Springfield Armory is known for its broad and popular line of polymer-framed pistols. From the EDC-ready Hellcat and (slightly upsized) Hellcat Pro to the Echelon family of duty-grade pistols, there’s a “polymer pistol” in the line for just about any need.
But there’s another option in the Springfield line that dates all the way back to the year 2001. That pistol is the classic XD, and I have been shooting pistols from that line for almost two decades.
I’ve never not had an XD and, being completely and totally transparent, they have always been my favorite pistols, including the XD-M’s. The reason is largely due to their accuracy, but also their reliability, ergonomics and performance.
When I saw that Springfield had released the new XD Mod.3, I was immediately interested. When I ran across the sales and what I was seeing for cost (and MSRP of just $325), I was even more interested. I was finding it at cost points of entry-level pistols that are not known for quality, let alone accuracy and performance.
I thought I had better just see for myself how good this really is. Would I be able to get the accuracy and range that I expect from my XD-M’s? I like to judge a pistol’s accuracy not so much by the groups I can get, but how far I can go with it. Would I be able to take the new XD out to 100 yards? What about farther?
Wringing It Out
Let me explain my philosophy on shooting pistols at extreme distances like 200 yards. I do a lot of gun, optics, ammo, etc. reviews, and what I want to test is accuracy, reliability and performance. To be completely honest, as long as the gun does not jam and goes “BANG” when you pull the trigger, you can make it look pretty good at five yards. I think it’s hard to miss at that distance, and it really does not showcase what the pistol is capable of doing.
So, I figure if I can hit the target and get good groups at 50 yards, that is telling a lot about the gun, especially its trigger and its mechanical accuracy. Move that to 100 and 200 yards, and that speaks volumes about the gun’s capabilities. It’s not that I would be using a pistol at that distance; it’s to demonstrate what it’s capable of. Also, it’s just plain fun and challenging to shoot at that distance, so why not?
Before I do anything when I get a pistol to review, I like to take it right out of the box and see what I can do at 50 yards with just the iron sights. With the XD Mod.3, I missed the first few shots and quickly realized either I or the pistol was shooting a little low. If I am not benching it, I have to consider it’s not the gun but the shooter when I am not hitting at the distances. After that, was doing pretty good at banging the steel at 50. I then moved over to 100 yards and, for standing, got five hits out of 10 on a windy day. That’s not bad, in my opinion.
I then take it back to the CQB (close quarters battle) range to show it can perform as it was designed and intended for. The iron sights are more than adequate for this and I had no difficulty with rapid and accurate shooting from five to 25 yards, two-handed and even one-handed. So, it was then time to put it to the distance test.
Reaching Out
To hit the targets at 200 yards, I do need a red dot. The front sight post at that distance completely and totally obscures the target, and you can’t tell how much you are holding over. Also, my eyes are aging and irons sights are becoming blurry as if it’s not hard enough to shoot a pistol at 200 yards. Fortunately, the XD Mod.3 comes from the factory optics-ready.
In order for the red dot to work properly at that distance, I need a 25-50 yard zero. I know, I hear it all the time in comments: “why would you zero your pistol at that distance, and who shoots a pistol at that distance”? Good question, I do, and here are my thoughts on that.
First, I discovered that with a 50-yard zero I can hit spot-on center mass with that zero. Secondly, it will give me enough elevation that I can put the red dot center mass at 100 yards and hit consistently without messing with a holdover. Then, at 200 yards, I will only have to hold over a foot or two. This has been consistent with most all the pistols I have tested and reviewed.
For the red dot on this review, I used the Vortex Defender-CCW with a 3 MOA dot. It worked out perfectly as I had just received the Defender to review at the same time I received the XD. In order to consistently hit the target at 100-200 with a pistol, I need a good red dot, so I was also testing the Defender as part of this process. A red dot, however, is useless unless it’s mounted on a good pistol, thus the purpose of this review. Just what can we expect from the XD Mod.3?
Solid Foundation
To hit at 200 yards, you need a good trigger I think more than anything. That was always the reason I like the XD series — in my opinion, they have a great factory trigger. So far in my testing, the XD had performed exceptionally well out to 100 yards with just iron sights.
Live The Armory Life. The latest content straight to your inbox plus an automatic entry to each of our monthly gun giveaways!
I got the Defender mounted and zeroed at 25 yards using AAC’s 115-gr. FMJ ammo, range ammo. The first shot was literally right in the bullseye, which was a great start. It grouped really well with a variety of ammo at that distance. I took it back to 50 yards and little changed with elevation in groups, so it was time to move to 100 yards and beyond.
I like to start off at 100 yards using the bench so I can eliminate the shooter (as much as possible) for missing, and know where my zero is and if I need to make any adjustments. It was shooting spot on, eight out of 10 shots with range ammo on a windy day, and showed exactly what I wanted to show. As they say, I could have dropped the mic and walked off the stage with that, but what fun would that be? I had to try it standing. I got six out of 10, which is still great, and some might have called it “good” and walked off the stage. But, I wanted to see what I could do at 200.
Going Long
When you look at the sight picture at 200 yards with a 3 MOA dot, there is not much margin for error. Your dot almost takes up the width of the target at that distance. I estimated on holdover based on past shooting about 1-2’ above the head and hit first shot. That always is a great way to start, and I even hit it the second shot! However, I missed the next seven.
There are those days when you hit the first shot and it’s your only hit, and I was really hoping that was not the case this day. I did hit once I compensated for the wind and started hitting it consistently. I then was able to hit seven more out of 10 shots.
I think that demonstrated exactly what I was hoping for and should tell you what you want to know about the trigger, accuracy and reliability of this pistol. This would be a good place to drop the mic and walk off the stage. But that was not in the cards. I wanted to see if I could hit it at 200 standing.
It was one of those days I just mentioned above, and I hit it the first shot. While I missed my follow-up shots, I am good with one hit at 200 yards standing with 9mm pistol.
There you go folks, Springfield’s NEW XD Mod.3 taken the distance. To me, that answered all the questions I had about this gun, but you’ll have to decide what you think. I’m certainly sold on it!
Editor’s Note: Please be sure to check out The Armory Life Forum, where you can comment about our daily articles, as well as just talk guns and gear. Click the “Go To Forum Thread” link below to jump in!
Read the full article here
