a holster with the XDs in 45 now that you like? And why?
I’ve got a coupon for a Crossbreed Supertuck, I think I’ll order a Mini-tuck for the XDs tonight.
I’ve got the XDs in .45, the factory holster provided is marked “.45
.40 9mm” so the same holster should fit all three.
I carry a 380 bodyguard every single day. I love the gun with my kholster IWB holster. SO EASY to carry. I’ve been wanting something with a bigger caliber though… and now I’m torn between the XDS 45 vs 9mm… Both would be 1 inch wide (vs my .75 inch wide bodyguard). Thus I’ll have a little thicker gun beneath the belt. But I can’t think of any reason to get the 9mm other than ammo would be cheaper. To have better protection everyday, I’m leaning toward the 45, I guess. Any thoughts from you guys? Thanks!
Hey Dave,
I’m waiting for the 9mm so I can have 2 extra rounds in the pistol. The .45 holds 5+1, and the 9mm will hold 7+1. As far as I’m concerned, most all pistol rounds suck at stopping people, so I’d rather have a couple more of them than a couple less.
I do see your point here…
I am going to hold judgement until I see the little guy, but I must say, I have raised an eyebrow at the notion of the XDs in 9mm. However, I have noticed a LOT of 45’s being offered up for sale. I’m not 100% sure how to process that, but (to those who don’t know me, I am a DEVOUT Ruger fan) I do like the SA XD line. I have had an XD45, an XD9, and an XDm40. I liked them all, but eventually they found new homes. If the little guy only has 7+1, I’ll just carry my 1911 with 8+1. The XDs9 will most likely find its way into many a belly bands and purses, though.
Yeah, I’ve been seeing a lot of the .45’s for sale as well, but I haven’t heard anyone complaining about reliability issues with them, so I’m not really sure why they are offloading them. I’m pretty stoked for the 9mm though, already ordered a holster!
Dgsc
Luke the way things are going I dont think ammo is going to be any cheaper 380, 9, 40and 45 will all be aroung the same price going foward. Go with more mass and get the 45 one hit is like 4 in the 9.
I sure hope im wrong but it dosent look like it.
I’ve got the 45 and a great gun
Linc
Hey Linc,
I’m not convinced that the .45 is all that much better than the 9mm. When you do the math, they are all so close, and they all pretty much suck at stopping bad guys. I shoot 9mm for everything else, so I’ll stick with it. I wouldn’t fault anyone for getting the .45 though, just not the best decision for me.
Where can I buy a xds 9.and will the price be?
Hey Rick,
Ask your local gun shop when they are expecting them. My store said they haven’t seen them in their distributors catalogs yet, so it could be a couple more months before they hit stores.
I asked over at PDHSC. They said they would take a deposit once the gun appears in the catalogs. They couldn’t give a time frame for delivery, but with a deposit you’d get one from the first shipment. If you manage to find it elsewhere, they would refund the deposit. I ask them about once a month if it’s in the catalog yet… and they pretty much get a good laugh out of that. It could be months. Delivery could be next fall.
Yeah, iirc that’s how the .45 went. They announced it at SHOT show in January, and it didn’t start hitting stores until 3rd quarter.
I’d also like to know how to get my hands on the xds 9mm? I’ve been trying to decide between that and Taurus pt709, but I feel better having the grip safety I think.
Hey Jess, I’d go with the XDs, no question.
Thank you Luke. I was also considering between the XDs and the Baretta nano. what’s your opinion on the nano if I just can’t wait if it will be several months before I can get my XDs?
Does anyone know if the xds 9mm will come in a 4inch barrel or are they just making the sub coms?
I got this e-mail on 4/04/13 for what it’s worth…
Thank you for your email. The XD-S 9mm is scheduled to start shipping sometime this quarter. I do not have an exact release date or price yet.
The XD-S MFG#:
Black XDS9339B
Bi-tone XDS9339S
Thank you for your interest in Springfield Inc.
I just spoke with Springfield today and they said they should be shipping out to stores first of May. I recently bought the XDS 45 and really like the gun but thinking of getting the 9mm and selling the 45. As a female, I kinda think it is too much gun for me even in my libe of work. If I could trade it out I would for a 9mm.
Went to NOVA Armament in Herndon VA today. They have ordered several new XDs 9 & 40’s and will be expecting delivery in around 4 weeks or so…
I asked at PDHSC in south Raleigh if I could place an order. It’s not showing up in the catalog yet. So I think Springfield will be shipping to suppliers, and the gun shops will then be buying from the suppliers. Any other local shops in the RTP area that may be able to get this sooner?
If you want a good holster check the N82 tactical. I have the professional series and love it. Makes things disappear. They are made in NC so we are supporting people close to home.
Just ordered a XDS 45 can’t wait to try It out
Been looking for a good semi auto pistol and I
It fits the bill
I don’t know if I could do the grip safety.
Honestly I was concerned with the grip safety myself. I actually picked the pistol up today, and after playing around with it for a bit, and dry firing it, the grip safety is a non issue.
Now I just need to find some 9mm to break it in with, and some night sights.
Highly recommend the newer Truglo trijicon sights. Put them on my XDS .45 and will do the same with my XDS 9. Best I’ve seen yet for hi viz night or day
Have you tried the Walther PPS? also a great single stack 9mm
I considered the PPS for a while, but it has really expensive magazines, and the euro magazine release isn’t something that I wanted to take the time to learn.
I have an XDS 9mm and love it. In fact I sold my Kahr PM9 because I like the feel of the XDS. The recall on the Shield was quite a bit more serious than on the XDS weapons. I have had several SA weapons all have been good. Just because they are made in Croatia means nothing SA employees are there to see that things are going well. Just about everything you buy nowadays comes from overseas anyway even the work that is getting done in the US is being completed by Chinese workers you can thank our government for that. I like just about all handguns but carry this XDS in a De Santis holster quite comfortable for me. Good Luck on whatever decision you make.
Hey Rod, Yep. I picked up an XDs 9mm a while back, and I love it. Check out http://www.triangletactical.net/68 for some additional thoughts on it.