Tokyo Marui XD(M) .40 Airsoft GBB Review by Windos.
REAL STEEL HISTORY AND INFORMATIONFrom the WikipediaThe XD(M) (X-treme Duty-More) are a series of semi-automatic pistols that are polymer-framed and striker-fired. They closely resemble their predecessor, the HS2000 pistol (most widely known in the United States as Springfield Armory XD) Manufactured in the city of Karlovac, Croatia by HS Produkt (formerly I.M. Metal), the Springfield Armory XD(M) is the marketing name for the weapon, which is licensed and sold in the US by Springfield Armory, Inc..
HS Produkt's latest generation of XDM pistols are an improvement to their predecessors. The most noticeable differences between the models are the XDM's interchangeable back-straps and match-grade barrel. The first XDM was produced in .40 S&W holding 16 rounds in the magazine. This gun was soon followed by the 9mm and .45 ACP. XDM also produced subcompact pistols in .40 S&W and 9mm. Recently XDM has produced a competition series in 9mm, .40 S&W, and .45 ACP with a 5.25" barrel, remotely resembling the 5" tactical XD pistols. The XDM series of pistols won Handgun of the Year in 2009.
The XDM is a polymer framed handgun with steel inserts and a mounting rail. While cosmetically looking superior to the original XD guns with its noteably "all terrain" grip pattern, the angle and depth of each contour in the grip has been calculated for maximized control vertically, horizontally and torsionally. The Major Grasp Slide Serrations were modified for a better more penetrating grasp. All XDM pistols come with grip and trigger safety mechanisms, a loaded chamber indicator at the top of the gun just behind the barrel, and match grade barrels. The surface of the metal has undergone a Melonite treatment, a salt bath nitriding process which leaves a hard, corrosion-resistant surface. Unlike the previous generation of XD handguns, the XDM does not require pulling the trigger to disassemble the gun, making field stripping faster.
FEATURES & SPECIFICATIONSFrom eHobbyAsia- Item Weight (gram) - 745
- Major Color - Black
- Length - 185mm
- Barrel Length - 110mm
- Hop-up - Adjustable
- Shooting Mode - Semi-Automatic
- Magazine Capacity - 26+1 Rounds
- Power (Muzzle Velocity) - 280 FPS (Top Gas Test @ 25°C Room Temperature) / 200 FPS (HFC134a Test @ 25°C Room Temperature)
PRODUCT INFORMATION/FIRST IMPRESSIONSThis pistol is Tokyo Marui's latest offering, having been released about a month ago. It's retailing at $178 USD putting it in about the middle of TM's blow back offerings in terms of price. I purchased it through eHobbyAsia and as always they were very quick to get my order in hand. The entire process took eight days, five of which were spent in the hands of NZ Customs.
Packaging isn't all important, as long as the contents arrives in good order, but I am always impressed with TM's boxes. This pistol came in a box which does a good job of showing off the pistol inside. Inside is bare dense black foam (unlike the 1911A1 and MEU which had a cloth lining) but it won't fall apart easily and does a good job of holding, presenting and protecting the pistol and magazine.
The first thing I noticed when opening the box was the length of the magazine. Seen by itself it looked excessively long but it is only 5-10mm longer than a MEU magazine.
XD(M) magazine (left) vs MEU magazine (right)
The pistol is pretty hefty, so much so that I had to check that I hadn't inserted the magazine before picking it up. The slide itself is weighty on its own accord and it feels like the recoil spring is pretty hard. Racking the slide is satisfying and feels like it should have a nice solid kick when fired.
Mag release and slide lock are both easily reached without shifting my grip.
I really like the finish on this pistol. It's much better than TM's M92/P226 (which I consider to look extremely toy like because of the plastic used) but to quite as good as their 1911's.
WHAT'S IN THE BOX?
- The pistol
- One magazine
- Two replacement back straps to adjust the size of the grip
- Manuals, paper targets and TM catalog
- 100 BBs... Never used BBs supplied with a pistol/rifle and probably never will
- "Blanking nubs" - These go in your magazines instead of BBs and allow you to blank fire without having to hold down the slide catch.
- Tools: Barrel plug, cleaning rod, pin punch
EXTERNALSTokyo Marui did a good job with the trades on this pistol. They have the "XD
M" logos but no mention of Springfield Armory anywhere. Metal slides will be available soon which have completed trades on them so this isn't too big of an issue (if it ever was an issue.)
Like I mentioned above, I like the finish and feel of the XD(M) everything is where it should be and it is a comfortable grip angle (for me).
The texture on the grip and cocking serrations are aggressive and do their job well, sweaty hands will not be an issue in the use of this pistol.
This is my first pistol with white dots painted on the sights and they make a huge difference in getting on target quickly.
Like the real steel pistol, Marui's offering has a chamber indicator. Unlike the real steel, the indicator on this Airsoft pistol doesn't function and always indicates that there is a round in the chamber. It also has a pin that sticks out the rear of the slide to indicate that the pistol is cocked and ready to fire. This does work (and works well).
There is a serial number on a silver plate on the underside of the frame, this number is also stamped into the slide and barrel chamber. I'm not sure if these are unique for each pistol produced or if every one has the same number.
INTERNALSInside the pistol looks like a standard TM affair. The hop is adjustable by a dial which is accessed by removing the slide.
The blow back unit appears to be exactly the same in operation as the 1911 (and most other TM pistols, so no surprise there.) but it does sit further forward than normal to make room for the pin.
The inner barrel looks to be able the same length as a Hi Capa 4.3 but I will be pulling it out and measuring it as I have seen three different length quoted for it online.
The only thing I need to do before gaming this pistol is removing the factory lubricants and clean/lube it with my preferred products (teflon grease
)
PERFORMANCEMy first game with this pistol was at The Infirmary on the 3rd of March. It had a wicked kick, even in the cold weather. It seems to have a short recoil, making each cycle very fast.
Out of the box, the XD(M) is a dead accurate pistol. I was managing acurate shots though multiple tight gaps (e.g. through openings accross/down corridors.) I stopped counting during the third game of the day but she earnt four or five hits during the first two.
Thanks to the large magazine, the pistol was more than capable of rapid firing even in the cold.
FPSReadings taken on a cold day (temperature somewhere between 10 and 12 degrees celcius.
0.2g BBs were used.
- 288.1
- 286.9
- 287.9
- 286
- 286
- 286.6
- 285
- 286.6
- 285.2
- 285.3
Low: 285
High: 288.1
Median: 286.3
Average: 286.36
Variance: 3.1
FINAL THOUGHTS
I am in love with this pistol and am very glad I decided to make the switch to it from the 1911 platform (which I will eventually start collecting again.) It has all the features I like in a 1911 (grip angle and safety, among others) as well as being a wider pistol with magazines with a much larger gas reservoir.
A metal slide is definitely on my to buy list, most likely of the silver variety as I dig the bi-tone look.
I like that it is so new that very few currently have one and am a fan of the real steel counterpart.
It seems likely to me that Tokyo Marui will be releasing more XD(M) models. They call it the "XD(M) series" on the box and clearly label (separately) "black slide" and "black frame" making me think that we will see silver slides and maybe OD frames but that is just speculation on my part.
As expected this pistol is shooting about the same FPS as your average Tokyo Marui pistol. At the time it was chronoed it was exactly the same FPS as a Marui MEU that was on site at the time.
It's a decent CQB weapon and/or a trusty a side arm. It's fast, accurate and reliable. If you're a fan of the real steel weapon (or are just coming around to it now) do yourself a favour and pick on up, you won't regret it.
