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XD SubCompact 9mm Chambers Fine But Sporadically Won't Fire

2249 Views 32 Replies 16 Participants Last post by  Minuteman
I'm a casual shooter, need some help/advice from the experts here.

I just bought a 3" XD subcompact in 9mm and encountered an odd stoppage when I took it to the range for the first time. Every few rounds, I'd get a round that chambered correctly but the striker indicator was not locked back. Sure enough, when I pulled the trigger nothing happened. I put 50 rounds through it and ran into the same thing a few more times before I figured I'd got a lemon and cut my trip short.

I have a 5" XD in 45ACP and never once had a stoppage, even after a couple of thousand rounds. So I was stumped. This is stock gun, fresh out of the box.

Looking back, I'm wondering if the problem with the new gun might have been the ammo. The range guy selected it, and I didn't think anything of it, but it wasn't a brand I recognized. I was thinking maybe the pressure was enough to chamber the next round but sporadically not enough to cock the weapon. Is that possible?

If it is the ammo, are there any specific brands or grains I should stick to to avoid this?
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If this is a new gun the striker channel won't be dirty yet.
It may no be dirty. It could be anything. Trash from manufacturer, debris from assembly. A chip from the striker. A check and quick cleaning won't hurt. And if it continues, he has one less check to do. It's just a thought.
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My XD SC 9mm 3.0" (gen 1) eats everything and never has had an issue. I have had it for over 10 years and easily put 1000's of rounds and many various types of factory ammo. It's been my EDC on and off for the same amount of time. I know a few other friends and range buddies over the years that have the same one and always have the same good comments. Sounds like you got a odd duck. Have you tried to send it back to SA and have them check it out and work on it? I did that with an XDm a few years back that I had similar issues and they resolved it pretty quickly and did it under warranty. Hope you can work it out, it's a great firearm once its reliable and trustworthy. Good Luck.
Get a drop or two of lube in the striker channel
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Get a drop or two of lube in the striker channel
I would use WD40 and flush the striker channel it has a hole just for that.
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At the 3min mark.
And do not lubricate anything in the striker assembly including the striker channel.
Get a drop or two of lube in the striker channel
NO! lube will act hydraulically to give periodic light strikes, it is NOT indicated as a lube point in your manual.
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If all out fails, Springfield lifetime warranty and one of the best customer service departments comes into play.
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Either ammo issue or recoil spring issue.
I reload, I trust my loads more than factory. With that said I agree 💯 never trust other people's reloads. Out of all my XD'S I have only had failures with 1 brand of ammo, it was Winchester steel cased.
View attachment 874420
This crap I remember feeling the friction on the steel cases just loading them into my mags. It was dirty as well I'm sure they used the cheapest components they could possibly find. Then they slapped USA Forged on the box 😂.

Keep in mind **** Happens. Iv had ammo from Respectable Manufacturers fail. It's important to think about what type of failure you just had and what to do to resolve that failure. Most people's reaction is to rack the gun and chamber a new round. Big No No! If it's a Squibb load Boom!
Complete trash ammo. Gets my nod as the worst ammo on the market.
I don't remember which one it was (XDM or XDS) but one I bought came swimming in lube from the factory. Some factory lube might have gotten into your striker channel, perhaps?
I don't remember which one it was (XDM or XDS) but one I bought came swimming in lube from the factory. Some factory lube might have gotten into your striker channel, perhaps?
The striker channel has a flush hole.
I tried my friends reloads and the type of bullets used would get stuck during feeding , requiring a firm hit on the back of the slide to fully chamber on a few , but most chambered and fired normal

try a different brand of ammo from the common makers
At the 3min mark.
Thank you for the video and the advice.
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