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Springfield Armory’s XD-E single-stack polymer semi-automatic deflects the usual formula a tad by having an external hammer and double action / single action (DA/SA) operation. The XD-E, named after the external hammer, was introduced in 2017. It is available in 9x19 mm and .45 ACP calibers.

Springfield Armory launched its XD range of concealed carry polymer pistols in 2001 designed around pivot points of rich content, high performance, durability, ease of use and affordability. The XD-E is a family of four models within that range.

The XD-E features forged steel slide and hammer forged carbon steel barrel have Melonite finishes for wear, tear and corrosion resistance.

This gun is fairly conventional and functional in design. Primary controls such as the disassembly lever and slide stop are only on the left. The external hammer is a serrated loop, the trigger guard, grip and slide back all tilt forward more or less in parallel. The gun has rear serrations, but none in front, and there is a small single-slot Picatinny accessory rail below the recoil spring housing. The grip is short and has thumb rest indents just behind the trigger.

Atop the slide, XD-Es have dovetailed low-profile, combat sights at front and back. The one in front is a red fiber-optic sight while at back is a standard two-dot sight with glare cutting rear serrations. Since guns are constantly getting banged around or holstered, these sights are made of steel.

With safety in mind, XD-E has an ambidextrous thumb safety and a loaded chamber indicator atop the slide. You can see it and/or you can feel it to know if a round is chambered or not. And moving down a bit, the magazine release is ambidextrous.

Now back to the specifics for the four different models. 9x19 mm caliber has 3.3”, 3.8” and 4.5” barrel length models, all with a 1 to 10” twist. All three models come standard with one 8-round flush magazine and one 9-round extended magazine. Their overall lengths are, respectively, 6.75”, 7.16” and 7.87”, so in each case about 3.4” longer than the barrel. Weights including their flush magazines are 24.8 ounces, 26.4 and 28 ounces respectively.

In contrast, the .45 ACP only has a 3.3” barrel option with a 1 to 16” twist ratio. Thanks to its larger rounds, it is lower in capacity, and comes standard with one 6-round flash magazine and one 7-round extended magazine. This model’s overall length is 6.75” and weight is 25.6 ounces with the flush magazine.

Thanks to the single-stack grip architecture, all four models are only 1” wide. They measure 5” tall and they come only in matte black. Using the extended magazines instead of the flush ones increases weight by .8 ounces.

The Springfield Armory XD-E single-stack semi-automatic polymer pistols are Made in Croatia.

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