XD45 doesn't eject SnapCaps

[Fixmy59bug]

This last weekend I took my new (new to me, but lightly used) XD45 Service.

It performed flawlessly right up until the time my brother wanted to test me with a "clearance" drill.

He loaded one magazine with 10 rounds of factory winchester, and the other mag with 9 rounds and one snap cap mixed in.

The point was to see how fast could we find the snapcap, eject it and continue firing should we encounter a dud round in a home invasion type of situation.

Prior to this, I have fired about 100 rounds and did not have any problems.

So I emptied the control (10 live rounds) magazine in about 4.2 seconds.

I loaded the "situation" magazine and when the snap cap came up, it went click like it was supposed to, but when I went to rack the slide, it only came back about 1.5" and stopped. No matter what I did or how hard I pulled, it would not rack far enough to eject the snap cap.

When I dropped the mag, it ejected just fine. I tested this 3 more times all with the same results.

Anyone have an idea as to why this might be?

[S0M1L9S]

Sounds like the snap cap not in spec or the suspect. The extractor claw is not hooking onto the case.

Load the snap cap, and do a press check/pull slide back slowly and see if extractor is hooked on and pulling the case.

good luck.

[Fixmy59bug]

The extractor claw certainly is grabbing the case.

When the slide pulls back the inch and a half, I can see it is hooked onto the snap cap is pulling out of the barrel.

It seems to be catching on the magazine (or maybe the next round) as it will extract and flip out with no problem if the magazine is taken out.

And after googling "Xd45 Snap Cap", it does not seem to be uncommon. Since the rounds that matter (the ones that go bang) show no issues, I will keep testing and firing the .45 but will switch to my .40 for HD just in case.

[jfifer]

Snap caps are made to the loosest tolerance of whatever round, so it mighy just be too loose for your brand new gun.

[P5Ret]

It isn't just the XD that has problems with "snap caps", I've seen it with a Sig p226/8 a Styer GB and an H&K MP5. My old department did vary similar drills, with some guns working fine and others not so much. This was all with the old style red plastic and brass snap caps, not the newer aluminum. We solved our issue by having one of the guys who reloaded make up a 100 or so dummy rounds.

[Q619]

Shoot it. These little things called spent casings will fly out the ejection port with room to spare. I'm sure your gun is fine.

[MossbergMan]

"Snap Caps" or dummy rounds? There is a difference. Snap caps are designed to dampen firing pin strikes and works well for general firearm manipulations.
Dummy rounds are designed to not only to dampen FP impact but because they are either machined metal or cases with plastic bullets and "primers"
Any snap cap with a plastic rim will fail to extract.
If you want live fire malfunction clearing....AZoom.
When plastic snap-caps hits a HOT chamber it has a tendency to STICK and the extractor just pulls a chunk of rim off and there ya go....or the rim fatigues with repeated extraction from cool/cold chambers.
LETargets sells a good Dummy Round also. Regular case with color coded plastic "bullets". It works to dampen the firing pin strick (like a snap-cap) but will extract from a hot chamber and are easily found in piles of spent brass.
Since I reload I occassionally make my own. No powder or primer and I drill holes in the case so they are obviously dummy rounds....but they tend to disappear in my spent brass at indoor ranges.