M&P 40c Range Report

[rxer311]

I picked up an M&P 40c a few weeks ago and finally got it to the range today. So far I have mixed feelings. I also have a few questions.

I also have an M&P Shield 9mm and an M&P 45c.

Anyway I started out shooting Tula Brass Maxx ammo which is 170gr weight. I like how the pistol shoots even though I need more practice with it. I was, however, having problems with failure too feed. I could not get through a mag without a failure to feed.

I was suspecting an ammo problem so I loaded up some Winchester white box that my friend had and went through a 15 round mag with no issues. I then went through two 10 round mags of Hornady Zombies, also with no issues. I went back to the Tula Brass and I again had failure to feed issues. I didn't have any other ammo to try but it does seem that it was an ammo related issue.

I really need to put more ammo through this pistol before I put it in my carry rotation, but the failures do give me some pause. Hopefully I can try a few different brands of ammo and see what happens.

Now the question I have is this. If I have an open chamber and I load a new magazine, the slide will automatically close and load the next round without hitting the slide release.

My Shield and 45c do not do this. Is this a normal function? I like it but it didn't seem like it was normal since my other M&P pistols do not do that.

Thanks!

 

[M&PmikeC]

are you saying when you load the mag into the gun the slide Closes and automatically loads the 1st round.. Yes if done so with enough force the slide will close and load the 1st round... if you put the mag in easy it should not slam the slide shut..

 

[rxer311]

are you saying when you load the mag into the gun the slide Closes and automatically loads the 1st round.. Yes if done so with enough force the slide will close and load the 1st round... if you put the mag in easy it should not slam the slide shut..

Yes, when I slam the mag in it will close. If I put it in easy it will not. I always slam my mags to make sure they are in, though.

 

[BluGrass]

Yes, when I slam the mag in it will close. If I put it in easy it will not. I always slam my mags to make sure they are in, though.

Check page 17 of your manual under the Loading section:
WARNING: DO NOT USE EXCESSIVE UPWARD FORCE WHEN INSERTING A LOADED MAGAZINE INTO THE PISTOL. EXCESSIVE UPWARD FORCE COULD CAUSE THE SLIDE TO MOVE FORWARD, CHAMBERING A ROUND AND MAKING THE PISTOL READY.

I just bought a 40 full size about two weeks ago and had the same thing happen. I was a little worried also until I read about it happening on another thread on this forum and somebody also mentioned page 17 of the manual.

 

[ginzo]

Just under the warning on page 17:
"To make sure that the magazine is fully and securely inserted, apply some removal pressure to the exposed portion of the magazine floorplate".

You don't have to jam it in. I'm good either way on mine. If it racks forward and loads a round, good, if not then I pull back on slide and let 'er rip........

Check page 17 of your manual under the Loading section:
WARNING: DO NOT USE EXCESSIVE UPWARD FORCE WHEN INSERTING A LOADED MAGAZINE INTO THE PISTOL. EXCESSIVE UPWARD FORCE COULD CAUSE THE SLIDE TO MOVE FORWARD, CHAMBERING A ROUND AND MAKING THE PISTOL READY.

I just bought a 40 full size about two weeks ago and had the same thing happen. I was a little worried also until I read about it happening on another thread on this forum and somebody also mentioned page 17 of the manual.

 

[PurpleMountainOutdoors]

That's called a "birthday bounce". It is actually faster than inserting, then dropping the slide manually. It's called this because normally when you insert a mag you then have to drop or rack the slide. If you insert the mag, then the slide drops for you:
http://www.wallpick.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/25/Happy_Birthday-1.jpg


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[bob98366]

If Tula is the only ammo that causes problems, suggest not using it, even though it's cheap.

The slide's auto release when firmly inserting a magazine is no cause for alarm. Just be aware of it. I'm having trouble thinking of a reason for having a loaded magazine inserted but the slide open.

 

[PurpleMountainOutdoors]

If Tula is the only ammo that causes problems, suggest not using it, even though it's cheap.

The slide's auto release when firmly inserting a magazine is no cause for alarm. Just be aware of it. I'm having trouble thinking of a reason for having a loaded magazine inserted but the slide open.

You just shot your mag dry, and briskly inserted a fresh magazine.


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[rxer311]

I did some research and it seems that the Tula Brass Maxx is made in Italy by Fiocchi. After doing some more digging I found that many people have had issues with both the Fiocchi and Brass Maxx ammo in their pistols. M&Ps seem to hate it the most, but I have seen issues on the XD boards, Glock boards, FN boards, and Sig boards. Same issues as me. Multiple failures to feed.

The problem seems to be that the profile of the bullet is slightly different than that of what the 40 s&w should be. Someone on the XD board posted that they were having problems and contacted Springfield where he was instructed to not use Fiocchi 40 s&w because it is not SAMII approved ammo.

Just thought it was interesting.

So the take home point seems to be to stay away from Fiocchi or Tula Brass Maxx ammo due to failure to feed issues.

 

[MSG Glenn]

I've heard of more problems with Tula than any other brands of ammo. I've never used it & thankfully I didn't buy a large quantity of it during the ammo shortage. It was the only stuff on the shelf & that in itself told me something.

Some guns will eat almost anything while others are fussy with certain brands.

My 2 M&Ps, a 40 compact & a 40 FS, will close the slide with a hard reload. My 40 Compact doesn't do it all the time, though especially when I load a FS mag in it. When it does I consider it a plus, lol.

 

[PurpleMountainOutdoors]

I've heard of more problems with Tula than any other brands of ammo. I've never used it & thankfully I didn't buy a large quantity of it during the ammo shortage. It was the only stuff on the shelf & that in itself told me something.

Some guns will eat almost anything while others are fussy with certain brands.

My 2 M&Ps, a 40 compact & a 40 FS, will close the slide with a hard reload. My 40 Compact doesn't do it all the time, though especially when I load a FS mag in it. When it does I consider it a plus, lol.

http://www.wallpick.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/25/Happy_Birthday-1.jpg


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[bob98366]

You just shot your mag dry, and briskly inserted a fresh magazine.

Yes, and my question was why would you want to leave the slide open with the fresh magazine? All you have at this point is a rock.

 

[ginzo]

You don't, at that point if the slide doesn't rack forward on mag insert then you would pull it back and let it rip, otherwise you do have a rock.

The slide going forward on mag insert is not a "design", it is a by product, (not a bad 1 either). But you better be prepared for it not to happen or it may be 2 late for you.

I would rather eject a live round from the fresh mag then wait to see if the slide is going to go into battery. It would be almost instant anyway. Now the rear sight IS another way to rack the slide if necessary if you are disabled in some way. Just look at the ledge and that can be used against a surface of some kind.

Yes, and my question was why would you want to leave the slide open with the fresh magazine? All you have at this point is a rock.

 

[ginzo]

Generally the slide locks open upon empty mag/last shot. So that would be the reason.

Now if you had some kind of failure and had to drop a mag then it would be closed. Look up failure to feed, etc. on you tube for examples.

Example: Tap, rack, bang (TRB) is jargon for the emergency corrective procedure for a semi-automatic firearm or an automatic firearm after a failure to fire ("stoppage"), which usually gives an audible "click" as the firing mechanism fails to fire a round. Military personnel are trained to take this sound as a cue to commence the corrective procedure, unless the operator knows the magazine is simply empty. The procedure is effective for most common failures, such as defective ammunition or improperly seated magazines. In military parlance, these drills are called "Immediate Actions".

Tap refers to the first action; that is to tap the magazine. This is to ensure that the magazine is properly engaged in the firearm so that it feeds properly. As typically taught in tactical firearms courses, the "tap" is considerably more than a tap and in the case of a semiautomatic pistol is usually accomplished by slamming the gun hard into the palm of the other hand, magazine end down.
Rack refers to operating (cocking or cycling) of the slide of the firearm. This will serve to eject a miss-fired round, which could be a possible cause of the stoppage, and chamber the next round.
Bang simply denotes the action of firing the firearm following the first two steps.

While the "Tap, Rack, Bang" is effective in the vast majority of cases, it is not effective in all cases.

The slide's auto release when firmly inserting a magazine is no cause for alarm. Just be aware of it. I'm having trouble thinking of a reason for having a loaded magazine inserted but the slide open.

 

[BigBoreShooter]

I also picked up a M&P40c a few weeks ago. I put a couple of hundred rounds though it consisting of factory ammo and handloads with bullet weighs of 135, 165, and 180 grains in HP and FMJ profiles. ZERO failures of any kind with any of the ammo. I was also very impressed with how a pistol this size handled the recoil of the 40.

I also noticed that "firmly" inserting a loaded mag with the slide locked back would release the slide. Not a problem; just different than most of my other pistols.

Overall, I love this pistol. I think I may have found the ultimatel carry gun.

 

[PurpleMountainOutdoors]

Good points, but I should note: "tap, rack, bang" teaches bad habits and muscle memory. The reason is, after you tap and rack, the situation may have changed, and training the "bang" into the equation trains shooting without thinking.

A better sequence is: "tap, rack, flip". The flip is trained in to help the bad cartridge along its way. Also a move is important during this drill. Once the drill is complete, you can then assess whether a "bang" is necessary or not.


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[ginzo]

Point well taken!
I will reconsider my view at my next training session. I have read of this method also, always room for improvement! Thanks for the different point of view.

Good points, but I should note: "tap, rack, bang" teaches bad habits and muscle memory. The reason is, after you tap and rack, the situation may have changed, and training the "bang" into the equation trains shooting without thinking.

A better sequence is: "tap, rack, flip". The flip is trained in to help the bad cartridge along its way. Also a move is important during this drill. Once the drill is complete, you can then assess whether a "bang" is necessary or not.


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