Magazine follower barely engages slide lock. {pics added}

[mcb]

I have two XD-40s one Service and one Tactical. At present I have a total of 10 magazines for them. Three hi-cap magazine with only three count holes (4, 8, 12) in the back; these came with my XD-40 Service. I also have five of the hi-cap magazines with nine count holes (4-12) in the back (two came with my Tactical the other three I bought separately). And I just picked up two of the ten round magazines from Cheaper than Dirt.

My Service has never done it but on just few occasions my Tactical would lock open on the last round but the magazine would not fall free. After playing around with it I notice that the two hi caps magazine that came with the tactical will lock the action open but then the follow sometime will slip off the end of the post on the inside of slide lock and move up next to that post rather then under it. This condition causes the magazine to hang in the magazine well. Well after looking at all my magazine I notice that many of them barely engage the slide lock post, this seems a slightly bigger problem with my Tactical then my Service but both look precariously engage, most less then a 1/32 of an inch. The two magazines that came with the Tactical got a little bit of tape put on the follower on the opposite side from the shelf to catch the slide lock This pushes the follower toward the slide lock for a slightly better engagement and the problem has not reoccurred. My fear is as the magazines wear it may reoccur.

I also notice that one of my 9 count hole hi caps that I bough separately has a very slightly modified follower in it. The follower has a slight bulge at the shell on the follower where it engages the post on the slide lock. It bulges out maybe 0.015 inches more than the other follower. Now the two ten round magazine are a much different follow design and they engage the post on the slide lock very positively.

I tried to take pictures of the differences but they did not turn out last night, it was late and I was tire. I will try again this evening with more light for my camera and will add them to the thread. Has anyone else notice this problem with their magazines just barely catching the end of the post on the slide lock. Has anyone else come up with a solution? I am tempted to call SA and see if they will just send me the new follower design to go in my existing magazine. I doubt they would do that give the shortage of magazines. I might try to build that shelf out just a touch with some good epoxy. What do you guys think?

Thanks
mcb

[mcb]

Maybe pictures will entice you guys to reply.

First is a picture of the slide lock bound up on the side of the magazine follower. This has only happen once or twice in actual operation but I would rather it not happen at all. It would really suck in an IPSC competition or more importantly in a real fight (I can’t image any fight I would get in that would require a reload but…). In this case the slide probably would have locked open but the magazine would not drop free because of the follower is binding up on the slide lock post.



The next image is that same magazine but it has just barely engaged the slide lock post. It’s a little bit fuzzy but I think it gets the idea across. Many of my magazines engage like this or just a slight bit more.



And this last image of a magazine in the frame is the nicely engage follower of the 10rd magazine. I would like all of my magazine followers engage that post this positively.



Next I have included pictures of the three magazine followers I have seen. First the follower of the 10rd magazine



Next is what I believe is the original design of the hi-cap follower. Notice that there is some wear where the slide lock post has just barely been caught by the corner of the shelf.



And finally I have two pictures of what I believe is SA attempt to fix the problem with a slightly modified hi-cap follower. Notice the slight bulge in the side of the shelf that engages the slide lock post.




I would love to get a hold of these new followers (assuming they are a new design) for the rest of my hi-cap magazines. I looked through the eight I have and only one has the bulge shown in the pictures.

So… What do you guys think? Am I chasing a ghost or have any of you guys notice similar precarious slide lock post – magazine follower engagement?

Thanks
mcb

[Arrowman]

sorry dude never experiences that problem with either 9mm mags, or 40 s&w
mags in my XD 9

[shamus]

I just got back three of my magazines from M&R Arms, one of them engaged the slide lock but the other two did not, after comparing the two magazines that came back from M&R with one that I just bought I found that the follower did not go up to the top of the magazine as it did in the new one so I took them apart and found that the two from M&R had the springs rotated 90 degrees. After rotating the springs back both magazines fully engaged the slide lock.
Hope this can help you

Shamus

[Captain Ray]

I am not sure if I can help you with your mag problem.. but dude.. what is with all the grease on your locking block?! I have never heard anyone say to put any grease on the locking block, much less have it kaked on like that. Is it possible that you are using the wrong kind of lubricant, and it is interfering with your magazines?

Raymond

[mcb]

The magazine well is clean and dry. The grease on the locking block is actually a fairly light weight red lithium gun grease. I use in on the hing pins in all my shotguns. I probably do over grease/lubricate parts but it seems the locking block would not want to be left dry either. The manual does not do a good job at telling you where and what kind of lubrincant should be used. I always grease a gun were it slides and oil pin joints. Feel free to educate me, my two XD's are not my first firearms but are my first semi-auto centerfire handguns.

As for the magazine problem it more of an alignment problem with the shelf on the magazine follower trying to coming around the inside of the slide lock post rather than under it. As I said it does work nearly all the time but as shown in the second photo many of my magazines just barely get under that slide lock post. With the addition of the tape on the far side of the follow the problem goes away. I suspect that if other XD owners looked at their guns closely they might see similar minimal engagement of the follower with the slide lock post with some magazines. Just a guess on my part.

Thanks
mcb

[Captain Ray]

well, like I said, from what I have read so far, I can't tell you what the problem with the mags are. The grease you are using on your pistol is definitely the wrong kind.

Here is a picture of my locking block:



Never mind the little arrow.. that was to point out a little chip on the block that I was concerned about.. I would have to send my entire pistol back to Springfield to have them fix that.. yeah right, out of my dead, cold hands Mfrs!!!

Anyway.. you are not using the right kind of lubricant. You do not want to use any kind of heavy grease like that anywhere on your pistol. Most of the guys around here run their pistols pretty dry. Other than a drop on each side of the rails (around the locking block,) and a little on the sear, and the various springs, you don't need much oil. If you don't mind waiting a day or three, I would suggest going to Blue Wonder and picking up a few tubes of Disotec XFR. That stuff is great.. and I think, if they are still running the promo, that they will give you a 4 oz. tube of the Blue Wonder Gel solvent for cleaning.

From looking at that picture, I am afraid your magazines may be suffering from improper cleaning.. I have only heard from two people who have had legitimate problems with their factory magazines, and in both cases it was because they were dropped, and bent. I think in your case, you are just being a bit over-zealous in the way you are cleaning, and using the wrong products.

Raymond

[Captain Ray]

Here is a pic I just took of my field stripped XD.

Note, no goopy grease on the locking block. I am nearing the 5,000 round mark with this pistol, no failures of any kind, it goes bang every time.



If you have any questions about cleaning.. please ask.. the old farts will groan, and help you.. they like groaning, and they like helping..

I really think, based on what you have posted so far, that the problem with feeding, and the magazines has something to do with what you are using to lubricate your weapon. I could be wrong, (although I never have been before.. ask BD! LOL) but it is a place to start.

Raymond

[mcb]

Thanks for all the input. I have not had any feed or ejections problems just the very rare magazine not dropping free due to binding on the slide lock post. I have been using Blue Wonder get to clean my XD (per recommendations here). I use the Blue Wonder Gel on the barrel and slide and Hoppies Elite on the polymer frame when it needs it.

So if I understand you correctly the locking block and mating surface on the barrel should be near dry (maybe a very light coat of oil instead of grease?) and a drop of oil on the slide rails, sear, and a couple drops of oil on the recoil spring, guild rod and striker springs. How does that sound? Do you guys lubricate the points were the barrel touches/rubs the slide. You ought to see the grease I put there. I probably over lubricate to also help ensure that I don't get rust, I have probably read to many threads about rust problems. I don't have any yet and don't want any!

I really do appreciate the help but I don't think my over lubrication (something I will rectify immediately) has anything to do with the potential problem of the magazine follower binding up on the slide lock post by move up next to the end of the post rather than under the post. Despite the liberal use of lubricant my magazine are and stay relatively dry.

My magazine get wiped off with a clean rag that has just a couple drops of light oil rubbed into it. I take them apart and pull this rag through the magazine and make sure the spring has a very light coat of oil, just to inhibit rust. The follower is dry.

Captain Ray and anyone else that wants would you guys mind taking that same picture in Captain Ray’s last posted again with a magazine installed. I would love to compare my frame with magazine to a few other frames with magazine installed but the slide off.

Thanks for helping my ghost hunt
mcb

[mengelmar]

If anyone bother to look at the pictures it seems obvious that the grease has NOTHING to do with the problem mcb is having. I like you idea about building the shelf out a little with some epoxy provided you can leave plenty of clearance to prevent the follower from binding in the magazine body. Do the magazines that you are having this problem with have any give side-to-side when inserted into the magwell?