Hey guys this is a long post but one I thinkk is well worth it, if you ask me so here it is.
XD vs. GLOCK
Comparing the Service size and compact models. Which one?
This is a question that is being seen more and more on internet discussion
boards, from the crowds at the shooting ranges and the inquisitive consumer
at the gun store. Both are polymer handguns with similar trigger systems
and both are fired by an internal striker mechanism rather than a
traditional hammer. Both have a cult like following and strong loyal
supporters. The question that is being asked the most is: Which gun is
better and what are the differences between each model and what do these
differences mean? The other question that being asked is which gun is more
reliable and is it possible to conclude that one model is superior over the
other right out of the box? And if one is does that mean the other is not
the right choice? I am not sure if my personal study of these guns will
matter to you but I am going to attempt to answer some of these questions
and by its conclusion I will give you my personal choice for carry if I were
force to pick one over the other and explain my reasons for doing so. I
have to admit right off that I like both guns.
I have owned various Springfield XD models for the last several years to
include the service size 9mm, compact 9mm and the .40 S&W. I have owned
various Glock's throughout the years to include models in the following
calibers: 9mm, 10mm, .40 S&W, 45ACP. I have shot these guns thousands of
times and appreciate the differences between both models and have come to
the conclusion that these are not carbon copies of each other. After
studying the both the service size models and the compact guns from both
companies I would like to offer a head-to-head comparison of certain
attributes from both guns and sort out some of the differences that may
matter to you and possibly help decide which company offers the better
combat handgun. The Glock or the Springfield XD?
Striker System. First of all let's look at the most controversial question
that comes up between the two camps. Is the Glock's "double action only"
(DAO) designation safer than the XD's BATF designation as a "single action"
gun? Glock likes to point out that their pistols are DAO only striker
systems and therefore are more attractive to litigious conscious law
enforcement administrators and personal consumers. Springfield says
hogwash, that the actions though not completely similar are just as safe as
the Glock. The fact of the matter is that both guns are perfectly safe
until one pulls the trigger. Recently, American Handgunner had an excellent
article in their 2005 Annual by Charles Petty. In the article Mr. Petty
goes on to report that Springfield Armory commissioned the well-known
independent consulting firm, Tioga Engineering of Wellsboro, PA to compare
both the Glock and the XD striker systems. The reason was to see if Glock's
partially loaded striker system was safer than the XD's pre-loaded striker
system. The results were conclusive. The firing pin safety of both models
prevents the weapon from discharging until the trigger is pulled so neither
gun was superior to the other in this regard. In fact, the article goes on
to report that the Glock fired 100% of the time from its normal preloaded
level if not for the firing pin safety. The bottom line is that both
systems are safe no matter which action they are labeled to have and neither
striker system is inherently safer over the other. No matter what the
controversy there is over its trigger designation the only way that these
weapons will fire is if the trigger is pulled. This is an easy tie.
Sights: The XD's sights are made of metal and the Glock sights are plastic.
The Glock sights have the potential to wear away if you're practice drawing
and re-holstering a lot and these sights are probably the least durable part
of an otherwise very durable pistol. The XD sights are the common white
3-dot design and the Glock has a larger white dot front sight with a white
wide base rear sight. Both The XD and the Glock have dovetail fixed rear
sights so they're drift adjustable. Glock offers an adjustable rear sight
in their "Practical Tactical" models 34 & 35. Both companies offer optional
sights and of course lets not forget the plethora of after-market sight
systems available but this category is addressing the standard models "right
out of the box". I like the durability of the XD's metal sights. I score
this for the XD.
Slide: I think the issue in deciding which slide is better will come down
to one of two things. Do you prefer a slide with "nice to have options" or
would you rather have a finish that is virtually rust proof and scratch
resistant? The XD has three options that they like to advertise; forward
cocking serrations, a loaded chamber and active firing pin indicator.
Regarding the forward cocking serrations I have found that people either
love them or hate 'em. I personally like them though I feel the forward
serrations on my 1911's are superior to the XD's. If forward press checking
is an important element of your training you may like the XD. I spent
several weeks at a training school press checking two Glocks, which does not
have forward cocking serrations and though the purchase was not as secure as
the XD's I was able to do this without too much difficulty. As far as the
indicators go I feel they are unnecessary and just two more things to break.
In fact, my XD 9mm loaded chamber indicator once got stuck in the "loaded"
position when some fouling built up and I had to detail strip and clean this
area to fix it. One of the Springfield reps once told me that the broken
firing pin indicator is the most common reason the XD is returned for
warranty service. Incidentally, neither of these indicators will affect
function if they do break. New shooters may find these adjuncts useful but
experience shooters know never to trust an "idiot light". I basically
ignore mine but notice my wife appreciates these features on her XD9 and
they make her feel safer when handling the weapon. I tell her that it is OK
to use them but never rely on them to the point where it replaces safe gun
handling practices.
When comparing finishes the XD offers both blue and bi-tone models and you
can get the Glock slide in any color you want as long as it's black (my
apologies to Henry Ford). Without a doubt the Glock Tennifer finish is
superior to the XD's Brunial finish which has been known to wear and can
rust. Of course with just minimal care you can prevent this. I live in an
area with an average rainfall of greater than 100 inches per year and I
don't have a hint of rust on my XD's and I don't use any exotic oils or
silicone impregnated gun socks. I just clean the gun after each trip to the
range and wipe the slide down with a bit of Rem-Oil on a gun patch. When it
comes to corrosion and scratch resistance nothing beats Glock's Tennifer
finish. In fact the tennifer finish is probably the most durable stock
finish of any gun produced. I can live without the cocking serrations and
certainly live without the chamber/firing pin indicators but I like the fact
that my Glock's look nearly brand new after years of shooting and the wear
is minimal. The Tennifer protects against rust even after it wears. Glock
gets this vote hands down.
Receiver (grip): Both companies now offer frames available in both black
and olive drab and both receivers are made from very durable polymers that
deserve a better description than "plastic". The polymer receiver can
reduce perceived recoil by flexing slightly during recoil. This increases
the comfort factor when shooting and is one of those serendipitous design
features that make the Glock and XD so easy to shoot. Some shooters seem to
like the steeper angle of the XD and many appreciate the fact that there are
no finger grooves on the XD like there are on the 3rd generation Glock's.
The steep angle ensures a high hold on the XD but due to the higher bore
axis on the XD I feel the Glock offers quicker follow up shots. The XD
offers an ambidextrous magazine release but this isn't a strong selling
point with me. This could be helpful if one were forced to shoot one-handed
and needed to reload, but only if the shooter practiced this enough to
engrain this into muscle memory so it becomes second nature. I think in a
desperate situation I would still revert to using my trigger finger to
release the magazine if I were force to shoot with my support hand. Both
receivers are a bit slippery to me but I rectify that problem with some grip
tape. An out of the box combat pistol should fit as many hands as possible
and one of the complaints about the finger grooved Glocks is that the fit
can be less than ideal. I give the nod to the XD only because of this fact
and shooters with smaller hands should not require any grip modifications
and I feel the XD will fit more hands out of the box than the Glock.
Field Stripping: The XD incorporates a take down lever that is very similar
to a SIG. It is large and simple to use and makes the XD slide easier to
field strip. In fact, even most Glock aficionados agree with this after
they compare both systems. The XD requires you to simply lock the slide
back on the unloaded gun while you push up the takedown lever, rack the
slide to the rear and then push the slide into the forward position while
you pull the trigger. The Glock, though doable is a bit trickier since the
slide needs to be retracted slightly with the thumb under the rear tang of
the pistol while the fingers lie over the slide simultaneously with the same
hand. The opposite hand then has to depress the slide lock lever. After
the trigger block unlocks you must press the trigger to remove the slide.
People with large fingers often slip off the small slide lock lever though
with repetition this gets a lot easier. The XD is just easier and more
practical to field strip.
Detail Stripping: With minimal training one can easily detail strip a
Glock. They have fewer parts than the XD and are less complicated than the
Springfield model. There are publications and DVD's available that show you
how to do this step by step for both models. Overall the Glock is much
easier due to the fewer parts and a less complicated design. For those who
have a need to periodically detail strip their sidearm I score this one for
the Glock.
Trigger: Out of the box I feel the XD trigger is smoother than the Glock
but it has a longer take-up and reset time. The Glock's shorter reset
allows for quicker follow up shots this fact is a big plus for me. The
Glock's trigger weight can be easily adjusted by by just simply changing the
connector and/or the trigger spring. These parts are truly "drop-in" and it
is fairly simple to learn how to do this. The Glock's trigger can be
adjusted from under 3.5lbs for competition to >8lbs for duty or carry. The
standard service pistol trigger weight is 5.5lbs. The XD's trigger is
standard as far as I know but is smooth enough for both competition and
defense. The XD's trigger face is made of metal vs. the Glock's polymer
trigger and both have the same inner-face trigger safety which prevents the
trigger from moving back unless it is pulled straight back. I am not sure
how necessary this is but they both have it and it does not impede shooting
either gun. Though I like the out of the box XD trigger since it is so
smooth I am going to give the nod to the Glock because of the faster reset
time. I personally feel this is critically important in a combat handgun.
Safeties: Both the Glock and the XD have three internal safeties and they
are all passive. In other words they are all activated until you pull the
trigger. In addition the XD has an external grip safety. This is an
important consideration for some shooters and many departments require some
sort of external safety. I personally don't care for it since you must have
a full and secure grip with your hand for each and every shot because if you
don't you may not disengage the grip safety enough to fire the gun. During
a quick draw or less than ideal hold this could be problematic. To make
sure this does not happen, you must take advantage of the XD's high grip
angle to make sure the safety is disengaged. On advantage of this external
safety is that it adds some security when re-holstering the gun in the rare
case of something (such as a shirt tail or piece of foreign matter) gets
between the trigger guard and the holster and forces the trigger back. To
take advantage of this safety I re-holster by gripping the grip with my
fingers and I place my thumb directly on the slide cover bridging the grip
safety keeping it active. Both have trigger safeties that require the
trigger to be pulled straight back to fire. Both also have firing pin and
drop safeties. The bottom line is that the gun will not go off unless you
pull the trigger or you're dumb enough to roast it over an open fire.
Otherwise both of these guns are safe to use. I prefer the Glock without
the grip safety due to the possibility of the grip safety not disengaging in
a less than ideal hold of the gun. Stuff happens, you know?
Recoil Rod: Glock. The reason for this has nothing to do with the metal
(XD) vs. polymer (Glock) rod. It has to do with a potential for the slide
to "hang" on a quick drawer due to the XD's greater slide mass. I define
slide hanging as a momentary delay of the slide before going back into
battery during recoil. This can occur with a less than adequate grip or so
called "limp wristing". The few times this has happened to me have occurred
with drawing the pistol. I have never experienced a failure to fire with
this but it feels like it will fail to fire. On the one side you can say,
"get an ideal grip each and every time you drawer". Roger that, I will try
and I do. The other side or more realistic side of me says that just may
not happen in a high stress event so this hang-up can affect my follow up
shot. This does not happen each time I draw but enough for me to take
notice and order a Wolff non-captive recoil rod with a heavier recoil spring
to ensure the slide will go back into battery. The slide hang has more to
do with the XD's slide weight and bore axis than the recoil rod but the
recoil rod is what will control this. I have experienced the same thing
with a Glock but only with an extremely worn recoil rod spring. Edge goes
to Glock
Magazines: The Glock magazines are made from polymer and are classified as
drop free and most do but not necessarily all the time. Some of the
magazines require a little tug at times, especially the smaller models. The
XD mags are made from highly polished stainless steel and are truly drop
free. The XD magazines in my experience are very well made with strong feed
lips and dense polymer followers. They are much easier than the Glock
magazines to disassembly and clean. If fact, disassembling a Glock magazine
can be a royal pain. The Glock magazine has metal reinforced feed lips and
even though the polymer breaks down a bit with heavy use it does not appear
to affect function. Both magazines are quite reliable though I had to
change the standard high capacity magazine springs to ISMI 14-coil mag
springs to make my Glock 35 .40 S&W 100% reliable. Doing this was worth it
to me even though the additional coils force me to download by one round.
With my compact Glock 36 .45ACP I was able to fix an occasional
failure-to-fire by changing out the stock magazine springs to Wolff 10%
extra power springs. I feel the XD magazine is superior since it will
always drop free, is much easier to disassembly and to date I have never to
upgrade the springs to ensure reliability.
Reliability: This issue is probably the biggest reason that both the XD and
the Glock are so popular. The reliability of many of the polymer pistols is
the reason that so many law enforcement and legally license civilians use
these weapons. So which is more reliable? That is a tough call since both
have undergone numerous torture tests and have done well. I can tell you
that personally out of the XD's and Glock's I own the XD's have been more
reliable if truth were told. That being said I have shot my Glock's a whole
lot more than my XD's so who is to say that when I shoot my XD .40 around
10,000 times for example that it too will have the occasional malfunction
such as my Glock 35 (.40)? In my experience, right out of the box
reliability without doing any modifications to the gun or magazines the edge
would go to the XD when I compare them right off. Who knows? Perhaps with
the wrong XD or the right Glock, the role would be reversed. Both are truly
reliable pistols but since this article promised to address this issue I
would say the XD in my personal experience is the more reliable pistol
"right out of the box". I give the XD an A+ and the Glock an A-.
Shootability: Too subjective to rate. Like beauty, shootability is in the
eye of the beholder. I feel that out of the box the Springfield has the
smoother trigger and that gets better with use. The Glock trigger has a
faster rest time and a shorter amount of trigger slack but the stamped
trigger bars can be a bit on the rough side and have some creep in them.
The lower bore axis on the Glock allows for quicker follow up shots. The
Glock has inter-changeable connectors and trigger springs and you can
customize the trigger by making it heavier or lighter. I find that for
someone who owns both models the longer trigger length of the XD can cause
jerking if you're used to shooting the Glock or heeling if you're used to
the XD. I have had excellent accuracy with both models and really can't see
much difference with either. Both models have barrels that feed nearly
every type of bullet design and I don't have to avoid certain bullets like I
do with some of the other guns I own. I like the lower bore axis of the
Glock though and because of the faster reset of the trigger I am giving the
edge to the Glock
Accessories: Glock. The reason? They have been around longer and because
of that there are many accessories available for the Glock. That being
said, accessories can be a double edge sword. Sure there are a lot of
goodies and aftermarket accessories for the Glock but remember that not all
accessories are created equal and an accessory should only be added if it
will improve your ability to use your weapon without compromising its
reliability. Case in point; I was attending two weeks of handgun training
using a Glock 35 and 36. I shot 3500 rounds in 10-days. The only failures
I had on either Glock were due to after market accessories. One was a
stainless steel captive recoil rod for the 36, which unscrewed and would
have caused a "life ending jam" if this occurred for real instead of
training. It required two instructors, myself and a rubber mallet to fix
the problem. The stock plastic recoil rod was then used without incident.
The two other failures were an after market trigger which I installed
because the trigger was made of aluminum and not plastic and it just
disintegrated one day and fell out of the gun and the other was an extended
slide lock lever that fell out because I put the wrong size in. No failures
due to stock parts.
Accessories that I personally like for the Glock are: Extended slide lock
levers (the right size ones) since it makes field stripping much easier and
grip tape for a secure purchase. I like the skateboard type tape vs. the
rubber type tape or neoprene sleeves. Equally impressive is the A-Grip,
which covers the entire grip. I recommend you use the stock recoil rod
unless you're shooting very hot ammo that is causing the slide to lock back
prematurely. For specialty ammo or hot hand loads that cause this the Wolff
stainless steel recoil rod and a heavier rated spring may be helpful. Be
cautious of extended slide stop levers for the smaller guns. I have seen
them cause unintentional slide lock ups when the shooter's thumb
accidentally hits the lever. Most accessories are completely unnecessary
and you would be better served to put that money in extra ammo for practice
or a good quality holster.
There are plenty of high quality holsters available for both models. Most
accessories I have seen for the XD are holsters, non-captive recoil rods,
mounted flashlights and after market sights.
Rail Lights: Both companies have rail lights on their dust covers and a
Glock light will fit onto the XD and Springfield's smaller light will fit on
a Glock. In fact any picatinny accessible light will fit both models. Baby
Glock's (models 26, 27, 32, 39) have no rails. The XD compact model is
comparable to the compact Glock and have a rail. Tie.
Calibers: Glock offers more calibers than the XD to include: 9mm, 10mm,
.357 SIG, .40 S&W, .380 (not available in the US), .45ACP and .45 GAP. The
XD offers 9mm, .40 S&W, .357 SIG & .45 GAP. Springfield does not offer a
.45ACP and this may be a deal breaker for some people. In fact, I
personally feel this was a big mistake for Springfield since the .45ACP is
so popular. In a service size pistol I do not see any advantage of the .45
GAP and I personally feel Springfield missed the boat with this one.
Hopefully they will offer the .45ACP in the future. By virtue of the number
of calibers offer and the availability of three .45ACP models I score this
one for Glock.
Price: Many times the consumer won't really care about many of the above
mention features. They will care about the price. Others feel you get what
you pay for. Either way you can't go wrong with either the Glock or the XD
since they are both offer a lot of bang for the buck (no pun intended).
Glock's and XD's are quite affordable when compared to many of the other
handguns on the market. Overall the XD is less costly than the Glock when
you compare the MSRP but things may even up a bit if the smart shopper looks
around. Internet buying has certainly made guns more affordable and you can
find Glock's for nearly the same price as the XD's. Though Springfield is
an American company the XD is produced in Croatia and is imported to the US
just like Glock is imported from Austria, so neither gun is truly made in
the USA. Price wise, the edge goes to the XD.
Overall results. I'm scoring it the following way: 8 points for Glock, 6
points for the XD and 2 ties. Each gun has some slight advantages over the
other and I would feel comfortable with either on my hip. In fact, there
are many times that I do alternate carrying these pistols and will take one
of each when I got for training this year. I hope this article has helped
rather than confuse you over the differences between the Glock and the
Springfield XD. I feel that both of these handguns are the two best
"combat" handguns I have ever shot.
If I were force to carry one over the other I would choose the Glock. Why?
I feel that the lower bore axis and faster reset time is critical for my
criteria for a combat handgun. Probably due to sheer volume, I shoot the
Glock better and because of that fact it increases my chances that I may not
completely reset the striker on the XD. I also have had several incidences
of not disengaging the XD's grip safety completely thus delaying the firing
of the gun. In a perfect world I would just hold the gun correctly but
there could be times that this just may not happen. This has not happened
all that much with the XD but the few times this has occurred certainly got
my attention. I like Glock's superior finish. I don't feel that there is a
better one out there. I also like the fact that the Glock is available in
.45ACP, which is an important consideration to many shooters. Certainly I
would not feel under armed with the XD and to tell you the truth I feel it
is a more reliable handgun right out of the box since I never had to
"upgrade" my mag springs to make them function reliably like I have with two
of my Glocks. That being said I make sure any handgun I own is reliable
before I carry it and that was why I was able to identify and fix the
magazine problem for both Glocks. It is also my personal opinion that these
guns are more reliable than any 1911 I owned past or present but will leave
comparing the 1911 to combat "Tupperware" for a later article. You can't go
wrong with either and remember your experience may be different than mine.
Stay alert. Stay prepared. Stay safe.
XD vs. GLOCK
Comparing the Service size and compact models. Which one?
This is a question that is being seen more and more on internet discussion
boards, from the crowds at the shooting ranges and the inquisitive consumer
at the gun store. Both are polymer handguns with similar trigger systems
and both are fired by an internal striker mechanism rather than a
traditional hammer. Both have a cult like following and strong loyal
supporters. The question that is being asked the most is: Which gun is
better and what are the differences between each model and what do these
differences mean? The other question that being asked is which gun is more
reliable and is it possible to conclude that one model is superior over the
other right out of the box? And if one is does that mean the other is not
the right choice? I am not sure if my personal study of these guns will
matter to you but I am going to attempt to answer some of these questions
and by its conclusion I will give you my personal choice for carry if I were
force to pick one over the other and explain my reasons for doing so. I
have to admit right off that I like both guns.
I have owned various Springfield XD models for the last several years to
include the service size 9mm, compact 9mm and the .40 S&W. I have owned
various Glock's throughout the years to include models in the following
calibers: 9mm, 10mm, .40 S&W, 45ACP. I have shot these guns thousands of
times and appreciate the differences between both models and have come to
the conclusion that these are not carbon copies of each other. After
studying the both the service size models and the compact guns from both
companies I would like to offer a head-to-head comparison of certain
attributes from both guns and sort out some of the differences that may
matter to you and possibly help decide which company offers the better
combat handgun. The Glock or the Springfield XD?
Striker System. First of all let's look at the most controversial question
that comes up between the two camps. Is the Glock's "double action only"
(DAO) designation safer than the XD's BATF designation as a "single action"
gun? Glock likes to point out that their pistols are DAO only striker
systems and therefore are more attractive to litigious conscious law
enforcement administrators and personal consumers. Springfield says
hogwash, that the actions though not completely similar are just as safe as
the Glock. The fact of the matter is that both guns are perfectly safe
until one pulls the trigger. Recently, American Handgunner had an excellent
article in their 2005 Annual by Charles Petty. In the article Mr. Petty
goes on to report that Springfield Armory commissioned the well-known
independent consulting firm, Tioga Engineering of Wellsboro, PA to compare
both the Glock and the XD striker systems. The reason was to see if Glock's
partially loaded striker system was safer than the XD's pre-loaded striker
system. The results were conclusive. The firing pin safety of both models
prevents the weapon from discharging until the trigger is pulled so neither
gun was superior to the other in this regard. In fact, the article goes on
to report that the Glock fired 100% of the time from its normal preloaded
level if not for the firing pin safety. The bottom line is that both
systems are safe no matter which action they are labeled to have and neither
striker system is inherently safer over the other. No matter what the
controversy there is over its trigger designation the only way that these
weapons will fire is if the trigger is pulled. This is an easy tie.
Sights: The XD's sights are made of metal and the Glock sights are plastic.
The Glock sights have the potential to wear away if you're practice drawing
and re-holstering a lot and these sights are probably the least durable part
of an otherwise very durable pistol. The XD sights are the common white
3-dot design and the Glock has a larger white dot front sight with a white
wide base rear sight. Both The XD and the Glock have dovetail fixed rear
sights so they're drift adjustable. Glock offers an adjustable rear sight
in their "Practical Tactical" models 34 & 35. Both companies offer optional
sights and of course lets not forget the plethora of after-market sight
systems available but this category is addressing the standard models "right
out of the box". I like the durability of the XD's metal sights. I score
this for the XD.
Slide: I think the issue in deciding which slide is better will come down
to one of two things. Do you prefer a slide with "nice to have options" or
would you rather have a finish that is virtually rust proof and scratch
resistant? The XD has three options that they like to advertise; forward
cocking serrations, a loaded chamber and active firing pin indicator.
Regarding the forward cocking serrations I have found that people either
love them or hate 'em. I personally like them though I feel the forward
serrations on my 1911's are superior to the XD's. If forward press checking
is an important element of your training you may like the XD. I spent
several weeks at a training school press checking two Glocks, which does not
have forward cocking serrations and though the purchase was not as secure as
the XD's I was able to do this without too much difficulty. As far as the
indicators go I feel they are unnecessary and just two more things to break.
In fact, my XD 9mm loaded chamber indicator once got stuck in the "loaded"
position when some fouling built up and I had to detail strip and clean this
area to fix it. One of the Springfield reps once told me that the broken
firing pin indicator is the most common reason the XD is returned for
warranty service. Incidentally, neither of these indicators will affect
function if they do break. New shooters may find these adjuncts useful but
experience shooters know never to trust an "idiot light". I basically
ignore mine but notice my wife appreciates these features on her XD9 and
they make her feel safer when handling the weapon. I tell her that it is OK
to use them but never rely on them to the point where it replaces safe gun
handling practices.
When comparing finishes the XD offers both blue and bi-tone models and you
can get the Glock slide in any color you want as long as it's black (my
apologies to Henry Ford). Without a doubt the Glock Tennifer finish is
superior to the XD's Brunial finish which has been known to wear and can
rust. Of course with just minimal care you can prevent this. I live in an
area with an average rainfall of greater than 100 inches per year and I
don't have a hint of rust on my XD's and I don't use any exotic oils or
silicone impregnated gun socks. I just clean the gun after each trip to the
range and wipe the slide down with a bit of Rem-Oil on a gun patch. When it
comes to corrosion and scratch resistance nothing beats Glock's Tennifer
finish. In fact the tennifer finish is probably the most durable stock
finish of any gun produced. I can live without the cocking serrations and
certainly live without the chamber/firing pin indicators but I like the fact
that my Glock's look nearly brand new after years of shooting and the wear
is minimal. The Tennifer protects against rust even after it wears. Glock
gets this vote hands down.
Receiver (grip): Both companies now offer frames available in both black
and olive drab and both receivers are made from very durable polymers that
deserve a better description than "plastic". The polymer receiver can
reduce perceived recoil by flexing slightly during recoil. This increases
the comfort factor when shooting and is one of those serendipitous design
features that make the Glock and XD so easy to shoot. Some shooters seem to
like the steeper angle of the XD and many appreciate the fact that there are
no finger grooves on the XD like there are on the 3rd generation Glock's.
The steep angle ensures a high hold on the XD but due to the higher bore
axis on the XD I feel the Glock offers quicker follow up shots. The XD
offers an ambidextrous magazine release but this isn't a strong selling
point with me. This could be helpful if one were forced to shoot one-handed
and needed to reload, but only if the shooter practiced this enough to
engrain this into muscle memory so it becomes second nature. I think in a
desperate situation I would still revert to using my trigger finger to
release the magazine if I were force to shoot with my support hand. Both
receivers are a bit slippery to me but I rectify that problem with some grip
tape. An out of the box combat pistol should fit as many hands as possible
and one of the complaints about the finger grooved Glocks is that the fit
can be less than ideal. I give the nod to the XD only because of this fact
and shooters with smaller hands should not require any grip modifications
and I feel the XD will fit more hands out of the box than the Glock.
Field Stripping: The XD incorporates a take down lever that is very similar
to a SIG. It is large and simple to use and makes the XD slide easier to
field strip. In fact, even most Glock aficionados agree with this after
they compare both systems. The XD requires you to simply lock the slide
back on the unloaded gun while you push up the takedown lever, rack the
slide to the rear and then push the slide into the forward position while
you pull the trigger. The Glock, though doable is a bit trickier since the
slide needs to be retracted slightly with the thumb under the rear tang of
the pistol while the fingers lie over the slide simultaneously with the same
hand. The opposite hand then has to depress the slide lock lever. After
the trigger block unlocks you must press the trigger to remove the slide.
People with large fingers often slip off the small slide lock lever though
with repetition this gets a lot easier. The XD is just easier and more
practical to field strip.
Detail Stripping: With minimal training one can easily detail strip a
Glock. They have fewer parts than the XD and are less complicated than the
Springfield model. There are publications and DVD's available that show you
how to do this step by step for both models. Overall the Glock is much
easier due to the fewer parts and a less complicated design. For those who
have a need to periodically detail strip their sidearm I score this one for
the Glock.
Trigger: Out of the box I feel the XD trigger is smoother than the Glock
but it has a longer take-up and reset time. The Glock's shorter reset
allows for quicker follow up shots this fact is a big plus for me. The
Glock's trigger weight can be easily adjusted by by just simply changing the
connector and/or the trigger spring. These parts are truly "drop-in" and it
is fairly simple to learn how to do this. The Glock's trigger can be
adjusted from under 3.5lbs for competition to >8lbs for duty or carry. The
standard service pistol trigger weight is 5.5lbs. The XD's trigger is
standard as far as I know but is smooth enough for both competition and
defense. The XD's trigger face is made of metal vs. the Glock's polymer
trigger and both have the same inner-face trigger safety which prevents the
trigger from moving back unless it is pulled straight back. I am not sure
how necessary this is but they both have it and it does not impede shooting
either gun. Though I like the out of the box XD trigger since it is so
smooth I am going to give the nod to the Glock because of the faster reset
time. I personally feel this is critically important in a combat handgun.
Safeties: Both the Glock and the XD have three internal safeties and they
are all passive. In other words they are all activated until you pull the
trigger. In addition the XD has an external grip safety. This is an
important consideration for some shooters and many departments require some
sort of external safety. I personally don't care for it since you must have
a full and secure grip with your hand for each and every shot because if you
don't you may not disengage the grip safety enough to fire the gun. During
a quick draw or less than ideal hold this could be problematic. To make
sure this does not happen, you must take advantage of the XD's high grip
angle to make sure the safety is disengaged. On advantage of this external
safety is that it adds some security when re-holstering the gun in the rare
case of something (such as a shirt tail or piece of foreign matter) gets
between the trigger guard and the holster and forces the trigger back. To
take advantage of this safety I re-holster by gripping the grip with my
fingers and I place my thumb directly on the slide cover bridging the grip
safety keeping it active. Both have trigger safeties that require the
trigger to be pulled straight back to fire. Both also have firing pin and
drop safeties. The bottom line is that the gun will not go off unless you
pull the trigger or you're dumb enough to roast it over an open fire.
Otherwise both of these guns are safe to use. I prefer the Glock without
the grip safety due to the possibility of the grip safety not disengaging in
a less than ideal hold of the gun. Stuff happens, you know?
Recoil Rod: Glock. The reason for this has nothing to do with the metal
(XD) vs. polymer (Glock) rod. It has to do with a potential for the slide
to "hang" on a quick drawer due to the XD's greater slide mass. I define
slide hanging as a momentary delay of the slide before going back into
battery during recoil. This can occur with a less than adequate grip or so
called "limp wristing". The few times this has happened to me have occurred
with drawing the pistol. I have never experienced a failure to fire with
this but it feels like it will fail to fire. On the one side you can say,
"get an ideal grip each and every time you drawer". Roger that, I will try
and I do. The other side or more realistic side of me says that just may
not happen in a high stress event so this hang-up can affect my follow up
shot. This does not happen each time I draw but enough for me to take
notice and order a Wolff non-captive recoil rod with a heavier recoil spring
to ensure the slide will go back into battery. The slide hang has more to
do with the XD's slide weight and bore axis than the recoil rod but the
recoil rod is what will control this. I have experienced the same thing
with a Glock but only with an extremely worn recoil rod spring. Edge goes
to Glock
Magazines: The Glock magazines are made from polymer and are classified as
drop free and most do but not necessarily all the time. Some of the
magazines require a little tug at times, especially the smaller models. The
XD mags are made from highly polished stainless steel and are truly drop
free. The XD magazines in my experience are very well made with strong feed
lips and dense polymer followers. They are much easier than the Glock
magazines to disassembly and clean. If fact, disassembling a Glock magazine
can be a royal pain. The Glock magazine has metal reinforced feed lips and
even though the polymer breaks down a bit with heavy use it does not appear
to affect function. Both magazines are quite reliable though I had to
change the standard high capacity magazine springs to ISMI 14-coil mag
springs to make my Glock 35 .40 S&W 100% reliable. Doing this was worth it
to me even though the additional coils force me to download by one round.
With my compact Glock 36 .45ACP I was able to fix an occasional
failure-to-fire by changing out the stock magazine springs to Wolff 10%
extra power springs. I feel the XD magazine is superior since it will
always drop free, is much easier to disassembly and to date I have never to
upgrade the springs to ensure reliability.
Reliability: This issue is probably the biggest reason that both the XD and
the Glock are so popular. The reliability of many of the polymer pistols is
the reason that so many law enforcement and legally license civilians use
these weapons. So which is more reliable? That is a tough call since both
have undergone numerous torture tests and have done well. I can tell you
that personally out of the XD's and Glock's I own the XD's have been more
reliable if truth were told. That being said I have shot my Glock's a whole
lot more than my XD's so who is to say that when I shoot my XD .40 around
10,000 times for example that it too will have the occasional malfunction
such as my Glock 35 (.40)? In my experience, right out of the box
reliability without doing any modifications to the gun or magazines the edge
would go to the XD when I compare them right off. Who knows? Perhaps with
the wrong XD or the right Glock, the role would be reversed. Both are truly
reliable pistols but since this article promised to address this issue I
would say the XD in my personal experience is the more reliable pistol
"right out of the box". I give the XD an A+ and the Glock an A-.
Shootability: Too subjective to rate. Like beauty, shootability is in the
eye of the beholder. I feel that out of the box the Springfield has the
smoother trigger and that gets better with use. The Glock trigger has a
faster rest time and a shorter amount of trigger slack but the stamped
trigger bars can be a bit on the rough side and have some creep in them.
The lower bore axis on the Glock allows for quicker follow up shots. The
Glock has inter-changeable connectors and trigger springs and you can
customize the trigger by making it heavier or lighter. I find that for
someone who owns both models the longer trigger length of the XD can cause
jerking if you're used to shooting the Glock or heeling if you're used to
the XD. I have had excellent accuracy with both models and really can't see
much difference with either. Both models have barrels that feed nearly
every type of bullet design and I don't have to avoid certain bullets like I
do with some of the other guns I own. I like the lower bore axis of the
Glock though and because of the faster reset of the trigger I am giving the
edge to the Glock
Accessories: Glock. The reason? They have been around longer and because
of that there are many accessories available for the Glock. That being
said, accessories can be a double edge sword. Sure there are a lot of
goodies and aftermarket accessories for the Glock but remember that not all
accessories are created equal and an accessory should only be added if it
will improve your ability to use your weapon without compromising its
reliability. Case in point; I was attending two weeks of handgun training
using a Glock 35 and 36. I shot 3500 rounds in 10-days. The only failures
I had on either Glock were due to after market accessories. One was a
stainless steel captive recoil rod for the 36, which unscrewed and would
have caused a "life ending jam" if this occurred for real instead of
training. It required two instructors, myself and a rubber mallet to fix
the problem. The stock plastic recoil rod was then used without incident.
The two other failures were an after market trigger which I installed
because the trigger was made of aluminum and not plastic and it just
disintegrated one day and fell out of the gun and the other was an extended
slide lock lever that fell out because I put the wrong size in. No failures
due to stock parts.
Accessories that I personally like for the Glock are: Extended slide lock
levers (the right size ones) since it makes field stripping much easier and
grip tape for a secure purchase. I like the skateboard type tape vs. the
rubber type tape or neoprene sleeves. Equally impressive is the A-Grip,
which covers the entire grip. I recommend you use the stock recoil rod
unless you're shooting very hot ammo that is causing the slide to lock back
prematurely. For specialty ammo or hot hand loads that cause this the Wolff
stainless steel recoil rod and a heavier rated spring may be helpful. Be
cautious of extended slide stop levers for the smaller guns. I have seen
them cause unintentional slide lock ups when the shooter's thumb
accidentally hits the lever. Most accessories are completely unnecessary
and you would be better served to put that money in extra ammo for practice
or a good quality holster.
There are plenty of high quality holsters available for both models. Most
accessories I have seen for the XD are holsters, non-captive recoil rods,
mounted flashlights and after market sights.
Rail Lights: Both companies have rail lights on their dust covers and a
Glock light will fit onto the XD and Springfield's smaller light will fit on
a Glock. In fact any picatinny accessible light will fit both models. Baby
Glock's (models 26, 27, 32, 39) have no rails. The XD compact model is
comparable to the compact Glock and have a rail. Tie.
Calibers: Glock offers more calibers than the XD to include: 9mm, 10mm,
.357 SIG, .40 S&W, .380 (not available in the US), .45ACP and .45 GAP. The
XD offers 9mm, .40 S&W, .357 SIG & .45 GAP. Springfield does not offer a
.45ACP and this may be a deal breaker for some people. In fact, I
personally feel this was a big mistake for Springfield since the .45ACP is
so popular. In a service size pistol I do not see any advantage of the .45
GAP and I personally feel Springfield missed the boat with this one.
Hopefully they will offer the .45ACP in the future. By virtue of the number
of calibers offer and the availability of three .45ACP models I score this
one for Glock.
Price: Many times the consumer won't really care about many of the above
mention features. They will care about the price. Others feel you get what
you pay for. Either way you can't go wrong with either the Glock or the XD
since they are both offer a lot of bang for the buck (no pun intended).
Glock's and XD's are quite affordable when compared to many of the other
handguns on the market. Overall the XD is less costly than the Glock when
you compare the MSRP but things may even up a bit if the smart shopper looks
around. Internet buying has certainly made guns more affordable and you can
find Glock's for nearly the same price as the XD's. Though Springfield is
an American company the XD is produced in Croatia and is imported to the US
just like Glock is imported from Austria, so neither gun is truly made in
the USA. Price wise, the edge goes to the XD.
Overall results. I'm scoring it the following way: 8 points for Glock, 6
points for the XD and 2 ties. Each gun has some slight advantages over the
other and I would feel comfortable with either on my hip. In fact, there
are many times that I do alternate carrying these pistols and will take one
of each when I got for training this year. I hope this article has helped
rather than confuse you over the differences between the Glock and the
Springfield XD. I feel that both of these handguns are the two best
"combat" handguns I have ever shot.
If I were force to carry one over the other I would choose the Glock. Why?
I feel that the lower bore axis and faster reset time is critical for my
criteria for a combat handgun. Probably due to sheer volume, I shoot the
Glock better and because of that fact it increases my chances that I may not
completely reset the striker on the XD. I also have had several incidences
of not disengaging the XD's grip safety completely thus delaying the firing
of the gun. In a perfect world I would just hold the gun correctly but
there could be times that this just may not happen. This has not happened
all that much with the XD but the few times this has occurred certainly got
my attention. I like Glock's superior finish. I don't feel that there is a
better one out there. I also like the fact that the Glock is available in
.45ACP, which is an important consideration to many shooters. Certainly I
would not feel under armed with the XD and to tell you the truth I feel it
is a more reliable handgun right out of the box since I never had to
"upgrade" my mag springs to make them function reliably like I have with two
of my Glocks. That being said I make sure any handgun I own is reliable
before I carry it and that was why I was able to identify and fix the
magazine problem for both Glocks. It is also my personal opinion that these
guns are more reliable than any 1911 I owned past or present but will leave
comparing the 1911 to combat "Tupperware" for a later article. You can't go
wrong with either and remember your experience may be different than mine.
Stay alert. Stay prepared. Stay safe.
