[possum]

There was soem issue with the first time i tried to post this so i will try again.
My XD .40 S&W Service model recently went over 6000rds down the pipe and I figured that I would give a little info on how it has performed and such over that time. 1st I will say that this is my first love, no matter what other gun I shoot or own, I always love the XD more, and I always find myself coming back to it.

Gun Details

I bought the XD after my first deployment to the sandbox in July 05, so it is now over 3 years old. About a year and half after I bought it I added a Dons Guide Rod, Stainless, and a Wolff #22 recoil spring. I love the DGR and I have had zero problems with the gun set up that way.

Malfunctions

There has not been a single gun related, ammo related, or magazine related issue with the gun since the day that I first took it to the range. Talk about 100% reliability!

Ammo Used

I am all about value and I normally shoot what is the cheapest and most readily available. Of the 600rds through the XD I would say 2/3 would have to be Ultra Max 180gr CNL. I have shot WWB, and WWB JHP’s, Remington (green and white box), UMC value packs, reloads both plated rainier bullets, and lead loads, Golden Sabers, Hydra Shocks, Gold Dots, Hornaday Tap, Winchester sxz 180gr JHP’s, Blaser brass, and aluminum cased. The list goes on and own, surprisingly the only ammo that I haven’t shot in the xd service model has been wolf. Not that I wouldn’t. I have shot JHP’S, FMJ, CNL, all ranging in weights from 135gr-180gr.

Magazines

I have 12 factory SA mags and none of them have ever given me an issue. I clean them about every 1000rds that goes through the gun.

Cleaning

I have used normal measures to clean and lube the XD over the time that it has been with me, mostly grease, high temp lithium, and I have even started experimenting with Wilson gun grease that has done great. Even CLP has given me no issues. I clean after every trip to the range, and after 1000rds I get really down and dirty cleanings done.

Parts Breakage

At 4230rds I did break a trigger bar, this was about 1000rds after I had completed various “torture test” on the pistol! Was the effects of the tourture test what drove the trigger bar to break? Who knows, it was sent back to SA they fixed it, they also refinished it in the awesome armory Kote which I asked for, and they did it for no charge. It was one of the older models with the non melonite finish. The Armory Kote looks great and it is dark, deep and rich and really sets off the OD green frame well. I kinda wish that I wouldn’t have gotten it refinished though as I like wear on a gun, it shows where it has been and what it has done.They also put a set of Trijicon night sights on at cost, they did a great job and they had the gun back to me in no time. There hasn’t been an issue with the gun since. I give Kudos galore to the SA Staff and the CS.

Performance

Over the years I have many oppurtunities to really give it a run for its money and test it out. It is accurate as it needs to be, can hit 12ga shotgun shells over and over again at 7 and 10yds, as well hits about 4.5” at 50yds, and can hit an e type shillouete at 100yds all day long. If I did my part the groups would be better at 50yds, but that is something that I need to work on and I know that. I have shot 800rds through it in 2.5 hrs, I have had un known amounts of extended range sessions with it. It has performed excellently in sub zero temps, all the way up past 100 degrees with humidity levels at 100%. Rain or shine this gun performs and goes the distance. It has served me well in training courses at TDI and will be my Gun of choice at the 4 days of training that I have coming up in Tennessee this Sept. More to follow on that. Just a super handgun, and I will own more exactly like it in the future.

Gear

I run the XD in a Blade tech owb kydex holster. Blade tech is great gear, and I also use a blade tech double mag holder, and a Blackhawk single mag holder at the the range. I have and have used a Blackhawk serpa holster that worked out great, I use a Grandfather oak holster for CCW.

Conclusion

It has been a long road for the XD Service model but it has many more years and thousands of rds to go before it is done. I love it more and more, everytime I shoot it I am reminded of why I like it so, it is reliable, accurate, a joy to shoot and own, and I recommend them to anyone that wants a truly superb handgun. And the price is right, they are a bargin in my book, for the service that you can get out of one. Since I have owned it I have deployed for the 2nd time, moved across country and been in the field a lot, so shooting it as much as I want to is not the norm but I am gonna do my best to change that asap. Thanks for reading.

[possum]

Now lets try the pics again

Most Recent Pic
http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a98/rollins_joshua/oneinthepipe.jpg

It gets the job done
http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a98/rollins_joshua/xdhostagework.jpg

Visable wear from 600rds
http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a98/rollins_joshua/alittlecarbonandwear.jpg

After and extended training session
http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a98/rollins_joshua/xdbrass.jpg

After it was returned form SA
http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a98/rollins_joshua/xdrefinish1.jpg
http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a98/rollins_joshua/xdrefinishfront.jpg

[Boris Barowski]

:o at pic 1, putting the gun down with mag in pistol and bullets in mag :p

I'm hearing some nice things about the XD, I even might buy on in the (near) future if I can find one.

Good luck with the pistol, next post at 12k ;)

[burningsquirrels]

sounds good :) but a broken trigger bar to me isn't 100% reliability to 6000 rounds. :uhoh: :D

in the armed forces? hey, thanks for serving! :)

[possum]

sounds good but a broken trigger bar to me isn't 100% reliability to 6000 rounds
i am giving the gun the benifit of the doubt i did some pretty horrible things to it. Parts, and things break, i know that i have been around and training long enough to know that even the best of the best stuff can and will break sometimes, it really dosen't bother me, especially now that i know that it is squared away.

[Disaster]

...a broken trigger bar to me isn't 100% reliability to 6000 rounds.

in the armed forces? hey, thanks for serving!

+1 on both of those points.

Not sure how it is "squared away" because we don't know what caused the trigger bar to fail. Could the next one fail too? What was the "torture test?" Some people just shoot a gun a couple thousand times and say that is a torture test. IMHO, a self defense gun, should go 10's of thousands of rounds...unless it is a bug that is mostly a backup or stowaway.

[Walkalong]

i am giving the gun the benifit of the doubt i did some pretty horrible things to it.Yes he did. ;)

[Chipperman]

at pic 1, putting the gun down with mag in pistol and bullets in mag

Actually, it looks like an empty case in the mag to me.

[NVMM]

Thanks Possum
Nice write up!

[wally]

Stuff breaks. Fix it and move on, don't extrapolate your N=1 experience as you've got infinite standard deviation.

My first RIA broke its link at about 3000 rounds, $5 replacement, and now 10000+ rounds later its still running great.

My Colt and Charles Daly each broke the extractor at about 8000 rounds. Again easy fix. Don't really mean anything other than if you've never broken a gun you just ain't shooting enough! :)

--wally.

[LongRider]

Thanks for the report validates what I already believed that XD makes the best EDC there is bar none. Apparently I'm not shooting enough. As I shoot all I want and am barely keeping up with that rate of fire. Just past 2.5K no failures or malfunctions of any kind. Except my TFO's that I got Gun Scrubber on. TFO promptly replaced them. Still think they are the best sights I have ever seen. BTW why a .40 and not .45?

[possum]

LongRider,
when i bought this XD the .45 caliber models weren't even out then.

[rob45]

Disaster said: "Not sure how it is "squared away" because we don't know what caused the trigger bar to fail. Could the next one fail too? What was the "torture test?" Some people just shoot a gun a couple thousand times and say that is a torture test. IMHO, a self defense gun, should go 10's of thousands of rounds...unless it is a bug that is mostly a backup or stowaway."

Seriously, what gun have you run tens of thousands of rounds with out a malfunction? If his gun went over 4,000 rounds without a breakage of any kind that's pretty darn good service in my humble opinion. Yes, I know people have run 10's of thousands of rounds through Glocks without a problem. I also have two friends who have had them fail without going anywhere near ONE thousand rounds. One had a slide crack and the other a locking block. Nothing lasts forever without needing some kind of repair. I guess you just can't please everyone:)

[possum]

Seriously, what gun have you run tens of thousands of rounds with out a malfunction? If his gun went over 4,000 rounds without a breakage of any kind that's pretty darn good service in my humble opinion. Yes, I know people have run 10's of thousands of rounds through Glocks without a problem. I also have two friends who have had them fail without going anywhere near ONE thousand rounds. One had a slide crack and the other a locking block. Nothing lasts forever without needing some kind of repair. I guess you just can't please everyone
i agree, btw welcome to thr.

[Disaster]

Seriously, what gun have you run tens of thousands of rounds with out a malfunction? If his gun went over 4,000 rounds without a breakage of any kind that's pretty darn good service in my humble opinion.....Nothing lasts forever without needing some kind of repair. I guess you just can't please everyone

First he commented that it had NO failures in 6000 rounds, then described on at around 4000.

Second, as for WHO, requires thousands of rounds try the military, and many LEA's. Count me in there too.

I'd like to think my main gun, the one I take to competitions, and run thousands of rounds through a year, will not fail me when I carry it for protection.

Most guns will probably never get more than 100 rounds through them. People buy them, and a box of ammo and they sit on the shelf. For those people, a gun that will go a couple thousand rounds without a failure is overdesigned. For others, a little more is expected.

[possum]

i personally don't catorgerize parts breakage, with malfunctions. but hey maybe that is just me. anything that wasn't made by the hand of God can breake and will eventually.

[danweasel]

The XD is stone cold reliable. I have shot maybe 2500 rounds through mine without a malfunction, even in very cold (-15F) weather and without being cleaned regularly at all. It is the tactical 5" .45.

My buddy has the same gun and so does five or six people in my unit. By same I mean XD. No problems in ANY of them 9mm, .40 and .45s. We had this conversation when we were at the M9 range and the beretta was doing its usual crap. That's when I found out that everyone seems to have, and love, an XD.

Dead accurate, high capacity, good safeties, damn reliable. Can't beat 'em.

[rob45]

First he commented that it had NO failures in 6000 rounds, then described on at around 4000.

Second, as for WHO, requires thousands of rounds try the military, and many LEA's. Count me in there too.

I'd like to think my main gun, the one I take to competitions, and run thousands of rounds through a year, will not fail me when I carry it for protection.

Most guns will probably never get more than 100 rounds through them. People buy them, and a box of ammo and they sit on the shelf. For those people, a gun that will go a couple thousand rounds without a failure is overdesigned. For others, a little more is expected.


OK, the only gun I know of so far that's been tested to tens of thousands of rounds without malfunction is the Beretta 92FS or M9...something around 30,000 rounds IIRC. I know of a few examples of individuals testing a few Glocks. However, I've seen M9's break, Glocks break, 1911's break, you name it, it breaks. You still didn't mention what your magic gun is that you carry that has been tested to over 20,000 rounds (the literal definition of tens of thousand has to start at 20,000). Personally, I think you are blowing smoke;) This may sound like a personal attack but it's not. We are either having a serious discussion about guns here by people who KNOW what they are talking about or we are not genuine. So, what gun do you carry that has been tested to over 20,000 rounds without failure? It's a very simple question and will tell me if you are someone I should take seriously or blow off as a troll from now on while reading and discussing things on this forum.

[possum]

rob,
welcome to thr.

[rob45]

rob,
welcome to thr.
__________________
I'M NOT AN OPERATOR BUT MY 1911 IS!

Thank you and thanks for your service. I have a son that is supposed to be going to Iraq in January (Marines) if everything goes as planned. With the military that's an eternity and anything can happen so we'll see. He's a radar technician so maybe if I'm lucky he's stay the heck out of trouble:)

[thegoodfight]

6000 isn't anything for a quality gun.

[possum]

Rob,
you are welcome.

For you and him both i hope that he is way out of harms way and i hope that he can even get lucky enough to stay in the states, after 27 months in the sand box, i don't want to ever go back again. Give him my best wishes, and thanks.

[possum]

6000 isn't anything for a quality gun.
just giving a review of the road to 6000rds, not saying anything other than that, just listing the facts for people. if you don't have anything to add, or you think that the threads is a load of crap there are many many more topics that you can troll around in, and probally come up with something better to say. than teh above quoted statement.

[LongRider]

when i bought this XD the .45 caliber models weren't even out then. Well that would explain it huh :) Stay safe and try staying home sounds like you've done your share and than some

[ojibweindian]

I've put about 3,500 hundred rounds through my XD45 Tactical; no breakages of any kind, no abnormal wear, etc.

I have learned, though, that 200 grain LSWC are not reliable fodder for it. Might be me reloads, might be the gun. Every other bullet type, truncated cone, ball, and flat point, 185 grains or heavier, performs just fine.

[Disaster]

rob45: OK, the only gun I know of so far that's been tested to tens of thousands of rounds without malfunction is the Beretta 92FS or M9...something around 30,000 rounds IIRC. I know of a few examples of individuals testing a few Glocks. However, I've seen M9's break, Glocks break, 1911's break, you name it, it breaks. You still didn't mention what your magic gun is that you carry that has been tested to over 20,000 rounds (the literal definition of tens of thousand has to start at 20,000). Personally, I think you are blowing smoke This may sound like a personal attack but it's not. We are either having a serious discussion about guns here by people who KNOW what they are talking about or we are not genuine. So, what gun do you carry that has been tested to over 20,000 rounds without failure? It's a very simple question and will tell me if you are someone I should take seriously or blow off as a troll from now on while reading and discussing things on this forum.

Listen. The intent of my response was not to BASH XP. Also, I appreciate the OP's info. It is always good to hear more about guns that get some serious use to them, as opposed to guys that shoot a box of ammo and then store them on the shelf. I just wanted to point out that the title was a bit misleading because the gun did experience a failure.

I agree that successfully passing 6000 rounds is a good accomplishment. However, IMHO, and in the opinion of most LEA's, that would be a minimum requirement.

More than just the Beretta passed service tests. Obviously, the 1911 did. So did Sig....226 if I recall. HK USP passed with flying colors. I'm not sure about Glocks because they didn't fit the criteria of military when these tests were run. I suspect other, more knowledgeable people can add others to the list.

As far as what I carry, my main gun is a S&W M&P. I also don't want this thread to turn into a M&P vs. XP because that wasn't what the author intended and I think they are both fine guns.

But, since you asked, here is a test ToddG, at PistolTraining.com has been running on his personal M&P. He's up to 30,000 rounds. You may very well be able to find someone who has done something similar with an XP. If so, GREAT.

http://pistol-training.com/archives/424

possum: i personally don't catorgerize parts breakage, with malfunctions. but hey maybe that is just me.

Did the gun stop working properly when the trigger bar broke? So just exactly what would be a failure then? Does the gun have to blow up? Personally, I define anything that can cause the gun to stop, and get me killed, a failure. Not all failures are the guns fault....could be bad ammo. If so, I stay the heck away from that ammo on my carry gun.

[rob45]

IIRC the Army trials on the 1911 were to 5,000 rounds. Any gun that goes 1000 rounds without a failure can go with me any where I go...provided of course that I like the gun and can shoot it successfully. If the one time it fails is the one time I need it, then I will use my hands, a stick, a ball point pen or whatever the heck else I can get my hands on and if I don't come out on top, then I guess that's the Lord saying "It's your time to go".

[Disaster]

Any gun that goes 1000 rounds without a failure can go with me any where I go......If the one time it fails is the one time I need it, then I will use my hands, a stick, a ball point pen or whatever the heck else I can get my hands on and if I don't come out on top, then I guess that's the Lord saying "It's your time to go".

1000 is wayyyy low for me for my carry piece. It can get that many rounds every 6 months just from casual practice.

On the other hand, I don't see any problem with people counting on a gun that isn't designed for a high round count, as long as they don't push it past it's limits.

My backup is a MilleniumPro. I fire it enough to be comfortable and it has been 100% reliable for the 500 rounds or so but I wouldn't want to feed it the same steady diet that I do the M&P.

[CountGlockula]

Nice. Gotta love torturing the gun!

[twofifty]

Anecdotal XD experience from a neophyte...maybe a new pistol shooter's perspective is valid to those of you that are into growing the sport.

So then, I just finished a thoroughly satisfying session with a friend's 5" barrelled XD-357 Sig, the fourth time I've fired this pistol over 12 months, and my best results thus far. This XD only has 1500rds (four bullet weights/brands) through it, without malfunction - yeah, I know this means squat, but so far so good.

It feels very secure in the hand, recoils only slightly, and returns to battery on a natural point of aim which I figure is a very good thing. At 10 yards, it consistently hits the 4"widex10"high reactive targets we had set up.

The trigger has a clean release that feels consistent and predictable. The grip and trigger safety systems don't get in the way of having a 'normal' grip and trigger feel. The mag and slide releases are almost in an optimal position for my untrained hand. Also nice for a neophyte to have the cocking indicator and loaded chamber indicator.

I am thinking of getting one in 9mm because of the cheaper ammo, plus since we can't CCW in Canada there is not much point in choosing one of the heavier calibers.

Anyone here care to comment on how the XD-9 handles?

[Fat Boy]

Possum: Thank you for your service!!

[LongRider]

No matter what product you are talking about out of tens of thousands of products made any company is going to kick out a defective product. It seems that from this Torture Test (http://springfield-armory.primediaoutdoors.com/SPstory11.php) You may have the one defective XD out of the tens of thousands made. They shot 20,000 rounds through theirs thats 600 pounds of ammo. The Torture Test (http://springfield-armory.primediaoutdoors.com/SPstory11.php) began after they had shot 17,500 rounds through it. At 10,000 rounds they broke the cocking indicator after it had been thrown of a mountain. If at 4230rds you broke a trigger bar your XD, your XD may very well be an example of the very worst XD made which is why they gave you some extras when they promptly fixed your gun. Very likely they went through your whole gun to be sure there were no other defective parts on it and you should expect to run 20,000 rounds through it without failure of any kind. That said if yours is the worst example of an XD and the torture test gun is the best I have every reason to be ecstatic about the quality of my XD. If your gun is the norm for XD quality which I suspect it is and the torture test gun is lucky exception I am still confident that I have a 100% reliable SD gun with proper maintenance and care.

[Disaster]

Great link, LongRider, THAT is the kind of performance that you want to see from a goto gun.

[rob45]

1000 is wayyyy low for me for my carry piece. It can get that many rounds every 6 months just from casual practice.

On the other hand, I don't see any problem with people counting on a gun that isn't designed for a high round count, as long as they don't push it past it's limits.


Now I didn't say I don't choose to rely on a gun designed for a high round count. I have a 92FS, a couple 1911's and several DA revolvers that I carry regularly and shoot regularly. I probably run 50-150 rounds a week through them. I'm simply saying that after one has gone 1,000 rounds I'm pretty confident it's going to do what I need it to do. In fact, with a 1911 if it runs 500 rounds without a malfunction (especially a new one that isn't broke in) then it's ready for service. If it hasn't failed in 500 rounds with regular normal maintenance it's not going to. I shoot them regularly and if an extractor starts going south or some such you should be able to recognize that and solve the issue, put some rounds through and get back to work.

[possum]

Fat Boy,
You are welocme.

Long Rider,
that is the exact article that made me choose the XD in the first place, i as trying to descide between the XD and the Ruger P345 at the time, which was right around when that article came out and bam i had to go with the XD and i am so glad that i did.

[LongRider]

Disaster,
Yes it. Because of that and every review I have read like the one possum wrote, that I believe XD's are the best EDC gun made bar none regardless of price. Now lots are better looking some are even more accurate at range but for SD nothing beats an XD.45 IMO.

Possum,
I got my XD just this past year and I saw the article after I bought my XD. For me it was validation that I made the right call for a new carry gun, kind of like your review once again reaffirms my choice which is always nice. It seems the longer I have the XD the more I like it. I have a stack links to XD articles that is I posted it on another thread, I can repost them here if you like