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That is....I paid two and got one.

I thinned the herd a bit today. I traded two guns I had —a Colt Government .380 safe queen which I never shot anymore, and my Kahr CW45—for a brand new XDS Bi-Tone. Of course I didn't get retail credit in trade-in value for either of the other two guns, particularly the Colt, but I got more for the Colt than I originally paid for it, and both guns were used.

The CW45 was a great little gun for the price. At the time I bought it, the XDS hadn't even been announced yet. I wanted a small single-stack polymer .45, and it was between the Glock 36 and the CW45. But most places were selling the G36 for about $150 more than the CW45, and so I went with the Kahr. And it wasn't just price, but the Kahr had a lot to recommend it, including a smooth trigger, additional capacity compared to the Glock, and light weight for caliber. I liked it, and it actually shot fairly well, but later I bought a XDM-45 Compact, and I really liked it even more. It got to where I rarely ever carried the Kahr anymore, going to a PM9 when I wanted something smaller than the XDM. And the more I carried the XDM, the more impressed I became with the design. Pretty soon I started jonesin' for the XDS.

Well, the gunstore my son works at had a lot of the XDSs in stock and have been selling them like hotcakes, despite having slightly higher pricing than you might get some other places. Because of family connection, I got the "LEO discount" off the price of the gun, and I also bought an extended magazine with it (it comes with two short magazines).

Anyway, I finally got one and opened up a slot in my safe in the process. Now I need to get a holster for it.

The Annoyed Man wrote:Well, the gunstore my son works at ...

Nice. I missed that. I'm glad he found a job.

Fun gun to shoot, I have the all black version.

You can get an extended mag (7 rounds) for it also, if you wanted.
I just ordered one of them at Midway.com

Interesting post/choices. I have been considering a CW45 or some other small 45. I'd like to hear how you like the XDs and its trigger, grip length in the two mag lengths. I favor the CW45 for a couple reasons (grip shape, grip length and barrel length, ability to use 1911 magazines). But the long trigger pull, while really nice is unlike any of my other striker-fired pistols. So, I have waited. There is a strong, growing fan base of XDs users. Ideally I'd like to shoot one, but haven't been able to do that yet. Your range report would be good reading. I always enjoy your posts.

xb12s wrote: Ideally I'd like to shoot one, but haven't been able to do that yet.

Im in Clear Lake, I have a membership at PSC Range, you want to shoot the XDs, give me a PM, ill take you out

I do not have a Kahr for you to compare it to, but there is nothing like first hand knowledge of how a gun feels, so please feel free to take me up on this offer.
it would be weekends only for the next couple weeks as I travel through the week.
If you have your own 45 ammo, you can use that, if not, I will sell you (at cost) a box of 50 rounds of my .45 ammo so you can shoot my XDs.

Congratulations on the acquisition! Please let us know thoughts once you give it some exercise and cleaning. Pics too please!

I'm also glad to hear you're son is working.

I love my XDs!

As for the holster, I bought one from White Hat. They resemble a Cross-Breed Super Tuck, but these are made in Ft. Worth.

I highly recommend them.

http://whitehatholsters.com/

Teamless wrote:Fun gun to shoot, I have the all black version.

You can get an extended mag (7 rounds) for it also, if you wanted.
I just ordered one of them at Midway.com

I bought a 7 round mag at the time of purchase, so I now have two short mags plus the extended one. Those magazines aren't cheap though.

xb12s wrote:Interesting post/choices. I have been considering a CW45 or some other small 45. I'd like to hear how you like the XDs and its trigger, grip length in the two mag lengths. I favor the CW45 for a couple reasons (grip shape, grip length and barrel length, ability to use 1911 magazines). But the long trigger pull, while really nice is unlike any of my other striker-fired pistols. So, I have waited. There is a strong, growing fan base of XDs users. Ideally I'd like to shoot one, but haven't been able to do that yet. Your range report would be good reading. I always enjoy your posts.

Don't get me wrong, I liked the CW, but I liked the XDM more, which is what motivated me to "spring" for the XDS. In actual carry practice, the CW is about the size of a 3" 1911, with less weight due to the polymer frame. In the hand, the CW feels 1911-ish, particularly with respect to the angle of the grip, except that the grip has a slightly smaller circumference. I think that might be because the molded in texture on the polymer grip frame obviates the need for additional grip panels. It is pocketable, but barely so with large pockets. The trigger pull is long and smooth without too much weight, that length of pull being your primary safety mechanism....although it does have a firing pin block. Accuracy was acceptable.....not "target grade," but good enough for government work. I bought mine from CTD Ft Worth, for $399. This Kahr required the recommended 200 round break in to be reliable (my wife's CW9 did not and my PM9 was already broken in when I bought it). Oddly enough, it required almost exactly recommended 200 rounds, after which it ran flawlessly. The unloaded XDS and CW both weigh about the same.

CW45 NITPICKS: crappy plastic sights, dovetailed rear and pinned front....small metal parts like the slide stop are MIM instead of machined.....magazines are cheaply made.....beware VERY sharp edges around the ejection port.....slide seems blocky compared to the rest of the gun (due to saving machining costs to keep price of gun down).

The XDS is noticeably slimmer than the CW45, being .9" to a little over 1" for the Kahr. That may not seem like much, but to the naked eye it is very noticeable. To put it into perspective, my tiniest gun is a Kahr PM9, and the XDS is only marginally bigger. Both pistols are the same width across the slide. The XDS slide is .7" longer than the PM9. With short mags inserted in both pistols and including the height of the rear sight, the XDS is only .3" taller than the PM9. With fully charged magazines + 1, the XDS (5+1 rounds of Federal HST 230 grain JHP) weighs 25-5/8 oz to the PM9's 19-3/4 oz (6+1 rounds of Corbon 115 grain +P DPX). That's an effective difference in carry weight of 6-1/8 oz between those two pistols. The all up weight of the CW45 (6+1 rounds) is 29.95 oz (obtained by adding up the weight of 7 rounds of HST plus the advertised weights for the CW45 and magazine), or about 1-1/3 oz more than the XDS (obtained on my wife's food scale....don't tell her).

Assuming similar reliability (I haven't had a chance to break in the XDS yet), with the XDS you get one less round in a MUCH nicer gun in a significantly smaller package than the CW45.......for a fair amount more money. MSRP on my PM9 is/was $958, and It is a quality piece. I bought mine used at a pawn shop in Balch Springs, in black nitride finish over stainless slide with Trijicon night sights installed. Given that it is measurably smaller than an XDS-9, I would not likely get rid of it in favor of the Springfield gun. The PM9 is my "deep concealment" gun. If I can't conceal it in some scenario, then I don't need to be in that scenario.

In general, I'd have to say that I have become quite a fan of the XD/XDM/XDS lineup, finding them to be very well made and well thought out pistols, and I have the same kind of confidence in them that others have in their Glocks or M&Ps. Since we own an example of each in a Glock 19 and an M&P45, I do have some reference point for my opinion........but it is exactly that....my opinion. Others may disagree, and that's fine. There's plenty of oxygen to go around.

I have a PM9, which I think is similar in width to the XDs. It's actually a little small for my hands with fingers interfering with trigger finger etc. The size makes it great for pocket carry or concealment in general. The CW45 is just a tad bigger/wider in the grip, making it more comfortable for me. That extra bit of circumference is just enough. I have a friend that owns the CW9 and CW45. The CW45 is about as wide and tall as I want to get in this category, but I wouldn't mind something longer in the barrel than the XDs. I'd like something closer to CCO size, but with the polymer frame to reduce weight. I agree with all your comments regarding quality differences of the C series line and the P series line of Kahrs. My friend and I have both been lucky with our Kahrs with no issues at all with ours even during the break-in period.

The Glock G36 is pretty close, but a touch wider than necessary I think, and about one or two rounds shy of what I'd like in it's width. The GAP version G38 kept nearly identical dimensions to the G19 which is good for a double stack. I'm not sure why they didn't do that with the G30 to begin with. Now they are instead doing the G30s which still doesn't exactly follow along with the rest of their line. If they hadn't carved their 45 ACP line out of the 10mm guns to start with, maybe they'd have gone a different direction with the design line.

The M&P45c is a compelling choice, but also slightly wider than what I'd like at 1.2". Otherwise it's got what I want - 4" barrel, good height/grip lenth 4.8" and good capacity. I'd like to see them make a shield type single stack with a barrel that's in the 3.75" to 4" range.

I'm picky about barrel length in the 45 because of the low velocity of the 45 ACP. The short barrelled ammunition is probably a good solution for that, but isn't as widely available typically, and certainly not right now.

The HK45c is similar in dimension to the M&P45c and maybe slightly thinner except through the controls. Both of those are 8+1 and accept full size 10 rd magazines.

Looking forward to shooting the XDs in the future. I'm glad you are excited about your choice TAM. Is the trigger feel on your XDm 3.8 (?) 45c the same as the XDs? My wife has the XDm9 full size, so I am familiar with its trigger pull for comparison. The reason I ask, is that the trigger pull on the M&P45, the M&P9, and M&P Shield are all different from one another for whatever reason. I am considering APEX trigger kits if I go further with the M&P line so that all mine feel the same. The M&P45 is overly stiff IMO, compared to the others.

xb12s wrote:Is the trigger feel on your XDm 3.8 (?) 45c the same as the XDs? My wife has the XDm9 full size, so I am familiar with its trigger pull for comparison. The reason I ask, is that the trigger pull on the M&P45, the M&P9, and M&P Shield are all different from one another for whatever reason. I am considering APEX trigger kits if I go further with the M&P line so that all mine feel the same. The M&P45 is overly stiff IMO, compared to the others.

My XDM is the 3.8" .45 Compact. Springfield calls the trigger weight at 5.5-7.7 lb, and on my Lyman Trigger Pull Gauge it reads at 5 lb-10 oz, or 5.625 lb. Springfield makes the same call for the weight of the XDS trigger, and my Lyman gauge reads it at 5 lb-15 oz, or 5.9375 lb. So both triggers are at the lower range of what the manufacturer claims. Both have a really short reset for a striker fired gun, and a lot shorter than my M&P45.

My M&P45 has a custom shop trigger job, and from memory it comes in right around 5 lb, although I don't remember the exact number. I know it is less than 6 lb. The trigger break on the M&P is different from the XDM/XDS pistols. The takeup on the Springfields is heavier and the break is more like a snap, while the M&P takeup is lighter but the break is mushier. My wife's G19 trigger is much more like the Springfields'. Between the XDM and the XDS, I can tell by feel that the XDM's is lighter, but it has been broken in too and the XDS has not. I would expect the XDS trigger to lighten up a tad as it breaks in, but I could easily live with it if it didn't.

Brief range report.....

I took the XDS to DPS for a little BIS.....Err.... I took the XDS to Dallas Pistol Club for a little break-in shooting. I ran 100 rounds through it. I was unkind.....I did not clean and lube it first. I just took it as is right out of the box. Ammo was ARMSCOR 230 grain FMJ ball. The gun ran absolutely perfectly until rounds 80, 81, and 87, which were failures to feed. The cartridge went forward partway, nose tilted up into the feed ramp, but the top edge of the rim stuck just under the breech face of the slide. I took a picture I'll try to post later. I'm thinking it was just a combination of it being hot outside, hot in the gun, not enough lube, dirty ammo, and the gun just needing a few rounds of break-in. Each time except the first, the jam cleared easily and the gun continued firing.

If I hadn't bought a Kahr PM45 a few years ago, I would be in the market for an XDs. However, the Kahr has proven to be very reliable, easy to shoot (if you don't mind .45 recoil in a small framed gun), and very comfortable to carry.

I'm looking forward to having an opportunity to shoot the XDs one of these days for comparison purposes.

You never know - I might find a new favorite.

The good thing about these two is that regardless of which one you choose, you can't choose badly.

Hope you enjoy your XDS. It's become the go to in my carry rotation. Please keep us posted as to your FTF issues. I've had a few hundred rounds now through mine with no issues at all, but it's been well lubed, etc. I have noticed, however, that when cycling the slide at home to remove a chambered round, it's prefers certain rounds over others due to the angle of the bullet's tip. I switched from Winchester PDX1s to Horaday CDs for carry as a result.

hpcatx wrote:Hope you enjoy your XDS. It's become the go to in my carry rotation. Please keep us posted as to your FTF issues. I've had a few hundred rounds now through mine with no issues at all, but it's been well lubed, etc. I have noticed, however, that when cycling the slide at home to remove a chambered round, it's prefers certain rounds over others due to the angle of the bullet's tip. I switched from Winchester PDX1s to Horaday CDs for carry as a result.

These FTFs were with regular old hardball. But again, I think it was some combination of dryness, dirty ammo, and simply needing a bit of a breakin. The CW45 I sold was the same way. It had a small number of malfunctions in the first 200 rounds. As it happens, 200 rounds is the recommended breakin for a CW45. After the 200, it shot just fine with no problems at all. I have expected the gun to have at least a couple of malfunctions at the outset, simply because I had not field-stripped it and cleaned it yet. The barrel and slide were lubed right out of the box, but I suspect that it was a thin oil used more as a protectant in the box, rather than as an actual lubricant for use. I did the same thing with my XDM when I first got it, and it ran for about 150 rounds, and then started having hiccups. I stripped it, added some lube, and went back to shooting. It digested another 50 rounds with no problem.

Excaliber wrote:If I hadn't bought a Kahr PM45 a few years ago, I would be in the market for an XDs. However, the Kahr has proven to be very reliable, easy to shoot (if you don't mind .45 recoil in a small framed gun), and very comfortable to carry.

I'm looking forward to having an opportunity to shoot the XDs one of these days for comparison purposes.

You never know - I might find a new favorite.

The good thing about these two is that regardless of which one you choose, you can't choose badly.

As far as recoil goes with the XDS versus the XDM, my XDM is the softest shooting .45 I own. That title used to be held by my M&P45. But my old CW45 used to slap the hand pretty good, but no worse than my PM9. Small guns in powerful calibers will do that to you. The XDS is in the same league as that. It is not soft-shooting at all, but it isn't intolerable either, and it is very controllable. But 100 rounds through it left my hand feeling a little sore......not bad, just a little sore.

I've carried it for a couple of days now. LOVE IT!!