Issue with XD Tactical

[Zebug]

I hope this is the right place for this.

My wife has a XD9 Tactical, and she has 2 issues when shooting. The first issue she has is a FTE, which we have traced mostly to her not having a firm enough grip on the gun and causing the FTE. I have shot several mags through it without issue, which is what leads us to believe it is her grip. We are working on her having a firmer grip and locking her wrist. My question regarding this is would a heavier recoil spring help to reduce the feel of the recoil some, or is it best to just focus on her grip?

Second issue, is she has some issue with racking the slide and cocking the slide with the stock spring. I know that if we put in a light recoil spring it might make the first problem worse.

Would anyone suggest this slide pull to help her out with being able to pull the slide back all the way? PISTOLGEAR | YOUR ONE-STOP SHOP FOR ALL THINGS PISTOL

We shoot Remington UMC 115 gr, and we have just over 300 rounds through the gun.

Any suggestions are welcomed.

[LocoGringo]

Hand an old tennis ball to her and tell her to squeeze it for 20 minutes a day. She'll get a better grip that can handle recoil better and be able to rack the slide better as well. She needs to get stronger, not change the pistol.

[stompah]

What is her current way of cocking the slide? My girlfriend has issues clamping her hand on the slide enough to prevent her hand from slipping back.

Your wife could try grabbing the slide with her hand and then use her shooting hand to push the frame forward. This way one hand squeezes and the other pushes, keeps her from trying to do two things at once.

Or if the gun is not holstered try some grip tape on the slide.

Yes to the tennis ball training mentioned above. And as he said dont change the gun.

[deanw]

If its a brand new gun, the best thing you can do is give it a good oiling and just shoot the piss out of it. I thought my XD .45 was hard to rack also. It has about 500 rds through it now, and its much easier

[Zebug]

Thanks for the advice, I will pass the info on to her.

[Old4Eyes]

Teaching a spouse techniques can often be a supreme effort in failure. Lord knows I've tried to talk to my wife on racking techniques. She says she can't and then she'll be shown down at the gun shop and has it (for a while). I'll accept the fact that perhaps I may not be a good teacher, and if so, that's the way it is.

Here is an example of racking technique. You'll have to go about half way into the video, but the first half is valuable so hang in there:

GunFu: Mall Ninja vs. Tactical Mouse Technique - YouTube

GunFu: Mall Ninja vs. Tactical Mouse Technique - YouTube

The Tactical series are easier to rack than the service/compact. My wife has difficulties with the service but manages the Tactical far better. As far as limp wristing, I (via my wife) feel that the XD line is less susceptible to that problem than other pistols but it certainly is a problem with any pistol. Again, words from a spouse may fall on deaf ears, it may be worthwhile to find a 3rd party (and a women instructor would be great) to discuss/solve the technique issues.

Tell her to hang in there, she's smarter than the gun and she will win out.