By now we should be used to the idea of a polymer-framed pistol. After all, while 1980s clothes and music are gone (in many cases, thankfully) and the TV shows of the period are on late-night cable, the original polymer pistol--the Glock--is still here. And facing ever-tougher competition.

The new Springfield XDm (as in, XD "more") offers a whole host of improvements both on the Glock and the previous versions of the XD itself.

First are the cosmetic. The slide has been resculpted to remove those odd-looking exterior rails the XD sported. The new slide is trapezoidal in cross-section, and the new shape of the slide gives Springfield an opportunity to also change the cocking serrations. The angles of the slide surfaces and the slots act to drive your fingers deeper into the slots and farther down on the side as you grab it to rack the slide. Your fingers are much less likely to slip off the slide while working it.

The super-hard Melonite-treated slide is also longer by half an inch, with a longer barrel to go with it. More barrel means more velocity for your .40 S&W loads. The new barrels are made by the most modern and highest-tech methods available and have Enfield rifling, so no lead-bullet worries.

The sights are improved, with the front and rear in dovetails and the rear now large enough to hold night-sight vials, which you can get either now from Springfield or soon from those making night sights. I'm no great fan of the three-dot system (hey, I'm old enough that "old school" is the original school), but if that's what you want, the XDm has them.

While your working hand is getting a massaging from the slide, your shooting hand is being even more securely held by the frame. The new grip frame contour also sports new anti-skid serrations. Saying the new surface is less anti-skid than the old is like saying skateboard tape on your stairs is better than polished wood. Not that the old XD surfaces were prone to being slick, but the new surface is almost active in hanging on. The XDm backstraps are interchangeable, for different-sized hands, and also incorporate a lanyard loop so you can tie your blaster to you.

Springfield spent some time on the trigger, both to improve the trigger pull and to make changes in the takedown procedure. The new trigger is shorter on the takeup, shorter on the reset and quicker to reset as well. Me, I've spent entirely too much time shooting double-action revolvers to be bothered by a reset some complain about, but in switching back and forth between the new and an old XD--and some other polymer guns--I can see the difference.

Springfield XDm
Manufacturer	Springfield Armory, 800/680-6866
Type	polymer-frame semiauto
Caliber	.40 S&W
Capacity	8+1
Barrel Length	4.5 in.
Height	5.6 in
Weight	32 oz.
Sights	three-dot
Trigger	6-lb. DAO
Extras	Pelican case, two mags, holster, mag pouch, mag loader
Price	$679, black, $749 bi-tone

If your trigger finger isn't conditioned like mine to bounce off the front inside of the trigger guard on each shot, you'll probably be able to notice the new trigger faster than I did. It isn't a 1911 trigger, but then few are.

The magazine catch is ambidextrous, and the takedown method has also been improved. How? Simple. First, drop the magazine. Run the slide back and lock it open. Check to make sure it is indeed empty. Rotate the disassembly lever upright. Release the slide stop and run the slide assembly off the front of the frame. Done. No need to dry-fire the pistol in order to take it apart.

But wait, it gets better. Springfield went to its polymer providers and told them a new formula was needed. The chemists, locked in their dank, dark, dungeon-like labs, came up with a new polymer formula. (Promise those guys fresh air and new coffee filters and they'll do anything.) Springfield then took the new formula and changed the dimensions of the magazine well. In this well the designers stuffed a new, wider tube that upped the magazine capacity.

The old XD magazines held 12 rounds of .40 S&W. The new XDm magazines hold 16 rounds. That's right, 16 rounds of high-velocity .40 S&W goodness. It is fashionable in some circles to decry the cartridge as the ".40 Short & Weak," but who among us wants to stop one? And plenty of miscreants have gone to their reward (let us hope a hot and awful one) because of the .40 S&W, and to have 16 rounds of it in a pistol no larger than the original XD is wondrous.