Perfect Suppressor Host: XD-M in .45 ACP

By Adam Scepaniak

If you have partaken of the forbidden fruit that is silencers and are now wholly addicted, we welcome you to the club. Sound suppressors afford you a multitude of benefits, with not the least being reduced noise and recoil, and a thoroughly more pleasurable shooting experience.

The only predicament to silencer ownership is finding a suitable suppressor host. Yes, you can send handguns off to gunsmiths to get barrels threaded and have suppressor-height sights added, but then your investment of customization nearly eclipses the cost of a whole new firearm. So, why not acquire a platform fresh out-of-the-box that is polished off with the correct accouterments and is ready to go?

That sounds like a more fiscally sound and faster path to shooting to me. With that in mind, let’s take a deep dive look at the Springfield Armory XD-M 4.5″ Threaded .45 ACP.

The Details

The XD-M series, the foundation for the new XD-M Elite series of pistols, offers rugged and reliable polymer-framed pistols. What makes the XD-M 4.5″ Threaded .45 ACP special is the addition of factory, suppressor-height sights and an extended, threaded barrel.

The suppressor-height sights are serrated — both the front and rear — for a non-glare appearance while shooting. The threaded barrel is a standard 5/8″ x 28 TPI (thread per inch), which is common for .45-chambered barrels. With a cleanly knurled thread cap, both the threaded barrel and the suppressor height sights are practical and attractive upgrades to this XD-M model.

The pistol out-of-the-box comes with three different interchangeable backstraps to obtain good purchase on the grip that is tailored to you. This not only instills confidence before the first shot, but it maintains your control throughout all successive rounds sent downrange. The Springfield Armory XD-M 4.5″ Threaded .45 ACP also comes with three 13-round magazines so you are aptly prepared for long sessions at the range or a full day’s worth of duty carry.

When it came to shooting the Springfield Armory pistol, I fitted it out with my SilencerCo Hybrid .46 Cal silencer. With a 5/8″ x 28 TPI piston, the SilencerCo Hybrid mated perfectly up to the XD-M .45 Threaded’s barrel.

With a silencer on this pistol, it has an incredibly mild recoil impulse and is easy to shoot. Between the one-piece full-length guide rod, the silencer, and the mass of this XD-M model, there were multiple factors in play taming recoil. The factory suppressor-height sights were just tall enough to view over the silencer and get a full sight picture above the fairly large SilencerCo Hybrid.

The pistol is a little barrel heavy with the silencer, but its supremely mild recoil impulse is well worth it. The trade-off of reduced noise, reduced recoil, increased steadiness and increased accuracy is a recipe for a phenomenal system in the XD-M .45 Threaded.

Range Time

When it came to raw accuracy, the XD-M .45 Threaded exhibited point-and-hit marksmanship out to 20+ yards. I enlisted the help of my brother to get a second opinion and he resoundingly confirmed the same accuracy I discovered, exclaiming: “As a shooting platform in the XD-M series… you can’t miss. You’re always on target.”

We were shooting 230-gr. full-metal jacket (FMJ) as well as 185-gr. hollowpoint (HP) ammunition at distances of 5 to 25 yards on steel with nearly identical impact patterns. The 185-gr. HP hit slightly higher (likely from being a faster velocity), but other than that the accuracy was consistent and precise. We were predicting and calling our hits with every shot fired. The match-grade, hammer-forged barrel likely assists greatly in this as well as the generally tight tolerances for which Springfield is known.

As far as handling goes, the three different interchangeable backstraps afford you a lot of options for contouring and fitting the pistol personally to your hand, but I would have preferred even more aggressive texturing. The frame and interchangeable backstraps are not slick by any means, but it is my personal preference to have very aggressive checkering on my handguns, similar to the checkering that is found on the Springfield Armory TRP (Tactical Response Pistol) boasting deep 20 lines-per-inch checkering on the mainspring housing and frontstrap. Nonetheless, I could still grip the XDM-45 Threaded very well as evidenced by the accuracy my brother and I could achieve.

Conclusion

For those looking to dive into the silencer game for the first (or 10^th) time and are desiring a strong silencer host platform, the Springfield Armory XD-M 4.5″ Threaded 45 ACP makes a great case for your wallet. Accuracy, mild recoil, and the Springfield label of quality all culminate into a great shooting platform.

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