Springfield XD HolstersThe Springfield XD series has a storied and interesting history that actually began in 1999 with a Croatian produced handgun called the HS2000. The HS2000 was manufactured by a Croatian company called I.M. Metal, and was adopted by the Croatian armed forces in 2000. That same year, the HS2000 was exported and imported into the US by a company called HSAmerica.
Within a few month, the HS2000 began to win over US shooters based on it's inexpensive price, enhanced safety features, and performance. In 2002, Springfield Armory acquired rights to the line and renamed it to the Springfield XD-9. It's a bit unclear as to the relationship that Springfield established I.M Metal as some in the shooting industry reported that Springfield bought the company, while others reported that Springfield bought the rights to the handgun, while some others even reported that Springfield leased the rights to the HS2000/XD. Either way, Springfield owns/controls the XD series of handguns. The "XD" name was short for X-treme Duty as Springfield's plan was to focus the line on the law enforcement market as a viable competitor to the ever popular Glock line.
Aside from being a polymer framed weapon, a major selling point with the XD pistols has been the safety features and the performance. As an example, the XD features the following safety features:
Let's talk holsters for the XD's. From a concealment standpoint, only the XD SubCompact and XDM Compact are really the only true candidates for CCW. In my opinion, the remaining models (XD Standard 4" and XD Tactical 5") are really too big. Between the compact models, the SubCompact for more popular so many mainstream holster makers produce a concealed holster for it. In addition to custom makers, companies like Galco, DeSantis, and Don Hume all manufacture a series of belt and concealable holsters for the XD SubCompact.
The XD Standard models all feature a 4" barrel and really on the large side for CCW. While it can be done, it's not easy and probably not going to work as well as most people want. The Standard excels in a belt holster and there are many, many holster makers that offer a model for it. Keep in mind that the caliber may play a role in holster selection as well. Although it seems to vary greatly amongst holster companies, some are fitting all the calibers (9/40/45) into one holster, while others are using one holster model for the 9/40 and then a separate model for the XD-45. The XD Tactical comes with a 5" barrel and it's the largest model that Springfield offers from a size perspective (except for speciality models like the V-10 Ported). The Tactical is really best suited for a belt holster as most anything else would be a challenge. The newer XDM series is a bit different. The M designation stands for Match as this model features a "match" barrel. This is another area where there seems to be some discrepancy amongst the holster companies as some are fitting the XDM and the regular XD into the same holster, while others (like Don Hume) are making an entirely separate series of holsters for the XDM. Having had the chance to shoot and compare both side by side, I'd lean towards a holster maker that breaks the two into different holsters as the dimensions on the XDM look different in certain areas. For example, Springfield lists the XD Standard as having a 4" barrel, but the XDM Standard is listed as having a 4.8" barrel. I hardly think the same holster would fit both. If you are shopping for a holster for your XD, try below as there are some outstanding deals to be found there:
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US $21.95
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