New Springfield XD hates JHPs

[West Texas Chuck]

I just got my new .40 XD 4" in black, love it and the way it handles. I put about 150 rds. through it of Winchester wadcutters with absolutely no trouble at all but as soon as I tried shooting jacketed hollow points it jammed.

I was having trouble with PMC Starfires (180 gr JHP). The rounds that would not feed show marks both on the bullet and on the casing, like it is scraping both on the feed ramp and at the entrance to the chamber. I took the barrel out of the gun and played with some cartridges, here I noticed that the PMC does not have any crimping at all in the very end of the shell casing, there is a definite edge that hangs as the round is chambered. The Winchesters have a definite crimped lip that slips into the chamber with no resistance.

I had the exact same problem with a new Browning HP I bought years ago. I had to have the local gunsmith take a Dremel tool to the mouth of the chamber and polish the ramp and after that, no problems. I guess I'll have to visit him again with my brand new piece, the problem is this is just about to be peak hunting season in Texas and they are all quoting several weeks lead time. No way, I'll just shoot the wadcutters until then.

I'm really bummed. I bought what I thought was a service-ready full-combat pistol but it won't eat combat ammo. Is this common? I chose this particular firearm because of all the good stuff I have read about it and how all the reviewers had glowing things to say about how well it performed with all types of ammunition. Should I contact Springfield Armory and complain or just eat it and wait until after hunting season to visit my gunsmith?

Doesn't seem right somehow. Why would the manufacturer not clean that up before they put these things in the field?

 

[meathammer]

Welcome to THR!

I have never tried PMC Starfires in any of my pistols. Have you tried any other hollowpoints? Pistols can be finickey sometimes.


--meathammer

 

[Gameface]

For one Springfield doesn't touch the XD. They are the American importer and marketing agent for HS. The XD is known as the HS2000 to everyone outside of the US.

Second, I love my XD as well, but in my opinion it is not a real combat handgun. For example, get your hands nice and sweaty then rack the slide a few times. Next put it away for two days. When you come back I’ll bet you anything the slide will be rusty where you touched it.

Third, I’ve posted here before about an XD-40 specific problem. Many XD-40 owners have experienced “premature slide lock†where the slide will lock back with rounds still in the mag. Springfield will act as though they don’t know what you’re talking about if you ask them about it.

Four, when I told SA about my slide lock problem they told me to send in my mags to be replaced, just in case that was the problem. Check my post on the issue, it was over two months ago that I sent the mags in. I was told Monday that my mags might ship this week.

Five, I sent my pistol in to have my problem fixed and got it back not fixed. I paid $36.31 to ship the gun to them. I asked to be reimbursed for the cost, they haven’t gotten back to me.

I used to really love my XD. I still like it, but the experience has so negative with regards to how SA has handled my concerns that it just isn’t the same. I’m at the point where I’d trade a gun I really used to love just so that I could forget about all this.

Gameface

PS my post about the problems I had
XD40 slide locks back

 

[PinnedAndRecessed]

My new (1978) Colt 1911 jammed everything except 230 grain fmj. I had to have the feed ramp polished, too.

My new Sig 220 in the same caliber, though, fed everything flawlessly.

Weird that some gun manufacturers don't just go ahead and anticipate the problem.

 

[cratz2]

I've never shot an XD40, but usually the 9mms are pretty reliable with just about everything... At least most major ammos...

In my experience, most guns that will feed FMJ will feed Golden Sabers and the 165 Gr Golden Sabers are supposed to be among the very best SD rounds available.

 

[zaijian]

I've got an XD40 tactical, I've had problems firing all PMCs - JHPs and FMJs. FTFeeds all over the place. Federal JHPs, Winchester JHPs work fine.

 

[SLCDave]

Count yourself lucky that you figured this out before you needed your XD in a SD situation. You need to find out what will feed properly, and what wont. You may find, after a few thousand rounds, that your XD has "broken in", and will feed your PMC Ammo where it will not feed them now.

I took a little jewler's rouge on a Dremel felt bob, and stuck it in my drill, and shined up the feed ramp on my XD's barrel, rather than wait until it was broken in. I didn't touch the barrel, and I used my drill so I wouldn't go nuts with the Dremel's high RPM's.

If you don't want to do this, you can call Springfield, and normally they will give you an RMA number, you pack it up, and their account gets charged for shipping both ways.

 

[GlocksRock]

I say sell the XD and get a Glock.

 

[SKeefe]

I have a 4" XD in 357Sig, and haven't any problems with feeding with various cartridges.

Why not try polishing up the feed ramp a little yourself? I have a battery powered dremel that has the option for low-power (7500RPM).

 

[West Texas Chuck]

Hey, thank you to everyone who replied.

Since the gun is brand new I'll put a few hundred more rounds through it before I do anything drastic. I think it will end up with the gunsmith for some throating but there is no urgency, I'll just keep it loaded with this practice ammo until I can convince myself I have the proper SD loads in there.

I'm loath to start grinding on this thing myself, it seems like it would be easy to do but my old hands may not be as shake-free as I'd like when I start grinding on $500 worth of metal and plastic. I'll just wait until the local smithy is freed up enough to take it on. I don't want to put the thing in the shop and let it sit collecting dust until after hunting season.

I've not run into any problems as described with the slide locking open but I did learn a lot reading that thread and I'll keep my eyes open for sure.

And no, I'm not trading it in on a Glock. I like the way it feels and I think I have a better grip on it than the Glocks I've handled. This gun just feels right to me and I'm going to make sure it operates perfectly before I commit to making it my primary CCW. I already have the BHP and a nice fanny pack for it so it will remain in #1 position for the time being.

Thanx again folks. God bless our nation's fighting forces.

 

[zaijian]

I have spent over 1500 rds with my XD - and as of 150 rds ago, PMCs did not work reliably. I don't think it's an issue that will get any better with time.

 

[Pumpkinheaver]

My XD-9 has never had a stoppage of any kind. I've tried every loading available in my area, including some of the dirty import ammo, no problems.

 

[West Texas Chuck]

I think it is true the PMC ammo just does not feed well. I cycled 25 rounds of PowerBalls and had no trouble at all, though the cartridges came out with some marks. I've got to get this thing throated.

Otherwise I really like this thing. I seem to shoot it low but that may be primarily from being a little bit intimidated after shooting 9mm for so many years. I think it will sort itself out and my aim will improve. It's nothing like my 2.5" Mod. 19, that sucker will rattle the fillings in your teeth.

 

[James Bondrock]

The Starfire appears to be the only JHP you have tried thus far. Does it have a round nose (aside from the flattened hollowpoint tip) or a conical (straight-sided) bullet profile? If it is conical, select another load with a rounded bullet (a little harder to find in .40 than in 9mm) and try those. If the rounds nose-dive into and get stuck on or near the bottom of the feed ramp, it may also be a magazine problem. Some magazines have been known to be reliable with FMJ bullets but will not feed hollowpoints. My Glock 19 did this until Glock replaced the magazine followers with a different design. The rounded tips of FMJs would skid up the feed ramp, but the flattened tips of hollowpoints would hang up on the last round.

 

[Dave Sample]

All of my 1911's feed anything so far. I always throat the barrel of any thing that came through here. Most of the short slide guns are ammo sensitive. Sometimes you get lucky, but most of the time these need a reliablity tune up. The factory builds them to sell. They have done their job. Now your smith needs to do the rest. Good Luck!

 

[TNrifleman]

My 40 XD will not reliably feed Speer Gold Dot ammo, but will feed Winchester and Remington hollow points with utter reliability. I have run several thousand rounds through it and I am very pleased with it. I definitely consider it a real self defense handgun. It is accurate, reliable and user friendly. Mine has not ever demonstrated a rust problem. It has been carried and used with great frequency, and in a leather holster. Like any gun, it takes a little care. You might try another brand of ammo, perhaps one with a slightly smaller nose cavity.

 

[Marshall]

Never had a problem with Hollow Points in my 4" XD-40. Admittedly, I have never shot PMC ammo and never will. What I do shoot through it, in hollow points are, Win Silvertips, SXT's and Rem's Golden Sabre's. As for rust, I've never experienced even the remotest problem with rust but, I do take care of my guns. The XD's slide gets a bath in oil with teflon ever couple of months as a follow up to when I bought it and let is soak for 24 hrs in the same.