Springfield Armory XD Mod.3 Review

In this Springfield Armory XD Mod.3 review, I received the gun as a loaner from the company to review. No agreement for a positive review was made or requested. All other items shown in the photos are personally owned by me.

The new Springfield Armory XD Mod.3 9mm pistol caught me off guard. The original XD line has been around for more than 20 years and remains in the company’s inventory. While Springfield Armory did sell a Mod.2 for a while, then the XD-M and XD-M Elite, I had figured the company was focusing future development energy into the Springfield Echelon line.

Then the company sent me the Mod.3 for review, surprising me with its improvements and very aggressive price: $325.

I have to say that I’m impressed by this striker-fired pistol, and I think it is one of the best guns for the money on the market today.

What is the Springfield XD Mod.3?

The new XD Mod.3 is a polymer-framed pistol chambered for the popular 9x19mm Parabellum cartridge. It is an evolution of the company’s XD9 pistol, specifically the 4” model. Be sure to read my previous article, Springfield XD 9mm review, for more information about that handgun.

Springfield’s XD Mod.3 is nearly identical in overall size to the XD9 Service model. It is also very similar in size to the ubiquitous Glock 19.

When I unboxed the Mod.3 pistol, I was struck at how different it appeared from the original gun. It balanced about the same, but it felt different. It’s heritage is obvious, but it is not just a fresh coat of paint on the old guns.

XD Mod.3 Slide Cut for Red Dot Sights

One of the most significant changes you get with the Mod.3 is that the slides are now cut for red dot sights. When the first XD pistols were introduced, very few people used an optic on their pistols. Now, reflex sights are far more common.

The Mod.3 uses the same OSP mounting plates that Springfield Armory uses with its XD-M OSP, XD-M Elite and its XD Optics Ready slide assemblies. Individual plates are relatively inexpensive ($25) and available for a wide range of red dot sights.

Here are some of the confirmed compatibilities:

Optics Mounting Plate XD5071

• Burris Fastfire 3
• HEX Dragonfly
• Vortex Venom and Viper

Optics Mounting Plate XD5072

• Crimson Trace 1500
• HEX Wasp
• J-Point
• Leupold DeltaPoint and DeltaPoint Pro
• Redfield Accelerator
• Shield RMS, RMSc and SMSc
• SIG SAUER Romeo Zero

Optics Mounting Plate XD5073

• Holosun 407c and 507c
• Trijicon RMR and SRO

My XD Mod.3 came with the XD5072 mounting plate. I tried the Leupold DeltaPoint, Shield RMSc and Crimson Trace red dot sights on it. All fit as expected with no issues.

Springfield Armory includes a cover plate for the slide in case you have no desired to add an optic. This also fit well.

Enhanced Slide Cuts

The OSP cut is not the only new machining work being done on the XD Mod.3 pistol. The slide features improved serrations both forward of and to the rear of the ejection port. These cuts are wide and deep giving you a really good purchase on the slide when racking it.

Taking a cue from the Echelon, the rear of the slide has a flare cut to further reduce the possibility of your hand slipping off the rear of the gun when running the slide under pressure.

When Springfield Armory introduced the XD slide assembly last year, I commented that they improved the slide serrations. These cuts surpass those by a wide margin.

Updated Frame

While the original Springfield Armory XD had an acceptable grip, but it was still a bit slicker that I would like to have on a duty gun. A lot of people apply skateboard tape or other material to improve their grip on the firearm.

Springfield Armory fixed this with the Mod.3. It has a more aggressive texture on the backstrap and on the front of the grip. It makes a huge difference in controlling the pistol when shooting.

Oh, and before anyone asks: no silly Grip Zone markings.

There is a generous undercut on the trigger guard. This allows you to get a higher grip on the gun to further increase your control of the handgun.

Flat Trigger on the XD Mod.3

Original XD pistols have a thin, curved trigger. It’s not bad and is preferable to a lot of the triggers on competing pistols. Even so, it is not perfect. Like the frame and slide, the trigger has also been improved on the Springfield XD Mod.3 pistols.

Instead of a curved face, the XD Mod.3 uses a flat trigger. It looks, and feels, a lot like the META trigger the company uses on it’s XD-M Elite pistols. Match Enhanced Trigger Assembly, or META, is the name given to the company’s precision trigger that it claims is the “finest factory trigger available in a polymer-framed pistol.” I don’t know if I’d go that far, but it is a great feeling trigger.

The XD Mod.3 trigger has a moderate amount of take-up with a light pull. It breaks clean. An integral stop prevents overtravel. Trigger reset is a touch longer than I would like, but it is well within my personal tolerances.

Sights

In addition to the option for red dot sights, Springfield Armory includes quality sights on the XD Mod.3.

Using a popular 3-dot sight arrangement, the front sight is a bright red fiber optic sight in a rugged steel frame. The rear sight, also steel, uses contrasting white dots that are easy to align with the fiber optic front.

Grip Safety

If there is anything controversial about the XD line it is the inclusion of grip safeties. While I don’t think they are necessary for striker-fired pistols, I can’t recall ever having a problem with them on the XD.

Springfield did build up the lower portion of the safety lever giving it a shape that is very similar to the XD-M Elite. The safety is comfortable when gripped and was 100% reliable in my shooting.

Picatinny Rail for Accessories

Original XD9 pistols have a Picatinny rail with two slots. This works fine for most applications. The XD Mod.3 adds a third slot on the Picatinny rail. It doesn’t give you any additional length, but it does allow for a more precise locating of an accessory on it.

This may not seem like much, but getting a better fit of a flashlight mounted to the pistol may give you the perfect reach for the switch activation.

Magazine Compatibility

Standard XD Mod.3 magazines hold 16 rounds of 9x19mm Parabellum ammunition. The bodies are made of stainless steel as is the spring. Followers and base plates are black polymer. The company also offers 10-round magazines for folks in less-free jurisdictions.

One of the great things about this new model is that it maintains 100% compatibility with existing XD9 magazines. So, if you have a pile of existing XD 9mm magazines, those should run perfectly in this pistol.

When I was on the range, I tested this and had complete reliability with the older 9mm mags.

Side note: I previously picked up a boatload of 16-round XD magazines for cheap at GunMagWarehouse. These are new in package, genuine factory magazines and are really cheap! Check them out here.

Additional Details

As with the original pistols, the XD Mod.3 has an ambidextrous magazine release, loaded chamber indicator and a striker status indicator. These appear to be the same as what is found on the original guns.

Springfield XD Mod.3 Specifications

There are two versions of the pistol: a standard and a low-capacity model. Other than the low-capacity version using a 10-round magazine, the specs on the guns are identical.

• Caliber: 9x19mm Parabellum
• Barrel Length: 4”
• Overall Length: 7.3”
• Grip Width: 1.2”
• Height: 5.5”
• Weight (unloaded): 27 oz
• Sights: steel front red fiber optic with white dot rear; optics ready
• Slide and Barrel Material: Melonite-finished forged steel
• MSRP: $325

Hands on with XD Mod.3 at the Shooting Range

I ran the pistol through a battery of shooting drills using a broad range of ammunition. I’ve had excellent performance from the other XD pistols I own, and I expected the same from this gun.

Reliability proved 100% reliable with about 850 rounds through it so far. Hollowpoint ammo and full metal jacket (FMJ) rounds all fed, shot and ejected without any issues. Ejections were vigorous with all loads.

Recoil was modest. Yes, a 9mm round doesn’t produce as much felt recoil as some other cartridges. Nevertheless, 9mm – especially +P loads – can still generate stout recoil in small or poorly designed pistols.

The XD Mod.3 has an excellent grip and texture that gave me great control over the pistol when shooting. Muzzle rise was modest, and fast strings of fire were relatively easy to control.

Inherent accuracy appears to be better than my shooting skills. When I did my job, the bullets would punch the paper in tight groups. If I got lazy on the basics, the group sizes would open up.

Shooting at various distances from 3 to 15 yards, the Springfield Armory pistol consistently produced good groups – always within center mass during double taps and rapid shooting. The three-dot factory iron sights offered a clear sight picture with the fiber optic providing a bright aiming point. When shooting rapid fire or slow precision shots, the XD Mod.3 performed admirably.

	Velocity	Energy	Best 5-Shot Group
Blazer Brass 115-gr FMJ	1,117 fps	319 ft-lbs	1.37″
Blazer Brass 124-gr FMJ	1,046 fps	301 ft-lbs	1.28″
Federal BPLE 115-gr JHP +P+	1,297 fps	430 ft-lbs	1.60″
Federal HST 124-gr JHP	1,188 fps	389 ft-lbs	1.31″
Liberty Ammunition Civil Defense 50-gr JHP +P	2,041 fps	463 ft-lbs	1.44″
Remington UMC 115-gr FMJ	1,102 fps	310 ft-lbs	1.89″
Speer Gold Dot 124-gr JHP	1,109 fps	339 ft-lbs	1.45″

My Bottom Line on the XD Mod.3

The Springfield Armory XD Mod.3 is an excellent value in the self-defense firearms market. The semi-automatic handgun delivers reliable performance in a substantially upgraded package that is aggressively priced. This makes it one of the best values available for a defensive handgun.

My guess is that this will be the final iteration of the XD line. The extreme popularity of the Hellcat and Echelon lines likely chart the course for the company’s future innovations. If this is the XD’s last hurrah, what a great pistol to go out on!

FAQ

Here are a few questions that you may have about the Springfield Armory XD Mod.3 pistol.