This is an XD9 after 10,000 rounds... Lots of pics!

Last weekend I hit that 10,000 round mark on my XD9 Service. It's been a great gun all the way. Here's my story...

Back in March of 2005, my friend and I decided to buy ourselves handguns. We made several trips to the gun range and tried out different ones. We rented the Glock 19 and the XD9 side by side. We both favored the XD9. We weren't satisfied so we went back two more times and rented the same two pistols. Each time we both liked the XD9 better. The following month, we both owned brand new Springfield Armory XD9 Service Models at $469 each.

At the time, Winchester White Box ammo was $4.96 per box of 50 at Walmart. Target practice was cheap. When Walmart raised their prices multiple times, the next best thing was CCI Blazer Aluminum from Academy Sports for $5.97 a box. I also shot a few boxes of Federal Hydra-Shok and a box of Winchester Ranger. Out of the 10,000 rounds I would estimate about a 100 were Winchester Rangers or Hydra-Shok. About 5,000 were WWB and the rest were CCI Blazer Brass. I experienced a few Failures to Eject early on. This was when the round count was below 500. For the next 9,500 rounds it has performed flawlessly. I never shot reloads.

I was using the 5-inch Shoot-N-See targets and would usually keep most hits in the target. Eventually, I was keeping my hits inside the inner rings of the 5-inch Shoot-N-Sees. The Range Officer told me to quit buying those and go to the 3-inch ones. He said I had the talent. Uh-huh... Well, my groups got tighter with the 3-inch ones. He later added it was just a matter of concentration. It's what I was focusing on. Another few hundred rounds later, I now use the 1-inch orange dots. I can consistently keep 10 rounds in a 2-inch group. The pics of the targets below were a result of 40 rounds per aim point. That's all two handed, free standing shooting at seven yards. What's the point here? Many people talk about the accuracy of a gun or the accuracy of ammo. At 7 yards, I feel it's really 99% the shooter and 1% the equipment.

Since I was going out to shoot every weekend, I never saw the point in cleaning the gun after every trip. Early on, I was even going twice a week. In the 11 months that I've had this gun, I've only cleaned it maybe seven or eight times. Has this caused the gun to fail or be less accurate? I think not. For whatever it's worth, I had the gun professionaly cleaned at the range after I hit that 10,000 round mark. They do the ultrasonic cleaning which really cleans areas we can't see or reach.

Would I do it all over again? Hell yea! I love this gun. It is very nice to shoot and I have no complaints about its accuracy or reliability. Would I ever sell it. Hell no! I almost did once but I'm glad I kept it.

Click on the pics to zoom in.

http://img119.imageshack.us/img119/7...5347zp8.th.jpghttp://img119.imageshack.us/img119/7...5345th8.th.jpghttp://img119.imageshack.us/img119/5...5343rd8.th.jpghttp://img119.imageshack.us/img119/8...5342kz3.th.jpghttp://img119.imageshack.us/img119/7...5341jg3.th.jpg

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More pics...

http://img261.imageshack.us/img261/2...5386ew1.th.jpghttp://img261.imageshack.us/img261/9...5391mz3.th.jpghttp://img261.imageshack.us/img261/4...5392uo7.th.jpghttp://img261.imageshack.us/img261/2...5395lx1.th.jpghttp://img261.imageshack.us/img261/7...5396yf0.th.jpg

http://img261.imageshack.us/img261/2...5397kg2.th.jpghttp://img261.imageshack.us/img261/2...5399mq0.th.jpghttp://img261.imageshack.us/img261/2...5401yg6.th.jpghttp://img261.imageshack.us/img261/2...5402kp4.th.jpghttp://img261.imageshack.us/img261/1...5404ug7.th.jpg

http://img261.imageshack.us/img261/1...5405nk5.th.jpghttp://img261.imageshack.us/img261/8...5407pu8.th.jpghttp://img261.imageshack.us/img261/9...5411cu0.th.jpghttp://img261.imageshack.us/img261/7...5412zg8.th.jpghttp://img261.imageshack.us/img261/5...5417pg1.th.jpg

Even more pics...

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Very good picture report with very good pictures. You have done a fine job and thanks for sharing.

My cleaning routine wasn't anything special either. I would wet the slide, frame, guide rod/spring and barrel with Hoppes #9. With a toothbrush, I brush the parts of the frame, slide and guide rod/spring that I can reach. I use a stiffer cleaning brush on the exterior barrel. This lets me scrape any residue off the feed ramp. Then I use the barrel brush to scrub the inside of the barrel. Maybe about 10-15 times. Then I rinse it all with Brake Parts Cleaner, Carburetor Cleaner or WD-40, whichever I have at the time. Initially, I used Q-tips and patches to dry it off. Now that I have an air compressor, I use compressed air to dry it off. Then I oil just about everything. I never worried about over oiling since I don't walk around a dusty desert everyday. The gun usually leaks oil after dry firing. Compressed air is good at blowing out excess oil. That's about it. Nothing special. I would do this about once a month.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by propellerhead

http://img261.imageshack.us/img261/7...5412zg8.th.jpg

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Sounds like you're really enjoying your gun. Nice shooting, thanks for the pics. :smt023
The only thing I would do different is to quit using WD40. Have you replaced any springs yet?

That was interesting to see. Plenty of worn off finish in places, but not much metal worn away anywhere. I've become less of a fan of cleaning that gun. It takes down and assembles easy, but it is hard to get at all the areas where grime tends to accumulate. If I had an air compressor I could see how that would come in really handy.

I'm a little too generous with the oil myself. No matter what people tell me there is just part of me that says moving mechanical parts on any machine need lubercation. Same thing for me though. My guns don't get exposed to much dirt. Most of the dirt inside my guns is just powder residue.

I am curious about on thing. None of the pictures show the lug on the barrel. The notch were the guide rod meets up with the barrel seems kind of shallow like it doesn't have much of a positive grip on the guide rod. Mine is the 5" so I actually have a one piece rod instead of the type you have. I always assume that they engineer that contact point between the barrel lug and the guide rod shallow because wear will deepen it over time anyway. I'm just curious if that has been the case on yours?

That is assuming the guide rod locks up with the barrel in a similar fashion on the 4" models.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by 2400

Sounds like you're really enjoying your gun. Nice shooting, thanks for the pics. :smt023
The only thing I would do different is to quit using WD40. Have you replaced any springs yet?

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The debates on WD-40 go on forever. I've heard of guys who have used them for 30 years.

All the springs are stock. The entire gun is in its factory form. I enjoy the XD as is.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by noproblem5671

That was interesting to see. Plenty of worn off finish in places, but not much metal worn away anywhere. I've become less of a fan of cleaning that gun. It takes down and assembles easy, but it is hard to get at all the areas where grime tends to accumulate. If I had an air compressor I could see how that would come in really handy.

I'm a little too generous with the oil myself. No matter what people tell me there is just part of me that says moving mechanical parts on any machine need lubercation. Same thing for me though. My guns don't get exposed to much dirt. Most of the dirt inside my guns is just powder residue.

I am curious about on thing. None of the pictures show the lug on the barrel. The notch were the guide rod meets up with the barrel seems kind of shallow like it doesn't have much of a positive grip on the guide rod. Mine is the 5" so I actually have a one piece rod instead of the type you have. I always assume that they engineer that contact point between the barrel lug and the guide rod shallow because wear will deepen it over time anyway. I'm just curious if that has been the case on yours?

That is assuming the guide rod locks up with the barrel in a similar fashion on the 4" models.

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I'll try to post pics of the barrel lug and the guide rod. I took some but they turned out too dark.

Good report. Nice to see the gun holding up.

What about the trigger. Does it still bother the finger, or have you learned to ignore that?

WM

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Wandering Man

Good report. Nice to see the gun holding up.

What about the trigger. Does it still bother the finger, or have you learned to ignore that?

WM

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Yea, I forgot to mention that in the first post. I did take a Dremel tool and shave down the trigger safety a bit to make it more flush with the rest of the trigger. It feels great now. Thanks for reminding me. :)

I'm surprised that you still have the stock spring and rod. It seems like a lot of XD owners are switching over to an after market set up. I switched over to a DGR because I like the fact it stays flush with the gun and doesn't stick out.

I haven't found a compelling reason to change out anything on my XD.

Great pics!! 10,000 rounds and it still looks, and works great.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by noproblem5671

I am curious about on thing. None of the pictures show the lug on the barrel. The notch were the guide rod meets up with the barrel seems kind of shallow like it doesn't have much of a positive grip on the guide rod. Mine is the 5" so I actually have a one piece rod instead of the type you have. I always assume that they engineer that contact point between the barrel lug and the guide rod shallow because wear will deepen it over time anyway. I'm just curious if that has been the case on yours?

That is assuming the guide rod locks up with the barrel in a similar fashion on the 4" models.

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Per your request...

http://img301.imageshack.us/img301/8...5509pw4.th.jpg http://img301.imageshack.us/img301/8...5513iu0.th.jpg http://img301.imageshack.us/img301/5...5516ik3.th.jpg http://img301.imageshack.us/img301/6...5517mt9.th.jpg http://img301.imageshack.us/img301/8...5518jc1.th.jpg

http://img301.imageshack.us/img301/9...5520uu7.th.jpg http://img301.imageshack.us/img301/8...5522gn3.th.jpg http://img301.imageshack.us/img301/8...5524ym5.th.jpg http://img301.imageshack.us/img301/7...5526ye2.th.jpg http://img301.imageshack.us/img301/3...5529ft1.th.jpg

Thanks propellerhead,

There isn't wear there that I tought there would be. Most of that barrel looks like it just came out of the box.

Now that I can compare the 4" model to my 5" with one piece FLGR I really think the guide rod design on the 4" is superior. I'm sure they are both just fine, but I really like how they designed the rod on the 4". The 5" is a one piece rod, but unlike a 1911 rod it is a hollow tube that is open on the back end and has small hole in the front. I'm not sure what practical difference it will ever make, but I like that captive spring setup on the 4" better.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by 2400

Have you replaced any springs yet?

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Quote:

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Originally Posted by propellerhead

All the springs are stock. The entire gun is in its factory form. I enjoy the XD as is.

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I wasn't suggesting you upgrade anything, springs wear out and need to be replaced from time to time.

A most interestin' report. Nice to hear from experience.

And, you Sir, are obviously of the school or "If it ain't broke, don't fix it."

Bob Wright

Great report! Thank you.

Wow! An old thread brought back from the dead.

I've been shooting IDPA with my XD9 and it has not given me any issues. I had a malfunction once when the primer of a round broke off and got caught in the ejection port. So it wasn't really the gun. The debris just didn't let the slide return to the full forward position.

I've made it to the 11,700 round mark. I still only clean it maybe once every 2-3 months. Not after every range trip.

very cool,

I have been lookin for a reliable and accurate range gun so
I figured I would look for info on the web. I googled handgun
forums and found this site. (Boy am I glad I did!!)

Torn between the M&P and the XD. I demo'd both guns(and glock)
and shot both OK. All 3 are very nice guns but I decided on the XD
because of Springfields customer service, and it just felt good in my hand.

These photos of an XD lookin good after 10,000 rds make me feel I
made the right choice. I cant wait I pick up my all black XD9 service
model tommorow.

Thanks Propellerhead,

Snoop

Got a real warm-fuzzy tonight... I only have maybe 700-800 through my XD45, and less than 100 through the XD9SC...

I have LOTS of work to do...

Ho-hum off to the range... toil and sweat... another hundred...

Can somebody help me out? Two XDs, and the range won't let me shoot one in each hand... Got a few years to go!

Jeff

propellerheadd: Sir; a most interesting and well thought out presentation.
Sir; pictures are normally okay. Your Pictures are great. Detailed yahoo.
XD'ers need you in the adds. :smt023
10,000 rounds and not one mention of your friend. Did he try and keep up with you? :smt083

Thanks:

I'm coming close to the 8000 mark on my XD45acp service. I clean it all the time but have not seen anything I would replace yet. The last 3000 rounds have been reloads and I make those hot ones. Now I have to learn how to shoot it like you do.

I had a XD40 once that I put 15000 through and sold it to some sucker on the side of a highway. I wonder if it's still working?

great pictures propellerhead, my XD is from 2005,with about 7000 rounds through it so far.no problems at all. i think ill quit cleaning it after every range trip after reading this though. :mrgreen: