The Pro Carry version of the XD pistol is a Springfield Armory Custom Shop pistol with a specified set of modifications. The Pro Carry package is the most basic of three available levels, providing a 4.5- to 5-pound trigger job, optional sights, the application of a national match barrel, a slick Armory Kote of all internal metal parts, and extension of the magazine release to one side as specified by the customer.
The second level of modification is the Tactical Pro pistol, which along with other custom work adds more sophisticated trigger enhancement. The Custom Pro adds even more refinement, including grip-frame reconfiguration. Similar packages on customer-supplied guns are also available, with a complete price sheet at springfield-armory.com/custom.php.
The basic XD pistol is a polymer striker-fired pistol with a 4-inch barrel. It has a beavertail grip safety, which sets it apart from other non-1911 pistols. The XD lineup is based on the original 9mm Croatian police pistol that was proven before Springfield Armory began running the show. We don’t think the Croatian police were carrying anything as fancy as the Tactical Pro XD, let alone our Pro Carry with stainless-steel slide. Our pistol also had a Trijicon brand tritium-dot front sight and the grooved target version of the rear sight found on the new XDM pistol. We ordered these parts piece by piece. The face of the safety lever at the center of the trigger face was polished, as was the surface of the grip safety.
The most noticeable difference between the stock gun and the Pro Carry was the trigger. Promised to be somewhere between 4.5 and 5.0 pounds, we measured it repeatedly right at 4.75 pounds of resistance. We wondered how exacting the rest of the modifications had been carried out. Disassembly and inspection revealed several highly polished surfaces among the smaller action parts.
Our first test of a Springfield Armory XD40 was performed for the October 2002 issue of Gun Tests. This was the first production run of the XD40. One test round was common to both the stock 2002 model and our Pro Carry. That was the Winchester USA 165-grain FMJ round. In 2002 we printed groups ranging from 1.7 inches to 2.4 inches across with the standard edition. The average size group was calculated to 2.1 inches. Our Pro Carry shot groups ranging from 1.3 to 2.7 inches across. If we could only leave out the 2.7-inch group, we wouldn’t have to suggest you read between the lines that the Pro Carry is more accurate than the standard production pistol.
The Black Hills 165-grain JHP EXP Express cartridge pumped out 457 ft.- lbs. of muzzle energy on average, and group size varied between 2.2 inches and 2.5 inches across from 25 yards. Groups from the Winchester USA Personal Defense 180-grain JHP rounds were a little tighter, and the Pro Carry felt the most comfortable with these rounds, in our view.
In our rapid-fire tests at Top Gun Range, we learned that our Pro Carry was the hot rod of the test. Cycling speed is the time it takes for a round to be fired, the chamber reloaded and the trigger made ready to fire. This speed is a product of the machine and is more or less constant. What varies is the ability of one shooter versus another to reacquire the sights and press the trigger. Overall, our perfect runs were about 0.05 seconds quicker. But the majority of our staff reported that the gun was ready and the sights were under control well before we re-engaged the trigger between shots. Firing our other test guns we could recall a period of pressing, steering, and waiting. The trigger of the XD40 Pro Carry seemed to short-circuit this process. In our opinion, working the trigger of the Pro Carry required finer motor skill much closer to the demands of a fine single-action 1911 than a double-action service pistol. Not all professional lawmen are world-class marksman. But we think superior shooters will favor the Springfield Armory XD Pro Carry.
