Sprinfield Armory XD-9 & XD-40 Sub-Compacts

click to see my other guns: Ruger Standard 22 - Ruger LCP

I own both the .40 and 9mm XD Sub-Compacts but because they are essentially the same excellent weapon, I have only added a few pics of the .40. Click each pic for a larger printable page use your browser's BACK button to return

PS: The background of this page is the first group I fired with the .40 at 25ft.

XD - Sub-Compact in various stages of dishabille

EDC - CCW XD & Fenix P1D-CE	The full monty XD - LaserLyte - Nitecore EX10	Bicycle inner tube grip cover. Good purchase without bulk.
		Extended 16/12 round Mag
Inside the pants concealment Polished barrel and guide rod end		LaserLyte mounted at the range for precision & occasional carry Picatinny rotating belt clip to mount the NiteCore EX10 for hands free operation

mm mm

Modify XD9 magazines to fire .40 S&W
Rear view showing relative depth of rounds in each	magazine sizes compared	a 9 modified with pliers	end result for good feeding on ramp
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*Click here for a background audio reading of this section. *Click here for an audio reading of this section. I know, your first question is why. Well, I purchased an XD-40SC after having my XD-9SC as a best friend for a number of years. But, I only had minimum capacity mags for the 40 while I had many extended mags for the 9. In 9mm I had four service magazines with adapter and three stock SCs each with a Pearce. I had seen where guys were modifying XD40SC mags to hold 12 9mm rounds for the SC. So, after I saw the prices for new .40 mags (!!) I wondered if I could do the opposite with 9mm mags converting them to fit and fire in a .40 SC. This is the result. Just take a pair of wide blade pliers and massage the lips of the 9mm mags so the opening at the top matches a .40 mag (that would be from 9 @ 0.340" to .40 @ 0.377" or about 1mm difference so do .5mm each side). If you just try to shoot .40s in a nine mag with no mod, the bullets strike the ramp because they ride too low in the mag so feeding has a problem. Widen the lips (.5mm each side evenly) so that the .40 rounds are raised a bit proud nose up and *voilà*. After flawlessly firing several hundred rounds through these mags, I can say it's a success! They become essentially .40 mags loading 9 rounds in the SC size and 12 in the extended service size and work great. YMMV however.

CLEANING DOWN TO THE BONE!

I'm not fond of Simple Green. It's not nice to some metals and if there is any adhesive or even sight locking (Loctite), it could dissolve it. I use Fantastik in a 50% solution with distilled water. No noxious fumes like the other volatile mixes with Kerosene etc. Fantastik works fantastically in the 2.5 Litre ultrasonic cleaner from Harbor Freight. It has "surfactants" which work their way under the grime with no caustic residue. This US unit has a tank that's 9.25" long x 5.25" wide x 3 inches deep at max fluid level. One should be able to fit just about any pistol slide in there and you can put it diagonally to gain another half inch. For the frame and associated parts, just dunk the thing upside down (you want the dirt to fall out anyway). An XD Sub-Compact will fit with the lid on, but any other frame will likely need the lid off - it works fine either way. You'll need an air compressor with at least 100lbs of air, but you may be able to get away with canned "duster" air from Wal-Mart ($5) to get the moisture out of the nooks and crannies. Some folks put theirs in the oven at 200° for ten minutes to dry, but I'm also not fond of heating the composite frame. I cleaned my 1971 Ruger in this and saw metal that I'd not seen since '75! Really remarkable. If you've done a crayon job on your engravings, plan on doing it over again. Proof positive that this thing gets EVERYTHING off your parts. I run it an eight minute cycle with heat. If there's anything left after that, another run without heat will get it. I'm sold. I would not clean my weapon every time with this, but for a bi-monthly or so super clean, this is the way to go. The odor is suitable for indoor use too.

The information on these pages is accurate to the best of the author's knowledge. The author can assume no responsibility for the use or misuse of this information by the reader. The reader is expected to secure any other information needed from Service Manuals or other sources. It is up to the reader to determine his/her ability to make any modifications noted. If the reader does not feel qualified he/she should enlist professional help.