XD Locking Back

[Sharpline]

About every other magazine, while shooting my XD40 Sub-compact the slide will lock back even if there are still rounds left. I have noticed that it happens more often with the extended magazine. It appears that the round is seating forward in the magazine a few mm and causing the slide to lock back (like when empty).
Is this a magazine malfunction, weapon malfunction, or do you think it is a problem with my grip.

Thanks for your thoughts.

[SA Friday]

Are these factory or reloads being used in the gun?

This could be from lots of different things. If you are using factory ammo, I would suspect it's not an ammo issue. If reloads, there could be a couple of things to look at in that area.

If your mags are the problem, it would be your mag springs or your feed lips. How old are the mags? Do you leave them loaded? How often/long do you leave them loaded? Are the feed lips spread apart? How easy is it to press the follower down into the mag when it's unloaded?

Your grip could also be causing this. You could be hitting the slide lock lever with your strong hand thumb during recoil and not even know it. Shoot the gun with your thumbs on top of the slide lock or floating out to the left of the gun and this should tell you if you are hitting the slide lock lever or not. Another method is to have someone else who shoots well shoot the gun for each mag and see if it lock for him too. Then have him watch you while you shoot and see if your thumb is hitting the slide lock.

[Irving]

I had this same issue with my S&W M&P40compact at the last shooting match I went to. (I was shooting factory FMJ) My gun has around 5,000 rounds through it, so I called S&W and asked if maybe it was the recoil spring. They said, "Sure maybe!" and just sent me a new one.

Anyway, I went to shoot the gun again, and I had the same problem with the Hornady JHP ONE time, but after that, when I shot FMJ for the rest of the day, the gun seemed fine. I'll have to go back and check the magazine feed lips.

Sorry if my post seems a little off topic, but I had the same problem and am interested in what you find out.

[Sharpline]

The xd is relatively new, purchased in Dec 08. and I use factory loads in it. I only keep a couple mags. loaded up. but it seems like it happens with the magazines that are left empty also.
I am not sure about the thumb hitting the slide lock, it could be an issue. But it is weird to me how the round is seated forward in the mag when this event occurs (the bullet part is actually sticking out in front of the magazine).

[Irving]

That is kind of how the hollow point round was acting the last time my gun did the same thing. Where the loads JHP or FMJ?

[SA Friday]

The xd is relatively new, purchased in Dec 08. and I use factory loads in it. I only keep a couple mags. loaded up. but it seems like it happens with the magazines that are left empty also.
I am not sure about the thumb hitting the slide lock, it could be an issue. But it is weird to me how the round is seated forward in the mag when this event occurs (the bullet part is actually sticking out in front of the magazine).

Unless the round is physically hitting the inside of the slide stop lever, I doubt this is the issue. If the mag feed lips are spread and allowing the bullet to move forward and up with the stripping of the previous bullet, then I could see this happening.

I've seen 6 months of being left loaded kill a mag spring before. If this is happening with all of your mags and some of them are being left unloaded, I would look more to your shooting mechanics and rule out that before checking gun parts.

I am very hesitant to start pointing fingers at bullet profile for this problem. I have yet to see an XD puke on any factory round. They are very reliable, and when you have problems with bullet profile you typically get failures to feed and chamber not slide lock issues. It is possible, as every gun is different, but I would pretty shocked.

[SA Friday]

Where are you located and where are you shooting. If close, I have the time to run to a range with you if you like.

[Sharpline]

Thanks for the info.
I doubt it is the bullet profile also. I just did not know the amount of space that was required to lock back a slide.
I will continue to analyze my technique, I am in Durango so I doubt range time will be possible. Thanks though.

[jawsnet]

are yu using wad cutters?

[jawsnet]

this could be a feed ramp issue.