The Springfield Armory XD(M) 5.25 made its debut at this year's Bianchi Cup, riding in the holster of its designer Rob Leatham. Rob should require no introduction, but in case you're new to the world of firearms or spent the last two decades on a Pacific atoll, well, let's just say he knows a thing or two about handguns. According to Springfield, the XD(M) 5.25 was conceived as an out-of-the box competition pistol, and on paper, should be ideal for USPSA Production Division, 3-gun, IDPA and Bianchi Cup. As with all mass-produced firearms, however, there is always potential for bean-counters to intervene somewhere between the original design intent and the product that actually shows up on dealers' shelves.

First Impressions The first thing you'll notice is that the pistol ships in box about the size of a small attaché case. Inside, we find the handgun, three 19-round magazines, two additional backstraps, a magazine loader, double mag pouch and paddle holster--all of injection-molded black plastic. Basically, we have everything we need to get started in our favorite gun games, though another mag would be welcome.

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