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Apex striker block plunger for M and P 2.0

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Bayisbear

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What is the reccomended fix for the miss-timing of the Apex plunger/striker block for the M and P compact 2:0 - that damages the striker and casues light strikes??

After 7500 rounds, the scraping of the plunger against my striker shaved off so much meat from the side of the striker- the plunger ceased to even block the striker! Now after a new striker and another 15 k rounds I am getting light strikes, and visible damage on the striker in the same place.

Will it help to shave some meat off the Apex plunger? What is the best fix for this issue?
 
Frankly, first I’ve heard of that. I’d contact Apex and see what they say.
That’s a lot of rounds (good for you!!) I’m not sure if the striker block is considered a wear item.
 
The striker block rubs on the trigger bar . That bump on the trigger bar can be rounded over slightly and polished very smooth . If your striker block shows wear than change it . But a apex or a replacement from s&w , your choice .

When was the last time you cleaned the striker and channel . Remember that area stays DRY not lubed . Easy to have striker firing issues if dirty .
 
I know Ed Brown supply an "extended striker block' for this very problem and Ed Brown state the issue with the Apex kit is 'well known'....

Ed Brown Extended Striker Block Plunger for M&P(R)

However from testimonials -although the Ed Brown plunger deals with the issue the trigger is not as smooth as it was with the Apex plunger.

I have heard Apex actually updated and changed the plunger slightly- and I actually have two which are slighltly different from each other. One the later one (not installed on my gun) the ridge opposite the domed side is slightly lower than the old one.

I am wondering...if I dremmell down the ridge by a half millimeter- not so much so that the plunger doesn't block the striker- will this solve the problem and clear the plunger 100% from the striker?
 
I've never heard of this either. So you're saying with a new striker, you were able to shoot 15 thousand rounds before the problem reappeared? Prior to that, you went 7,500 rounds?

Is the striker block the only Apex component or are you running other Apex components or any other 3rd party triggers?
 
Here’s my take..and I’m not trying to be a jerk…
You’re shooting a lot of rounds..again, I’m jealous. I shoot 10K a year, but…amongst several pistols.
I would get the Ed Brown part, a bottle of Flitz, and use the dremel with a polishing bit to get that EB part as smooth as can be without removing any real metal surface. I’d bet that solves both problems.
In no way… would I try to machine my own parts with a dremel, but that’s just me, especially when it relates to fire safety and is round. A lathe would be the better option, or at least a drill press and some corse grit emery to start.
 
Ok -so I just got offf the phone with Douglas from Apex who gave me around an hour of his time! Great customer care!

He has seen the pics I sent of the wear on the striker and he has seen both striker blocks from two Apex kits I have. He told me my unused striker block (from a kit I purchased around 3 years ago) is actually not the most up to date striker block for the M and P. The latest stiker block from Apex was released around a year ago for the M and P kit.

Indeed it is normal for this to happen after between 15-20 thousand rounds.
He agrees the reason for the light strikes is the striker scraping the striker block before it has entirely cleared the channel.

The three things to do are : 1) Replace striker spring. 2) replace sear spring. This will slightly delay the release of the striker from the sear and give more time for the stiker block to clear the channel. Also to change the striker block to the newer one. The newer one has a slightly lower ridge which will help in the striker block clearing the channnel earlier.

What NOT to do is to dremmell off the ridge of the striker block. Although this may solve the light strikes, it may well compromise the drop safety! In the normal use the striker block gets bumped up and down and there must still be enough meat on the ridge to reliable block the striker even with the plunger/striker block going up and down during bumps.

Apex drop test their kits from 27 different angles at extreems of low and high temparatures and from 6 feet onto concrete. They know what works.
 
I’m not surprised you got great support from the folks at Apex. They’re good people.
 
dajogejr said:
Frankly, first I’ve heard of that. I’d contact Apex and see what they say.
That’s a lot of rounds (good for you!!) I’m not sure if the striker block is considered a wear item.
Click to expand...

FWIW, specified replacement interval for the factory striker block, spring, and spacer is 20,000 rounds if no excessive wear is observed.

The striker assembly replacement interval is 10,000 rounds or 30,000 cycles of dry fire.

I'm sure most will go further than that if you're not doing a steady diet of +P, but that's what's in the M&P 2.0 armorer manual.
 
Thanks beju, was hoping you’d see this.
I gotta say, i hope I can get that round count of out my two S&W MPs.
I’m more than half way there with my Staccato P, but at 5K I replaced the firing pin spring, recoil spring, and all magazine springs with aftermarket/overpower springs.
 
The bottom line is in 23,800 rounds the ONLY problems I have ever experienced with the M and P 2.0 with the whole Apex kit is 4 light strikes after 7500 rounds and two light strikes after another 16,300 rounds.
Not one stoppage. Not One!
BTW, I always clean the gun after each range session....
 
oh, and when the M and P was new -after three hundred rounds there was a failure of slide lock back after an empty mag...but that has never happened again....

I am amazed that folks find it acceptable for a high end gun like the Stoccato not to always lock back on an empty mag.

Has anyone experienced failure to lock back on high end guns?
 
Interestingly what Apex is up against is the tolerances of the S and W trigger bar length. They can be anywhere between plus or minus 3mm! So they have to make kits that compensate for types of S and W trigger bars!
 
Bayisbear said:
oh, and when the M and P was new -after three hundred rounds there was a failure of slide lock back after an empty mag...but that has never happened again....

I am amazed that folks find it acceptable for a high end gun like the Stoccato not to always lock back on an empty mag.

Has anyone experienced failure to lock back on high end guns?
Click to expand...

I think… Staccato compared to M&P price point, are high end guns. Compared to the rest of the 2011 market… they’re mid tier.
There are plenty at 2 and 3x the price point.

I have two. P and C2. Both owned since new, both worked on by me for trigger weight (Sub 2lb P for target/range only, 3.5# C2 for EDC/HD).
I’ve never had a failure of any kind in either pistol despite thousands of rounds.
The only issues were shooter induced (thumb on slide lock failing it to lock back and not enough grip pressure to activate grip safety).
These issues were from other shooters at the range (typically new/less experienced shooters).

I clean each with a bore snake and oil the lubrication points every range trip.
Every 1K rounds, I field strip and completely disassemble the slide to clean out the extractor channel, firing pin channel, etc.

With this basic maintenance, they’ve been every bit as reliable as any striker fired I’ve owned (M&P, Sigs, Glocks, Springfields, Canik)

Didn’t mean to turn this into another X brand thread, but you specifically asked Bayisbear, and I wanted to share my personal results. Owned my P since new in early 2022. Mid 2022 I picked up my C2.
Depending on who you ask about the slide lock back.. it can be several things, but normally it’s related to magazine springs or follower issues of older gen mags. All My staccato mags are Gen 3…and never had an issue.

In being honest… I got away from M&P for a while.. i just wanted to see what else was out there. And it feels good to be back.
My Comp Carry 2.0 and Shield Plus comp carry are outstanding shooters. I had a competitor that was a great shooter, sold to a friend, and liked my Canik Rival S better. Which, is now gone as well.

My next pistol is looking to be the M&P spec series V metal.
I’d like a target/range/comp M&P back in my stable and that one has all my attention.
 
Last edited:
Something you could try but it would require removal and disassembly of the sear housing.

Remove the sear housing, disassemble it, take a small amount of metal (I have no idea how much) off the spot/arm of the sear release lever where the trigger bar contacts it.

That would require the trigger bar to move further rearward to release the sear which would also move the trigger bar further rearward under the striker block. Alters the timing some but may take some repeat attempts to get what you're looking for.

Those sear release levers are about $3 from Numrich. If I was going to do that I'd buy a couple just in case there is an increased wear issue. I have no idea whether or not the part is MIM or whether it is heat treated or how deep into the surface. Might not be an issue (removing 0.005" or 0.010 of metal from the contact point or it could result in a soft surface/contact point and you'd see increased wear quickly. Then you'd have to replace the part with a new one.

Just an idea. I've not done it myself but I'll try it if I get into that same timing issue you're seeing.

This wouldn't help if the trigger bar lifting section if fully under the striker block on your pistol and the issue is the Apex part just isn't tall enough. That's not a timing issue. The timing issue is when the sear is released too soon/before the trigger bar is under the striker block far enough to have moved it fully upwards/out of the way of the striker.

Good luck with it.
 
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