I bought a new Springfield XD service model in 9mm and took it to the range yesterday for the first time.  I was shooting UMC 115 grain fmj.  I fired 50 rounds.

It shot great except the casings didn't eject very far.  They landed at my feet and I had one casing stovepipe.  Also, the slide didn't lock back on the last shot.

I'm new to the XD and the spring seems really stiff.  Do I just need to break it in more?  I thought about getting a weaker spring.  But I don't know what strength the one from the factory is.

Any help will be appreciated.
Chris

If I remember correctly the factory spring is rated at 17 lbs.

The service model uses a dual spring system and is much higher than 17#'s. If you decide to switch to a single spring system going lower than 18#'s can be problematic as it is easy to push the gun out of battery. You also will have to trim to coils to the proper length so the coils aren't binding and you get the right amount of spring in there.

The dual spring system will loosen up with use. Good luck.

That seems a little odd, but I'd dry fire it about a thousand times and run several more boxes of ammo through it before getting concerned. IIRC the service model is equal to an 18# single spring.

UMC is not my choice for ammo. I've had  duds and punctured primers the few times I've used it. YMMV

ETA: The primay cause when the slide won't lock back for new XD shooters is their thumb pushing up on the slide lock. Just tuck your right thumb down if your a thumbs up shooter. Had the same problem myself.

I'm not sure about the XD9, but my XD40 came with an 18# spring from the factory.  I replaced it with a Don's Guide Rod, and a Wolff 20 # spring.  The result is less muzzle flip, and quicker follow up shots, because you're back on target faster.  A lot of guys over at XDTalk use up to a 22# spring in their XD9s.

I've never had a single problem with UMC ammo, and I've shot a lot of it through my XD40s.

another 800 rounds and that spring will be just fine

Quoted:
I'm not sure about the XD9, but my XD40 came with an 18# spring from the factory.

A tactical or service model? This fellow said he has a service model. The guide rods used are different, as you can't swap just the spring on the service model as you can on the tacticals. You can use a short rod with a bushing and shortened 1911 spring, but it does have it's drawbacks.

Quoted: Quoted: I'm not sure about the XD9, but my XD40 came with an 18# spring from the factory. A tactical or service model? This fellow said he has a service model. The guide rods used are different, as you can't swap just the spring on the service model as you can on the tacticals. You can use a short rod with a bushing and shortened 1911 spring, but it does have it's drawbacks.

Service model.  Yes, it comes with the captured 18# set-up, but you can swap it out with a full length conventional-style guide rod and spring set-up, called the Don's guide rod, because the guy who came up with them is named.........Don!

Go here to buy: www.pistolgear.com

Got here for a whole forum dedicated to the Don's guide rod sytem:  www.xdtalk.com

Using a regular guide rod means you can customize how the XD shoots, by swapping different recoil springs, until you find the weight that suits you best.  

OK, what you wrote was confusing, as the service guide rod is a 20# spring not #18 and you can not change them without replacing the guide rod system.

There are some drawbacks to using a single spring system on the service models if you are using heavy loads. I've fixed a couple guns were people literally battered them to death by under springing them. They can be a great benefit for people who are not strong enough to rack the slide, as these people don't usually hold the gun strong enough to hurt the gun.

Quoted: OK, what you wrote was confusing, as the service guide rod is a 20# spring not #18 and you can not change them without replacing the guide rod system. There are some drawbacks to using a single spring system on the service models if you are using heavy loads. I've fixed a couple guns were people literally battered them to death by under springing them. They can be a great benefit for people who are not strong enough to rack the slide, as these people don't usually hold the gun strong enough to hurt the gun.

I'm about 99.99% positive the XD40 service comes with an 18# captured spring.  I use the 20# now, and it's definitely heavier than stock.  I've also used a 22# spring, which is the most popular replacement weight for the XD40, and found it to be a little too heavy for my liking, but it never malfunctioned.  I just didn't like the way the gun shot, as opposed to the 20# spring.

Underspringing the gun would not be good.  I've never heard of anyone going lower, only higher with the spring weight, but I don't doubt it happens.

ETA:  I got your IM.

My scales say 20# on well used service models to 21.5# on the new ones.

The single stage 20 pound single stage spring may feel heavier because you don't have a lighter first stage.

I don't like the 22# spring (the recoil impulse sucks), but I've seen folks go as low as 14#, and that is just scary.

Quoted: My scales say 20# on well used service models to 21.5# on the new ones. The single stage 20 pound single stage spring may feel heavier because you don't have a lighter first stage. I don't like the 22# spring (the recoil impulse sucks), but I've seen folks go as low as 14#, and that is just scary.

You're probably right, since you have a scale.  I do like the feel, and recoil impulse of the single stage 20# spring a lot better.  I definitely agree about the 22# spring.  With a 14# spring, I don't see how the gun would even stay in battery.  That's way too low.

With the stock spring try a firmer grip and see if that helps.  The spring will break in some but you will break in faster.  I would not suggest a weaker spring.
When the HS2000 first arrived I played with reloads to have my then 9 year old daughter shoot it.  Heavy loads flung far, light loads came in closer went to dribbling off of my wrists then stove piping at the lightest.  Playing with spring weights (custom rod) mimicked the same, too heavy a spring brought on stove piping, light springs flung far out.  Grip strength could moderate between these effects.
The stock spring assembly is a dual spring, but there is no first and second stage feel.  There is just one spring rate summed with the second spring rate, for an equivalent single spring rate.  The advantage of the dual spring assembly is no loose pieces in the dark for military use and a long fatigue life, many having 10K plus rounds with little change in recoil.  A single spring setup is cycled deep and will have a shorter life but can get a feel that you may prefer.
I can check again on my dual spring assemblies but my initial scales showed at near 18 lbs, for the stock assembly, using a vice and hanging dead weights of 115gr.bullets until there showed no movement (roughly 1/4 oz resolution).

edited to add:  I couldn't remember how good my memory was so I repeated the setup today, but just weighed the hanging mass on a postal scale.  16 lb. 15.8 oz. would fully retract the slide with about 2.6 oz. hysteresis (it would hold in place at a lower weight if moved there, but would not move there on its own).  Add the slide weight of 11.5 oz. gives the spring force of 17 lb. 11.3 oz.

Quoted: I bought a new Springfield XD service model in 9mm and took it to the range yesterday for the first time.  I was shooting UMC 115 grain fmj.  I fired 50 rounds. It shot great except the casings didn't eject very far.  They landed at my feet and I had one casing stovepipe.  Also, the slide didn't lock back on the last shot. I'm new to the XD and the spring seems really stiff.  Do I just need to break it in more?  I thought about getting a weaker spring.  But I don't know what strength the one from the factory is. Any help will be appreciated. Chris

try leaving the slide locked back over night maybe that will help.