Compared to the XD-45 Service Model, the only difference is the length of the grip on the Compact, which has been shortened by about .7 inch to make it more easily concealable. Even with the shorter grip, the gun is comfortable to shoot.

XDs are recoil operated using the familiar modified Browning locked-breech design. The slide and barrel are locked together during the first fraction of an inch of recoil until the angled surface on the barrel lug contacts the locking block on the frame. This causes the barrel to cam downward and unlocks the breech, allowing the spent cartridge case to be extracted and ejected. The recoil spring then drives the slide forward, stripping a fresh cartridge from the magazine, and feeds it into the chamber. When the last shot is fired and the magazine is empty, the slide is held open by the external slide catch.

The full-size XD-45 Service Model magazine on the right holds 13 rounds of .45 ACP ammunition. The middle magazine is identical but has a spacer that slides over it to convert the Compact's grip to the same length as the Service Model. The 10-round Compact magazine is on the left. Photo by Nyle Leatham

The magazine release is ambidextrous and is easily operated with the thumb or trigger finger, allowing magazines to drop freely from the gun. Magazines are double stack and are therefore tapered at the top, making them easy to insert into the beveled magazine well. Speed reloads are a snap.

The XDs come standard with very functional, highly visible, drift-adjustable three-dot sights. Heinie or Trijicon tritium night sights are optional. Standard is a hard-sided, padded carrying case packed with XD gear consisting of a polymer holster, magazine pouch and magazine loader. A bore-cleaning brush and cable lock are also included.

That little wedge of steel on top of the slide is the loaded-chamber indicator that sticks up when a round is in the chamber. The USA trigger lever is a great safety device, as is the grip safety that prevents the trigger from being pulled unless it is depressed. The ambidextrous magazine release can be pushed from either the left or right side, and the grip safety must be depressed in order to pull the trigger or retract the slide.

XD TAKEDOWN SEQUENCE
Takedown and cleaning are very simple. As always, remove the magazine and double-check to make sure the gun is unloaded. Keeping the muzzle pointed in a safe direction, retract the slide and lock it to the rear by pressing the slide catch up into the slot on the slide. Remember that to retract the slide, the grip safety will have to be fully depressed.

When the slide is locked to the rear, rotate the takedown lever on the left side of the frame 90 degrees clockwise so it is straight up. Maintain a strong grip on the slide, and retract it slightly until the catch disengages, allowing the slide to move forward completely off the frame. The trigger will need to be pulled during this part of the operation in order to release the slide, so again, keep the muzzle pointed in a safe direction.

CHRONOGRAP AND ACCURACY RESULTS
Factory Load	Velocity (fps)	SD	Average Group (ins.)
Black Hills 185-gr. JHP	948	16	3.84
Hornady +P 230-gr. TAP FPD	854	7	3.87
Hornady +P 200-gr. TAP FPD	987	12	3.93
Cor-Bon +P 200-gr. JHP	1,080	25	5.46
Velocity was recorded 10 feet from the muzzle with an Oehler 35P chronograph. Accuracy was tested off a Predator Shooting Rest. Results are the average of three five-shot groups at 25 yards. SD = Standard Deviation

Once the slide is free of the frame, turn it over and push the rear of the recoil-spring assembly slightly toward the muzzle to free it from the barrel lug. The spring assembly can then be lifted out as one unit. The barrel then is lifted from the slide, and all parts can be cleaned and lubricated. Assembly is in reverse order.

The XDs are duty and carry guns, not target pistols, so a very light, crisp trigger pull is just not a realistic expectation. The trigger on the XD is sort of a double-action-only design, except the trigger pull is not particularly long or heavy as one expects with a DAO revolver. The test gun had a short, light takeup followed by an 8.4-pound break as measured on my Lyman trigger-pull gauge. Specifications call for a trigger pull of 5.5 to 7.7 pounds, but the heavier pull on the test gun was not at all troublesome. However, I suspect that the trigger pull will become less after a short break-in period.

The cocked striker indicator protrudes from the back of the slide when the striker is cocked and warns the shooter both by sight and touch that the gun is ready to fire.

ON THE FIRING LINE
I tested the XD-45 Compact with four different loads, and the gun worked perfectly every single time the trigger was pulled. This is what I have come to expect of XDs. Recoil off the bench when testing for accuracy, or offhand when conducting tactical drills, was very controllable even with heavier-recoiling self-defense loads. In fact, I could not discern a difference compared to the Service Model XD-45 with full-length grip.

The Springfield Armory XD-45 Compact comes in a hard-sided, padded carrying case complete with both a short and long magazine, cleaning brush, cable lock, double magazine pouch, holster and magazine loader.

Using a Predator Shooting Rest at 25 yards, all loads proved to be plenty accurate for self-defense purposes. The best average of three five-shot groups was 3.84 inches with Black Hills 185-grain JHPs. Velocities and accuracy results are shown in the accompanying table.

After completing the accuracy test, I tried out the Compact on rapid-fire tactical drills and again found the Compact to deliver just like the four-inch-barreled Service Model XD-45 does. Recoil was easily managed, and the gun returned to target rapidly, delivering rounds to point of aim.

Springfield tells me the XD-45 Compact will be in dealer display cases by the time you read this. My guess is that the gun will prove to be a pretty popular choice.