M&P 45 Magazine Failure

Pants

Pants

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I was at the range today and I was letting a friend fire my M&P, when all of a sudden the gun wouldn't go fully into battery. When I took a look at it, ejected the stuck round and magazine, I noticed that the follower was wedged in and compressed tilted upright. I gave it a tap on the port and it popped back up. It then happened again while I was shooting - same deal, tapped it and it came back up.

When I got home and took it apart, I noticed it that was completely out of whack and bent upright. I was able to bend it back into shape but I don't really trust it. I'm sure the reason for this was constant use, since I have hundreds upon hundreds of rounds though this mag since it's a "range mag".

Does anyone know where I can get replacement mag springs for the .45?
 
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Yes, call S&W and they should hook you up.

A mag shouldn't fail considering the low use you have. I have thousands through a couple of mags and they don't do what yours did.
 
Do you clean your mags? They get dirty just like the action. I clean mine monthly (or when I drop them in the mud ;))
 
Call S&W warranty. The 45 mag springs have a tendency to kink up once in a while. I don't know why, but some springs have problems regardless of age and some don't. I had two out of a batch of the last five I bought that failed like that, and they were not my hard use range mags. I sometimes wish Wolff would start making aftermarket springs for the M&P. They are pretty reliable.
 
Ughhh...just what I feared - a dreaded hour on hold with S&W for a mag spring. :D I was hoping there was a place to get them or aftermarket ones. I'd much rather spend $2 on new springs than wait on old with Smith. lol

And no, I've never cleaned these mags until yesterday.
 
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Try Wolff Springs

Wolff Springs have a well-deserved reputation for quality gun springs. Check their web site for replacement springs.
 
If I might? S&W has gone thru IIRC, about 4 different .45 M&P magazine upgrades, due to sacking springs. Newest 1, per my last understanding, is Blue in color. Call S&W and hope they have some. Last time I got any, it took over 2 months. I do not know if Wolff makes springs for M&P .45's magazines. If they don't, they need to! Try ISI(I think that's their name) and see if they do.
Oh, and clean the mags, Bro! They get dirty just like the rest of the pistol.
 
Yeah, S&W's vendor (vendors?) for the M&P 45 mag springs have gone through some revisions.

I had an early orange-painted one develop a weird kink, so they sent me the revised purple springs. (Only one of the mags with the orange springs developed a problem for me.) The purple springs have been fine in my mags, but the company apparently got some further complaints and they've gone through revisions that have been color-coded green, black and now light blue (the new blue ones require a dedicated follower for them, which ought to come with the spring if you call and tell them you're having a problem with an older spring version).

I'm still using mags with purple and green painted springs, myself (I inspect them and check for any functioning or visible issues each time I clean them). I never got any of the black ones and I haven't yet had reason to replace all of mine with the latest blue ones (but I got some, with followers, last year).

Yes, it would be nice if Wolff designed some springs for the M&P mags in various calibers. Until then? We're at the mercy of S&W's vendor(s). :)
 
Hmmm, wondering if I have the same issue. New 45 mid, loaded the mags at home with hollow points on the way to the first range trip. Got to the range, and proceeded to push out the hollow points to load the mags with ball for the first shots. After the first 3 or 4, they all just fall out. Turns out, the bottom lip of the follower has caught on one of the cut-outs of the mag. I push on it and it pops up to the top. I proceeded to load the mag back up and shot 100 rounds of ball through the two mags. Then shot the 20 hollow points. All 120 rounds with no issue.

So my question is, do you suppose this may be the same problem?
 
dimitri said:
Hmmm, wondering if I have the same issue. New 45 mid, loaded the mags at home with hollow points on the way to the first range trip. Got to the range, and proceeded to push out the hollow points to load the mags with ball for the first shots. After the first 3 or 4, they all just fall out. Turns out, the bottom lip of the follower has caught on one of the cut-outs of the mag. I push on it and it pops up to the top. I proceeded to load the mag back up and shot 100 rounds of ball through the two mags. Then shot the 20 hollow points. All 120 rounds with no issue.

So my question is, do you suppose this may be the same problem?
Click to expand...

Probably! Now I'm wondering - do I order all new springs for my 10 rounders? The mag in question was black, the 8 round I took apart was purple. This isn't comforting, seeing how this is a carry gun.
 
Pants said:
I was at the range today and I was letting a friend fire my M&P, when all of a sudden the gun wouldn't go fully into battery. When I took a look at it, ejected the stuck round and magazine, I noticed that the follower was wedged in and compressed tilted upright. I gave it a tap on the port and it popped back up. It then happened again while I was shooting - same deal, tapped it and it came back up.

When I got home and took it apart, I noticed it that was completely out of whack and bent upright. I was able to bend it back into shape but I don't really trust it. I'm sure the reason for this was constant use, since I have hundreds upon hundreds of rounds though this mag since it's a "range mag".

Does anyone know where I can get replacement mag springs for the .45?
Click to expand...

Do you disassemble your magazines when you clean your gun? If so, could that spring have been inserted backwards. Funny things happen when the springs are in backwards.

S&W shipped some magazines with some 3rd generation guns with the springs in backwards. That caused occasional miss-feeds.
 
OK, so how do we know if the springs were put in backwards? I have yet to pull them apart.
 
gboling said:
Do you disassemble your magazines when you clean your gun? If so, could that spring have been inserted backwards. Funny things happen when the springs are in backwards.

S&W shipped some magazines with some 3rd generation guns with the springs in backwards. That caused occasional miss-feeds.
Click to expand...

This is good to know! Maybe I should take them apart. One thing I noticed were that the springs in the full size, where the same as the compacts.
 
Throw it away and buy some more.

Don't fiddle with it.

I can't imagine disassembling and cleaning magazines regularly.

If you do, you have too much free time on your hands or some sort of OCD.

I keep 70+ 1911 magazines.

If one has a problem, I trash it and buy more.

Just my opinion, of course.
 
Wolff gunsprings make a great replacement spring. Be warned they are stiffer than factory so you will probably need a speedloader but I use them anytime I need a new spring. If you want a stock spring Midway usually has the stock springs.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I727 using Tapatalk
 
Rpg said:
Throw it away and buy some more.

Don't fiddle with it.

I can't imagine disassembling and cleaning magazines regularly.

If you do, you have too much free time on your hands or some sort of OCD.

I keep 70+ 1911 magazines.

If one has a problem, I trash it and buy more.

Just my opinion, of course.
Click to expand...

M&P mags are usually $30-40 each. I know there are some expensive 1911 mags but from what I have seen they are cheaper.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I727 using Tapatalk
 
Rpg said:
Throw it away and buy some more.
Click to expand...
I wish I could adopt this policy. Alas, good magazines are too expensive. Tripp and Wilson mags are $35 or more. M&P mags are $35 mostly, but can be found for less if you really search.

I have a bunch of mags (no where near what Rpg has) and I will clean them now and then. Maybe I'm just a masochist.
 
PSA if your looking for 45 mags. I just got several from mag commander for $23 each +6 S/H =$75 total for 3. No affiliation, just the best deal I've found in a while. I bought 14 rd, didn't look at pricing on others.

mods please remove if inapropriate
 
Hmm. Never clean a magazine? PM is your best friend. And contrary to popular belief, a fixed base 1911 magazine can be taken apart very easily. Yank them down, clean them out and reassemble, just as you would your weapon. Part of your PM. And, all due respect, I always have time to clean and inspect my safety equipment. Cleaning is required on some firearms for best/ reliable function, and is a real good idea on all, period. The absolute 1st order of business when coming back in from a field Op. Before you do anything else, period.
 
I have a hard time imagining mags straight from the factory needing cleaning. That they may have their springs inserted incorrectly? That, I can buy.Mags, like guns, like cars, can have all their parts replaced. throwing away a mag seems extreme.

I'll pull mine apart and inspect. If they seem ok and still cause problems, I'll contact S&W. As a last resort, I'll throw them away and get new ones.
 
FWIW, I rather liked how the SIG armorer class stated that a pistol wasn't clean unless the magazines were also clean. ;)

People can make mistakes when disassembling & reassembling magazines, though. I get to see that happen more than you might expect when checking on folks at the cleaning station. :eek:

On a related note, though, in my last Glock armorer recert (4th Glock class), the instructor mentioned that Glock was cautioning against excessively taking mags apart for cleaning, unless they'd been dropped in the dirt, sand or water and had become contaminated with dirt, sand, grit, etc.

The reason offered was that excessive disassembly/reassembly could wear down the plastic tabs on the outside of the mag body, which help hold the floorplates on the mag body. Also, it's been known for people to damage/mangle the plastic parts by exerting improper force in disassembly and using the wrong tools. ;)
 
Fastbolt said:
On a related note, though, in my last Glock armorer recert (4th Glock class), the instructor mentioned that Glock was cautioning against excessively taking mags apart for cleaning,...

The reason offered was that excessive disassembly/reassembly could wear down the plastic tabs on the outside of the mag body,...
Click to expand...
Yes, I can see that reasoning for Glock mags due to the way they retain the base plate. However, on M&P mags this isn't an issue. There are no tabs to wear down on the mag tube. Therefore, taking an M&P mag apart shouldn't cause any undue wear.
 
I just pulled mine apart, following the vid posted by Mcwsky09. The springs look fine, and the top parts are blue. If it happens again, I will mark the mag and pull it apart again to see if there are any pointy bits on the follower that the other mag doesn't have. I'm not too worried.
 
Rastoff said:
Yes, I can see that reasoning for Glock mags due to the way they retain the base plate. However, on M&P mags this isn't an issue. There are no tabs to wear down on the mag tube. Therefore, taking an M&P mag apart shouldn't cause any undue wear.
Click to expand...

You're right. I thought it interesting because it's the first time I've heard it mentioned that some LE users may have actually been cleaning their mags too much. :)

I've seen my fair share of dirty-mag related feeding stoppages on our outdoor sand-covered range over the years as people have dropped empty mags onto the sand and then reloaded them to use again.

I remember the first few times someone dropped a Glock mag (or 1911 mag, or some other "combat" gun mag) onto the sand and then experienced a feeding stoppage related to the magazine having become contaminated with sand. They were shocked and expressed disbelief. Oh well, that's what can happen in the real world. Machinery doesn't typically like sand.
 
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My first instruction on magazine cleaning was when I was issued the M-14 on a slow boat to Cuba, 1962. I saw no reason to question the instruction. My next instruction on the issue involved the 5906 in 1989. The department instructors recommended disassembling and cleaning magazine after each firing. I have done so religiously.
 
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