At the mention of the .45 ACP cartridge, the first thing that springs to mind is the 1911 platform. Sure, other makers have introduced pistols in .45, but the 1911 is just a historical classic. Nowadays, ultra-concealable pistols seem to be all the rage, with shooters flocking to them in droves. About a decade ago, Springfield Armory sought to directly address the concealed carry crowd’s desires with the XDs 3.3 single stack .45 ACP pistol. It’s easy to see that this pistol is geared toward maximum concealment while still offering what many consider to be the king of American pistol cartridges.
So how does the Springfield Armory XDs (the “s” stands for Slim) measure up? Is it reliable, concealable, and desirable? Is the recoil ferocious? You came to the right place to find out, because we’re going to let you know.
We’ve gotten far more spoiled than we realize with these tiny pistols because they’re lighter and easier to conceal than ever before. Even just a decade ago, we couldn’t have foreseen how light and small pistols were about to become. And yet, here we are. And it seems we take it for granted, for the most part.
I’ve babbled enough, let’s move on to see just what makes this pistol tick…
Tech Specs
The original XDs .45 ACP was introduced in 2012. Since that time, the original was discontinued and the Mod. 2 was introduced in 2021, and it seems to be chugging right along.
- Barrel: 3.3 inches.
- Recoil System: Dual captive recoil spring with full-length guide rod.
- Weight: 24 ounces with extended magazine.
- Frame: Polymer with enhanced grip texture.
- Grip Width: .9 inches.
- Length: 6.3 inches.
- Height: 4.4 inches.
Disclaimer
A real quick disclaimer here: Springfield did not send me this pistol or compensate me for doing this review; the pistol belongs to a friend, and we were both excited to check it out. My article is simply to pass along my findings to you because I’m a nice guy and a nerd who enjoys writing.
Other Features
The Melonite Finish coating on the slide and barrel gives the pistol extreme resistance to any sort of rust. A loaded chamber indicator on top of the slide protrudes, letting us know if there’s a round in the chamber. The slide is forged, and the barrel is hammer-forged.
The XDs is milled to accept an optic (OSP Ready), which are all the rage these days. As a bonus, Springfield will include an optic already mounted on the pistol should the buyer decide that’s the way he or she wishes to go.
Grip
The finger grooves on the front of the grip are subtle enough that they don’t interfere. Subtle seems to be the key to making finger grooves actually work on pistols. To boot, the texture on the grip is similar to the Adaptive Grip Texture used on other Springfield pistols, and it is stellar. The texture really locks the pistol into the hand and won’t allow it to slip.
As well, the balance of the XDs 3.3 is outstanding, and Springfield really seems to be making this a priority on their pistols nowadays (if you don’t believe me, check out the Hellcat and Hellcat Pro pistols).
This pistol is also equipped with a grip safety, just like the 1911 from so many years ago. We did not find the safety to be objectionable in any way, and actually found it to be comforting. An extra safety — hey, no complaints!
As for the grip width, it’s slightly less than one inch (after all, it is a single stack), which is great for concealment. When you grip up the pistol, you do realize that it’s a .45 though, because the grip is slightly wider than on a 9mm. The 9mm’s case is 19mm long, while the .45’s is 22.8mm long. Overall, the .90-inch thick grip is very comfortable and very slim.
The .45 ACP
Today’s trend seems to be toward 9mm pistols. It’s a little remarkable, then, that Springfield Armory went against the grain and embraced the .45 ACP. I won’t go into a 9mm vs. .45 debate here, as I believe both calibers are excellent, especially considering today’s top-notch hollow point ammunition.
Despite that, some people simply prefer to have that huge hunk of .45 caliber lead to throw at a target, and I can’t fault them for that. There’s a reason that the .45 ACP (Automatic Colt Pistol) caliber has been around since 1905. It seems to be doing something right.
My buddy, who bought the XDs, already had a few 9mm pistols and wanted the .45 because he yearned for “something different” than the 9mm, which has gotten a little boring for him. The fact that the .45 can be readily had in bullet weights of 185, 200, and 230, among others, is also appealing.
Recoil
Yes, it’s a .45, as we’ve already established. Yes, there is recoil. However, it’s not the big deal that I had read about prior to actually getting to shoot this pistol. People were saying that the recoil is too much for such a small pistol. I have to say, though, that my shooting buddy and I did not find this to be the case. While the recoil is certainly there, it’s not the snappy recoil that you get when firing a small 9mm or .40 caliber pistol. Rather, it’s a slower shove, almost as if someone grabbed the pistol’s slide and just gave it a shove back to chamber a round. Honestly, it’s not objectionable at all.
To prove it, I fired four rounds as fast as I could pull the trigger on a reduced-size silhouette target at about seven yards and was rewarded with a group that even shocked me. The four rounds all not only went into the head, but were nearly touching! I’d estimate that I fired the four rounds in about one second. Folks, this pistol can shoot! I’m even more impressed than you realize because I don’t consider myself to be the world’s best pistol shot; I can sure hold my own, but there are many who can (and do) beat me.
To be honest, I am taken aback at how little recoil this small pistol has because I was expecting quite a bit more. Mind you, it’s not like shooting a .22 Long Rifle, by any means. But a .45 in such a small platform really ought to be recoiling more than this. Springfield pulled off some sort of magic act with this one.
Let me tell you that if you’re on the fence about buying this pistol because of recoil, just take the plunge and buy it. You won’t be sorry.
Magazines
The XDs 3.3 .45 ACP comes with two magazines: a 5-rounder with an extension for the little finger, and a 6-rounder that has a base plate extension. We preferred the 6-rounder because that base plate extended the grip slightly, which not only gave the little finger a landing spot, but also extended the rear of the grip so that the palm had additional space on the grip.
My buddy also got a few 7-round magazines, which extended the grip slightly more, which we found to be pleasant and did not affect concealability very much at all. If I were carrying it, I’d likely use the 7-rounders and call it a day. 7+1 rounds in such a compact package is a serious win in my book.
At the Range
I’ve already raved about the accuracy of this little pistol with the close-range, rapid headshots. But really, all of the shooting we did yielded outstanding accuracy. In fact, this little pistol has no business being as accurate as it was, and we are still taken aback by it.
As expected, reliability was everything we’d hoped it would be, with no issues. The XDs .45 shoots very smoothly, with the sights settling back on target rapidly.
The controls are set up very well and we didn’t have to shift our grip to access them. Magazines ejected smoothly and with enthusiasm. Even the slide release worked well, although I normally release the slide by pulling it back with my support hand and releasing it.
We tried CCI Blazer, Herter’s FMJ, and PMC Bronze ammo in the pistol, with good results. Sig’s V-Crown hollow points ran through it as well.
The Final Word
With no hesitation, we declared the Springfield Armory XDs 3.3 .45 ACP pistol a winner. It shoots smoothly with less recoil than we anticipated. Reliability is great, and accuracy is phenomenal. A comfortable grip and excellent balance round out the package. There’s really nothing we found ourselves wishing for that the little pistol did not deliver.
My friend is now carrying this pistol and it conceals very well and is light and comfortable enough to carry all day. He stuffed the magazines with Sig’s V-Crown hollow points, which it functions well with.
He paid around $430 for this pistol, which seems to be a fair street price for it as this is written. Check one out, I’m pretty sure you’ll be pleased with it.
