XD45 4" cycle issues - XDTalk Forums - Your HS2000/SA-XD Information Source!

newbie_nick · 09-03-2007, 12:42 PM

Hey gang,

I just bought my 1st XD on Saturday (XD45 4", lightly used) from my local fun store, took it out today, and had several issues with it. Here is a synopsis:

Shooting Win white box 230gr FMJ: Had several failures to lock back after last round. Had 1 failure to completely eject empty. The other empties didn't seem to fly very far.

Shooting reloads (200gr lead SWC, 4.5gr Bullseye, a "mid spec" load): Several failures to eject. Empties didn't fly very far either.

When I pull the slide back, the recoil spring seems pretty heavy, and with the failures to eject/lock back, I'm thinking that the gun might have a heavy recoil spring.

From everything that I've read, XD's are as close to 100% reliable as you can get, so I'm pretty surprised at the performance of mine. Thoughts?

Nick

Gunner69 · 09-03-2007, 02:14 PM

My first guess would be in line with yours, it sounds like the previous owner may have put a heavier recoil spring into it and it just won't cycle reliably, I had a similar issue with one of my 1911's guy had a heavy 25+lb spring in it and unless I was running on the ragged edge of pressure with handloads it would not funtion reliably...

newbie_nick · 09-03-2007, 02:18 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gunner69

My first guess would be in line with yours, it sounds like the previous owner may have put a heavier recoil spring into it and it just won't cycle reliably, I had a similar issue with one of my 1911's guy had a heavy 25+lb spring in it and unless I was running on the ragged edge of pressure with handloads it would not funtion reliably...

Gunner,

I've done a little bit of searching, and I can't find replacement springs for 4" XD45's. Any ideas on where to look for a normal powered spring? Should I call SA, maybe?

Thanks!
Nick

sloopy70 · 09-03-2007, 02:42 PM

The reason your not locking back is that your probably riding the slide lock on recoil without noticing it... work on your grip and try shooting with your thumb WAY away from the slide lock... as far as the heavy recoil spring goes you should be able to put up to a 22 or 24# in it and it still function fine... if its got the 1 piece captive recoil spring and guide rod in it its an 18# spring... If you'd like to try different weights go to pistolgear.com and pick up one of Dons Guide Rods and recoil springs...

sloopy70 · 09-03-2007, 02:44 PM

Also sounds like you could be Limp Wristing a little bit... with not ejecting the empties...

Go to www.springerprecision.com and watch the 2 grip videos... it seems akward at first, but it makes a world of difference in recoil control... if you'll watch some uspsa shooting you'll see that almost every shooter thats any good uses this type of grip...

newbie_nick · 09-03-2007, 05:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sloopy70

Also sounds like you could be Limp Wristing a little bit... with not ejecting the empties...

Go to www.springerprecision.com and watch the 2 grip videos... it seems akward at first, but it makes a world of difference in recoil control... if you'll watch some uspsa shooting you'll see that almost every shooter thats any good uses this type of grip...

Sloopy,

You could be onto something there. I went back to the range tonight, and another guy shot my XD just fine! I went to that web page and watched the vids, and I really think that I am limp wristing it!!! Thank God, it's not the XD! I love the way that my XD feels and how it has grouped, and I didn't want to get rid of it.

Thanks again, man. I'll work on the grip at home and try it out at the range.

Nick

newbie_nick · 09-07-2007, 07:33 PM

Guys, I had a new discovery on this today at the range. After reviewing the "thumbs forward" grip and practicing with it at home, I decided to go to the range for some live fire practice. The ejection and locking back problem seemed to be better, but it wasn't completely gone. Needless to say, I wasn't happy.

I started to pick up my brass (mind you, it was all new Federal and Winchester brass), and I noticed that most of the pieces had significant dings in 2 places of the rim. These places were about 120 degrees apart and always seemed to be about in the same orientation. I started to look at the gun to see what could have cause the dings but then realized that the marks line up with the magazine lips!!! As I fed the empty case out of the mag, into the chamber, and back out, the case appeared to drag on the magazine lips. Could this be causing some of the ejection problems??? What should I do about this?!?

Tomcat088 · 09-07-2007, 07:45 PM

Yes, magazine lips CAN affect ejection and keeping the slide open. Although to be honest, when looking at my XD as I pull it to eject, it's hard to tell the height of the brass in relation to the magazine lips, regardless of what angle I looked. If the magazine lips are bent or not spec, they can definately keep the slide from locking back. Also, have you looked at the ejector on your pistol to make sure it's alright? does it have any knicks in it? Do you have more than one magazine for your pistol? If you do, have you noticed that it happens more with one magazine than another? If you have more than one magazine or friends that have XD's, you might also compare the magazine lips and see if they look like they are spaced differently.

ArmyGuy45 · 09-07-2007, 07:49 PM

possible bad mag?
seems that the spring could be weak on the last round

newbie_nick · 09-07-2007, 07:57 PM

Actually, I've numbered the mags, and I don't seem to notice it on any one of the 3 mags that I have. To be honest, all of the mags look brand new, and I don't see that they are bent. Could the mag be held up too high in the gun?

I'll take a look at the ejector as well...that's a good thought.

N

09-03-2007, 12:42 PM	#1
newbie_nick XDTalk Newbie Join Date: Sep 2007 Posts: 24	XD45 4" cycle issues Hey gang, I just bought my 1st XD on Saturday (XD45 4", lightly used) from my local fun store, took it out today, and had several issues with it. Here is a synopsis: Shooting Win white box 230gr FMJ: Had several failures to lock back after last round. Had 1 failure to completely eject empty. The other empties didn't seem to fly very far. Shooting reloads (200gr lead SWC, 4.5gr Bullseye, a "mid spec" load): Several failures to eject. Empties didn't fly very far either. When I pull the slide back, the recoil spring seems pretty heavy, and with the failures to eject/lock back, I'm thinking that the gun might have a heavy recoil spring. From everything that I've read, XD's are as close to 100% reliable as you can get, so I'm pretty surprised at the performance of mine. Thoughts? Nick

09-03-2007, 02:14 PM	#2
Gunner69 XDTalk 100 Member Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: Hillsboro, OR Posts: 141	My first guess would be in line with yours, it sounds like the previous owner may have put a heavier recoil spring into it and it just won't cycle reliably, I had a similar issue with one of my 1911's guy had a heavy 25+lb spring in it and unless I was running on the ragged edge of pressure with handloads it would not funtion reliably... __________________ The 6 P's Prior Planning Prevents Piss-Poor Performance No man who refuses to bear arms in defense of his nation can give a sound reason why he should be allowed to live in a free country" T. Roosevelt

09-03-2007, 02:42 PM	#4
sloopy70 XDTalk 1K Member Join Date: May 2006 Location: Southwest Louisiana Posts: 1,148	The reason your not locking back is that your probably riding the slide lock on recoil without noticing it... work on your grip and try shooting with your thumb WAY away from the slide lock... as far as the heavy recoil spring goes you should be able to put up to a 22 or 24# in it and it still function fine... if its got the 1 piece captive recoil spring and guide rod in it its an 18# spring... If you'd like to try different weights go to pistolgear.com and pick up one of Dons Guide Rods and recoil springs... __________________ L. J. Joshlin USPSA Range Officer (R.O.) USPSA #A58364 Buckmark UDX Plus Springfield XD-9 10,500 rounds failure free Ithica 12Ga. Ultralight - Gold Trigger Edition Piney Woods Action Shooters sloopy70653@yahoo.com

09-03-2007, 02:44 PM	#5
sloopy70 XDTalk 1K Member Join Date: May 2006 Location: Southwest Louisiana Posts: 1,148	Also sounds like you could be Limp Wristing a little bit... with not ejecting the empties... Go to www.springerprecision.com and watch the 2 grip videos... it seems akward at first, but it makes a world of difference in recoil control... if you'll watch some uspsa shooting you'll see that almost every shooter thats any good uses this type of grip... __________________ L. J. Joshlin USPSA Range Officer (R.O.) USPSA #A58364 Buckmark UDX Plus Springfield XD-9 10,500 rounds failure free Ithica 12Ga. Ultralight - Gold Trigger Edition Piney Woods Action Shooters sloopy70653@yahoo.com

09-07-2007, 07:49 PM	#9
ArmyGuy45 XDTalk 3K Member Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Mesa,AZ / Ft Carson, CO Posts: 3,507	possible bad mag? seems that the spring could be weak on the last round __________________ US Army 2005 - Present XD45 Compact - My Carry Suresights Springer Precision Trigger Kit/Bar ( needs install ) NRA Life Member Myspace "One Country, One Culture, One Language!" - Thomas Paine

09-07-2007, 07:33 PM	#7
newbie_nick XDTalk Newbie Join Date: Sep 2007 Posts: 24	Guys, I had a new discovery on this today at the range. After reviewing the "thumbs forward" grip and practicing with it at home, I decided to go to the range for some live fire practice. The ejection and locking back problem seemed to be better, but it wasn't completely gone. Needless to say, I wasn't happy. I started to pick up my brass (mind you, it was all new Federal and Winchester brass), and I noticed that most of the pieces had significant dings in 2 places of the rim. These places were about 120 degrees apart and always seemed to be about in the same orientation. I started to look at the gun to see what could have cause the dings but then realized that the marks line up with the magazine lips!!! As I fed the empty case out of the mag, into the chamber, and back out, the case appeared to drag on the magazine lips. Could this be causing some of the ejection problems??? What should I do about this?!?

09-07-2007, 07:45 PM	#8
Tomcat088 XDTalk 500 Member Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: Lubbock, Tx Posts: 688	Yes, magazine lips CAN affect ejection and keeping the slide open. Although to be honest, when looking at my XD as I pull it to eject, it's hard to tell the height of the brass in relation to the magazine lips, regardless of what angle I looked. If the magazine lips are bent or not spec, they can definately keep the slide from locking back. Also, have you looked at the ejector on your pistol to make sure it's alright? does it have any knicks in it? Do you have more than one magazine for your pistol? If you do, have you noticed that it happens more with one magazine than another? If you have more than one magazine or friends that have XD's, you might also compare the magazine lips and see if they look like they are spaced differently.

09-07-2007, 07:57 PM	#10
newbie_nick XDTalk Newbie Join Date: Sep 2007 Posts: 24	Actually, I've numbered the mags, and I don't seem to notice it on any one of the 3 mags that I have. To be honest, all of the mags look brand new, and I don't see that they are bent. Could the mag be held up too high in the gun? I'll take a look at the ejector as well...that's a good thought. N

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