Springfield XD-E: Hammer Time

Last updated March 2026 · By Nick Hall, Springfield XD-E shooter who has fired both the .45 ACP and 9mm variants

Springfield Armory XD-E: It’s Hammer Time

It’s a simple fact of life that some people will never trust a striker-fired pistol to nestle menacingly over their junk. An accidental discharge is a very, very bad thing in those circumstances.

Kydex holsters help, but some people want the security of a hammer. Springfield Armory saw a pretty clever gap in the market and reworked its XDS sub-compact plastic fantastic. Now the trigger safety is gone, and the grip safety, but you do get a skeletal hammer and added peace of mind.

You can leave the chamber empty, or rack it and keep the thumb safety on. It feels more like a shrunken version of a traditional firearm. It is just 1 inch wide at its thickest point and this really is a gun that gives you options with your concealed carry method. It’s almost a pocket gun and it’s definitely a subtle and concealable gun with the right holster.

So, you get the benefits of the small form factor of the Springfield Armory that we think is still one of the best subcompact 45 ACP CCW handgun in the world. It’s chambered for manly 45 ACP here, so it’s reduced to a 7+1 round capacity. In 9mm, this is a 12+1 handgun.

Considering the total length is 6.75, this is one of the few 45 ACP handguns you can truly conceal. It’s just a novel solution to a problem that other people have fixed by running an old-school 1911. Those take care and maintenance, though, while the Springfield Armory XD-E should be relatively trouble-free.

It should also work every time you need it. In this caliber, in this spec, it’s a pure CCW self-defense monster that should kick like a mule. Is that more important than capacity? If you can change mags out fast enough then the additional stopping power of this 45 ACP could just appeal.

Some folks won’t carry anything else. I don’t necessarily agree, but I do get it. So this gun is like a fusion recipe, old meets new. It’s a plastic pistol with an old-school hammer, and it will be interesting to see if it gets any traction.