Nice little article about the XD9SC I just stumbled upon

[THE SCARECROW]

Springfield’s XD9 Subcompact

By Lindsey Bertomen

Of the hundreds of law enforcement officers fatally assaulted over the past decade, roughly 20 percent were in a non-uniform capacity and 5 percent were off-duty. These statistics support the fact that a police officer does not have to be in uniform to be at risk. There is absolutely no question that law enforcement officers need superior equipment to prevail both on- and off-duty.
There are a few basic rules to off-duty survival. Some of them are as simple as: Always carry a firearm. Other commonsense rules are similar to: Carry the most effective caliber one's wardrobe allows.
There is a common fallacy in off-duty survival: Carry a lot, use a little. This statement can be interpreted as "the user will probably never shoot this gun, except in a dire emergency." Anyone following this creed is making a grave mistake. The off-duty firearm an officer carries should be the one that he practices with often. This is the weapon the officer will probably have to use when communication with backup is at a premium, the options of a tactical withdrawal or alternative force have been exhausted, and the threat has a psychological advantage. The off-duty firearm needs to be a deliberate consideration. Law Enforcement Technology tested the Springfield Armory's XD9 Subcompact and found that it exceeds this standard.
The person with one gun
Most experts will agree that the off-duty and the duty firearm must have a similar manual of arms. They must have the same or similar operating levers, including the location of the magazine release, feel of the trigger, and most importantly type of safety. If the officer cannot support the adage "beware of the person with one gun," the alternative should be the same or similar brand.
Springfield makes the XD9 in several sizes. These weapons are similar in feel and operation. To some savvy officers, this means the one in the vest holster is a smaller version of the one on the belt. A reasonable combination would be the XD 4-inch service model on the belt and the XD9 Subcompact with a 3-inch barrel for backup.
Accuracy
Some officers justify their inaccurate off-duty or backup firearms by saying they will only be needed for close shots. This is flawed thinking - a law enforcement professional needs to be ready for any contingency.
Acceptable accuracy for an off-duty handgun would be in the neighborhood of a 4-inch circle at 25 yards. The XD9 Subcompact did this with just about anything it was fed. Using Winchester law enforcement ammunition, Law Enforcement Technology's test team proceeded to fire groups of 4 inches or less at 25 yards. The Springfield XD9 Subcompact favored the Winchester Ranger 9mm +P+ 127-grain SXT (RA9TA), which averaged around 1,200 feet per second (fps). This bullet/firearm combination shot as well as some custom firearms with custom ammunition costing five times as much. The Winchester Ranger 9mm +P 124-grain SXT (RA9124TP) ran a close second with an average of 1,131 fps and sub 4-inch groups. Several times our testers fired sub 5-inch groups offhand. Anyone watching the test would have left the range for a visit with the nearest dealer.
Sights
The XD9 Subcompact sights are large, blocky squared-off protrusions. Tritium insert sights are optional. The sights fit into milled dovetails on the top of the slide. Using dovetails, rather than a staked-on or integral front sight, gives an advantage to the department that purchases this firearm. An armorer with a sight adjustment tool can remove, replace or drift the sights without having to send the firearm anywhere. Testers found the supplied sights easy to acquire and align.
Striker status indicator
When ready to fire, or at least when the striker is cocked, a small pin protrudes from the rear of the XD9's slide. This provides a simple tactile check for officers, even when holstered. Because of the striker block safety, actuated by a firm grip and a trigger pull, the XD9 will not fire even when dropped directly on this pin.
Recoil spring
There is a one-piece recoil spring and spring guide assembly, composed of an inner and outer spring, and a plunger, on the XD9. Like most gun springs, the more the spring is compressed, the higher the tension. On a little gun like this, the aggressive cocking serrations on the slide are critical. This firearm requires a hard pull to lock the slide all the way to the rear. Our testing crew thought this might make the "felt" recoil harder. Because the spring is compressed gradually on the recoil stroke, this gun was a comfortable shooter, even with heavy bullets. The 5-inch XD9 Tactical does not have a captive recoil spring.
Besides the tight spring, the XD9's disassembly was very simple. The weapon breaks down into four basic sub-assemblies. None of them result in spring-launched projectiles designed to injure innocent bystanders. A field strip and reassembly took approximately 30 seconds for the neophyte.
Magazines
The XD9's magazines loaded reliably, disassembled easily and dropped free from the receiver as ordered. There was enough clearance to accommodate varying bullet lengths from different manufacturers. Testers could not shake bullets free from the magazine, nor could they cause them to "nose down" in the magazine body. There is something to be said about using smooth well-polished metal magazine bodies in a polymer frame. Even when empty, they reliably fed and exited the firearm. Occasionally, testers found the magazines had a little rattle when the 10th round was inserted. However, this rattle was not present when the gun was loaded with 10 rounds and the 11th was in the chamber.
The XD9's magazines locked into the well by a latch at the front of the magazine. The magazine release is the standard button behind the trigger guard. It is recessed enough to prevent accidental release. The button can be pushed in from the right or left side. Most other firearms require modification to accommodate left- and right-handed shooters. Imagine the XD9 in a gunfight where the officer has injured his or her primary firearm hand. An officer can reload left- or right-handed using the same hand motions and feel of the release with this weapon.
Safeties
The XD9 has three separate safeties: grip safety, trigger safety and striker block safety. The grip safety is a modern application of a time-honored design. The original M1911 .45 has a grip safety that precludes the firing of the firearm without a proper grip. Like the M1911, the XD9 version is seamless and reliable. An added feature is the fact that the slide cannot be retracted unless the grip safety is pressed. This also could prevent accidentally loading the firearm.
A grip safety is a desirable law enforcement feature because it could prevent deliberate fire from a poorly handled, snatched firearm. If this were not standard on this firearm, testers indicated they would purchase it as an option. Additionally, the grip safety on the XD9 must be depressed before the slide can be retracted to the rear. For officers who carry their firearms in unorthodox ways, the grip safety makes the XD9 ideal. It creates an additional barrier required to put it in action without changing anything the officer does. The XD9 could be used in a courier bag or clutch purse modified for concealed carry. Some of these designs lack protected trigger guards. The Springfield XD9 added an additional margin of safety for unorthodox carry.
Testers could not create an induced failure in the grip safety. The most reassuring part of the test was when a "bad guy" pulled the XD9 out of an officer's waistband upside down in an attempt to fire it with his little finger.
The trigger safety prevents discharge of the firearm unless the center portion of the trigger is depressed. This could keep the firearm from being fired by something inserted inside the trigger guard.
Loaded chamber indicator
Testers found they did not have to "press check" to ensure the firearm was loaded. A press check is when the operator retracts the slide slightly to visually inspect a round in the chamber. It is also a confirmation that the firearm is in battery and therefore ready to fire. The XD9 Subcompact has a rectangle of metal on the top strap of the slide. This rectangle is slightly raised when a bullet is chambered. Running the fingertips across the top of the slide silently confirms whether or not the XD9 is loaded. This feature gave testers mixed emotions. On one hand, it was as reliable as a press check and did not require fine motor skills. On the other hand, it was a protrusion, however minute, on an otherwise smooth surface.
Extractor
The extractor is a single-piece leaf spring, unlike similar products, which have several moving parts including a coil spring. The XD9 extractor focuses a significant amount of metal where steel meets brass. The advantage to this design is a moving part completely contained in the slide, not exposed to the elements. The hook is chisel faced and tangential to the bullet base, allowing the brass to ease its way into place. In fact, as the gun locks into battery, it practically slips the bullet under the extractor. What this means to the officer is the XD9 engineering is designed to last longer and function reliably. Most combat shooters know immediate action drills are marginally effective in clearing a failure to extract, and will be glad to know that the XD9 has taken steps to prevent catastrophic failure.

[THE SCARECROW]

Internal striker
Like many of the recent offerings in law enforcement firearms, the XD9 uses an internal striker system. As the slide goes forward to chamber a round, a latch cocks the striker, a spring-loaded plunger with a firing pin on the business end. This is an uncomplicated and reliable way of igniting the primer.

The striker system has two advantages: There are fewer moving parts, and fewer parts exposed to the elements or to be snagged on clothing. The one disadvantage is the lack of "second strike" capability. In case of ammunition-related failure, the slide must go back in order for the firearm to be refired. On a double-action pistol, the shooter need only pull the trigger again. On a striker-fired firearm, the shooter must use the Tap-Rack-Target drill. This means that on a failure to fire, the shooter must firmly seat the magazine, rack the slide and engage.
Accessories
Testers found the XD9 just right for off-duty, non-uniform duty or detective work. It is ideal for a user who needs a firearm that is "not a token symbol of duty" but a serious combat handgun.
The XD9 is one of the smallest pistols around with an accessory rail. This rail allows accessories such as lights and lasers to be mounted forward of the trigger guard. Springfield also offers one of the smallest firearms-mounted lights for handgun: the GE5109 X-Treme Mini Light. This light has an output of approximately 50 lumens and just barely protrudes past the subcompact barrel. It uses a small 3-volt photo battery. It clicks in place with a spring-loaded locking bar. When testers put the light on the end of the XD9 they found it did not change any of the subcompact's characteristics because it was so lightweight. Even smaller hands could manipulate the light's two-way switch, which allowed both intermittent or "constant on" operation.
Attention to detail
The Springfield XD9 Subcompact is manufactured with machine-like accuracy. Parts fit together well with just enough play to make the firearm reliable. There are no spurious machining marks, even where no one would notice. Even the roll stamp showing the manufacturer logo on the sighting plane is evenly applied. Although the finish is quite permanent, testers were able to induce some "holster wear" on the slide. This is purely cosmetic and typical with any firearm the test team has reviewed. There is a recess for the thumb to rest for both right- and left-handed shooters. It allowed a variety of hand sizes to index their grip.
The intangibles
The XD9's trigger was typical for a duty firearm. It has a long take-up and a short sear reset. Sear reset is defined as a spring-loaded action that occurs when the firearm returns the battery and the trigger clicks into position in order to fire the firearm again. Using most handguns, the shooter can find where the sear resets by beginning with an empty firearm. Squeeze the trigger and hold it all the way to the rear. While still holding the trigger, retract the slide, then slowly allow the trigger to go forward. The first click is the sear reset. An experienced shooter will let his trigger finger go no further forward than the point of reset when shooting rapid-fire. On the XD9 Subcompact the reset is short, requiring little take-up. This is a desirable feature. However, as target pistols go, the XD9 trigger would be considered "mushy," meaning it is not particularly crisp. The XD9, however, is not a target pistol.
The most notable feature of the XD9 Subcompact is the grip angle. It is different than most other handguns the test team has reviewed. Regardless of the shooter's size, this handgun pointed quickly and was easy to fire in rapid-fire sequences. On some handguns, it takes some familiarization before shooters get used to raising the sighting plane to the eye and maintaining a level muzzle. For combat shooters, this causes a slight hesitation in sight alignment, and therefore shooting. The XD9 has "pointability," thus offering the tactical edge some officers have been looking for.
The weapon's moderate weight and compact size says plain-clothes duty in any language. It is also a safe bet that many officers will wear the XD9 Subcompact as backup on duty and on the belt for off-duty wear.
It is no coincidence that the XD9 Series has increased geometrically in popularity. The Law Enforcement Technology test team predicts this firearm will be a department-wide purchase for many agencies. It has set a new standard for innovation in off-duty handguns.

[Reeek]

Impressive just like we already know Thanks for posting. That was fun reading. Especially the part about anyone watching the test would have gone down to buy one immediately. This is a very accurate 3" barreled pistol for sure!

[Son of Norway]

I need a subby.

[retired]

I think you do too Son of Norway.. I like mine a lot.

Go down and buy one of those SCs post haste, you'll like it.