Newbie ftf/double feed - did I break my M&P question?

[Pierre330]

So I've been researching how to clear various feeding issues. Today I figured I'd use some snap caps and practice some of the techniques.

First thing I tried was setting up a double feed (since I experience one at the range with a Glock I tried). Anyway no problem resolving it.

However, after I was just dry firing with the snap caps - practicing squeezing trigger, lining up shots, etc. This is where things got weird. I was experiencing an incredible amount of ftf and some double feeds with the snap caps - like all 5 snap caps that were in the weapon at one point. I tried several times, and got a few of the 5 snap cap loads to go off no problem but there were enough issues to make me wonder.

I tried a mag I hadn't tried yet and same thing. So here I am - thinking I broke something! Is this possible an issue with the snap caps? Am I not racking hard enough? When I did some stuff with the snap caps earlier in the week there was no issue. And though I only fired 50 rounds at the range when I first got the M&P - no issues. As a matter of fact zero such issues with any of the M&Ps I rented before purchasing.

Help? lol

 

[MichiganScott]

Those are snap caps, not properly sized cartridges. Pull the slide all the way to the rear and release it. Don't lose sleep unless it fails to feed live ammunition.

Did you clean it and lube it in accordance to the owner's manual after shooting the pistol? t could be something as simple as it's dirty.

 

[mustangman]

Those are snap caps, not properly sized cartridges. Pull the slide all the way to the rear and release it. Don't lose sleep unless it fails to feed live ammunition.

Did you clean it and lube it in accordance to the owner's manual after shooting the pistol? t could be something as simple as it's dirty.

+1. Hold off judgment until you put live rounds through it.

 

[Pierre330]

Yes, I cleaned and lubed according to manual after I got back from range.

It just really freaked me out....

 

[bmb96mus]

I read that snap caps can start to rub and chip/scrape off some of its material and then sit in the barrel and mag. I've never used them personally but always a chance that could be the culprit. Just a thought, not sure if its true or not

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I537 using Tapatalk

 

[gboling]

I have never used them but, being plastic, I never imagined that they were designed to feed in a semi-auto. Are they?

 

[Pierre330]

I field stripped the gun, ran a patch through the barrel, and everything looks fine.

gboling - all I know was they were what was sold to me when I asked if there'd be any issues with dry firing the M&P. Though I believe I've since seen somewhere that dry firing it is fine.

 

[gm272gs]

...all 5 snap caps that were in the weapon at one point. I tried several times, and got a few of the 5 snap cap loads to go off no problem...

Define "go off". Snap caps just have a spring in them to cushion the business end of the firing pin, They aren't like caps in a cap gun. How did they go off?

 

[Pierre330]

Define "go off". Snap caps just have a spring in them to cushion the business end of the firing pin, They aren't like caps in a cap gun. How did they go off?

Just bad phrasing on my part - more in the "went off without a hitch" sense. I basically meant that they fed and ejected without issue.

 

[Rastoff]

What brand of snap caps?

 

[Autococker07]

Check around the rim of the snap caps..... if you have used them a lot, the rims may be beat up enough for the extractor to not grab (this is doubly true if you ever drop one in the barrel and then let the extractor slam down on the rim....... they are usually made of soft aluminum "to not damage the gun" i.e., to sell more snap caps

 

[Pierre330]

I don't recall the brand I got.

 

[Hamster65]

I wouldn't lose too much sleep over it. Although I've never used a snap cap in either of my M&P's, I can tell you that I've never had a single FTF or FTE with live ammo................even the cheap steel cased stuff.

 

[Pierre330]

I just checked - they are A-Zoom brand. I also looked at the rims, and there are small chips and dings around them. You would think they'd last a little longer than they did!

I plan on going to the range tomorrow or Sunday - so hopefully all will be fine with live ammo.

Thanks to all.

 

[MichiganScott]

Throw the snap caps away and dry fire the pistol without them. You will not harm the gun.

I've come to believe that snap caps increase a gun shops margin and accomplish little else. Only .22 rimfires and some antiques can be harmed by dry firing. Many competitors and most military trainees dry snap their guns hundreds, if not thousands, of times for every shot fired.

 

[rdtompki]

You can but true dummy bullets (Dummy Bullet Home Page for example) which have no primer and drilled cases. These should cycle just fine and also are close to real weight. They don't "protect" the firing pin which should not be a problem, but there are a number of folks who are more comfortable with a snap cap that cushions the striker.

There is little chance of mixing these dummies with live rounds, but your handling practices need to ensure that "little" is truly "zero". What I like about the true dummies is that the magazine and handgun weight is realistic and much better for practicing draw and reload.

 

[Pierre330]

So general consensus seem to be that issue is likely the snap cap and not the M&P?
Will find out for sure this weekend!

Thanks all

 

[Rastoff]

I don't recall the brand I got.

The reason I ask has to do with quality and intended purpose.

If the snap caps you used are plastic, they they are very likely to fail when doing function testing. If they are aluminum, then they can be used to test functionality just fine.

In any case, the rim of the snap cap will be damaged over time and must be replaced. If you were doing Type III malfunction drills, then it is possible that the extractor on the gun was damaged. So, look closely at both the snap caps and extractor. Look for dings, cracks or missing parts. If you find any of those, replace with new.

 

[Pierre330]

Type 3 drills?

 

[Rastoff]

A Type III malfunction:
The fired round has failed to eject and the next round is attempting to feed behind it. It looks like this:

To clear this type of malfunction:

• The indication is a dead trigger (no click when pulled).
• Look at the chamber and notice brass low (not sticking up like a stove pipe).
• Lock the slide to the rear.
• Rip the magazine out (it will not fall out because of the partially fed round).
• Rack the slide three times. Force it closed so the extractor will slip over the rim of the stuck case.
• Insert a new mag.
• Rack the slide to chamber a new round.

As you can see in the pic, I've done this a few times with these snap caps. The rim of the chambered round has some nicks on it.