It seems that .45 ACP has fallen out of favor among concealed carriers. The 9mm has acceded to the throne of the king of carry guns… this is evident by the plethora of guns and 9mm ammo being made and sold today.
But… some of us haven’t given up on the old warhorse. Call us dinosaurs or what you will, the .45 ACP is still alive. I recently added a 1911A1 military lookalike to my collection… not sure what that says about me!
With modern defense loads in the right gun, it is very effective. I think I might have found one of those “right guns” in the Springfield Armory (SA) XD-S 2.0 Mod 2.
This is one of those guns that you pick up, look at the huge hole in the barrel, and weigh it in your hand and think, “Hmm… that might hurt to shoot!” It weighs 23 ounces. It’s a blessing to carry, but it does kick some. We’ll discuss recoil further below.
Before we delve into this gun, let’s take a quick trip down .45 ACP Memory Lane.
.45 ACP History
I always like to put a paragraph or two about the history of whatever cartridge/gun we’re discussing. I think it’s interesting to know where a caliber came from. So, we’ll do just a quick stroll down memory lane for the .45.
The Moro Rebellion in the late 19th century proved the inadequacy of the .38 Long Colt cartridge used by our military at the time. So the powers-that-be conducted tests (the Thompson-LeGarde tests) in 1904. They determined that a bullet of no less than .45 caliber was needed. John Browning got to work and came up with the .45 ACP – Automatic Colt Pistol – that fired a 230-grain FMJ bullet at approximately 830 fps from his newly-designed and upgraded 1911 pistol.
This round later proved to be adequate in the field. The tests involved shooting different calibers and bullets into animal carcasses, among other grisly endeavors. Browning’s cartridge, and later (in 1911) his pistol design, won the contract. The 1911’s adoption is a different story, so we’ll stick with the .45 ACP for now.
The XD-S 2.0 Mod 2
SA’s XD line has been very successful. Imported from Croatia, the XD’s origins trace back to the PHP (Prvi Hrvatski Pištolj), a Croatian pistol developed in the early 1990s by I.M. Metal. Later, that pistol design was refined and became the HS2000.
In 2002, SA started importing that pistol into the U.S., rebranded as the XD (eXtreme Duty) line. The series has grown – it’s been a major player in the polymer-framed, striker-fired pistol market. I’ve owned several of them – the XD-S 2.0 .45 included – and I now own three SA pistols. They are an XDM Elite 10mm, and the offshoots Hellcat RDP and Echelon Pro. They are all very reliable, accurate pistols.
Live Inventory Price Checker
|
I.T.T.S. Trigger For Springfield Armory Echelon - I.T.T.S. Trigger For Springfield Echelon Gray W/Black Screw | Brownells.com | $ 76.46 |
|
|
|
Springfield Armory Magazine For Springfield Echelon 9mm - 15 Round | Ammunition Depot | $ 36.99 |
|
|
|
Springfield Echelon 9mm 4.5" 20rd Pistol, Black - EC9459B-3D | Palmetto State Armory | $ 749.99 $ 619.99 |
|
|
Springfield Echelon 4.0C 9mm Handgun, 3-Dot Tritium Sights | Bereli | $ 589.99 |
|
Discontinued?
In a word, yup. This XD-S has been discontinued. Why? I believe it’s because the Hellcat and Echelon pistols are so popular that XD sales couldn’t keep up. But… this pistol is still a viable carry .45. I know of no other .45 in its size and price range that has the features this gun has. There will still be plenty of them in the pipeline for a good while, and then the used market will take over. Don’t let that “D”-word stop you.
Specifications
- Caliber .45 ACP
- Color Black
- Barrel 3.3″ hammer forged steel, Melonite® finish, 1:16
- Slide Forged steel, Melonite® finish
- Frame Black polymer w /enhanced grip texture
- Sights Pro-Glo™ Tritium/Luminescent front, tactical rack serrated rear U-notch
- Recoil System Dual captive recoil spring w/ full-length guide rod
- Grip Width .9″
- Magazines 1 5-round, 1 6-round Mid Mag
- Weight 23 oz w/ flush mag, 24 oz / extended mag
- Length 6.5″
- Height 4.4″ w/ flush mag, 5″ w/ extended mag
- MSRP $450
Features
Let’s look at some photos.
First, you get two magazines with it… a flush-fit 5-rounder and a 6-round, with an extended base. A flat baseplate is included if you want two 5-round flush-fit mags.
Sights
There’s a U-notch, serrated Tac-Rack rear, and a white dot front…
The barrel is finished in Melonite, and has a highly-polished feed ramp…
I’m always amazed at how you can see yourself in SA’s pistol’s feed ramps!
The slide, underneath. Very clean, with some highly-polished areas.
And, here’s either a feature or a non-feature, depending on your viewpoint… a grip safety. I’m not a fan, myself, but they didn’t ask me about it before they added it…
A decent-looking small pistol. Shown with the extended-baseplate mag installed.
Shooting The XD-S
I enlisted the aid of friend Ed, a former deputy who is no slouch with a pistol. We set up some targets in my backyard range and pulled a box or two of 230-grain FMJ ammo, which was the extent of my .45 auto supply.
We kept a target for this report. This gun is not designed to be a bullseye-competition-ready pistol, but for its intended purpose, it will do.
Here’s an interesting shot… the gun in full recoil…
It really wasn’t that bad. This was with 230-grain bullets. 185- or 200-grainers would go a bit easier in the recoil department.
Not too bad for hardball out of a 3.3” barrel at 15 yards. If I remember right, when I owned one of these, it did pretty well with accuracy when fed similar factory ammo and my handloads. I think you should expect the same. I didn’t clock this load, but typically I remember getting right at 800 fps out of factory 230-grain FMJ loads.
Field-Stripping
The gun comes apart like any pistol with a takedown lever.
- First, take the mag out and empty the chamber.
- Next, lock the slide back and swing the takedown lever counterclockwise upwards 90 degrees.
- Release the slide, pull the trigger, and remove the slide.
- Separate the barrel and spring.
- To reassemble, do these steps in reverse order. Move the takedown lever back down when finished.
Summing Up
Are you in the market for a sub-compact .45? It IS different than shooting a 9mm, for sure, but there’s a bit of satisfaction you get when launching that big ol’ punkin ball downrange. Even though this model is discontinued, you might be well-served by adding it to your safe. After all, a 23-ounce, 3.3-inch-barreled .45 is sure to attract attention wherever it goes – on both sides of the muzzle – and you would not feel under-gunned with it. It’s not quite pocketable, but it would disappear inside your waistband in a suitable holster.
With the ammo choices available today, the old .45 is still viable. Heck, even the 230-grain FMJ “ball” works. While smaller calibers have to expand to reach .452”, the .45 doesn’t.. It’s already there.
It might be something for you to consider, especially at a real-world price of around $385. That’s not bad for a gun with 12 rounds of .45 goodness at the ready!
About Mike Hardesty
With experience spanning over 45 years, Mike Hardesty has long enjoyed shooting and reloading. An inveterate reloader, he casts bullets and reloads for a diverse array of firearms, each handled with long-practiced precision. Living in rural Indiana, his homestead boasts a personal 100-yard range where he shares his love for guns to his four sons, their wives, and eleven grandchildren. As a recognized author, his writings have been featured in notable platforms like Sniper Country, Bear Creek Arsenal Blog, Pew Pew Tactical, TTAG, Dillon Precision’s Blue Press, and Gun Made, revealing his ongoing passion for firearms at the age of 72.
not a fan of plastic have seen a few blown up and others broken , will stick with my 1911
It’s too bad Springfield Armory doesn’t just buy the licenses and build them here, in the US.