By Clayton Walker<\/a><\/p>\n T<\/span>he first-time buyer and the experienced shooter are equally vexed by one question:\u00a0\u201cWhat gun should I buy?\u201d<\/em>\u00a0We live in an age where we have not only a bewildering amount of excellent platforms from which to choose, but one in which a majority of those platforms are available in a multiplicity of mission-specific configurations.<\/p>\n Where handguns are concerned, you\u2019ll often find a great number available in a standard configuration, a \u201ctactical\u201d or competition-inspired package (often with a longer barrel) and a sub-compact model. While these choices theoretically maximize the chances of a buyer coming home from the gun store with a product that works for them, the reality is that many consumers agonize over the trade-offs.<\/p>\n More specifically, you might feel a full-sized gun could be comforting and accurate \u2014 but will the extra length feel unwieldy? Just as likely, you might begin to research a sub-compact pistol whose dimensions seem perfect for your CCW needs \u2014 but will it be a chore to shoot?<\/p>\n I began to wonder just how wide the gulf was between a full-sized gun and its CCW-sized little brother. To satisfy my curiosity, I decided to run a 5\u201d Springfield XD next to a 3\u201d Springfield XD to see what I could learn, especially as concerned the shootability of a small gun derived from a bigger platform.<\/p>\n Even before a single round leaves the barrel, it\u2019ll be evident to the experienced shooter that the 5\u201d XD is a natural pointer. The gun is svelte and agile, and the long 7\u201d+ sight radius greatly helps target acquisition. Bring the gun up to target, and it seems as though you\u2019re magically looking through the sights.<\/p>\n That said, the one area where I did notice an immediate difference between the two guns was in the weight of the slide: with more mass out at the front of the gun, the 5\u201d XD seems to \u201chang\u201d on the target more readily than its little brother.<\/p>\n That extra mass, initially, was a great benefit in rapid fire. I\u2019m certainly no competition shooter, but it was fairly easy with the 5\u201d XD to get my split times into the 0.30 second range and still keep a quick group at 7 yards within 4\u201d. Here, the full-sized grip and good ergonomics of the XD platform overall were clear assets. With Winchester \u201cwhite box\u201d 9mm, which is about as textbook of a 115-gr. practice load as you can get, the muzzle rose up and came back down on target fairly predictably.<\/p>\n Naturally, the longer barrel will also give you a slight velocity boost \u2014 nothing earth-shattering, mind you, but it\u2019s a palpable benefit worth mentioning. Others have done far more rigorous studies than I have across a variety of carry ammo \u2014 those wanting a great resource should check out a website called \u201cBallistics by the Inch\u201d \u2014 but I can say that in general one can expect a velocity boost of about 100 to 150 fps from 5\u201d of barrel as opposed to the same load shot through a 3\u201d tube. As a result, the 5\u201d gun, at least incrementally, will be flatter shooting and more equipped to realize full expansion of JHP ammo.\u00a0<\/p>\n The eyeball test seems to indicate the 3\u201d XD gives you a lot less to work with than its full-sized brother. Both in terms of barrel length and in terms of a rectangular, square inch \u201cfootprint,\u201d the smaller XD is about 40% of the size of the 5\u201d version.<\/p>\n However, these figures don\u2019t tell the whole story. The 3\u201d XD is about 16% lighter than the 5\u201d XD and still offers a relatively generous 5.3\u201d of sight radius on a subcompact gun. That\u2019s a lot of numbers to digest, but what it boils down to is a gun that\u2019s functionally much smaller than the 5\u201d gun, but doesn\u2019t feel vastly different in the hand or on target.<\/p>\n Normally, I have to brace myself for stout, unpleasant recoil when I gear up to shoot guns tailor-made for concealed carry. I\u2019m happy to report this wasn\u2019t the case with the 3\u201d XD. Recoil was\u00a0slightly\u00a0<\/em>amplified over the 5\u201d version, but overall the gun still handled very well.<\/p>\n I credit this to the dual-spring recoil system that goes into the smallest XD, as opposed to the single spring system in the 4\u201d and 5\u201d models. Naturally, there\u2019s some debate here. Some shooters opine that simpler is always better: why use two parts to do a job that can be done with only one? To that I say \u2014 at least as far as the XD 3\u201d goes \u2014 shoot it and you\u2019ll see the light.<\/p>\n Live The Armory Life.<\/strong> The latest content straight to your inbox plus an automatic entry to each of our monthly gun\u00a0giveaways!<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n As compared to the larger XD, my split times weren\u2019t tremendously different. I found that I was still running \u201cfailure to stop\u201d drills on the 3\u201d XD at roughly the same speed as I was with the 5\u201d model. Under recoil, the gun seemed just as responsive and lively, which was a pleasant surprise.<\/p>\n The reduced sight radiusdid, however, make a difference in terms of the\u00a0consistency<\/em>\u00a0I wanted. I often found that what\u00a0looked<\/em>\u00a0like an acceptable sight picture resulted in an occasional flyer during my 7-yard drills, where I was trying to push the gun to get good hits as fast as my skills allowed. Nothing egregious, mind you, but every now and again what felt like an A-zone hit drifted into the B-zone.<\/p>\n Similar results were found during a 50-foot \u201cheadshot\u201d drill. From the low ready, I raised the gun and fired as quickly as I felt I had a \u201cgood enough\u201d sight picture for the distances involved. Of the eleven rounds I shot on my last target, I had one miss, two fliers still good enough to land in the general \u201chead\u201d region, and the rest nicely clustered in a 3\u201d circle.<\/p>\n Surprisingly, accuracy wasn\u2019t much impeded when I took my time. Again, it\u2019s a little more challenging on the 3\u201d XD to precisely judge how much light you have on both sides of the front sight, but I was still impressed by the tiny groups I was getting. Even with the reduced dimensions, I can say this unequivocally: if you miss a half dollar-sized target within 10 yards, the fault is yours.<\/p>\n Blanket recommendations are thorny, but here goes: if concealed carry isn\u2019t a consideration or if you simply want to give yourself the best tool to stack rounds as possible, more sight radius and more mass are always positives. Although I think the 5\u201d XD would demand some concessions most in the CCW crowd would be unwilling to make, this would make a superb firearm for home defense or as an entry-level competition gun.<\/p>\n On the other hand, and as my \u201c.mil\u201d friends like to say, \u201counces make pounds.\u201d The 3\u201d XD can be more easily stowed, packed, hidden and worn than its bigger brother, and as far as firearms go, context matters. Naturally, the abridged size of the 3\u201d XD creates unavoidable trade-offs in terms of recoil control, sight radius, and overall pointability. But let me tell you \u2014 the 3\u201d model doesn\u2019t give up much.<\/p>\n Of course, Springfield Armory does indeed make a 4\u201d XD. It splits the difference between the two models, but not perfectly cleanly \u2014 thanks to its full-sized grip, it\u2019s a little closer in size and spirit to the biggest member of the XD family than it is to the smallest.<\/p>\n In the end, I found that in terms of the usual tropes associated with full-sized and sub-compact guns (i.e., the \u201cbelt anchor\u201d and \u201cmouse gun\u201d dichotomy), they simply didn\u2019t apply with this pistol family. If you fear the 5\u201d XD is unwieldy or heavy, it most certainly isn\u2019t. Practically, you\u2019ll find that the extra mass and slide radius turns what might seem to be an \u201ciffy\u201d called shot into an acceptable hit. Not always, but often enough to matter.<\/p>\n By the same token, if you doubt your ability to reach out and touch something with the 3\u201d XD, let me assure you it\u2019s more than up to the task (and truly, you\u2019ll have fun running it). If there\u2019s a drawback with the abbreviated dimensions on the sub-compact XD, it\u2019s that it takes a little more time and effort to guarantee a round will center punch the target.<\/p>\n As a result of these admittedly informal tests, I don\u2019t think there\u2019s a bad choice to be made. Both of the models I tested were remarkably capable handguns equipped for a wide variety of roles, from the recreational to the deadly serious. And, if you were wondering, both ran like a top, with absolutely no hiccups or malfunctions across a few hundred rounds of testing.<\/p>\n At least as far as the XD models are concerned, rest assured that whatever size you pick: sub-compact, service, or tactical, the guns are far more alike than they are different. Consider me pleasantly surprised by that conclusion!<\/p>\n Editor\u2019s Note: Please be sure to check out The Armory Life Forum, where you can comment about our daily articles, as well as just talk guns and gear. Click the \u201cGo To Forum Thread\u201d link below to jump in and discuss this article and much more!<\/em><\/p>\n Go to forum thread<\/a><\/p>\n
![\"In](\"https:\/\/www.thearmorylife.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/comparing-the-Springfield-XD-Tactical-vs-Springfield-XD-subcompact-1.jpg.webp)
\n<\/picture>The 5\u201d XD Tactical<\/strong><\/h2>\n
![\"This](\"https:\/\/www.thearmorylife.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/Springfield-Armory-XD-Tactical-1.jpg.webp)
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\n<\/picture>The 3\u201d XD Subcompact<\/strong><\/h2>\n
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<\/p>\n![\"Shown](\"https:\/\/www.thearmorylife.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/XD-sub-Compact-3-inch-9mm-handgun-1.jpg.webp)
\n<\/picture>What Should you Pick?<\/strong><\/h2>\n
![\"In](\"https:\/\/www.thearmorylife.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/XD-Tactical-vs-XD-sub-Compact-1.jpg.webp)
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\n<\/picture>Conclusion<\/strong><\/h2>\n
Join the Discussion<\/span><\/h5>\n
Featured in this article<\/span><\/h5>\n
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\n\t\t\t\t\t9mm<\/sup><\/span><\/span>
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<\/p>\nXD\u00ae 3″ Sub-Compact<\/span><\/h3>\n
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\n\t\t\t\t\t9mm<\/sup><\/span><\/span>
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<\/p>\nXD\u00ae 5″ Tactical Model<\/span><\/h3>\n
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