I have an M&P 9 FS that was made in October of 2012. It had been ejecting brass back at me, so I sent it in to S&W. When I got it back from S&W I cleaned it and then took it to the range, and it continued to eject brass back at me. This occurred at the end of the June this year. S&W did not indicate the repair work, but I could see that the ejector face had been hit with a grinder.

I don't shoot the gun for a while, until last night. This time, I would say about 50% of brass came back at me. I would get maybe 2 mags where it ejected all empties at about 4:00 to 4:30, and then I would mags where most would hit me. I was shooting Federal 115 gr and Independence 124 gr.

I wonder if the extractor is possibly wearing in?

Some in this forum may not agree but this is what works for me:
115 gr and 124 gr --- 15 lb recoil spring
147 gr --- original recoil spring (16 lb)

S&W uses the same recoil spring for both the 9mm and the 40SW and it works best with heavy 9mm loads and light 40SW loads. BTW, I'm talking FMJ.

Edit: In case anyone's interested, this works on my 40:
155 gr and 165 gr --- original recoil spring (16 lb)
180 gr --- 17 lb recoil spring --- the factory spring works here too but I use a heavier spring to decrease the beating my gun takes.

__________________
Audemus jura nostra defendere

Tell your M&P to stop acting like a Glock! J/K

Sucks your gun is acting up, if you sent it back already and wasn't fixed, I'd recommend trying the Apex Failure Resistant Extractor, I'm certain this will cure your gun's woes.

__________________
unrepentant M&P fanboy

I have the same issue to an extent. I have not decided what I want to try first yet...new S&W ejector, APEX extractor, or 15lb recoil spring. I'll probably start with the ejector first as it is the cheapest.

This is a defect.

Your pistol should not throw brass in your face with any ammo!

S&W apparently wasn't able to get it right even though they've had two opportunities: first when they sold it, second when you sent it back.

I'd take it to a good gunsmith. I expect that the fix will take less than an hour of his time, if he knows his business.

Changing to aftermarket extractor and/or ejector is hit or miss.

Those parts need work.

My Colt M70 will eject into a hat at 50 degrees from bore line with any ammo. That's how your pistol should work.

How are you all determining it's a faulty weapon? This is how things get blown out of proportion on the internet. I'm not saying this is what's happening, but If the weapon recoils up and to the left (improper grip and breaking wrist), brass is going to come back at you.

Months ago, I tried all three options in the order that you list them in. The new ejector did not change anything. The Apex Extractor threw the brass cases up high and over my head at about 5 o'clock. The 15 lb recoil spring made the shells eject at 4 o'clock. The 115 gr cases fell 2 to 3 ft away. The 124 gr cases fell 4 to 5 ft away.

That was my experience but every gun is different and experiences will vary.

__________________
Audemus jura nostra defendere

Hmm Weird i put my first 100 rounds threw my M&P 9mm the other day and got a decent amount of brass flying back towards me,a few cases actually landed ontop of my head "had a hat on"...thought this was normal "im a noob to the gun world" But also just read above could be due to improper gripping of the gun. Most likely my issue.

Thanks. I guess I know which one I will try first now. Where did you order your spring? Did you order just the spring or the whole guide rod assembly?

It's an ISMI spring --- S&W M&P Recoil Springs. Their website says it will work with the factory guide rod so that's what I did. It's a little tricky though. You have to push the old spring back with the side of a vise grip and then clamp down on the guide rod. It is only then that you can loosen the retaining screw.

I think I bought it from Brownells.

Edit: These recoil springs are for Full Size M&Ps. They will not fit the Compact M&P.

__________________
Audemus jura nostra defendere

It's happening to too many people and it doesn't happen to my Glock, Sig Sauer, Kahr and Ruger. The way I see it, it's the gun.

__________________
Audemus jura nostra defendere

Did you notice any increased recoil when firing 147gr ammo?

So far, I haven't shot any 147 gr with the 15 lb recoil spring. It's not that I don't want to, I can't find any. My favorite bullet weight is 124 grain. I use it on the range and I use it in Speer Gold Dot for my pocket carry gun - a Kahr CM9.

__________________
Audemus jura nostra defendere

True, doesn't really Bother me...like i said i'm a complete Noob so unless i wouldn't have seen this thread i would have just thought it was completely normal.

It didn't bother me either until I started shooting the worst offender of all, Blazer Aluminum. The hot cases would find their way between my shirt and my back. I would have to stop shooting to shake them out.

__________________
Audemus jura nostra defendere

Lol, its funny you say that cause i brought my sister shooting with me And i told her she might wanna put on a actual shirt or jacket due to them flying back. I have yet to experience any hot brass to skin yet.

Well, I ordered the ISMI 15lb spring. I will post up when I receive it and have a chance to give it a go.

I'm very sure it's the gun and not me. I have an M&P 45 that functions ejects perfectly, and have shot other full size M&P 9's that did not eject back at me.

What I find weird is that the behavior is not consistent. That's why I wonder if the extractor is wearing in. I will also try adding a few drops of oil to it to see if that makes a difference.

If all else fails I will keep sending it back to S&W.

See my post above. It's the gun not me. I'm not flaming S&W either, I just want the gun to stop throwing empties at me.

Here's an update. I shot it today with the wife. For the past 3 days I stored it with the slide locked back. I also put alot of slip 2000 ewl on the extractor where it is connected to the slide near the roll pin. We went through one 50 round box of 115 gr Tulammo, and 5 brass cased leftovers from another box of ammo.

Out of the 25 rounds I shot, only about 4 came back at me, which is an improvement from last time. I would say that ejection was to about 5:00. This is an impreovement in ejection from last time.

I would say about 50% of the empties came back at my wife, with many sailing over her head. This was her first time shooting ever, and she needs to work on her grip (she did really well for her first time though). The first 5 rounds she fired ejected for her at about 5:00, but these were brass cased leftovers.

It seems to me that this gun is improving in its extraction, but the extraction is still marginal. It also seems more sensitive to the shooters grip than other M&P's that I have shot. I don't know if the improvement is from the gun just continuing to break in, or if the other measures are helping. The percent improvement in extraction is significant.

When S&W tests their warranty repairs I wonder if they test with 147 grain ammo. I have never shot it with 147 grain ammo, and I wonder if it ejects properly with this ammo.

If you can get a hold of some 147gr, you should try it. It worked for me. Also, have you tried some +P of the 115gr or 124gr? Those work with the factory spring as well.

__________________
Audemus jura nostra defendere