Springfield XD vs Glock. Two Pistols with Decades of History.
The Springfield XD came out in the U.S. over 20 years ago now back in 2002. However, it’s even older than that. Originally, it was made in Croatia under the name HS2000, produced by manufacturer I.M Metal, since 1991. After springfield acquired the rights to the design and started producing the weapons, some in the U.S. Market were proclaiming that it would be a Glock killer. Undeniably, the pistol did well, but it didn’t live up to that moniker. Glock had a 14 year headstart on the XD coming to America in 1988. No doubt Glock has not been killed, and Glock is alive and strong as ever.
Both the Springfield XD and Glock are Quality Pistols
The Springfield XD is certainly a quality pistol. In fact, when I first got into guns well over a decade ago, this one is just the third pistol I’ve ever purchased. I’ve owned it for about as long as I’ve been married. We’ll just say I’ve owned it for a good while. Other pistols have come and gone but this one still holds a place in my heart.
If you follow this channel you know that I really like Glock. But I say all of that to emphasize I also like Springfield. I like the XD series of pistols. I’m not coming at this from some fan boy bias. However, there’s a reason I since have purchased a few Glock handguns and I still only own one XD. What I want to talk about today is the differences between the two pistols and why I keep finding myself gravitating towards Glock over the XD.
Why the Springfield XD and Glock are frequently compared
Let’s backtrack a little though and talk about why the two are often compared. The XD line was introduced as a service pistol. Afterall, it served that duty in Croatia for decades. It was an alternative to Glock for many people, and historically, it has always been a little cheaper, blue label deals aside. They share many similarities. They both are rugged, durable pistols. They both have polymer frames. Their service pistol offerings come in at similar sizes and weights. They have similar striker fired mechanics.
Moreover, the XD had a few features that set it apart from glock. These are not neccessarily better, but different. Features like the rear loaded chamber indicator instead of the side indicator. The XD has the addition of a grip safety. The XD has more metal parts like its sights and its guide rod. It also has primarily metal magazines. Perhaps the biggest difference often mentioned is the XD grip angle. Some people love the XD solely because it has a more similar grip angle to the 1911, so it largely depends on what you’re used to shooting.
So the two pistols are definitely not the same, but they’re close enough in terms of their attributes and their primary use cases that they get compared frequently.
My Experience with both the Springfield XD and Glock Pistols
Having years of experience as an owner and shooter of both brands, I have to say I prefer Glock’s offering and for this reason I’ve gone much further down the Glock road then the XD.
Like I said, both are great, there’s plenty to like with the XD, but those reasons tend to be the same or better with glock. Both designs are very reliable. I’ve rarely had to clear a malfunction with either. Both are nice shooting pistols. Both have excellent safety features that make me very comfortable with carrying either.
XD9 Service Pistol
I’ve had the springfield XD for many years, its a great option and comes in at a lower price than Glock.
Glock 19 Gen 5 Service Pistol
The Glock 19 is the service pistol of choice for many military and police agencies. It is more expensive than Springfield usually, but it has many advantages over the XD that edge it out as the better option in my opinion for most civilians.
5 Reasons I personally Prefer Glock over Springfield
However, there’s 5 main reasons why I gravitate to Glock over Springfield.
From least important to most important here they are:
Reason 1 (Least Important): The glock pistols feel slightly tighter and smoother when shooting.
Call me one a glock fan boy, but Glock has always shot very smooth for me personally. I know people’s mileage varies. Some people either love or hate Glock’s ergonomics, but personally I love them. The grip angle keeps the top bones in your hand parallel to those in your arm, allowing you to keep your trigger finger straight while getting a high grip on the frame. Some people hate it, I personally love it.
Reason 2: The takedown lever on the springfield doesn’t play well with an active grip style
I like to angle my support hand forward to grip as much of the top of the frame as possible. On the XD, it makes it a little harder to get a good purchase on the frame, as it gets in the way of your support hand thumb. I would like the frame to actually be cut there instead of protruding. Other pistols that I own have this naturally, and in others yet, I’ll stipple this in. The takedown lever should have been placed on the right side of the pistol in my opinion, since most people are right handed shooters and not gripping the frame in this area.
Reason 3: The aftermarket for Glock is huge
There’s so many varieties of glock compatible products on the market. The XD market is nothing to scoff at, its better than the majority of pistols out there. But with Glock, you can customize literally anything about the pistol, which has a fun factor to it along with a practical factor. Suffice to say the Glock platform has been a better platform for me to tailor for my competitive shooting needs.
Reason 4: The XD is harder to work on
Both designs are simple, but the Glock is stupid simple to fully field strip and disassemble. The XD wasn’t hard, its easier than other pistols, but it wasn’t as intuitive the first time. I have a video on disassembling the XD on my channel. I can disassemble and reassemble a glock pistol with my eyes closed. Another example is trying to change the sights on the XD. The tolerances are so dang tight. Even with a sight pusher, I wasn’t able to do the job without special tools like a bench vice. Glock on the other hand, changing sights are a breeze.
Reason 5 (Most Important to me): The Stock Trigger on Glock has night and day better reset
This is my biggest gripe with the XD. The trigger on the XD is okay. It has a clean wall and a crisp break, nothing to complain about here. However, the reset is very, very long on the XD. And this is by far my largest complaint. You basically have to pull the trigger and then ride the reset the entire way back to the front of the trigger guard. As someone who is trained to to ride the reset just far enough to break on a two stage trigger, the XD by comparison feels like an eternity between break back to reset. This isn’t something I’ve been able to get used to, and it differs from every other pistol that I own. This makes shooting with the stock trigger difficult in the XD vs a stock Glock trigger.
Three things that the XD does better than Glock.
Thing 1: The rear striker engaged indicator is fantastic
Glock has the side chamber indicator but that isn’t helpful when the gun is holstered. The springfield rear chamber indicator is a really nice safety feature, as you can visually see when holstered what condition the pistol is in. Other brands like CANIK also do this well.
Thing 2: Factory Sights are better on the Springfield XD vs Glock
The sights from the factory are better on XD, especially being that they are metal. Glock factory plastic sights are usable but they suck. As mentioned earlier, the point about the aftermarket for glock though offsets that point as there’s a huge variety of aftermarket sights and given the competition they tend to be very affordable for Glock.
Thing 3: Some internals are nicer on the Springfield
Some internals on the springfield are nicer. The springfield recoil assembly is all metal from the factory. The feedramp on mine came polished which is a nice touch. These are negligible however as it isn’t like Glock suffers from any reliability issues. Both pistols are ultra reliable.
Neutral: The Grip Safety
The Springfield XD Grip Safety is controversial. I’d be remiss not to mention it. I’m Switzerland over here, I don’t care one way or the other, I am totally neutral about it.
The grip safety works well, I’ve never had a problem with it not engaging and I’ve never had to think about it. That said, it doesn’t add very much to the safety of the weapon. Glock is already drop safe because of the internal striker safety, as is the XD for the same reason. Glock’s trigger has a built in safety as well which hypothetically could become compromised if say a pen or pencil in a bag got stuck in the trigger guard. Hypothetically Springfield wouldn’t have this problem.
However, you should never, ever, not have your pistol in a hard holster that covers the trigger guard. With the dawn of kydex, I really don’t see any advantage to the grip safety. Neither pistol gives me any anxiety whatsoever about EDC with one in the pipe.
These Reasons for Preferring Glock are Based on my Civilian context
Now my reason for owning handguns as a civilian mainly stem because, first and foremost, I believe in exercising our freedoms that this wonderful country provides to us. Also, because I believe handguns are the ultimate equalizer in being able to protect my family in home defense and every day carry contexts. And lastly, because Competitive Shooting is the most fun sport I’ve ever had the pleasure of partaking in, and I especially love dynamic pistol.
However, I’ve never had to carry a firearm as a part of my every day profession.
How Glock Dominated the LEO Market Share
The final reason, and probably the biggest reason, that the XD has not killed the glock is the way the companies have positioned themselves in the professional market. These things tend to trickle down to the civilian market. The Glock was first to market, and that gives it a huge advantage. It was well established in the late 80s.
Glock has always had blue label pricing, making these pistols incredibly affordable to law enforcement. Springfield also has a similar program, but Glock entrenched itself with the LEO community from the get go. What the military and police trust, will always be popular with civilians.
Springfield has some foothold with some departments across the country as I understand it, but not nearly the marketshare that Glock has. Both could and are used in these contexts, but Glock has positioned itself better. The XD doesn’t do enough better to unseat glock, and whoever owns these markets will always be king.
Conclusion
To me, when it comes to actually shooting the guns, they feel pretty similar. I slightly prefer Glock’s ergonomics. Glock has better aftermarket support. The biggest gripe I have is the trigger on the XD. Perhaps this could be fixed with aftermarket triggers, but I’ve never been inclined to do so.
In the end, I really do like the XD, but it doesn’t do anything better, that it kills Glock for me. I like the XD a lot, and I give it the respect it is due. But I still prefer glock for the reasons I stated, subjective as they are. Many XD lovers would say they like the XD for the opposite reasons, and thats totally okay.
Guys, sound off in the comments about your reasons for preferring one versus the other. I’d love to hear your thoughts.
At the end of the day, if you’re on the fence between the two, I’d suggest finding a range that will let you rent both guns and see which one you prefer. This is the advice every gun owner should take before making a purchasing decision. Alternatively, you could just buy both, because ‘Merica. Seriously though, be sure to give both a try so you can see what you like and don’t like about each option.
That’s it for now friends. As always, train often and be safe.
