Introduced in 2017 with the slogan “The Hammer Re-Invented,” Springfield Armory’s XD-E was the first pistol in the XD series to not be a striker-fired model. The hammer mentioned in the slogan is part of its double-action/single-action (DA/SA) system, and inevitably, it came to the attention of the most famous shooter of such in our time: Ernest Langdon.
But first, for those unfamiliar with DA/SA system on the XD-E, this is a pistol with a hammer-fired system and an exposed hammer. The gun can be carried with the hammer down, with the first shot being a long double-action pull that both cocks and releases the hammer. For follow-up shots, the slide cycles the action and cocks the hammer, giving you a lighter single-action pull that simply releases the hammer to fire all follow-up rounds.
On the XD-E, the manual safety can be swept downward to decock/drop the hammer safely. The pistol can also be carried “cocked and locked” with the hammer cocked and the safety in the upward “on” safe position.
And Langdon is a true expert in using these DA/SA-type pistols. Before embarking on his current career as a pistolsmith, Langdon won nine national championships and two world champion titles in various forms of combat and action shooting, all with DA/SA pistols. He prefers for a pistol to have a relatively long and heavy first shot trigger pull, and an exposed hammer which can be held in place by the thumb when holstering, especially for “appendix carry.” Famous today for his action work and other customizing on DA/SA autos, Langdon has made the XD-E his latest project.
I’ve been a fan of Landgon’s work for a long time, so when I saw his new “Springfield Armory XD-E Tactical Edition” (offered in 9mm and .45), I wanted to learn more. I reached out to him and set up an interview to get some background on the new XD-E project, and why the pistol caught his eye. Following is my Q&A with him.
AYOOB: Ernest, why the XD-E?
