Henry Rifle Forums

I have had my Spingfield XDs for a few years now. Have not been happy with the grips;
I added two Pachmayr products recently. First one is a magazine extender for the 7 round mag. NOW there is a place for my pinky. I want to keep it as concealable as possible.
Next is the Pachmayr grip sleeve.....aaaah, what an improvement over factory. Now upon a quick purchase of the pistol,....POI has greatly improved over all, IMO.
Any thoughts !!

That grip sleeve looks pretty thick, maybe that helped your grip enough to improve your accuracy. I'm sure being able to grip it with all 4 fingers would help.

dave77 wrote: ↑

Sat Mar 20, 2021 11:11 pm

That grip sleeve looks pretty thick, maybe that helped your grip enough to improve your accuracy. I'm sure being able to grip it with all 4 fingers would help.

Yes Dave. The sleeve has made it feel totally different. I like this little gun a lot. I think it was a great improvement.
Not too much printing to overcome with the grip extension either.
Almost feel like I got a new gun.
BTW , the sleeve is not as thick as it may look, but sure makes it feel better...at least for my hand.

the only thing that matters is how it works for you .... glad you've found upgrades that fit your wants and needs

One caution for you, I put the same sleeve on my S&W Shield and while I loved how it improved the feel of the grip I found that while shooting and doing mag changes it would slip down and interfere with inserting a new mag. As this was a carry gun I quit using the sleeve. Hopefully your experience will be different.

Hatchdog wrote: ↑

Sun Mar 21, 2021 11:00 am

One caution for you, I put the same sleeve on my S&W Shield and while I loved how it improved the feel of the grip I found that while shooting and doing mag changes it would slip down and interfere with inserting a new mag. As this was a carry gun I quit using the sleeve. Hopefully your experience will be different.

Thanks for your input Hatch! Will keep that in mind.

I carry the XD sub in 9 and it’s the best concealed carry just as it is for me. I also like the Sherpa holsters.

I have small hands and it fits me perfect.

I had to go to an 8rd mag on my XDS9 as I couldn't shoot it well with the flush 7rd. Without a home for my pinky, my accuracy suffers greatly. I picked up some 9rd for range use but wouldn't care to carry it that way. I have considered adding a sleeve to take some bite out of the grip during range shoots.

I've had mine for several years and still have the stock trigger set from the recall. I don't care for the gritty feel of my trigger, and really don't want to modify it for a carry pistol. Once you get familiar with the trigger feel it's a good shooting pistol and mine has been very reliable.

Stray Cat wrote: ↑

Sun Mar 21, 2021 6:16 pm

I had to go to an 8rd mag on my XDS9 as I couldn't shoot it well with the flush 7rd. Without a home for my pinky, my accuracy suffers greatly. I picked up some 9rd for range use but wouldn't care to carry it that way. I have considered adding a sleeve to take some bite out of the grip during range shoots.

I've had mine for several years and still have the stock trigger set from the recall. I don't care for the gritty feel of my trigger, and really don't want to modify it for a carry pistol. Once you get familiar with the trigger feel it's a good shooting pistol and mine has been very reliable.

I carry with a 7 and have two 9’s in a separate pouch.

Stray Cat wrote: ↑

Sun Mar 21, 2021 6:16 pm

I had to go to an 8rd mag on my XDS9 as I couldn't shoot it well with the flush 7rd. Without a home for my pinky, my accuracy suffers greatly. I picked up some 9rd for range use but wouldn't care to carry it that way. I have considered adding a sleeve to take some bite out of the grip during range shoots.

I've had mine for several years and still have the stock trigger set from the recall. I don't care for the gritty feel of my trigger, and really don't want to modify it for a carry pistol. Once you get familiar with the trigger feel it's a good shooting pistol and mine has been very reliable.

That is why, for concealment reasons, I carry with the 7 round magazine, but got the pachmayr grip extender for my pinky.
Feels a lot better!
And less than $10.00 through Amazon. The sleeve, so far, is a big improvement also.

I carried a S&W M&P40c for about a decade when I decided it was too big, and bought a S&W Performance Center Shield 9mm. What a train wreck! Took it to the range and got 12" groups at 25 yards with a rest. I stripped it down and found a bulge on the barrel. Sent it back to S&W and they returned it 2 months later with a nick in the crown of the new barrel. It then got 8" groups at 25 yards.

I sold it and bought an XDS 40 and took it to the range and got sub-2" groups at 25 yards. Amazing for such a little gun with a heavy trigger.
It was the first pistol I owned that the recoil actually bothered me with regular defensive loads. So I ended up adding the Pachmyr grip to mine.
I ended up not being comfortable with only 6 rounds after a couple of active shooter incidents in my area, and went back to the M&P40c, and then eventually the 12-round Sig P365.

But, I just can't sell that XDS. It hurts to shoot, is low capacity, and is outclassed by the P365. But I still love that little gun.

My XDS is my EDC. I use the large back strap which holds the grip sleeve tighter, and doesn't move.