XD firing pin retaining pin shearing?

I had this happen to my XDm 9mm Compact. The snap caps didn't do what I needed. I got some snap caps to mix in with live rounds to check for anticipation. Problem was, the snap caps don't weigh anything. So I can tell where I'm putting them in my mags even when I'm not looking.

I had a buddy make me up a few dud rounds by putting a regular bullet into a spent cartridge. They weigh the same as the live cartridges, so I couldn't tell the difference when I loaded them. Worked great for several magazines full. Then I had a really bad jam. Busting it loose broke the retaining pin. So, in a sense, I was dry-firing with a "snap-cap". (I know, a real snap-cap would not have had that problem.)

My experience tells me you SHOULD buy an XD. SA replaced the pin no questions asked, lifetime guarantee. Gunsmith installed it no charge. Have over 3000 rounds through it now, with no additional problems. I liked the service so well I bought an XDm 5.25" Competition Series 45ACP. I plan to replace the sights with night sights (probably through SA Custom Shop).

Did I forget to mention, I like XD?

 

Plus 1 for snap caps. I am from the older generation and was taught never to dry fire any firearm without some sort of snap cap or dummy round in place. I find it very hard to move away from this..so..I always use snap caps for all of my guns..period. People will say that today's striker fired guns are made to be dry fired..Glocks for example, need to be dry fired to remove slide, as well as others. Well, pulling the trigger once, every few weeks for detail cleaning is not like sitting in front of a TV watching cowboy movies or other shoot 'em ups and shooting the bad guys a hundred times during a show (I do that by the way..LOL). I feel that the firing pin inertia has to stop somehow..and that stop is a primer. Otherwise, it stops in other ways which is not the way it was designed. Why take chances, especially with a gun you use for personal protection! JMHO of course..

 

If you can't use a snap cap when you dry fire, you will probably break the retaining pin eventually. Stuff happens. FWIW, Dry firing still makes me uncomfortable without a snap cap.
Consider upgrading the pin or buying some snap caps, or both.


http://shop.powderriverprecision.net/product.sc?productId=32&categoryId=4

 

I went ahead and bought a set of 3 striker retaining pins a couple of weeks ago from Powder River Precision for $12, like Overkill posted just in case.
So far after 200 rds no problems, but I don't dry fire.

 

I always use snap caps...be it a .45 Glock, a S&W .357, a Colt SAA, or a Mossberg 12 gauge.

I use these... http://www.pachmayr.com/home/plastic-caps.php

 

At the risk of bucking the obvious majority, I'd like to point out that when there is no snap cap in the chamber, the loaded chamber indicator shows the gun is empty. I find that reassuring when I dry fire.

I have gone back and forth a few times on this issue. I find that each time I rack the gun to reset the striker I come close to ejecting the snap cap. Sometimes it ejects, sometimes it jams. In either case it becomes a pain in the butt. The jam at least gives me some malfunction practice, but after about 5 of these events, I am reduced to crawling around my living room looking for snap caps.

I have started using the snap caps to facilitate practicing magazine reloads. I load a single, "barney" round (snap-cap) in each of two magazines. I load the gun with one of the magazines and rack the snap cap into the chamber. I can rack the slide a second time and the slide locks back. I can then immediately practice a slide-lock reload with the other magazine. The snap-cap in the second magazine allows me to rack the slide as part of the practice cycle. Unfortunately, I still have to chase the ejected snap-cap, but I can position myself so that the snap cap lands on my couch pretty reliably.

 

XD Pins

I normally don't dry fire, but I have put hundreds of rounds through several different XDM's.


I had an XDM9 4.5 which I sold to a friend. Never had any problems with anything!


My XDM40 3.8 had an ejector issue straight from the factory which caused jams but Springfield took care of the issue and never had other problems since. Kudos to Springfield for great service and support.


My XDM45 4.5 has been flawless from day one even after hundreds of rounds.


My newest acquisition is the XDS45 3.3! Only 120 rounds so far but loving it!


Never any pin issues.

 

Welcome to the XD Forum meteorman69 !!

 

One member stated that he uses snap caps but is reduced to crawling around on the floor looking for them after they get ejected or he gets a jam. Practice will enable you to know just how far to pull the slide back to reset trigger so that the snap cap does not get ejected. I use AZoom for the most part and their overall length falls in the specs for full size ammo. To address the statement that the gentleman does not like to use snap caps due to the loaded chamber indicator showing loaded when using them and worried about live ammo I say this..you have a legit worry there, and good for you! However..when you practice dry fire, do it in a room where there is no live ammo in sight. Check, double check, triple check your mag, cylinder if revolver, to insure empty..the same with the gun itself. Then do your dry fire practice, and then remove snap caps from mag and gun and put them away. Then return to your gun room..ammo location, and load up if you keep your firearm loaded at all times as I do. Believe me when I say dry fire practice is a must as we all cannot get to a range as often as we like, and trigger control is learned. Also practice presenting the firearm from a holster and re-holstering is a must since muscle memory is developed, which takes over in a stress situation. Not to mention the practice of loading and unloading the firearm in a safe manner. The snap caps serve many purposes and work quite effectively.

 

I always use snap caps

No matter what the manual says.

It can't hurt and they are cheap.

IMHO

 

I used to dry fire without snap caps, and over time, the circumference of the roll pin was compromised. While at the range, it would steadily work it's way out. I'd just have to push it in every 50 rounds. I contacted SA and they sent me a new one. Most likely, the pin would have broken with continued abuse. I now use snap caps when dry firing.

 

+1 on check, double check and triple check. I have a set of AZoom snap caps for both my 9mm and my 45ACP. When I do have the snap caps in place, I can often reset the striker without ejecting. But when I do the dry-fire practice, I might fire a few hundred times. Crawling around looking under furniture can get pretty old.

I've just joined IDPA and am now working on skills like drawing and reholstering, and magazine changes. Snap-caps help that quite a bit, although I'm still crawling (both in the learning process and on the living room floor )

The consensus here is very strongly in favor of snap caps. I haven't been shooting long enough (about 1 year so far) to say "I've always done it this way" or "I know better". I probably should just use the snap caps and teach myself not to eject the dang things. (Now where did that last one drop again...)

 

I must be the only one that shoots a IDPA style competition. In these comps you must dry fire your firearm after you are done with the stage and have cleared [and shown clear to the S.O.] the firearm. That is unless your choice of firearm has a external hammer. In that case when the Hammer down command is called you just ease the hammer down instead of pulling the trigger.


JB

 

You're not alone. I just joined IDPA. A couple threads out there on the subject already.

Isolated dry fires, like during disassembly or clearing your weapon, are not what destroys the pins. It's when you do a few hundred dry fires a night for trigger practice, grip practice, draw practice, you-name-it practice ...

 

7000 rounds thru my xd9, 2 recoil springs, lots of dry firing with no snap caps, original firing pin and roll pin. Must be lucky. All in IDPA competition and practice for the same. No jams that weren't related to crappy reloading on my part . Once ran 1200 rounds without cleaning to see if it would jam...still worked but was so disgusting grungy you turned black when you touched it. So i broke down in cleaned it....still one of the more accurate semi's i own

 

Welcome to the XD Forum xd9gunner !!

 

OK, we've pretty well decided that snap-caps are essential. Next question: How long should snap caps last? I just spent some time dry firing with a snap-cap. One of my slightly too long racks led to a jam. I locked the slide back and ejected the magazine. Snap cap stayed stuck in the chamber. The extractor must have jumped off the lip. Had to use a cleaning rod to knock the cap out.

Now I'm looking at my snap caps and seeing a lot of wear on the edges of the lips. How do I know when they need replaced?