Firing Line: 07/07

I purchased three Springfield Armory XP subcompacts in 9mm & .40 S&W on 10/27/06 from a local shop In Phoenix. To date one of the 9mms has arrived. I waited four weeks for the other two.

I called Springfield Armory this morning and talked to a young lady in customer service. Her response was that these pistols popularity has far exceeded their manufacturing capacity, and that I would just have to be patient! When that answer did not satisfy me, she actually took the time to check her production schedule, and told me that they would be producing the .40 calibers soon, and she would try to get some to our local dealer, who happens to be one of their priority dealers because of their volume.

Let me state that the dealer did inform me at the time of purchase that there had been delays, and it might be as long as two weeks to get all three pistols. I find it very interesting that Springfield is still advertising these pistols in every magazine, but cannot take care of existing customers. Needless to say I am not impressed with their so called customer service, and will remember this when considering any future purchase of their product.

Based on the Springfield Armory XD45s performance in this issue, Ill be interested to hear from readers if they experience delays in getting Springfield guns.
-Todd Woodard

Re: “High-Capacity 9mm Pistols:

We Think CZs 75 Is a Best Buy,” October 2006

I bought a CZ 75B SA after reading your review and have to say theres something you didnt mention which I find very odd. The trigger, which is supposed to be SA, appears much more like a pre-set in that the “cocked” position isnt actually fully cocked. When you pull the trigger, there is the first break point, and then the hammer starts to go back, extending at least 1/16 inch before the second break and the hammer going forward. This gap between the first and second break is about a quarter the distance of the first one and is so large that you can actually and easily hold the hammer between the “cocked” position and the final break position.

Ive had one person on a CZ board call this hammer “camming,” but I dont think that covers it. This is a much more distinct, more measurable movement than that. Its actually the most distinctive thing I can think of for the whole gun.

I dont know what they were thinking when they put this concept into the gun, but I have one idea; that they wanted to add 5 pounds or so to the trigger weight for the purposes of making police administrators happy.

Frank Hilliard

Grand Forks, British Columbia

.22 Short Live Round

Riles British Press

As a Gun Tests subscriber pretty much from the beginning, I have thoroughly enjoyed the firearms articles (theyve saved me from making a questionable purchase more than once), but also the editorials and commentaries on the firearms industry. The article referenced in the subject, appearing in the British press, discussing a live .22 Short round found lying in a doorway, is indicative of the gun paranoia that runs rampant among the “civilized” nations we call our friends.

Sadly, I fear with Nancy Pelosi and her ilk driving the national agenda the next couple of years, the American press, clearly already antigun, will seize on this sort of silliness to further their agenda in ways we have never heretofore imagined.

By the way, I loved the article on the .22 bullseye semiautos. Ive always been a fan of the S&W 41, but also own a somewhat tricked out Ruger Mark I Target with 5.5-inch bull barrel. I love my Ruger, but would now have serious second thoughts about moving to the most recent Mark III variant.

Nelson Gampfer

Wellington, FL

The url is complicated to type, but the upshot of the story is this: A lone .22 Short round found in a store set off a ridiculous response by police. The story read in part::

“The bullet has been examined at a Metropolitan Police laboratory and details about it kept for future reference. A police spokesman said: “Recovering firearms and ammunition is a priority for the police. We take the same view of ammunition as we do of a gun.

Link to article: http://www.guardian-series.co.uk/news/walthamforest/walthamforestnews/display.var.1013959.0.bullet_found_in_doorway.php.
-Todd Woodard

Carbine/Pistol Combo Article?

I have been a subscriber for about a year. I love your magazine!

Recently, I have been looking for a solution for the gap between rifles and pistols. I have found it – carbines! But then another problem arose. What is the best pistol & carbine combo? But this combo must be able to use the same magazine for both the pistol and the carbine.

For example: Beretta has the 92FS and CX4 pairing in 9mm or .40; Ruger has the P95 and PC-9 combo in 9mm and .40; and Hi-Point has the 40SW/Poly and 4095B carbine.

Gun Tests has done articles on just the carbines or just the pistols; but I think many readers would like to see the combos go head-to-head. Does one combo have the better carbine, but the pistol is a piece of crap! Or vice versa!

If you could do this article it would help me a lot in deciding which way to go.I wont buy a gun without looking for your article on it.

Daniel J. Langer

Im tempted to say, get the Hi-Point carbine and a Glock. But thanks for the idea.

– Ray Ordorica