Malfunctions and the destruction of XD and HS2000`s
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Here is a picture of the stainless steel version of the XD that has rusted up after a day and a half For those that think that stainless steel will not rust that is false. The stainless will allow you some protection but you will still have to provide some maintenance. anyones XD can rust if they do these four common mistakes. 1. Did not clean it after its last use. 2. Handled the pistol before putting it away. (use a rag and wipe the pistol down, dont touch it with bare hands before long storage) 3. Did not apply or use any rust protectant. (VpCI chips or even a fine coat of oil/grease will go a long way) A nice trick is to keep the plastic bag that the pistol was wraped in at the gunstore or that was in the box. Usually it is a VpCI (Vapor Phase Corrosion Inhibitor) and will stop rust this is why you never see a new gun that has rusted. 4. Wrapped the pistol with plastic bubble wrap before storage and shipment. (people also use the pistol case) if the pistol is warm then wraped in something non breathable humidity will form making for a nice rust inducing environment.  Click on picture for larger size |
Here is an example of what can happen when somebody that is not familiar with the XD installs sights on them. These were installed by a gunsmith who refinished the owners pistol, then tried to install a set of XS 24/7 night sights The gunsmith did not check the fit before attempting to install and failed to remove the rear sights retaining screw (holes on top of rear sight). The rear sight was tapped on and the screw made a nice sized gouge in an otherwise flawless hard chrome finish. The front sight was whacked into place by using a punch directly on the tab of the sight in the dove tail. As soon as a puch is driven into the tab it will deform as shown and make even harder to install as well as making for an ugly sight install. 
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A lesson on how to go from an XD guide rod assembly to a pile of parts. Is being written and will be published soon. 
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