M&P 9mm- Problems when new???

[Rastoff]

I was at the range today and saw a couple with a new M&P 9mm. They were having trouble with it. The slide would not lock back on an empty mag and they were having feeding failures every other round.

He said he thought it was because the springs were new and they were too strong. I replied that I didn't think that was an issue and that the gun shouldn't have these problems. He then followed with, "Well, this is a common problem with M&Ps when new. They all do this." I told him that I hadn't experienced any issues like that with my M&P 45 and he said I must be one of the lucky ones.

He also stated that it might be the ammo. He had Sellier and Bellot ammo.

I fired the gun a few times and it worked perfectly for me. Then his wife fired it after I did and the slide failed to lock back after the last round.

This leads me to my question, have many of you experienced problems like this with an M&P 9mm? I don't think it should do that.

 

[AR-Getsome]

I never had a problem with my fs9 or 9c. I have also purchased several magazines for idpa matches, even with dropping my magazines during competition, no problems ever.

 

[jimbojet]

FTFs

Yeah, I had the same problem with my new M&P 9c the first couple of times at the range. Gunsmith and CCW instructor looked at it, fired it, and concluded I must be "limp-wristing" it.

FTF/stovepipe problems better with attention to grip (and change from PMC to Brown Bear ammo.

I still may send it back to S&W, because the casing extraction still isn't right: they don't expel to the right, they tend to come straight back (sometimes hitting me in the forehead - which doesn't help my aim).

What do y'all think?

 

[MichiganScott]

The original post definitely sounds like limp wristing and maybe lack of lube. The S&B ammo certainly did not help things.

 

[OKFC05]

Well, this is a common problem with M&Ps when new.

No, I have seen problems in new guns of several good brands because the gun was taken right out of the box and shot without cleaning and proper lube, but that is easily cured by proper maintenance. A good gun may or may not work right out of the box, but they should ALL be cleaned (including magazines) and the gun lubed prior to first firing.

I taught an Oklahoma carry class yesterday, and corrected the grip of several shooters who really had no idea how to hold a gun. It is a common problem, and can cause feed malfunctions and/or spraying the shots on the target.

 

[Houdini1953]

Limp wristing was probably the cause and I have never had it with any of my M&P's; a 9mm full size a compact 40 a full size 40 the Shield 40 nor either of my 45's both full size!

 

[Ksimons]

Ok new here but not to shooting, what is limp wrist?

 

[Maddmax]

Not cleaning a new weapon before firing (that usually
means they didn't read the manual first). Using the wrong lube. Along with limp wristing.

 

[norsmis]

I have put around 500 rounds through my full size 9mm without a problem. I did clean it and lubed it up before I took it out the first time. Definitely sounds like a shooter problem and not a weapon problem.

 

[Maddmax]

Ok new here but not to shooting, what is limp wrist?

Comes from not holding the weapon with a tight enough,high enough grip and letting your wrist absorb more energy. That can also cause more muzzle flip and doesn't let the weapon cycle properly when not placed "high enough" in the (palm grip) of your hand. You want a high tight grip on the weapon that lines the front sight (wrist also straight), inline with your elbo as straight as posable.

 

[Lost Lake]

Or maybe the mag wasn't fully inserted. If it was just an 1/8" out it would fail to feed reliably and not lock open when empty.

It is hard to get a full mag in....

 

[PG Wootown]

No Problems with my M&P 9 & 40. I cleaned & lubed them properly before firing. I run CCI Blazer and Blazer Brass through all of them. They run fine.

No I'm not brand myopic. I have ran WWB and Federal as well as Hornady through them. Guns run fine for me.

 

[Dmartin]

I have 10 M&P 9 magazines and the slide locks open every time with 7, but 3 of the magazines fail to lock open about 25% of the time. I've looked at the magazines and don't see any difference. At first I thought I was hitting the slide release by accident, but after marking the magazines, the problem is confined to 3 of 10.

 

[M29since14]

If the gun worked fine for you then it plainly is a "shooter problem" if the owners cannot make it work properly. Sounds like they need some instruction in operating a pistol and less time in front of the computer. The M&Ps I have been around (all calibers) have been unfailingly reliable when given proper ammunition.

 

[norsmis]

Or maybe the mag wasn't fully inserted. If it was just an 1/8" out it would fail to feed reliably and not lock open when empty.

It is hard to get a full mag in....

I have found this as true with mine as well. Most of the time I just load 16 rounds in mine to avoid this problem which isnt a big deal to me.

 

[Justin69]

I would have to tend to agree with the previous replies (limp wristing). I got over 2k rounds thru my f/s 9mm & never had ANY problems with it. Took a ccl class last week & saw a woman who was very new too shooting & had all kinds of problems with a brand new glock. She was "limp wristing" as well. Whenever the nra instructor would fire her gun it worked great.

 

[Fastbolt]

It's often been said that more often than not, more than 95% of "gun problems" are eventually diagnosed to be "shooter problems" ...

Having been a LE firearms instructor & armorer for a fair number of years, I've certainly had more than ample opportunity to "fix" many more "gun" problems that were really shooter, maintenance or ammo problems.

Cleaning a new pistol (which means also cleaning the magazines), inspecting it for any obvious defects (or left-over crud, debris, etc from production ) ... and properly lubricating the pistol ... and then using good quality ammunition made by one of the major American ammo companies ... and using a good grip technique (especially when using a plastic gun) ... can go a long way to someone having an enjoyable range experience with a new gun.

New shooters? New plastic gun? (Or, simply mediocre, occasional shooters "new" to plastic pistols?) Using "budget" foreign ammo?

I'll go stand somewhere else ...

 

[Rastoff]

Or maybe the mag wasn't fully inserted. If it was just an 1/8" out it would fail to feed reliably and not lock open when empty.

It is hard to get a full mag in....

This is an excellent thought and one that I didn't think of while I was there. However, they were only loading three or four rounds at a time because she couldn't get more in. I don't really think a loose mag was the problem.

 

[had2]

Have the M&P in 9mm and .45 ACP with several hundred rounds through both of various kinds of ammo without a single problem, although I did clean and lube both before sending a single round down range.

 

[stev32k]

I have the M&P 9c and FS 40 and never a problem with either. However, I also have an S&W sigma 40 and had bad failure to feed issues. Two or three rounds from every magazine of fmj rounds would hang on the feed ramp and it would not feed hollow points at all. I sent it back to S&W and they cut a small champer in the leading edge of feed ramp and another where the feed ramp joined the chamber.

After that it would feed anything and never had another problem. I even bought some of the really cheap steel case ammo and it worked with no problem.