The Springfield XD had a rocky start. I was an early adopter, buying my first in 2003 shortly after the branded Springfield model was produced for sale in the U.S.
It was the design Springfield chose to compete head-to-head with Glock in the burgeoning polymer/striker-fired market. The XD's roots go back to 1990 and Croatia with the Prvi Hrvatski Pištolj (First Croatian Pistol) designed by by Marko Vuković and friends. Pundits considered the design to be solid, but it was produced by I. M. Metal, a privately-owned industrial parts manufacturer. I have a bit of history in Croatia and with the sometimes bizarre privatization of business that took place in the late '80s, and I can understand the...challenges of bringing a quality design to quality manufacture in that era. While that's a tale for another day around a different campfire, let me hasten to add that the business environment in Croatia now is a day and night difference from that difficult transition in the late '80s.
After Vuković's first design, the pistol went through a couple of new iterations before Springfield decided this was the platform they wanted and brought to the table its own design and manufacturing expertise. The stigma of the early Croatian quality issues followed it; however, it was clear early in the Springfield era that those had been resolved.
Haters can hate, but In 2006 the XD-45 earned the title "Handgun of the Year" from
American Rifleman magazine and
Shooting Industry magazine. The XD(M) series of pistols claimed the same titles in 2009.
I own exactly two more XDs that I own Glocks, and I own several Glocks. For many years, XDs were forced into the IDPA Enhanced Service Pistol division because the striker mechanism pre-loaded prior to the trigger pull when compared to the Glock. The distinction was infinitesimal, but IDPA HQ determined the slightly improved trigger break on the XD deserved moving it into a division with 1911-format 9mm guns. Just sayin'. A stock Glock trigger has never been anything to write home about, but the felt difference between the two was minor.
In fact, to shoot an XD in IDPA ESP with any effectiveness, I had a complete competition job done to an XD-9 tactical by Canyon Creek Custom. Sights, trigger, barrel, fit; the whole nine yards. Proved not to be practical from a competition standpoint, but it remains years later the best striker-fired shooter I own.
Before I ever bought an XD in .40 S&W--one of the first bi-tone XD(M) models--I owned three Glocks in that caliber. A decade ago I was taking a few two- and three-day defensive firearm courses every year. Some required moving, stopping, or controlling steel swingers and I decided on .40 as my caliber of choice, and a G35 as my handgun. Put about 6,000 rounds through that gun in classes alone, not counting other range time. Other than a couple of spring change-outs, I still own it, shoot it, and love it.
My preferred format? None of the above: a 1911. Been shooting that before striker-fired guns were invented; a trigger that no striker gun has ever been able to emulate; a manual-at-arms I know without thinking; over 100 years of proven service; the design used at the highest level of handgun competition; the design still preferred by some SpecOps teams. But I've owned, loved, and shot polymer strikers for over 25 years.
I'm an equal-opportunity firearms advocate.
Net message: if it works, don't dis it. Until you've walked a mile--or fired equivalent rounds--in those shoes, don't dis it.
We all have our favorite designs and platforms, but the more you own and the more you shoot, the more you can appreciate all the others.
GREAT post! Thanks! 
