[carnut]

Hello to all, Just Joined the forum yesterday, and just got back from the first outing with my new XDS 3.3 9mm. Put a 100 rounds of 115 FMJ Blazer (new loads) and Freedom (factory reloads) through it. Held off on the heaver defensive loads for a while. Just wanted to see how it handled the easy stuff first. Gun shot well and I was very pleased with the accuracy and feel, real smooth for its size.

Now the bad part, it's having slide stop problems.

1- I was only loading 5 rounds per mag to test out mag performance, out of 20 mag cycles, after the last round was fired the slide failed to lock open 2 (two) times.
2- I then found that manually racking the slide back on an empty gun w/o a mag inserted and pushing the slide stop up fails to hold the slide open about 50% of the time. It feels like something is binding or preventing the slide stop to engage. Wiggling the stop lever and playing with the slide together will get it to catch.
3- And I will add, with an empty mag inserted and consistently racking the slide manually it will always grab and hold the slide open.

The range gunsmith was off today, I was hoping for a quick fix as I would hate to have to send in a 3 day old gun for repair. Any Ideas before I get it checked out. Don't want to mess up my warranty with any mods if I can help it.

 

[Leadpusher]

I would brake it down and clean it real good and try it again. It possibly is loaded with factory grime.

 

[carnut]

I used the Hoppe's Elite cleaner followed by M-Pro 7 gun oil on it prior to the first usage. After shooting today I hit it with Birchwood Casey Gun Scrubber (aerosol spray, smells like carb cleaner) that stripped it down pretty good. And then used the Hoppe's cleaner & the M-Pro 7 to get it back to usable condition. No change in the failure to hold slide open.

 

[carnut]

Just a quick update, went back and was reading the Operation/Safety manual that came w/the gun. Interesting in the field strip section they say if locking the slide is difficult, then insert an empty magazine . Then pull slide to rear until it locks and then remove the mag. Looks like they perceived a manual lock situation, are all the XD models like this ?

Think I'll hang back on this till I'm satisfied everything else is OK, then maybe try installing the extended slide stop mod to see if that helps.

I'm also thinking the failure to lock slide open on last round may have been my thumb resting to high and pulling the stop down with my grip. Will have to keep and eye on that next week..

 

[alter1]

Watch your thumb. Make a conscious effort to keep your thumb away from the slide stop.

Also, the manual is referring to people with weak hands/low dexterity, etc. that may have difficulty pulling the slide and moving the slide lock manually.

The XD-S does have some inherent challenges for some people but all of them can be overcome with practice.

 

[carnut]

alter, 10-04 on that , been shooting CZ's and they have a very distinctive beaver tail that holds your thumb clear of the stop while allowing a tight high grip. The XDS has a smaller & higher tail. Got to get used to fitting my thumb about 1/4 inch lower into the indentation on the grip.

Also I fixed slide stop problem, the front of the stop lever button was hitting the outside of the slide. Worked if I used my thumb nail to push up stop. However the 'in and up' pressure from the pad of my thumb pushed the button in towards the slide and it bound up. I removed the slide stop, dremeled a little stock off the inside front of button. Works like a charm.

 

[alter1]

alter, 10-04 on that , been shooting CZ's and they have a very distinctive beaver tail that holds your thumb clear of the stop while allowing a tight high grip. The XDS has a smaller & higher tail. Got to get used to fitting my thumb about 1/4 inch lower into the indentation on the grip.



Also I fixed slide stop problem, the front of the stop lever button was hitting the outside of the slide. Worked if I used my thumb nail to push up stop. However the 'in and up' pressure from the pad of my thumb pushed the button in towards the slide and it bound up. I removed the slide stop, dremeled a little stock off the inside front of button. Works like a charm.

Cool! Now it should do everything you tell it to do. You won't be disappointed. Now go shoot the hell out of it.

Have a great Independence Day!