I just purchased my first M&P, an M&P 9 full size. I cleaned and lubed the pistol and took it to the range yesterday. I fired 50 rounds and out of those 50, I had 10 rounds that failed to feed ( nose of cartridge jammed against the feed ramp), 4 stove pipes, and 2 rounds which did not eject and left the empty round in the chamber. Is this typical for a new M&P or should I send it back to S&W to be corrected? Accuracy was good but 16 malfunctions in 50 rounds does not seem normal.

The title of your post was at most, a bit misleading...

Lets start with the basics.
1. You cleaned and lubed your M&P. Just what did you lube, and how much? These only require one light drop of lube on the slide contact points.

2. Failure to feed, failure to eject, stovepipes et al...
Type of ammo- factory or reloads, bullet type.

3. Your grip means everything with a semi auto pistol. A weak
grip does not allow the energy of the slide to cycle fully to the rear and the spent casing to hit the ejector pin, or to fully strip the fresh round from the top of the magazine properly.

By no means I am being critical here, just pointing out some of the causes that you have brought forward.

I have put several thousand rounds downrange in my M&P, with no issue and I shoot it in competition (IDPA).

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Take your time..quickly.

I'd say my pistol started to feel good at the 500 round point...

But 16 rounds in 50? No way.

I've had 0 gun-induced malfunctions in mine, 1,300+ rounds so far.

+1 on more info.

For context, mine would be:

- Treated with Froglube CLP per instructions at purchase, lubed per S&W manual
- Running Freedom Munitions 124 new and reman RN FMJ
- Firm two handed grip

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Take your time, fast. J.Hughes

I only lubed the contact points and didn't over lube.

Ammo used was 25 rounds Fiocchi 115 grain round nose and 25 rounds Federal 115 grain round nose. The malfunctions were pretty much equal with both brands and occurred with both magazines that came with the pistol. My local gun shop did not have any additional mags in stock so I only had those 2 to work with.

I don't think it was my grip as I have been shooting Wilson Combat 1911s and Glock pistols for years however at this point, I'm willing to consider all possibilities.

Much like Llando88, I've put about 1500 rounds through my FS 9 and have not one single feeding issue with it.

I don't think what you are describing is a "break in" issue. My recommendation is to get rid of it by return if the store will take it back, or by trade-in. Warranty is a distant third option as you will just never be sure if the next round you try to fire will have the same problem. With me, once I lose confidence in a firearm, it is tossed in the "never for serious use" pile. Fortunately, that has only happened twice in 40 years of shooting.

Ok, I have used both the brands of ammo you used with no ill results. Including IMI 115 fmj, Winchester, Remington, Privi, and what not. Including reloaded 115 fmj's.

At this point I would disassemble your mags and wipe them down. Do not lube them. Make sure they are clean and dry.

A sticking mag follower can give you fits. It doesn't happen often, but I have seen mags from the factory that hung up just a touch while feeding.

Interested to see what you find out.

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Take your time..quickly.

Shawn, unfortunately I feel the same way about the warranty work. If I have to go with that option, this gun would never be anything but a range gun as I could never trust it for carry. I really liked the feel of this gun while in the gun shop so I purchased it so I was disappointed when the first round I fired stove piped and everything went down hill from there.

I will try your suggestion on the mags and see if that helps. Hopefully I can get back to the range tomorrow afternoon.

Glock told us it took 500 rounds to break in their pistols. In my experience it has always taken at least 250 to 500 depending how tight the pistol is.

Dang. Hope it works out for you.

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Take your time, fast. J.Hughes

The real question is whether you trust this pistol for your intended use.

Understanding that your answer may not be the same as mine, I would not rely on your pistol for anything but shooting at a range.

Reliability is very important to me.

A handgun that fails to work isn't good enough for me.

A handgun that works only 95% of the time isn't good enough for me either.

Only you can decide what level of reliability os OK for you.

I agree. If it works reliably enough to be a range gun, that is all it will ever be as I could never trust it for carry. Reliability is extremely important as I carry every day for my work. Hopefully I can get it functioning well enough for shooting on the range. If not, I will destroy it as I would not feel right selling it to someone who might one day have to depend on it for self defense.

I started a thread a few days ago about my new M&P 9 FS having a slight fail to feed issue, but it was only 3 rounds out of 400 that jammed nose up while feeding. I can't imagine having 16 out of 50 that included fail to feed and eject. With that kind of percentage, I would send it in for repair. Yesterday, I ran 258 rounds through using of PMC Bronze, Federal Champion and Freedom munitions, all 115gr round nose. All the rounds fed, fired and ejected, so my brake in period guesstimate is 400 rounds.

I didn't experience any real break in period on my 40c or my 357c but did have a few FTFeed in both guns with all mags. Didn't happen often but sent them both back to Smith anyway. Returned in 3 weeks and have been 100% since. I'm not sure what they did as the return didn't state exactly what work was done...only stated my complaint and work completed. I have not shot them a ton but they have both been great for several hundred rounds each.

Sorry to hear yours is giving you some trouble but I wouldn't count it out until S&W takes a look at it. The failure rate you're experiencing is definitely unacceptable but may be a simple fix. It may earn your respect yet.

Clean the whole gun first. Then get some different ammo and mags. Start with the usual suspects first then go from there. Never hurts to have some extra mags anyways. Some guns need to break in and some don't. I wouldn't give up after 50rds, but that's just me. If it'll eat 2-300rds of my carry ammo without any problems, i really dont care how my range ammo functions. I carry a gun with the understanding that **** happens and I practice and plan for the worse. I have several m&p handguns with thousands of rounds through them, some have malfunctioned some haven't but they've all ran 100% with my carry ammo(gold dots).lots and lots of gold dot$.I wouldn't hesitate to carry anyone of them. Break in for me was around 400-500rds before it was noticeable. Sending it back would be my last resort. Hope it works out for you.

The two biggest causes of jams and feed failures in autoloading pistols are 1) magazines and 2) ammo. Before you blame the gun, check your magazine springs and try a different brand of ammo.

Provided the magazine springs are stiff and not deformed you can rule the magazine out. Cheap range ammo varies considerably in reliability. Try some quality defensive ammo made by a reputable maker. If your pistol is reliable, you've determined it's ammo. if it still has problems after trying at least 3 different quality makes of defensive ammo, time to consider sending it back.

We seem to have a mentality in this day and age that if we spend money on a handgun, we expect it to function perfectly regardless what junk range ammo we stuff in the magazine. That wasn't true 40 years ago and it isn't true now. Don't condemn your new pistol until you've tried at least 3 different, reputable brands of defensive ammo and found the one your pistol likes best.

I have 4 M&P pistols and have yet to encounter a serious or consistent malfunction. This is after a total, between all four guns, of about 2,000 rounds fired using 5 different loads. I never used any kind of "break-in" either...

A third leading cause of jams in autoloaders is limp-wristing. I don't know you or how you shoot, but if you are using a loose target-type grip on your pistol (or any autoloader for that matter) then you could be inducing the jam. This is not a target pistol. Get a firm, meaningful grip and keep it the whole time you're shooting. Loose target grips may be great for target revolvers, but are positively abhorrent for an autoloading pistol - especially one you intend to use for self defense.

Another good reason not to buy a Glock.

My immediate family owns four M&P 9's. They have been fed both Winchester and Federal range ammo and six brands and weights of different self defense ammo. The shooters have been four men and four women. There has not been a single malfunction from the first shot with over 3000 rounds total.

Send it back under warranty and then get rid of it of you don't believe you can trust it. If you can't trust this particular pistol after getting it back and shooting it, you will probably be better served by getting a different brand and model. Doubt will always be in the back of your mind.

I just bought a m&p 9, it required no break in whatsoever. That said I have sent oth brands in for service. They, once repaired became trusted shooters. Everybody lets a dud slip buy now and then. Let them fix it. Then shoot it. Trust will return with round down range.

Sounds like you have a serious problem. I'm somewhere between round 300 and 400 through my 9FS and I've yet to have a single problem.

100 rounds of Winchester White Box followed by the rest being Freedom Munitions 115 gr. Reman Round Nose.

Like everyone else said, check the mags and check your grip.

But I would also send it in for warranty. And depending on what they say go from there on whether it's a range toy or up for sale.

I enjoy reading all of the expert advice and this post kinda bothers me. I want to purchase a new Smith either an m&p or a shield. It seems a lot of people have feed issues and jams, I guess I'm old school because all of my older Smith's have been flawless out the box, I would hate to see a police department outfitting their officers with a weapon that may or may not function when needed. I am getting second thoughts on a new Smith Auto.....

I don't blame you one bit, but IMO, you'll need to run at least 400 rounds through it to smooth over any rough areas or tight machine tolerances. Mine ran like a precision watch at the range this past Friday, but that was after 400 fired rounds and 68 hand cycled rounds.

I have an M&P 45 that worked 100% out of the box. The only failures I had were with hand loads in which I inadvertently loaded some high primers.

As you're talking about a break in period, I presume the gun is new and not used. Your failure rate is far to high to be a break in issue.

A feeding issue is in the inter-relationship of the magazine/ammo/feedramp. Smokestack jams could be a problem with the ammo, ejector, recoil spring, lubrication or all four.

That so many things appear to be wrong tells me that you should try different ammo and perhaps have someone else try it.

When chambering a round, be sure to allow the slide to ride home unfettered, at full velocity. Don't ride the slide. Guns generally don't like that.

I wouldn't send it in just yet. I had a similar situation with TWO brand new Shields I purchased for the wife and I in June (both guns produced in May). Out of the first 50 rounds, I had about 6-8 Fte, stovepipes, ftf. This was about equal between BOTH guns. After about 100 rounds, and up until now (at around 500 rounds per gun), they have been FLAWLESS.

After bringing them home the first day with issues, I noticed the feed ramp on both were not smooth, and had a lot of melonite coating. I didn't polish them, but I did clean the ramps and headed to the range again after another good cleaning of both guns. Again, since then, they've been 100% flawless.

I bought a M&P full size 9 in July, and it's been flawless from the first shot, and I noticed the feed ramp on the full size was polished very well compared to the Shields straight outta the factory box. However, I've been shooting 124gr freedom through it from day one. The heavier loads tend to cycle the gun better (which is what I read). Maybe a heavier load will help the gun loosen up some for you. I wouldn't give up yet...I think the gun just needs some more rounds through it.

I prefer to think of it as...."it either works, or it doesn't"....and obviously your gun DOES work most of the time, give it time to get the kinks worked out and see what happens.

Keep us posted!

Has anyone ever got a response from Smith&Wesson, they sound like a typical car salesman, just send it back and we will see what we can do, I for one if my bacon is on the line I want to know for sure that the product they make will do what it is designed for...

I really think if S&W spent just 3 minutes hand polishing/smoothing the top barrel hood machine marks, you would never here about new out of the box failure to feed problems, just my opinion.

In order to eliminate the operator error portion, have someone else fire the gun 20-25 times. Proper grip on the gun is crucial. My wife used to limp wrist a M&P. I told her to death grip it. problem solved. Some guns are more sensitive than others to grip. especially depending upon the ammo. Limp grip and weak ammo=problems.

Hot ammo will take care of some grip issues since the slide is being slammed back so hard.

If another shooter has the same issues, then use the above suggestions and finally warranty work as the LAST solution.

I bought an M&P 9 a couple of months ago. I have shot about 1000 rounds through it and have never had any issues with it.. Next time you are at the range, maybe you should let one of the range worker try your gun out. Then you could rule out user error..

I wouldn't pay much attention to these posts. Even if you see a dozen in a few months think about the number of people not having issues with it. In fact just look at this thread, plenty of us haven't had a single issue for this one owner's problems.

First post here ... been a lurker for some time. It's been my experience with S/A pistols of any make that it's important to really clean the sticky gunk off the entire thing and then lubing it properly with decent lube before heading to the range. While you have the barrel out, take some of the ammo you intend to fire at the range and drop a few of them into the chamber of the gun. If they don't completely seat without help, your ammo is questionable. Standard FMJ ammo is probably going to feed the best, especially at first, but I am never put off if I have a few failures in the first 2 or 3 hundred rounds. A firearm is mechanical, and it's great to have one fire without failure right off the bat. But firearms are mechanical, and there can be issues with anything mechanical. But until you've put that many rounds through a new one, it's hard to immediately fault the gun. Ammo (bullet profile and seating depth along with crimping) and magazines are likely first suspects. Depending on experience, operator error can also be a definite factor.

An older and wiser fellow than me gave me this advice, and I've found it to be excellent with any new or even a used S/A gun that is new to you. Before you go to the range, load all magazines you have on hand for the gun completely full and let them sit for at least 24 hours, better for 48 hours. Unload them slowly and carefully by hand and observe what happens. Reload them again and observe how that works. Check the feed lips for obvious signs of something out of spec, such as improperly shaped metal or burrs or sharp edges on the inside of the feed lips. Doesn't take much to interfere with the loading process. Leaving the mags loaded for 48 hours will allow the magazine spring to take a lot of it's initial "set" that occurs during the initial breakin period. You'll get a more consistent operation of the mag spring by doing this.

Secondly, after cleaning and lubing, open and lock the slide and leave it that way for the same period of time. During that time, you can spend a few minutes once in a while just operating the slide back and forth, not letting it slam closed on an empty chamber, but just full travel back and forth to begin to burnish the contact points between the slide and frame. When you get tired, leave the slide locked open with the springs compressed.

Doing these two things will make a difference when you go out to shoot the gun for the first time. If there are still problems, eliminate one possibility at a time so you'll know where the problem is. If you have a good friend or an acquaintance who is an experienced shooter, allow them to shoot the gun and see what happens. Ammo is not for give away, but it's important not to form an opinion about any of it until several different brands and types have been fired. That's especially important for the expensive stuff that you intend to carry for personal protection. A couple hundred rounds of that fired without mishap is much better than a couple of twenty round boxes. Yeah, I know that costs a couple hundred dollars, but if your ammo of choice doesn't work in your gun, it ain't worth a hardly to you! Differences in ammo are subtle. For example, I routinely have had some failures to feed, etc with the Freedom Munitions reman, as well as some of my own reloads. I've never had a problem with the new stuff from FM. Some hollowpoints just don't work well in some guns. FWIW, I have had almost no problems with Golden Saber ammo functioning well in any of the several calibers I've fired of it. Function reliability is not an arguable requirement, but almost any "good" quality ammo will do a very similar job IF it functions your firearm and IF you can deliver it to an important location on a body. Penetration to reach vital body parts is critical regardless of the size of the bullet or the expected or hoped for expansion of it (or not). Again, FWIW, my opinions here have come as the result of being present at a goodly number of events where someone got shot (and or missed!). Hope this food for thought may help. Thanks for reading and for allowing me to participate.

So long ... kthom

The answer should be zero, then you make a personal call on how many rounds you need to prove the gun's reliability. An M&P is a service-style pistol and should not require the type of "break-in" that some competition guns need to mate extremely tightly fitted components.

M&Ps typically function without problems out of the box. If there are problems out of the box, production debris not cleaned out of the gun would be an immediate suspect, followed by bad or broken parts. Production debris might be dislodged by shooting the gun, but bad or broken parts will not fix themselves through continued shooting. Diagnose the problem as thoroughly as you can and include that information when you return the gun for warranty repair.

I am perplexed by the advice to avoid warranty repairs and either sell the gun (presumably at a loss) or relegate it to non-serious use. You bought a new gun which, by definition, is supposed to work properly; S&W is obligated to make sure your gun does work properly, either through repair or replacement. If S&W repairs your gun and it works properly through whatever number of rounds is your reliability standard, all is well and move on. If S&W cannot repair your gun to work properly after a couple of tries, insist on a new replacement gun. Either way, you are entitled to what you paid for - a properly functioning gun.

The last two posts were excellent advice!

When I got mine, I stripped it, cleaned and lubed it. I put it all back together and loaded the three 17 round magazines completely and let them sit. A few days later, I ran 100 rounds of 124 gr jacketed through it without any faults. By 500 rounds, things started smoothing out nicely. By the time I put 2500 through it, it was right at home.
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Edit: I will add that the 115gr threw brass all over the place including right at me. My M&P 9 FS loves the 124 gr so that's what I use. Brass is tossed properly and away from me.

Thanks for all the replies. I put another 100 rounds through the M&P today and it was a little better but still experienced 10 malfunctions of various kinds. I am the range master at my range and have been shooting auto pistols for 45 years so I didn't think it was my grip. Just to be sure I had another experienced shooter fire it today and 3 of the failure to feeds occurred during his shooting. I also used 2 new mags and still have the same problems.

Sorry to hear that. Not that this is important, but what was factory fire date?

Send it back to S&W. I had a similar issue with a 1911SC and was getting sour on the gun. I sent it back, they worked on the feed ramp and barrel, may have even been a new barrel, and a few other things. Got the gun back and it's great.

What grain bullet are you using are you still using the 115 s

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Jack C

i have a core 9mm. 500 rounds through it without a malfunction. as others have stated check your grip and clean it. then send back to S&W if problems continue. there should not have to be any mods or polishing done to a new gun to make it run. as for how many rounds......just one. the test fire round.

At the time of this posting, only gc70 has answered the OP question correctly. There is no break in period for an M&P pistol. The manual will tell you all you need to know about that and you won't find a "break in period" listed in it.

If you call S&W they may suggest putting a few more rounds through it first. That is a cop out. The gun should work with the ammo you used right from the first round.


You wouldn't be the first I've seen with that level of experience that had a problem with their grip. However, in your case, I don't believe it's grip related either. A loose grip will not cause a fail to feed. It might cause a type II malfunction. Neither will it cause a fail to extract. No, what you have is a gun problem. I'd send it back to S&W post haste.

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Freedom isn't free.

I also agree, I feel there should be absolutely no break in period for a firearm, Smith should start doing more quality control with their factories instead of send it back and we will warranty it, if their product is not reliable they need to step up a lot more with testing at the factory.

I concur - absolutely correct advice.

I was at the range Friday and today I'm cleaning my M&P 9FS and my new Taurus 9mm PT111 G2. My M&P has a bunch of tiny brass speckles from the casings in the slide and lower assembly, and my new Taurus has none that I could see. I mean come on S&W and step up your quality control to smooth out the rough areas. My M&P and Taurus ran fine, but to see a new Taurus that cost $240 run cleaner is very alarming.

It's all conjecture (even if based upon different levels of experience) until the specific pistol is examined for problems and confirmed to be in normal operating condition.

Presuming the owner isn't "new" to plastic framed 9mm pistols being used with inexpensive (meaning maybe borderline sufficiently powered ammo) ... and the gun AND magazines have been cleaned (the gun properly lubed and the mags left dry) ...

Might be as simple as a recoil spring assembly (RSA) that needs replacing, or a tight extractor. The owner can replace the RSA, but the factory needs to check the extractor for replacement. Customer service might send you a new RSA upon request, if you call and explain your experience, thus far.

They might also simply want to see the gun, to check for something that slipped through their production and 15-rd test-fire process.

As an armorer, I've seen different firearms that required repair or corrective action even when brand new, and which ran fine afterward. I've used and carried many a repaired brand new & used guns without qualms. (Once normal function is confirmed.

If it were mine, I'd run some good quality 124gr (standard pressure or +P) and some 147gr loads through it, made by one or another of the major American ammo companies, during my familiarization shooting. Not a few folks have observed that the 115gr bargain-priced 9mm ammo seems to run toward the low end of the normal power range, especially with the huge rush to get ammo out the door. Reduced slide run/velocity can lend itself to failures-to-feed. As RSA's start to soften they may become more tolerant of lighter recoiling loads.

Just some thoughts.

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Ret LE Firearms inst & armorer

Just to give an update, I took the M&P 9 back to the range today and fired another 150 rounds. First 100 rounds of Federal 124 grain and then 50 rounds of 115 Winchester and the pistol performed flawlessly. I ran 2 full mags through it rapid fire with the 115 grain ammo as quickly as I could fire, drop one mag and insert the second mag and fire it. No issues at all. Possibly it was an issue with the previous ammo or the pistol just didn't like that ammo. Over the next week or so I will put several hundred more rounds through it and see how it goes. Again, thanks to everyone that responded.

Glad you had a good session with your M&P
Shoot the snot out of it!

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Take your time..quickly.

Glad to hear it. Rather sounds like a lower power ammo/new RSA spring condition. That sort of thing can often resolve itself with either harder recoiling ammo, or just more rounds-fired to get the stiffness out of the brand new spring.

It's the occasional shooter issues or any actual gun issue (tightly fitted extractor or too-heavy spring) that can take some extra attention and time.

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Ret LE Firearms inst & armorer

Great to hear! The fix for both of my Shields was shooting a crapload of 124 grain also.....they now chew up 115 without issues.

Keep us updated!

If this is ever going to be your carry gun I'd look at upgrading the extractor to one of the Apex Fail Resistant Extractors. I had the same issues with my M&P 45. It was destined for the "Range Only" pile till my local gunsmith guru gave it a thorough going over. For some reason the stock M&P extractors are really hit and miss for reliability. The stock extractor was pinching the shell into the breach face coming up out of the mag.After the Apex extractor installation it's been 100% reliable with all ammo. It was sad to see this kinda of issue come out of the S&W shop, but I guess they're having their problems too.



-Mike

Mike, surprised to hear this. I only own 10 M&P's and have not seen nor heard of this as an issue..

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Jack C