Any M&P FPC Shooters Out There??

[Trizz]

FPC issues

fired 200 rounds flawlessly , after that cleaned again an now the gun is having problems with FTE every other round. ive cleaned every nook an cranny on the gun an it just doesnt want to eject properly on every magazine.

 

[Mister Ben]

What’s in the ejector groove?

Here one I’m trying to wrap my head around.
I was doing some meticulous detail cleaning the other day, when I got to the bolt I noticed a peculiarity.
Taking a closer look at the ejector groove, I spied …..weirdness I’ve never seen before in any of my firearms.

I’ve got others on a different forum that will look at their FPC’s …..but I decided to ask S&W what they are and if long term use will wear em down to the point where a competent gunsmith or an entire new bolt will be required?
This is all they had to say:
Hello,
That would be part of the design needed for the FPC. We have been given no information regarding long term maintenance issues with them.
Regards,
Dave

I’ve never heard of an automobile manufacturer selling new model cars where the mechanics had no information to maintain em.

 

[slabside2]

I after being very excited about purchasing it, and taking it out for the first time with no issues or problems for me started when I had to take it apart to clean it I accidentally pulled the trigger and that screwed things up inside the grip housing. I sent it back to Smith and Wesson for repair. After receiving it back, I took it apart to clean it making sure I didn’t pull the trigger again and I still couldn’t get the bolt go forward unless I put the screwdriver inside and push the hammer all the way down bottom line it was too much of a pain in the neck for me so I sold it. Taking that thing apart and putting it together is one of the biggest pains in the neck I’ve had with reassembling a firearm. And I have many firearms, of all types including full autos. It just wasn’t for me.

 

[marvin02]

After a few times cleaning my FPC I can disassemble and reassemble it with no tools. The pin in the bolt will fall out with a bump on my cleaning bench and the bolt will go forward past the hammer with just a shake of the gun.

I make sure the safety is on to prevent accidentally pulling the trigger when disassembling it.

It easy to take down to clean, just different.

 

[marvin02]

There has been some discussion on various boards about whether the charging handle on the FPC reciprocates. It is not designed to reciprocate, but some people have reported that it does, here is a video showing it moving:

[ame]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9qj-n031nzc&t=44s[/ame]


Here is my email exchange with S&W support about this:



***** marvin 02*****

I own a S&W M&P FPC. There has been much discussion about whether the charging handle reciprocates when firing the weapon. Should it? This video shows the charging handle move with each shot:



Video link here



Is this a defect or is this proper operation? I thought that the charging handle should stay latched during firing and is non-reciprocating. What is the proper operation? I have no issues with my FPC I just want to clarify what is proper operation.


*****end marvin02*****



*****S&W support*****

Hello,


Thank you for the response and I apologize for the inconvenience. You will need to slingshot the charging handle to make sure it locks in place when it goes forward, if you do not then you will need to push the charging handle forward until you hear it clock so you do not have this issue. If you ever need any further assistance, please don't hesitate to contact us at 1-800-331-0852


Thank you and have a Great Day!


Rebecca

*****end S&W support*****



My interpretation of this is that the charging should not move and in the video the handle was not latched properly or the latch is not working properly.


With my FPC folded I used a dowel rod to push the bolt all the way back multiple times and the charging handle did not move. Of course pushing the bolt back this way does not match the violence of firing a round.

 

[marvin02]

Here is a video showing the bolt disassembly with the new pins:

[ame]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9YZA2UUzIw0[/ame]

My bolt has roll pins. I guess that's what I get for being an early adopter.

 

[hol88]

I took a few minutes to field strip the M&P FPC so I could get an understanding as to how its bolt was made and how the firing pin was (supposed to be) retained in it.
It is simple straightforward one piece bolt with a .080” split pin going vertically through the bolt and passing through a notch in the firing pin.
The roll pin is used to retain the firing pin in the bolt’s firing pin channel while allowing the firing pin to move forward and strike the primer when the rear of the firing pin is hit with the hammer.
I would assume that there was supposed to be a spring on the front portion of the firing pin to return it to the rear position after the action cycles and the hammer is no longer against the rear of the firing pin.
I say “assume” because there was no spring in the bolt or around the floor where the firing pin fell out.
If someone who has an FPC took a look at their bolt we’d all know for sure if it’s supposed to have a firing pin spring or not.

As to how or why this happened since I wasn’t present at assembly I can only speculate on the proper assembly procedure but I suspect it is something like:
1.) Put firing pin spring on firing pin and insert it into the firing pin channel in the bolt.
2.) Align the firing pin notch to be in line with the split roll pin.
3.) Push the firing pin forward and CAREFULLY push / drive pin through the bolt to retain the firing pin (& spring??) within the firing pin channel in the bolt.

However the procedure was supposed to be by examining my bolt and firing pin I’m confident that is not how it was assembled.
The split pin is bent so much that the firing pin (big end) can be pushed into the bolt’s firing pin channel with your fingers.
I strongly suspect that the firing pin was driven into the firing pin channel after the roll pin was inserted through the bolt and it was so tight against the roll pin that the hammer didn’t have enough energy to drive it forward to the firing pin resulting in the loud “CLICK” that occurred.
I’m actually surprised I got it to fire the two times I did.
When I had it back in the gun room with the bolt in slide lock and moving the gun around to look in it and moving the bolt via the charging handle the uncaptured firing pin just fell out.

This design is so simple that it seems a person would almost have to intentionally mess it up.

To me it seems the hammer strike area of the rear bolt face seems more buggered than I would think a dozen or so strikes would leave it.
Cheers
James

I have the same damage on my bolt were the hammer hits the firing pin... I have not shot anything through my gun either. It was dryfired about 12 times. My bolt also has the updated pins holding the firing pin in place. I would avoid dryfiring this rifle without a snap cap. I am assuming that is what caused the damage.

 

[shipwreck]

I see this mentioned by a few people up above....

I saw this video right before I bought mine. He show's how you have to hammer the bolt into place with a dowel. I went to Lowe's and bought a bag of them (couldn't get just 1, without buying expensive ones). Not a big deal, IMHO:

[ame]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6AYL-AIqytQ[/ame]

 

[justicetyme]

No Hammering Required

If, in the folded position, your push the hammer slightly back with your dowell the bolt assembly will ride over it and go forward very easily.
There's no hammering required.
Cheers
James

 

[marvin02]

Over 1,000 rounds through mine. I don't use anything to assemble the rifle. Put the bolt in, with the bolt/buffer tube vertical I shake it and the bolt will drop in. Mine is broken in so that I don't need any tools to disassemble/assemble it.

 

[IAM Rand]

What am I missing, Hollowpoint Defense just pops the barrel on the table top and no problem. The guy that does the review has to use a dowl. Either way it seems like much ado about nothing.

 

[WalterSobchak]

I had the same issues with the hammer being de-cocked after removing the bolt for cleaning. However Im having Issues with my trigger being hard and with a snappy release after cleaning. I completely tore it down. I did accidently dry fire it without the bolt in. I still cant find out why its happening.

 

[TomahawkSooner]

Firing Pin Quality

I had the same issue. Firing pin would not stike the primer. Had to send back to S&W to correct. The gun shoots great now and I do like it. I bought this because my Keltec Su2000 feels and looks and feels like a Chinese piece of ****. This is the first problem with a S&W firearm. I thought my issue was a one off, but now I am worried about the long term of this gun also.

 

[Luke Duke]

WOW! Has S&W really gone that far downhill? I was thinking of getting one. But, I think I will start looking at a Henry, Ruger or PSA. haven't heard one bad thing about Henry's or PSA. RUGER has always made good with any problems with fast turn around.

 

[sandog]

The Henry has a cool retro look, like the .351 and .401 Winchesters that prison guards used.
The Ruger PCC and Henry are around 6.6 lbs., not exactly light for a 9mm carbine. By the time you get a dot and a few other things on them, they are closer to 7-8 lbs.
The Kel-Tec Sub is 4 lbs. and the S&W is 5lbs. Much better.

I resisted a 9mm carbine for the last few years as I didn't want a 9mm carbine that had the same weight but 1/4 the range and power of my carbines that fire rifle rounds.

I broke down a few months ago and got a Kel-Tec Sub. Before the S&W was announced.
Yesterday I shot them both side by side, a friend brought his son's new FPC to the range.

I liked the S&W's side folding feature, the trigger was nice at maybe 5 1/2 lbs. (but it had a weird crunching spring sound and feel during take up).

The Kel-Tec is way less refined but some aftermarket parts will make it more comfortable to shoot.
Both of us had no problem hitting some empty 1 lb. propane canisters at 70-75 yards every time with either gun.

 

[IAM Rand]

Finally breaking down and getting one. Hopefully it will be here next week. Looking forward to kicking the tires and interested to see how the cleaning will go.

More to follow.

 

[marvin02]

I got a price of $529.99 from Locked & Loaded. You have to email and request a quote. You will also have to set up an account.

I have dealt with them before with no issues.

 

[IAM Rand]

Just got my FPC. So far I am loving it. I stripped it and put it back together with no issues. Following the video above it was a simple task. I put the bolt in and just tapped the muzzle on a mat and it popped right back in.

Looking forward to taking it out and kicking the tires. I have a Swampfox Liberty II on it and will back that up with Magpul irons.

 

[IAM Rand]

Okay, so here is my range report. Nothing to report. It worked as advertised. I love it. No problems with any ammo used. I tired several brands 124 FMJ, 124 Corbon, Golden Saber, Federal HST 147 grn. Only thing that was odd was when I used the slide release to release the bolt, it didn't fully reset the trigger. I had to use the charging handle in stead. No heart burn there. I almost preferred it. I shot at 10, 25, and 50yrds.

 

[Mike-AK]

Okay, so here is my range report. Nothing to report. It worked as advertised. I love it. No problems with any ammo used. I tired several brands 124 FMJ, 124 Corbon, Golden Saber, Federal HST 147 grn. Only thing that was odd was when I used the slide release to release the bolt, it didn't fully reset the trigger. I had to use the charging handle in stead. No heart burn there. I almost preferred it. I shot at 10, 25, and 50yrds.

I think that is the reason the FPC posts have kind of died down. The gun works like it should, so folks are out shooting them instead of writing about them. Your trigger reset issue is odd. With the bolt to the rear and your finger off the trigger, it should already be reset.