Springfield XD Mod.3 Review: Gun of the Year Candidate?

The XD line goes all the way back to about 2001, and the Mod 2 was mostly surface-level iteration. The Mod.3 is really a different gun that still embodies what the XD is. I picked this one up about a week ago at Grace's in Clearfield, PA and couldn't wait to get it out on this chilly Pennsylvania morning.

First thing — and hopefully this is a trend that spreads across the whole industry, do you hear me, Glock — it comes from the factory optics ready. Springfield's OSP plate system covers DPP, RMR, and Doctor cuts, and the plates aren't $300 like some manufacturers charge, so getting your optic mounted is cheap and easy. We ran irons today, because why the hell not, and the irons are a genuine highlight: two-white-dot rear with a striker status indicator, and a fiber optic front that was absolutely glowing in the morning sun. That front sight makes target acquisition just plain fast — probably one of the better fiber optic fronts I've seen, right up there with what Canik puts on their guns.

The ergonomics got real attention. There's a new bevel on the grip safety that makes sure you're actually disengaging it as you press down, an extended beavertail, and an undercut trigger guard that lets you choke way up on the gun. Grip texture and slide serrations are both more aggressive than before, and the texture worked great even under gloves. The biggest change to me is the trigger: the old straight curved trigger is gone, replaced with a semi-flat-faced trigger — with its little dingle-dally safety — that is one billion times better than the original XD trigger. Mags are the same 16-rounders as your other XDs (10-round versions exist if you're stuck in one of those commie states), and the mag release is ambidextrous. Like the Echelon we reviewed last year, it's made in Croatia. It's 27 ounces with a 4-inch barrel — not a heavy sucker.

At the range it ran great. It wasn't kicking up on me at all — I shot it pretty flat, and that fiber optic front got me on steel fast every single time. My one hiccup: I failed to get slide lock-back twice, and it was my own dumbass fault. I ride the slide stop with my thumb, and between how high this beavertail lets you grip and the gloves I was wearing, my thumb was sitting on it. I took the glove off, shot one-handed, and got lock-back every time — it wasn't the firearm and it wasn't the ammo.

Now the kicker: MSRP is $325. Street price, I've seen these as low as $255 and up to around $299 — I paid $289. For a gun with a fiber optic front, factory optic cuts, ambidextrous controls, a real trigger, and mag compatibility with the whole XD line, I'd still call it a value at $589. This is the prototypical first pistol for an entry-level enthusiast, and it's good enough that guys like us who own way too many guns will enjoy it too. It's officially in the running for gun of the year.