M&P 380EZ Magazine Follower

[Jon651]

I finally found some .380ACP ammo and have decided to take my 380EZ back to the range. While I've not been particularly affected by the stovepipe with the last round issue, I can recall reading that someone here helped alleviate that problem on their pistol by scuffing up the top surface of the magazine follower to provide just a bit more "grip" as the last round was fed.

I'm usually in the "If it ain't broke..." camp, but since this is pretty easy job and I don't really see a down side (other than taking a few minutes of my plentiful time) would doing this be worthwhile - or would it cause other problems?

 

[Erich]

Well, obviously, your gun, your choice. I can relate to your underlying anxiety that something others have experienced might turn out to be an issue someday (even something like this that's unlikely to be a fight stopper - when was the last time you've had to reload in a firefight? ). But you haven't had problems - your gun is working.

I'm of the camp that I think the engineers who design and test a product probably know what they're doing - and the beancounters have no interest in a product that's going to cause a recall. If I have a product that's working as intended, I don't see any sense in trying to improve it with a homebrew remedy that has helped people who have had problems.

So . . . if a S&W engineer who's worked on the .380 EZ project recommends folks scuff the follower on guns that are working fine, I'd do it. But otherwise . . . ?
Well, I got to shoot one of these for the first time on Friday - an old friend had just bought one and was shooting it for the first time. It ran like a Deere (Wow, and it was accurate and pleasant to shoot, too) . . . I have certainly been following the reports of occasional issues with this model, but I didn't say a word about it to my friend. His gun works. Yay.

Anyhow, glad you have such a nifty gun - I kind of wish I hadn't shot Richard's because it confirmed my thought that I'd enjoy having one of my own! But I won't be scuffing the followers so long as they work the right way.

 

[NukeRef]

I'm usually in the "If it ain't broke..." camp, but since this is pretty easy job and I don't really see a down side (other than taking a few minutes of my plentiful time) would doing this be worthwhile - or would it cause other problems?

Scuffing the top of the follower will fix the problem if you have experienced it, prevent the problem if you haven't, and will not affect the firearm negatively in any way. (Experience speaking.)

 

[HEADKNOCKER]

Just picked up a used 380EZ yesterday with only one magazine..
The follower would barely push the slide stop lever up & would just barely catch the slide & the magazine spring seemed weak..
I disassembled the magazine & the spring was in backwards with the upward part pushing on the back of the follower..
Reassembled the magazine correctly & now it presses the slide stop all the way up & seems like the magazine has more pressure & is smoother
Wonder how many of these problems are just that simple to fix.
BTW this is the 2nd 380EZ we have bought, Sold the 1st one making $100 to a gun shop in the area who wanted it..
The one we bought yesterday has the safety where the other didn't..
I'm in the look for a couple extra magazines but so is every other NEW shooter out there who just bought a 380 EZ.. Makes them hard to find & the price crazy high for them = $40+
I might ride to Rural King in a while & see what they have..
This pistol is for my youngest son who also has a 380 Bodyguard
He wanted the 380, I could have got the 9mm for an extra $10..
Paid $359 Out The Door with one magazine & no box etc.
Here's a photo..
Gary/Hk

 

[Paul in Nevada]

...Reassembled the magazine correctly & now it presses the slide stop all the way up & seems like the magazine has more pressure & is smoother
Wonder how many of these problems are just that simple to fix....

That's not the cause of the last round failure everyone is having. Having a mag that is assembled incorrectly will probably cause malfunctions of it's own but that's not what's causing the issue for everyone else.
Leave your mags fully loaded between range trips and you will eventually have this malfunction. The spring is too weak and the follower is poorly designed.

 

[Oldsalt66]

My wife has one of these pistols and she's put 3175 rounds through it as of yesterday afternoon.

There's a lot to recommend about the pistol, the finish has held up so well it still looks like new in box, the design goal of easy manipulation and manual of arms has been wildly successful, and the accuracy is exemplary for a pistol of its type; but the reliability has proven to be disappointing, which I believe is the result of a poor magazine design which trades off reliability in favor of ease of loading.

Happily, my wife is an expert at clearing malfunctions, but I wish she'd carry something else.