Although the GLOCK G41 GEN4 COMPETITION, .45 AUTO and XD-M® 5.25″ COMPETITION SERIES .45 ACP pistols are fine pistols fit for competition right out of the box, they pale against the august performance of a well-tuned competition 1911 pistol. That should evoke some responses.
Although this article is a comparison between two very popular competition pistols, there is no clear winner. I could throw several more pistols in with these two and there would still not be a clear winner. Both pistols are extremely accurate, based on how I shoot, they handle quite well in the hand, and what it really comes down to is how they feel in your hand. That’s where I hope that I can help a little. If you have been considering one of these pistols for competition, carry, or home defense this article may provide the impetus for you to visit your local gun shop and handle one or both. But, then again, you may decide against both and follow a more exotic route.
To start with, let’s look at some statistical comparisons for both pistols.
| GLOCK G41 GEN4 COMPETITION, .45 AUTO | XD-M® 5.25″ COMPETITION SERIES .45 ACP | |
| Caliber | .45 Auto | .45 Auto |
| System | Safe Action® | Competition Series |
| Mag. Capacity | ||
| Standard: | 13 | 13 |
| Optional: | 13 | 13 |
| Barrel Length | 135 mm | 5.31 inch | 133.35 mm | 5.25 inch |
| Barrel | Polygonal rifling, 8-groove, 1:16 Twist | Hammer Forged, Steel, Match-grade, Melonite® / 1:16 Twist |
| Weight without magazine | 675 g, 23.81 oz | 907.18 g, 32 oz |
| Weight with empty magazine | 760 g, 26.81 oz | 935.53 g, 33 oz |
| Weight with loaded magazine | 1035 g, 36.51 oz | 1207.12 g, 42.58 |
| Trigger Pull | 24 N, 5.4 lbs. | 20.02 N, 4.5 lbs. |
| Length (Overall) | 223 mm, 8.78 inch | 210.82 mm, 8.30 inch |
| Slide Length | 211 mm, 8.31 inch | 203.2 mm, 8.0 inch |
| Width (Overall) | 34 mm, 1.34 inch | 32.00 mm, 1.26 inch |
| Slide Width | 25,5 mm, 1.0 inch | 27,55 mm, 1.08 inch |
| Height incl. Mag. | 139 mm, 5.47 inch | 146.05 mm, 5.75 inch |
| Line of Sight (Polymer) | 195 mm, 7.68 inch | N/A |
| Line of Sight (Steel) | 194 mm, 7.64 inch | N/A |
| Line of Sight (GNS) | 193 mm, 7.60 inch | N/A |
| Line of Sight (Fiber Optic Front & Fully Adjustable Target Rear (Steel)) | N/A | 201.42, 7.93 inch |
| Trigger Distance | 72,5 mm, 2.85 inch** | 71,12 mm, 2.8 inch* |
| MSRP | $716 (Davidsons) | $779 (Springfield Armory) |
Notes:
* Grip safety fully pressed.
** Dependent upon chosen grip adapter
The GLOCK G41 GEN4 COMPETITION, .45 AUTO is the spartan of the two pistols in appearance and in outward controls. The XD-M® 5.25″ COMPETITION SERIES .45 ACP is more elaborate in appearance and has one control that is not present on the GLOCK G41 GEN4 COMPETITION, .45 AUTO; the grip safety that must be pressed fully for the pistol not only to fire but to retract the slide.
The slide of both pistols is not cut for MOS; however, the MOS option is offered for the GLOCK G41 GEN4 COMPETITION, .45 AUTO at an additional cost. My G41 simply was not ordered with the MOS option.
The bore axis of the GLOCK G41 GEN4 COMPETITION, .45 AUTO is lower than that of the XD-M® 5.25″ COMPETITION SERIES .45 ACP. While the XD-M should exhibit more muzzle flip due to the higher bore axis, the opposite is true, and this may be due to the weight of the slide and the grip angle.
The slide of the GLOCK G41 GEN4 COMPETITION, .45 AUTO lacks the lightning cut, as is present on the XD-M® 5.25″ COMPETITION SERIES .45 ACP. Some claim that the opening helps keeps the weight down and provides a means to get air to the barrel, which means better cooling than a slide without the lightning cut, such as the Glock. I have no idea about that. Obviously, Glock had a reason to discontinue the lightning cut on its competition pistols and had other ways to lighten the slide.
The barrel of the GLOCK G41 GEN4 COMPETITION, .45 AUTO, at 5.3 inches is just 0.06 inches longer than the barrel of the XD-M® 5.25″ COMPETITION SERIES .45 ACP and that difference is not enough to even speculate an accuracy or velocity gain. The barrel of the G41, of course, has polygonal rifling as compared to the conventional rifling of the XD-M barrel. Much the same can be said for the sight radius between each pistol; there is not enough of a difference to matter. The type of sight may matter, however, to the user. The XD-M® 5.25″ COMPETITION SERIES .45 ACP came equipped with a Fiber Front & Fully Adjustable Target Rear (Steel); whereas, the GLOCK G41 GEN4 COMPETITION, .45 AUTO was originally equipped with a polymer front sight and a polymer fully-adjustable rear target sight, and they have since been changed to a set of Glock Night Sights. The reason for which will be explained later.
Several other differences between slides are apparent with the XD-M® 5.25″ COMPETITION SERIES .45 ACP having a pop-up chamber loaded (tactile and visual) indicator and a pop-out cocked indicator (tactile and visual) at the rear of the slide. The GLOCK G41 GEN4 COMPETITION, .45 AUTO has an extractor that is popped out (tactile and visual) should a round be chambered. Also, the GLOCK G41 GEN4 COMPETITION, .45 AUTO uses a captive recoil guide rod and spring assembly; whereas, the XD-M® 5.25″ COMPETITION SERIES .45 ACP uses a non-captive recoil spring and care must be taken when removing the recoil spring from the slide.
The GLOCK G41 GEN4 COMPETITION, .45 AUTO comes with rear serrations only; whereas, the XD-M® 5.25″ COMPETITION SERIES .45 ACP has front and rear serrations. The slide lock on both pistols is left side only. The magazine release on the XD-M® 5.25″ COMPETITION SERIES .45 ACP is ambidextrous; whereas, the magazine release on the GLOCK G41 GEN4 COMPETITION, .45 AUTO is left side but can be installed for right side operation.
Turning to the frames, the frame of the XD-M® 5.25″ COMPETITION SERIES .45 ACP is the more sculptured of the two pistols, especially in the grip area. The grip of the XD-M® 5.25″ COMPETITION SERIES .45 ACP is much more aggressive, although the RTF (Rough Textured Frame) of the GLOCK G41 GEN4 COMPETITION, .45 AUTO has more than enough texturing to hold the hand in place on the grip. The grip angle is, of course, different between the two pistols, and the grip characteristics for both pistols are changed via a series of grip adapters. I have found that the large beaver-tail grip adapter for the GLOCK G41 GEN4 COMPETITION, .45 AUTO works the best for my hand, while the XD-M® 5.25″ COMPETITION SERIES .45 ACP grip is fine as originally outfitted. My hand feels equally at home on either grip, and while I like the grip angle of the XD-M® 5.25″ COMPETITION SERIES .45 ACP, I like the texturing of the grip on the GLOCK G41 GEN4 COMPETITION, .45 AUTO better.
The capacity of both pistols are 13+1 rounds and magazines for both pistols are excellent. The stainless-steel magazines for the XD-M® 5.25″ COMPETITION SERIES .45 ACP are as easy to insert as they are to eject. The polymer-coated steel magazines for the GLOCK G41 GEN4 COMPETITION, .45 AUTO are the same way. While the magazines for the GLOCK G41 GEN4 COMPETITION, .45 AUTO can also be used in the G21, G30, and G36 Glock pistols, the magazines for the XD-M® 5.25″ COMPETITION SERIES .45 ACP can also be used for the XD-M® 4.5″ Full Size .45 ACP model.
The triggers on both pistols are excellent; albeit, they are different in characteristics. The only thing common between them is that they are both pulled to the rear. Both triggers incorporate a trigger safety; the small lever within the trigger that allows the trigger to be pulled. The trigger on the XD-M® 5.25″ COMPETITION SERIES .45 ACP; however, also has an additional safety feature – the grip safety that must be pressed before the trigger can be pulled or the slide can be retracted. The only job of the trigger on the XD-M® 5.25″ COMPETITION SERIES .45 ACP is to release the striker. The trigger on the GLOCK G41 GEN4 COMPETITION, .45 AUTO, on the other hand, has an additional duty and that is to complete the cocking of the striker prior to releasing it. It is up to the prospective buyer to determine which trigger is preferred and I can’t really help you out here, as I like both. With some time on both triggers their idiosyncrasies come to light and it is just a question of what you prefer. Of course, if either of these pistols are to be used as competition pistols, a trigger job may be just the trick. If you are thinking about using either of these pistols for defensive use, personal or home, I would highly advise not to have a trigger work done and with that in mind it makes the selection of a trigger more important than the pistol in which it is incorporated. With trigger time, either trigger will get the job done. At his point, I will say that the trigger on the XDM 5.25 is slightly better than the trigger on the XDM 4.5 or other XDMs that I own. The trigger on my XDM 5.25 exhibits a short take-up until resistance is felt. Then, there is a small degree of travel through the resistance (about 4.5 pounds by my digital trigger pull gauge) until the striker is released. The let off; however, is crisp. The resistance does not “feel” mushy, although some may say that it does; it just feels like a constant resistance until let-off is obtained. Once resistance is felt, the trigger feels like a very short throw, smooth, double-action trigger with no staging.
Of most of the pistol manufactures, I think that Glock and Springfield are visually appealing pistols. The clean lines of the Glock pistol are obvious and are visually appealing. Springfield Armory has an appeal of its own, although the pistols are, what I would call, cluttered. Clutter; however, can be made to seem uncluttered. Springfield Armory has, what I believe to be, uncluttered clutter. The Springfield XDM 5.25 exhibits blended lines yet an aggressiveness in texture where needed.
Field stripping either pistol is easy and both pistol have their quirk. The trigger on the GLOCK G41 GEN4 COMPETITION, .45 AUTO must be pulled before removing the slide from the frame. The trigger on the XD-M® 5.25″ COMPETITION SERIES .45 ACP does not have to be pulled to remove the slide from the frame; however, the grip safety must be fully pressed to retract the slide.
At the Range
As I have mentioned in other articles, I like using the same ammunition in pistols of the same caliber, as it provides a baseline, or should I say a deviation from a baseline, that was set when I first started using the ammunition. For example, lately the Sellier and Beloit 230-grain FMJ would be used to determine accuracy and performance for practice ammunition. Sig Sauer V-Crown 230-grain JHP helps me determine the relative accuracy with defensive ammunition. In some cases, the accuracy is consistent, and in other cases, there is a wide deviation in accuracy. For example, while the Sig-Sauer V-Crown 230-grain JHP has shown excellent accuracy through the barrel of a 1911, they may not be as accurate through the XD-M® 5.25″ COMPETITION SERIES .45 ACP or the the GLOCK G41 GEN4 COMPETITION, .45 AUTO. If they are as accurate as before, I am good to go with carrying them for defense purposes. If not, a search must begin to determine what defensive ammunition is the best to use. While relative accuracy can be determined, performance such as penetration and expansion are left to science.
With that said, both pistols are extremely accurate with the selected Sellier and Beloit 230-grain FMJ ammunition. Recoil is mild with both pistols and both are quick to get back on target. The GNS (Glock Night Sights) are better for me in the low range lighting; whereas, the fiber front sight on the XD-M® 5.25″ COMPETITION SERIES .45 ACP is not as illuminating under low-light conditions and I use the outline of the sight rather than the colored dot. With that said, the fiber front sight illuminates brightly in sunlight and bright indoor lights. If I were to use the XD-M® 5.25″ COMPETITION SERIES .45 ACP for defensive use (personal or home), I would seek out a good set of sights to replace the existing sights, and which could be used under different lighting conditions.
Concealability
I’ll just open this up by saying that both pistols can be concealed. For the GLOCK G41 GEN4 COMPETITION, .45 AUTO, I am currently using a holster from Savoy leather (shown below) that also houses the Glock G34 Gen5 MOS FS Competition, 9x19mm.
As shown below, the XD-M® 5.25″ COMPETITION SERIES .45 ACP, when carried, is housed in a Black Arch holster (formerly SHTF Gear). I am; however, looking for another good holster to house this beast.
Careful selection of holsters, belt, inner and outer clothing takes some homework. I prefer IWB carry, but your preferences may differ from mine. Regardless of how you carry let it be a safe method.
Wrapping it Up
Although this article was a comparison between two very popular competition pistols, there is no clear winner. I have tried to look at both pistols in this article under a dual microscope with one lens for competition and one lens for self-defense, which includes concealment and carry ability.
I would carry either pistol, as both pistols are more accurate than I can shoot them and they hold enough .45 ACP cartridges that make a potent statement regarding how you value your existence.
I have read reviews of firearms where the author’s propensity to use a scaled ‘grading’ system undermines what is written about the firearm under scrutiny. The way that I look at it, if a pistol is worthy enough for me to want to carry it, that should tell you something because I am not going to put my life on the line with a pistol that would not make the cut. Thankfully, most pistols make the cut. Sadly, some don’t but that doesn’t mean that they are not quality firearms; they are simply not my cup of tea for whatever reason(s).
The GLOCK G41 GEN4 COMPETITION, .45 AUTO and the XD-M® 5.25″ COMPETITION SERIES .45 ACP can accomplish whatever mission you have in store.
Resources
- GEN4 Glock 41: https://us.glock.com/Products/G41%20Gen4
- Savoy Leather: https://www.savoyleather.com/product/in-the-waistband-conceal-carry-iwb/
- Simply Rugged Holsters: https://www.simplyrugged.com/
- Springfield Armory XDM 5.25 .45ACP Competition Model: http://www.springfield-armory.com/products/xdm-competition-series-45-acp/
