M&P 9mm accuracy issues?

[Nakanokalronin]

I have no accuracy issues with my early manufacture fullsize M&P9 related with the pistol itself. Frankly, it is more accurate than I can shoot it. However, I've seen enough reports in enough places that I believe some fullsize M&P9s are having real accuracy issues.
Hopefully S&W will make everything right for everyone with a problem pistol. It certainly will be more difficult than shipping out a new striker. I would feel much better about purchasing another fs M&P9 if they took the problem head-on...

Nak, I hope they resolve your problem.

I sure hope so since I'm sending it back for another month wait according to the second CS/tech I called today. This one told me to put his name on the box so he can view it personally. I basically told him that I don't want to have the rear sight adjusted incorrectly like last time and have it sent back as a-okay. I also mentioned how another member sent their gun in and got a new barrel for the same issues, which he then replied that I just may need a new barrel.

I'm just glad someone over there is taking a little more personal hands-on approach to this. Everything about the M&P is perfect and if it even shot as good as my Shield, I wouldn't be posting a single thing about accuracy problems since I know it's not a target gun. I guess it's time to play the waiting game again and see how this is hopefully resolved.

 

[Failwhale]

I sure hope so since I'm sending it back for another month wait according to the second CS/tech I called today. This one told me to put his name on the box so he can view it personally. I basically told him that I don't want to have the rear sight adjusted incorrectly like last time and have it sent back as a-okay. I also mentioned how another member sent their gun in and got a new barrel for the same issues, which he then replied that I just may need a new barrel.

I'm just glad someone over there is taking a little more personal hands-on approach to this. Everything about the M&P is perfect and if it even shot as good as my Shield, I wouldn't be posting a single thing about accuracy problems since I know it's not a target gun. I guess it's time to play the waiting game again and see how this is hopefully resolved.

Hey there, I've been following this thread for a little bit and just thought I'd chime in. I'm new to the forums (first post) and I have a FS M&P9 that I purchased a few months back. I really hope they resolve your issue and it slightly makes me paranoid about my FS9. I've been to the range a couple of times but have never pushed it out to 25 yards yet. Really looking forward to your follow-up after you receive your gun back from S&W.

 

[Mikie]

Does this accuracy issue vary with caliber? Is the M&P45 more consistent than the M&P9s and 40s?

 

[Nakanokalronin]

Hey there, I've been following this thread for a little bit and just thought I'd chime in. I'm new to the forums (first post) and I have a FS M&P9 that I purchased a few months back. I really hope they resolve your issue and it slightly makes me paranoid about my FS9. I've been to the range a couple of times but have never pushed it out to 25 yards yet. Really looking forward to your follow-up after you receive your gun back from S&W.

If you're getting good groups now even at 10-15 yards, I'm sure you won't have any problems. The techs have told me a 3" group at 25 yards is what the FS M&Ps in 9mm are suppose to achieve. If you get say 5-6 inch groups at 25 yards, I call that okay in my book. I'm not going to make self defense shots at 25 yards but if you're looking to use it for competition, then it may be a concern.

 

[Failwhale]

If you're getting good groups now even at 10-15 yards, I'm sure you won't have any problems. The techs have told me a 3" group at 25 yards is what the FS M&Ps in 9mm are suppose to achieve. If you get say 5-6 inch groups at 25 yards, I call that okay in my book. I'm not going to make self defense shots at 25 yards but if your looking to use it for competition, then it may be a concern.

Thank you for responding! I plan on doing some range testing soon to see what I can do at 10, 15 and 25 yards. I'm certainly no marksman at this point (this is my first gun). The gun currently for me is for home defense / target shooting. Assuming I should be looking at roughly 2 to 3" or less groups at 10-15 yards? I'm a decent shot but not the greatest so honestly the gun at this point is easily more accurate than I am.

 

[k-dog]

I was hitting bowling pins at 25 yards last night with no problem

 

[Nakanokalronin]

Thank you for responding! I plan on doing some range testing soon to see what I can do at 10, 15 and 25 yards. I'm certainly no marksman at this point (this is my first gun). The gun currently for me is for home defense / target shooting. Assuming I should be looking at roughly 2 to 3" or less groups at 10-15 yards? I'm a decent shot but not the greatest so honestly the gun at this point is easily more accurate than I am.

If it's your first gun, your going to learn basic marksmanship skills such as proper trigger pull, grip, stance, etc, so don't get discouraged with groups until you've got shooting a handgun in general first. Remember that the M&Ps sights are set-up so the front sight covers what your aiming at. Many talk about the M&Ps shooting low but that's because they are lining up the top of the front sight with the middle of the target.

ETA: Dropped off the M&P a few minutes ago and should arrive there Monday morning. Hopefully the turn around time isn't too bad.

 

[Failwhale]

If it's your first gun, your going to learn basic marksmanship skills such as proper trigger pull, grip, stance, etc, so don't get discouraged with groups until you've got shooting a handgun in general first. Remember that the M&Ps sights are set-up so the front sight covers what your aiming at. Many talk about the M&Ps shooting low but that's because they are lining up the top of the front sight with the middle of the target.

ETA: Dropped off the M&P a few minutes ago and should arrive there Monday morning. Hopefully the turn around time isn't too bad.

Thank you for pointing this out I seriously had no idea. This gives me an excuse to go to the range now Thanks again for your help!

 

[Gran Torino]

Long story short I couldn't hit squat with the M&P 9MM Pro Series gun..even with the APEX Competion trigger parts in it. It was really discouraging. I'm not a marksman but have always been able to group most anything I shot.

I got my son out to the range...a die hard Glock guy that competes on a regular basis. He picked it up...shot it 5 times and put 5 rounds within 1" of each other.

He made me aware of the sight picture pointed out here and after months of practice I now have two Pro Series 9's that I can consistanty group within 2" at 25 yards.

 

[Tango 106]

M&P 9 accuracy

I got a new m&p a couple of months ago. The grip, sight picture, low bore axis and trigger were overwhelming in a good way. Perfect reliability with several types of ammo. I did have to get used to the trigger pull, to me the percieved pull was light. I polished the sear, trigger bar loop and firing pin block. It has a tremendous trigger. Accuracy was a puzzle. Poor groups and inconsistent. A close look with a magnifying glass showed "chatter" marks on the barrel crown, and it was easy to see that the crown was not cleanly round. I carefully smoothed out the ragged crown and the accuracy improved greatly. It is very acceptable accuracy for the price.
This is how handguns are marketed these days, poor QC, get them out the door and sale them and then fix the returns that come back. This is why there are so many love/hate issues with most all handguns brands. At least the m&p is reliable.

 

[kodiakpb]

I got a new m&p a couple of months ago. The grip, sight picture, low bore axis and trigger were overwhelming in a good way. Perfect reliability with several types of ammo. I did have to get used to the trigger pull, to me the percieved pull was light. I polished the sear, trigger bar loop and firing pin block. It has a tremendous trigger. Accuracy was a puzzle. Poor groups and inconsistent. A close look with a magnifying glass showed "chatter" marks on the barrel crown, and it was easy to see that the crown was not cleanly round. I carefully smoothed out the ragged crown and the accuracy improved greatly. It is very acceptable accuracy for the price.

Spot on analysis. My experience and observations (barrel crown, accuracy, etc.) have been exactly the same. Although the groups were "acceptable", they were nowhere near the accuracy of my Glocks.

Here was a 12 yard/36 foot group shot standing unsupported onto a 7" paper plate. While it may look acceptable, my Glocks will clover leaf everytime with no crazy flyers that come out of nowhere.

While I have not messed with the crown, I did pick up a factory threaded barrel, so we'll see if there is any difference this weekend. Out of curiosity what did you do to smooth out the crown chatter?

 

[WR Moore]

Remember that the M&Ps sights are set-up so the front sight covers what your aiming at.

.

Ah, that's not the way mine works. May depend upon ammo, grip and your trigger stroke. Now as it happens, that's the way my 5906 shoots 147 gr standard pressure.

 

[1sailor]

This is all pretty interesting because the remarks here are totaly different from those I got on my question (How accurate can the M&P fs be). I had a question regarding the ultimate capable accuracy of the FS models. Of the few responses I got there owners were claiming sub 2" groups at 25 yards to be typical.

 

[Martimus]

Out of curiousity, has anyone tried swapping an after-market barrel into a M&P 9FS with accuracy issues? I know that S&W has "supposedly" resolved the issue for some individual owners by swapping barrels... and I know that some third party barrels are considered as good or better than factory barrels... but has anybody tried doing this to resolve this particular issue?

 

[painter]

Thanks for posting the graphic. Just got the M&P 9c and took a bit to figure out sighting. First time out at father-in-laws house, neither of us could hit paper at 25 to 30yds with 5 shots each. Got worried as i noticed for first time that front sight was placed far left of center of the slide from the factory. Took it to range and put more rounds through it. it got much better with 3" groups at 25yds. the more i shot the better it got. A friend was there with his grand kids, so i let them put a few rounds through it. Each one went through a clip before hitting paper but then found their mark with atleast one bullseye each. I like how the gun feels and now shoots after over 100rds. But am bothered by the positioning of the front sight left of center.
Anyone else have sight issues. Was thinking of sending it in to S&W over that issue. but it shoots straight. what would you do?

 

[painter]

barrel crown

I got a new m&p a couple of months ago. The grip, sight picture, low bore axis and trigger were overwhelming in a good way. Perfect reliability with several types of ammo. I did have to get used to the trigger pull, to me the percieved pull was light. I polished the sear, trigger bar loop and firing pin block. It has a tremendous trigger. Accuracy was a puzzle. Poor groups and inconsistent. A close look with a magnifying glass showed "chatter" marks on the barrel crown, and it was easy to see that the crown was not cleanly round. I carefully smoothed out the ragged crown and the accuracy improved greatly. It is very acceptable accuracy for the price.
This is how handguns are marketed these days, poor QC, get them out the door and sale them and then fix the returns that come back. This is why there are so many love/hate issues with most all handguns brands. At least the m&p is reliable.

I agree with your comment about how handguns are marketed these days.
I have not heard the term barrel crown. I know what crown means on a 2x4 board when culling through them to build a straight wall. Is it simular. can you elaborate on the term and how to identify it? Just curious and want to learn. Thanks!!

 

[painter]

Just wondering where you picked up the factory threaded barrel? Would like to get one myself. New gun laws go into effect here in Oklahoma Nov. 1st regarding suppressors.

 

[PC Geek Shooter]

This is all pretty interesting because the remarks here are totally different from those I got on my question (How accurate can the M&P FS be). I had a question regarding the ultimate capable accuracy of the FS models. Of the few responses I got there owners were claiming sub 2" groups at 25 yards to be typical.

Most of those 9mm's I'm sure were before mid 2010 or so. Saying that there are newer ones for sure that will get 3" and sometimes 2", but those are the exception by and large. The .45's have always been very accurate from what I've read through the years on many other forums. Same goes for the .40's, but there are very few FS .40s that have accuracy problems, but I've read there are some. Nothing that S&W won't fix for you though.

Out of curiosity, has anyone tried swapping an after-market barrel into a M&P 9FS with accuracy issues? I know that S&W has "supposedly" resolved the issue for some individual owners by swapping barrels... and I know that some third party barrels are considered as good or better than factory barrels... but has anybody tried doing this to resolve this particular issue?

I assume most aftermarket barrels are just a little bit bigger and have less play. I know that Grant from G&RTactical is getting __Oversized__ barrels from Storm Lake that they will ONLY allow him to install. They have to be custom fitted to the slide, that's how he's been getting 1" to sub 1" groups. He's charging $200 with it fitted, which is a good price, but then again you shouldn't have to do this either. I know if the M&P 9 FS were coming out of the factory getting 2" groups there would still be people paying for 1" and below groups, but it wouldn't be many. Apparently custom fit over-sized barrels is what the S&W Pro shooters have been getting for years for the M&P's, and I assume any gun they get that's not a revolver.

Now hopefully Apex's new locking block will make most 9mm FS's the way they should of been from the factory. I'm sure it'll make the M&P9C a little bit better, but I'm not 100% sure on this. I'd assume it'd make the .40's tighten up the groups a little bit more.

Let's hope in the future that S&W will have lasers on the mfg line that will read the dimensions of the whole slide down to 10,000's of an inch and also the barrel. Then they'll have to program a way of trying to match the slide to the barrel as best as they can. I'm sure it would improve the accuracy on all of the guns that are produced. Now if they also addressed the dwell time in the M&P 9 FS it would make them more accurate right away, but if they also did the laser matching it would be very, very accurate I'd assume. I'm sure it wouldn't be cheap, but maybe if they do an upgrade in 5-10 years they might look into something like this. First step is fixing the issue with the dwell time right away. It'd be nice if Apex could license the new locking block to S&W and if you'd call them with your M&P9 FS you'd get one. Maybe for your M&P9C and M&P40 FS you'd have to pay a little money for one.

I've been waiting to purchase a new M&P9 FS from Grant, which I guess the barrels won't be ready until end of this month at the earlies or probably mid August. I've been looking on local AL postings and keep coming across G17 and G19 Gen4's. I shot a G17 G4 but it had the FTE issues a lot. It was very annoying. I'd much rather have 6" groups out to 25 yards with the M&P9 FS (which I think is very unacceptable though) than 9mm Gen4 FTE issues which can really ruin your day if your defending yourself. Was a good deal on the G17 Gen4 for $450, but still couldn't bite since just don't know if you'll run into the FTE issue right away or from what I've read it's more prone to happen after 1200 rounds or so.

I just wish I knew the estimated price on the Apex locking block, if it was $25-30 shipped then I'd just pick up a used M&P9 FS and be done with it. Since their stuff is generally pretty expensive, then that's why I'm very heavily leaning towards the $200 custom fit barrel. Why I'm willing to wait to get a new one from Grant is so I don't have to pay SH back and forth for the slide, so I'd save $25-30. Then again I assume you could do USPS though, but haven't looked into that though, then it'd be a lot cheaper than that.

Oh I forgot, I would sell the Glock Gen4 once I knew if I'd go the Apex locking block direction or the G&RTactical one. Even though I just might get a M&P9 FS that does shoot good enough (under 2.5" to 25 yds). I will eventually start shooting out that far.

 

[jgreiner]

I'm picking up on tidbits concerning accuracy issues with the 9mm, searches aren't yielding much valuable info tho.
Are there any issues?

The rear site on mine was way off center when I got it...moved it...and now at 10 yards, I can shoot the center X out of the silhouette target.

I also added an inexpensive Sig Sauer laser site to it...for night work. (I have the 5" Pro)

 

[kodiakpb]

Just wondering where you picked up the factory threaded barrel? Would like to get one myself. New gun laws go into effect here in Oklahoma Nov. 1st regarding suppressors.

I picked it up from Gunbroker.