First gun purchase XD40...what should I know?

[D-H]

I purchased it a couple months ago and have just recently started going to the range. I've put 112 rounds through it so far, haven't cleaned it (went to the range last week)

Will this ruin my gun?

What do you guys suggest to do when you first buy a gun?

I play with it a lot dis-assembling and re-assembling it

I ordered the SuperTuck IWB last night and just got a new grip for it

Other than that I have no idea what other goodies to buy. This is my carry weapon.

How should I clean it? What do I need? I've never cleaned a gun before

It's the .40 4'' black model.

Is it bad to put 100s of rounds through your carry weapon? Can I put 2,000+ rounds through this gun an it'll shoot the same or what?


Thanks everyone an as this is my first post I hope I'm welcome here!

[jednp]

First off, before you even THINK about carrying the gun, learn all the stuff you are asking, and then some! Go take a class on basic firearms handling and shooting. I am not trying to make fun of you at all. You seem very very new to guns, especially if you haven't ever cleaned a gun, have no clue if 100 rounds through a carry gun is bad, etc. Do yourself a HUGE favor, and go take a class at your range if they offer one. I firmly believe you need to know how to handle your weapon, understand what's good or bad for it, and know more about how many rounds are OK for the gun.. since this is one thing you don't know.

If you carry a gun, and are clueless about the basics of guns, you are doing yourself a disfavor in my opinion.

but, first off do you have an indoor range that is staffed and sells supplies? Your best bet will be to go to them and ask about a cleaning kit, etc. And again, ask about lessons! Even one lesson can make a world of difference in allowing you to understand the basics in a hands on way. You have to know this, or you risk being unsafe with a gun.

As far as how many rounds are OK through the gun before cleaning, there are guys on here who have thousands of rounds without cleaning. Some people get jams sooner, some don't. Each gun is different. But you don't have to clean it every 100 rounds. And you HAVE to fire more than 100 rounds through your carry pistol. You absolutely have to shoot the crap out of it if you ask me. Otherwise you have no proof that the gun is reliable, and you have no way to gain accuracey with the gun, without practice with it. Guns are not little cutsie objects that can't handle some abuse. They control explosions inside them, that's what they are made for. They are made to shoot, shoot some more, then go back and shoot a lot more. The only thing you need to do, is watch for signs of failure in parts that you can see, by inspecting them. And also asking every single question about the gun that you can on here, or searching through the forums and just read... you will learn so much by doing that.

So once again, please go ask for a one on one lesson if they offer it. You will thank yourself for doing so. Then once you understand the basics in a hands on way, you will know much more stuff to ask us here. Good luck!

[D-H]

Thanks and I take no offense by you saying I need to learn more about it. I am signed up for a class next month. I believe it's a five day class which shows me how to correctly hold, aim, and shoot the gun.

Are there any sites online that offer cleaning packs?

[jednp]

You can get stuff online, but honestly I think it's better to buy local. that way when you run out, you can easily get new stuff right away. Any basic firearm cleaning kit will work to be honest. Heck, I buy most of my stuff at walmart. I'm still in search of the perfect stuff to use for cleaning my gun, so it's hard to tell you what to use or not. Basic bore brush, cleaning solvent, gun oil, bore scrubber solvent, q-tips. Lots of guys like using break-free clp, they have it at walmart too i think.

And that's good you are signed up for a class. a 5 day class? dang, hopefully they teach you lots of stuff. I took a 1 hour class and learned quite a bit that I didn't know when I first got my gun. I had been around guns all my life, but I wanted to get a lesson on my specific pistol, as I hadn't shot many pistols before.

And if you want, there are forum sponsors who sell cleaning stuff online if you want to purchase your stuff that way. Pistol-gear is a main one people buy from, along with some others that I cannot remember their names. you can find them all in the forum for the sponsors.

[deapee]

As far as the cleaning, they should sell a 10-15 dollar kit at your local range. Don't get roped into the more expensive ones. Just make suer it comes with a brush the correct size for your .40. There are instructions in the cleaning kit and there are instructions that came with your XD that tell you how to clean it.

I took a 5-hour NRA safety course when I first started, it was well worth it. My buddy taught me a lot also, but there is just something better that these trained instructors can teach you that the typical LEO or buddy with a lot of experience is going to forget to tell you just because that's not their job.