Pistol Review: Springfield Armory XD-S Mod.2 3.3 9mm

More Range Time

The good folks at Federal Ammunition were kind enough to send me a variety of groceries to try in the XD-S Mod.2, so the next time I got to the range I spent some time burning it up.

Loads tested include:

• Federal Premium Hydra-Shok Deep Personal Defense 135-grain JHP (which features one mean-looking bullet)
• Federal Premium HST Personal Defense 124-grain JHP
• Federal Train & Protect 115-grain “versatile HP” JHP
• American Eagle 115-grain Syntech TSJ (Total Synthetic Jacket)

The plastic boxes were a bit of a chore to open at first, with no hints provided on the labeling. What you do is cut the paper and then pinch the box lid at the ends, then lift the transparent cover off of the black base.

I fired three magazines of each flavor of ammo from a distance of 15 yards, standing, with a two-handed grip. Every load hit below my point of aim. The tightest group I fired was the first one, which was about 4 inches using the Hydra-Shok Deep 135s.

The second group I fired was with HST Personal Defense 124-grain JHPs. Recoil was snappier with this load, and the center of the group was about one inch lower. I fired more rapidly, which probably explains the group growing slightly to 4.5 inches.

I next fired the Train & Protect 115-grain JHP. The group grew appreciably, to about 7 inches. The shiny red American Eagle 115-grain TSJ ammo produced the same results, giving me a 7-inch group.

The first group was centered about 2″ below the bull, while the other three groups fell closer to 3 inches lower than point of aim.

Subsequent range time with these loads produced roughly the same results. No one should expect super accuracy from a compact carry piece with a 3.3-inch barrel, but the two higher-quality Federal Premium loads provided good accuracy for self-defense, while the others are just fine for practicing. I must simply get used to covering up the desired point of impact with the front sight, rather than expecting the bullet to hit at the top of the front sight.

Changing Grips

After using it for a while, I applied a Talon Grip to the pistol. This is a precision-cut adhesive-backed material that really enhances the tactility of a handgun grip — and greatly adds to your ability to hold onto the gun in the event of a struggle.

More details and photos are available in the post I wrote about it, but suffice it to say I have zero regrets. The XD-S Mod.2 has a good grip from the factory, and it’s not bad-looking either. In fact, it probably looks nicer than the Talon grip… but the Talon makes it so much easier to hang onto that I simply have to use one on my carry guns. And if you don’t like it, the Talon Grip can be easily removed, leaving little or no residue behind.

Russ Chastain

Editor & Contributing Writer Russ Chastain is a lifelong hunter and shooter who has spent his life learning about hunting, shooting, guns, ammunition, gunsmithing, reloading, and bullet casting. He started toting his own gun in the woods at age nine and he's pursued deer with rifles since 1982, so his hunting knowledge has been growing for more than three and a half decades. His desire and ability to share this knowledge with others has also grown, and Russ has been professionally writing and editing original hunting & shooting content since 1998. Russ Chastain has a passion for sharing accurate, honest, interesting hunting & shooting knowledge and stories with people of all skill levels.