I just bought a new 9C for my wife. During the first 50 rounds, there were at least 15 failures to eject. Almost every time the empty case was jammed sitting horizontally right on top of the fresh round. I think there were maybe 2 stovepipes. We would rack it back, drop the empty out and let the fresh round be chambered. We were both at the range using up several mixed boxes of ammo so I don't know what ammo was the problem. I suspected the gun needed to be broken in a little. So I took it and fired off 10 rounds in a row rapidly. No problems. I hand it back to her and it started malfunctioning again. Then it started malfunctioning with me. I suspected that maybe her thumb was ever so gently pressing on the mag release. We then both used my full size M&P9 and no issues at all with the mixed ammo. Both of us fired 50+ rounds through it just fine. It has well over 1500 rounds. The 9C spring is SUPER stiff. She can barely rack it back and it sure surprised me how much effort it takes. It seems far stronger than the full size 9.

Pressure on mag release? Bad ejector? Needs more rounds to break in? Wrong spring? Possible mag issue?

Did you clean the gun from factory grease before going to the range?

No. I just sprayed it a little with RemOil. It didn't look like there was any grease in it. ???

Clean the pistol and try again.


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Look at the colored paint on the spring of both, another thread on here says the newest is painted yellow and IIRC its stronger than the old.
I just took my brand new 9c out of the box and fired 150 rounds without problems, didn't wipe or clean it or anything first.

Once the gun leaves the factory, there are typically 4 influences that are beyond the control of the gun maker ...

The Shooter (grip technique, balance/stance, etc).

The Ammunition (quality consistency, specs & power).

The Maintenance practices.

The Environmental factors present when the gun is used.

The most common issues that seem to create "problems" usually tend to be the Shooter & Ammo factors ... with emphasis on the shooter.

If your wife can shoot the FS M&P 9 well, with no issues, but not the smaller 9c (less slide run & slide mass, as well as faster slide velocity and cycling), there's a good chance she may need to look to making sure her grip (firm, locked wrist) and stance (balanced slightly forward, not with her upper torso "leaning" back) are good. Fatigue over a range session can have an effect on these things, too.

If it were me?

Clean the gun, including the mags, and then lubricate it normally (not the mags ). Look for anything that looks out-of-spec or damaged (compared to your M&P 9).

Make sure the ejector is present. Really. (Easy to miss when assembling the sear housing block. )

Use good quality ammunition to help eliminate the "ammo" as the problem. Really. (I prefer to use good quality ammo made by one of the major American ammo companies, myself).

Also, consider that budget 9mm 115gr ammo may be loaded at the very bottom of the normal power range ... and this, added to any slight variation of shooter grip/balance deficiencies, might create the potential for reduced slide run ... "short-stroking" the slide, and causing failures-to-eject (case to clear the ejection port). It's a "timing" thing. A brand new stiff recoil spring may contribute to this when lower powered ammo is being used, until it loosens up a bit from use.

(Conversely, over-powered ammo can also create the potential for slide cycling, feeding & extraction/ejection "timing" issues, too.)

Just some thoughts. No way to really guess what's happening (or not happening correctly) unless I could be present to inspect the 9c & the ammo, shoot it myself and watch you folks shoot.

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Ret LE Firearms inst & armorer

Thanks Fastbolt. Your answer is exactly what these forums should be filled with. I will thoroughly clean and compare both guns actions millimeter by millimeter. She was leaning back. I will work on that too. Ammo was mixed. Several brands-bulk pack and green box Remington.

You need to get 300-500 rounds through it before makeing any assumptions if something is wrong with the pistol. Look closely at the feed ramp, does it need some detail polishing? This could help you in a big way. It will look polished, but may have some ridges in it, if you have ridges detail polish it until they dissapear. Most .40 ammo is flat nosed, and this will contribute to poor feeding if the ramp is not polished to perfection. The first thing I look at in a semi auto pistol before fireing is the feed ramp, is is very important to have a mirror like finish on it before fireing the first shot. My Bersa .380's I have two of them, they both had problems feeding. They both had what looked like parkerized feed ramps, after takeing the time to use wet sandpaper and a dremel with polishing compond they both are flawless. Even though they are low end guns, I would trust my life with them, after the mod they are 100%. With mass production these days, I think the end user needs to pay a little more attention to detail with their firearms. The manufacturers are just trying to keep up. And QC is suffering a little.

I just noticed you have a 9mm, disregard the part about flat nosed ammo, sorry for the confusion.

I bought my wife a 9C a few months back. She had the same issue. The casing would not eject. I shot the gun, no issues. She shot again FTE. I asked her to pay attention to her grip, and lock her wrist. Problem solved. She has not had any further problems.

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