XDs Success - Finally...

[herkyguy]

I've had the light strike and failure to return to battery for some time with my XDs, both pre and post recall. This was while shooting a variety of ammunition. I broke it down, cleaned it well and still had the problem. I sent it back with the recall and had the same problems when i got it back. I was really disappointed with the gun.

So after perusing the internet, I found a video on how to remove the firing pin assembly (which is pretty straightforward) and had read on THR that some folks cleaned that out pretty good removing grease and gunk and that solved their problems.

Well, same is true for mine. I did not find a lot of grease, but the pin and assembly was pretty dirty. After cleaning it, I dabbed it with some oil and put some oil on the rails and contact points where I saw some light peening. She sent 50 rounds downrange yesterday without a hitch.

I have not changed ammo or my shooting style, but that more detailed cleaning seemed to make a real difference.

I wish I could comment on the increased trigger pull, but I'm not good enough to notice much of a difference. At 10 yards, I was shooting a 6" circle with no problems at a slow fire.

What a relief....

 

[IdahoHk416]

I had the same issue when my XDs was new. The only thing that I would advise you not to do is put any oil on the striker itself, or in the channel. Springfield advises against this in the owner's manual.

The reason being is that oil on the striker or in the striker channel can cause light strikes. As the striker moves forward when the trigger is pulled, the oil can cause the firing pin to slow down enough to cause a misfire. This is due to hydraulics. You can't compress a liquid.

Just make sure that the striker and the striker channel are clean and dry, and you should be fine.

 

[herkyguy]

roger that. i'm keeping it as clean as i can. after shooting 50 rounds i again took it down to the firing pin assembly and cleaned again. it was not nearly as dirty as the first time i stripped it, which leads me to believe Springfield may have shipped it with some grease.

the other one people seemed to lean towards was froglube. i saw some at a gunshow last weekend but didn't pick any up. what i don't get is why my other XD guns run great with a simple wipe down of CLR, but the XDs seems to be much more picky about lubrication and cleanliness.

i'm interested to see if the new G42 has issues similar to slimming down an otherwise reliable gun.

 

[handloader357]

Pre recall my XDs had around 400 rounds through it with 0 malfunctions. Post recall I'm getting light primer strikes as well as fail to feed. I have a RMA opened and will be shipping it back to Springfield but was wondering if you had any fail to feeds in addition to your light strikes?

 

[RainDodger]

I am now at just over 400 rounds through my post-recall XDs. Not one single failure of any kind so far.

The first thing to realize is, this certainly isn't a target pistol made for leisurely shooting at the range. It does do its intended job very well though, I think.

In an effort to make the trigger a little more palatable, I installed a Powder River Precision spring kit. Amazing difference. I did that 150 rounds ago. No light strikes, no problems. The trigger went from an un-measurable "over 12 pounds" with a digital Lyman gauge, to a very nice 5 lbs. 3 oz. after the spring install. Worth every penny of the ~$18 for the kit. It also contributes to better shooting. Just my opinion of course, but that's my story so far.

Edit: to answer your question from my point of view, I've not had any failure to feeds at all. Certainly none with FMJs, and I've also put 50 rounds of Gold Dots through it with no problems either. Didn't mean to get off track with my post. As for lube, I use Slip2000. I've also used CLP and it works fine too. That should not be a factor in your light strike problem.

 

[travisd]

I've put 1500+ rounds through mine without a failure, a lot of which have been dirty lead reloads. Ive shot enough of them at once that it was oozing powder/wax/lead crud out of everywhere and it still ran flawlessly. Mine should be delivered back today and I cant wait to get it. Haven't had light strike problems but I do clean the FP channel out occasionally.

 

[herkyguy]

Can you install the spring kit on your own or does it need a gunsmith??

 

[RainDodger]

There are videos on YouTube that will show you how to disassemble the entire XDs. The slide is simple to do yourself of course, but the inner workings of the receiver require a little more attention to detail. If you've worked on guns before, you could likely do it just fine. In my case, I didn't want to go to the trouble of learning how to totally disassemble an XDs just for one install (I'm basically a 1911 guy ). I took it to a smith who was very familiar and did it in far less than an hour.

 

[herkyguy]

Pre recall my XDs had around 400 rounds through it with 0 malfunctions. Post recall I'm getting light primer strikes as well as fail to feed. I have a RMA opened and will be shipping it back to Springfield but was wondering if you had any fail to feeds in addition to your light strikes?

to answer your question, yes I did have failures to feed as well. since taking out the firing pin assembly and cleaning it, i've had 100% reliability. i also oiled slide everywhere it makes contact. those two things seemed to have worked for me. i hope you have the same experience.

 

[RX-79G]

So, the difference between a gun you'd trust your life with and one that doesn't feed and gets light strikes is a drop of oil?





No thanks.

 

[jimbo555]

My xds 45 has been 100% with any brand of 45acp since day 1. Before and after the recall.

 

[Zaydok Allen]

Mine too. Love that little gun.

 

[ritepath]

Same issue with my SR45 until I cleaned the channel really well. No issues since I just added that step to my 300 round maintenance schedule.

 

[herkyguy]

So, the difference between a gun you'd trust your life with and one that doesn't feed and gets light strikes is a drop of oil?





No thanks.

I see your point, but every gun needs to be cleaned at some point (unless you're going to CCW an AK) so how is this any different? I am confident I've figured out what my XDs needs to reliably send lead downrange. I'll certainly be shooting more of it, but I am starting to trust it at this point and i'm pretty excited about it.

just because it needs some particular cleaning attention doesn't mean i'm gonna sell it off or label it junk.