Springfield XDM 4.5 vs. Glock 17 Gen4 Part 3
A competition of equals
By Dennis Adler

I have shot both the XDM 4.5 and Glock 17 Gen4 in 9mm, so I am familiar with their respective handling as centerfire guns. Both make excellent carry guns and their CO2 counterparts equally good substitutes for hands-on training with air. Each has its appeal, and both shoot and handle about the same. The question is, is one more accurate than the other?
Time, as they say, to see what happens when the rubber meets the road, and the Umarex Glock 17 Gen4 goes head-to-head downrange against the Air Venturi Springfield Armory XDM 4.5 model. The XDM is a slightly larger gun with every realistic feature possible for a CO2 model based on a centerfire pistol. Its overall design and execution is flawless. But, the same can be said for the Umarex Glock 17 Gen4. This is a contest of equals that will come down to ease of operation and accuracy. It is that one catch, ease of operation, which favors the Gen4 because it is faster to load the Glocks’s CO2 BB magazine than the Springfield’s. It is a small matter since extra XDM magazines are already available, and it’s only a problem if you are reloading the same magazine over and over. Extra XDM mags are not cheap, about $50 apiece, but essential for training, so you should have them anyway. (Unfortunately, Glock has not released spare mags for the Gen4 as yet, but they are forthcoming). The issue with the XDM mag being slow to load is a follower tab that is small and hard to hold down, but this is already being addressed with improved follower tabs for the next supply of XD magazines, so that will put the Gen4 and XDM on an even footing across the board.