I carry the XD-S .45 daily. I've owned it since they first came out. The only time it failed to fire was when I deliberately tried to duplicate the light strike/out of battery phenomenon that was all the rave in the complaint department when it first came out.

It seems, that if the weapon is not held firmly, with good mechanics, it can fail to go completely into battery for some shooters, and the firing pin strikes the primer off center and there is a failure to fire.

I was watching a video of this and there were two shooters. The first, a righty, was doing everything right and the weapon fired every time. When the other shooter fired (a lefty) they allowed the weapon to ride up in recoil pretty high and they were getting at least 2 failures with every magazine. Based on the dynamics of the recoil, I could nearly predict which times they were going to have problems.

So, because the process of packing that much cartridge into that small a package required some creative engineering, you have a gun that may not be suitable for everyone to use. If that's the case, is the design flawed?

I've shot mine right, left, weak, strong, tight, loose and the only time it ever failed was one time when I deliberately held it with only the thumb and trigger finger, just to see if I could recreate the limp-wrist phenomenon.

Has anyone ever had problems with the Glock doing this?

The XD-S remains my favorite sub compact regardless

No failures with my XDS 45 or ANY of my Glocks.

Don't know about the .45 version because I don't own one. But, I do have an older XD9 that has chewed on a boatload of rounds and has never failed for any reason.

Ran into a few Glockophiles who felt that if the gun wouldn't function in many different - and not always optimum - holds, it wasn't fit for duty. Me, well my XD runs perfectly with several different bullet profiles.

Can't beat the XD-S 45. I have two that have been flawless. Great carry guns!!
STAY READY

I have had a similar problem with a G20 with light loads and a essentially a thumb and trigger hold. Was a slide eject/feed failure. Doubt it would happen with a firm grip or regular loads.

I don't consider myself a Glockophile, but that has been my view about the way a carry gun should function. My .45 ACP 3.3" XD-S passed this test. It has fed anything, including lead SWC ammo that chokes my Glock 30. The only malfunction I ever experienced was when I fired a .40 S&W in it by mistake and it failed to cycle because the case fire formed into the chamber. My wife, on the other hand, managed to jam it on about round 3 after I told her how utterly reliable the gun was. I cannot recall ever seeing her experience a malfunction with her guns.

I had to ditch the XD-S because the ambidextrous magazine release was getting activated and was unseating the magazine when the gun was carried in an ankle holster. I also found it very slow for follow up shots.

On the flip side, I have learned how to induce malfunctions with Gen 4 9mm Glocks, at least on guns right out of the box. I don't trust those without some break in.

Thanks to all who responded respectfully.

My Glock 30S would do something similar, i.e., the slide would lock back during a string of fire with rounds still in the magazine. Glock looked at it, and determined that it was a problem with my grip on the gun under recoil, and not a mechanical defect. This made sense, since it's a light package for a .45 ACP, without a whole lot of grip to hold on to, and it never occurred when I fired range ammo (like Winchester White Box), but did occasionally happen when I shot something a little hotter, like Remington Golden Sabre 230 grain JHP.

Just curious, Dan, have you tried to get the mod 2 to do the same thing(light strike/out of battery phenomenon)? How are you liking the mod 2?

222

My range has been closed for maintenance for the last month. I like the way the Mod 2 looks and feels...but so far, it hasn't been shot! This irritates the crap out of me!

I guess that wouldn't include me if I followed my first inclination which was to ask if those were external detractors.....???

On a more serious note, I think it's been pretty common conventional wisdom for some time that anything less than a firm grip on most semi-auto pistols can result in functional difficulties, no?

cra1948

When the XD-S first came out, you would be surprised at the number of people who simply could not make it function. Many of these same people would tout that they were experienced hand gunners and that this never happened with their Glocks - but at the time, Glock didn't have a similarly sized single stack with which to compare.

The overarching theme, was that there was a problem with the gun. Those of us who were experienced with abbreviated semi-autos, like the Colt's Officer's Model, didn't seem to have a problem, though many who tried to go from full size 1911 to Officer's did have a problem. They could never accept the fact that even minor flaws in their weapons control would be magnified with the engineering changes necessary to make the little blasters work.

The XD-S isn't for everyone, but for those who can't seem to make it work reliably, it seems the fault lies with the gun and not the technique.

Of course there were those who couldn't make the government model work well either.

Hoooooly crap, that's funny.

I bought two of 'em. After waiting for all the dust to clear, I sent them both back to Springfield for 'the fix'.
I have never had a single issue with mine. They go bang every time, are accurate, easy to carry, and effective. What's not to love?

Don't know if you know this, but there's a 6 round mag now and it's perfect! Completely changes how the gun feels and doesn't hurt the conceal-ability.

I guess I have never been a fan of the Croatian pistol.

OK

I've handled several XD-S 3.3 .45 ACP's in the last couple weeks after never having touched one prior.

Not hard to see why folks like them.

I have often wondered does any country besides Croatia use them in their military or police service? Not a hater but with Glock, HK, SIG, Smith, Keltec, diamondback, etc. plastic pistols made by the companies with their names on their guns, I just always wondered. I guess I should not post on this thread but it does say "Has it's detractors", but I am sure they work just fine. Sorry for my opinions and questions.

G36 has been around for a good many years. And while the XDs is a bit smaller, there isn't all that much difference.

Never an issue with my XDs. Hard to beat for firepower in a compact, easy to conceal and accurate package.

I do like my sig P938, though.