dlidster
Member
I have a S&W M&P FPC. I shoot it in the PCC category in IDPA matches four times a month. I have fired many thousands of rounds of my handloads and have never had the carbine malfunction. However, I had a very strange incident last Saturday that I think is worth sharing.
At the end of one stage following the "unload, show clear" command I ejected the 23-round magazine into my hand. When I inverted the magazine to return it to my belt all the cartridges remaining in the magazine spilled to the ground. Looking into the magazine I saw that the follower was lodged half-way up.
When I returned home I disassembled the magazine and found that the spring was broken into four pieces. Curious, I took the still-functioning magazine apart and found its spring broken into three pieces. Brownell's had the replacement springs. I ordered three, they arrived today (Wednesday), and installed them in the magazines after I had cleaned them.
Out of curiosity I broke down my 17- and 15-round magazines. Their springs were still sound, but appeared to be made from a spring wire different from that used in the 23s. As you can see in the photo, the two springs are entirely different from one another even though the 15- and 17-round magazine bodies are the same length.
This is entirely unacceptable. I have many semi-auto firearms. I have more than a hundred magazines from Beretta, CZ, Glock, Ruger, ETS, Hi-Point, and even Pro-Mag. I've never had a magazine spring failure till now.
(Note: In the first and second photos the intact spring is the new one from Brownell's.)
(BROWNELLS S&W M&P EXTRA-POWER MAGAZINE SPRING)
At the end of one stage following the "unload, show clear" command I ejected the 23-round magazine into my hand. When I inverted the magazine to return it to my belt all the cartridges remaining in the magazine spilled to the ground. Looking into the magazine I saw that the follower was lodged half-way up.
When I returned home I disassembled the magazine and found that the spring was broken into four pieces. Curious, I took the still-functioning magazine apart and found its spring broken into three pieces. Brownell's had the replacement springs. I ordered three, they arrived today (Wednesday), and installed them in the magazines after I had cleaned them.
Out of curiosity I broke down my 17- and 15-round magazines. Their springs were still sound, but appeared to be made from a spring wire different from that used in the 23s. As you can see in the photo, the two springs are entirely different from one another even though the 15- and 17-round magazine bodies are the same length.
This is entirely unacceptable. I have many semi-auto firearms. I have more than a hundred magazines from Beretta, CZ, Glock, Ruger, ETS, Hi-Point, and even Pro-Mag. I've never had a magazine spring failure till now.
(Note: In the first and second photos the intact spring is the new one from Brownell's.)
(BROWNELLS S&W M&P EXTRA-POWER MAGAZINE SPRING)
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