I bought a new M&P9c and noticed that the slide release will not disengage the slide from its locked back position with a simple press of the thumb as in most other semi-autos. I have to press quite hard with two fingers to get it to release. Now this not much of an issue for me because I prefer to use my weak hand to come over the top of the slide to pull and release it. I was just wondering if anyone else out there has had this issue with their M&P's and if there is a fix for it. Incidently, I have already fired about 500 rounds during break in and no resolution.
M&P9c slide release issue
- Thread starter TexasJHP
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This seems to be a common complaint. Keep in mind that that it was not designed as a release, only as a slide lock/stop. M&P manual says to rack as you do to release the slide. Some say that the lock gets easier to disengage over time and use.
Keystone70
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I have the same problem with the 9c. My regular 9 is fine.
stev32k
Member
My 9c has the same problem. However, I have found that if you give the slide a quick pull back and press the slide release at the same time it releases quite easy.
P.S. It took me a few times before I got the hang of it, now it's real easy to close the slide.
P.S. It took me a few times before I got the hang of it, now it's real easy to close the slide.
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Keystone70
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That is the same as racking the slide which I'm sure a lot of us are doing, anyway.
Houdini1953
Member
Some semi autos do have what they refer to as a slide release, but with M&P's what you would think is a slide release is actually referred to as a SLIDE STOP if you will look at your owners manual you will note this fact. The normal method of cocking and chambering a round is to pull back on the slide and let it go, also referred to as racking the slide, this is how you are told to in the manual of the M&P firearms!
Keystone70
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If you are in a real Life and death situation and needed to change mags, the ability to use the Slide Stop/Release as soon as you insert the new mag with the other hand would be faster. That is how I was taught in the NRA PPOTH course just recently.
stev32k
Member
With the slide open if you insert a new mag with rounds the release is easy. The hard release only happens if there is no mag installed or if the mag is empty.
Most will auto-forward if you slap the mag in..
There is no slide release on an M&P......
Keystone70
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Most will auto-forward if you slap the mag in..
There is no slide release on an M&P......
Ocassionally, but not usually in my case. I have found that to happen more with my fs 9 than my 9c.
1bdvet
US Veteran
I also have no problems with my Pro, but with Compact, the fingers aren't strong enough to release the slide. I also have the Shield with no issues.
CrossRifles2008
Member
Its a slide stop and a common mistake among M&P newbies. One I am guilty of myself. Stop trying to do it, all you will possibly do is damage the slide stop.
This issue has nothing to do with pushing against an empty magazine follower, nor will the M&P9c slide bounce forward on it's own when a new mag is seated vigorously. I'm closely familiar with two M&P9c's, both of which have this issue, and taught transition to the M&P9 full size for 50 police officers, all of which dropped the slide easily with a pull on the slide "stop"(release). I don't have a solution yet, but thjis seems to be an inherant issue with the compact.
SoCalDep
Member
There's a lot of cool-aid in this thread.
As I have said in the past...S&W can call the darn thing a squirrel and it is still a slide stop and a slide release. It is even serrated on the top to assist in pushing down. It is located in the same spot, and functions in exactly the same manner as slide releases have since the 1911 and before.
The use of the slide stop/slide release/squirrel button will not wear out any more than any other semi-automatic pistol. I can say this having put well over 50,000 rounds through various M&Ps, working with fellow instructors who have fired similar, if not higher number of rounds, and training hundreds of recruits and in-service personnel. My department is in the process of a conversion of potentially over 9,000 deputies. We were never told not to use the slide-stop/release/squirrel button as a slide release.
Use extreme caution taking advice, let alone Gospel from the internet.
For those M&Ps that have exceptionally hard-to-release slide stop/release/squirrel buttons, we simply tell the deputy to practice with it for a while and it eventually works in...If they want to use it as opposed to the overhand rack/power-stroke.
As I have said in the past...S&W can call the darn thing a squirrel and it is still a slide stop and a slide release. It is even serrated on the top to assist in pushing down. It is located in the same spot, and functions in exactly the same manner as slide releases have since the 1911 and before.
The use of the slide stop/slide release/squirrel button will not wear out any more than any other semi-automatic pistol. I can say this having put well over 50,000 rounds through various M&Ps, working with fellow instructors who have fired similar, if not higher number of rounds, and training hundreds of recruits and in-service personnel. My department is in the process of a conversion of potentially over 9,000 deputies. We were never told not to use the slide-stop/release/squirrel button as a slide release.
Use extreme caution taking advice, let alone Gospel from the internet.
For those M&Ps that have exceptionally hard-to-release slide stop/release/squirrel buttons, we simply tell the deputy to practice with it for a while and it eventually works in...If they want to use it as opposed to the overhand rack/power-stroke.
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Rpg
Member
I suspect that the underlying problem has to do with the tactical use of the pistol.
I don't ever want to shoot a pistol 'dry' so it is totally empty. I want to change magazinese while there is still a round in the chamber and one in the magazine. The first because an empty gun does you no good. The second because the weight of a cartridge In the magazine helps drop the magazine free for reload.
Once reloaded, there is no fussying about chambering a new round via slide release. It's already loaded. I can't remember a time when I used slide release in string of fire.
I think these issues arise from operator error: shooting the gun dry! A big no no.
If you are shooting your gun dry, you aren't handling it properly. Slide release issues arrisre when you make a mistake. And find yourself with an empty. Locked open pistol. bad situation
Like most bad situations , better to avoid it and its easy to do.
Of course , you have to count your shots !
E.
E
I don't ever want to shoot a pistol 'dry' so it is totally empty. I want to change magazinese while there is still a round in the chamber and one in the magazine. The first because an empty gun does you no good. The second because the weight of a cartridge In the magazine helps drop the magazine free for reload.
Once reloaded, there is no fussying about chambering a new round via slide release. It's already loaded. I can't remember a time when I used slide release in string of fire.
I think these issues arise from operator error: shooting the gun dry! A big no no.
If you are shooting your gun dry, you aren't handling it properly. Slide release issues arrisre when you make a mistake. And find yourself with an empty. Locked open pistol. bad situation
Like most bad situations , better to avoid it and its easy to do.
Of course , you have to count your shots !
E.
E
Rpg
Member
I suspect that the underlying problem has to do with the tactical use of the pistol.
I don't ever want to shoot a pistol 'dry' so it is totally empty. I want to change magazinese while there is still a round in the chamber and one in the magazine. The first because an empty gun does you no good. The second because the weight of a cartridge In the magazine helps drop the magazine free for reload.
Once reloaded, there is no fussying about chambering a new round via slide brelease. It's already loaded. I can't remember a time when I used slide release in string of fire.
I think these issues arise from operator error: shooting the gun dry! A big no no.
If you are shooting your gun dry, you aren't handling it properly. Slide release issues arrisre when you make a mistake. And find yourself with an empty. Locked open pistol. bad situation
Like most bad situations , better to void!
E.
E
I don't ever want to shoot a pistol 'dry' so it is totally empty. I want to change magazinese while there is still a round in the chamber and one in the magazine. The first because an empty gun does you no good. The second because the weight of a cartridge In the magazine helps drop the magazine free for reload.
Once reloaded, there is no fussying about chambering a new round via slide brelease. It's already loaded. I can't remember a time when I used slide release in string of fire.
I think these issues arise from operator error: shooting the gun dry! A big no no.
If you are shooting your gun dry, you aren't handling it properly. Slide release issues arrisre when you make a mistake. And find yourself with an empty. Locked open pistol. bad situation
Like most bad situations , better to void!
E.
E
Rpg
Member
I suspect that the underlying problem has to do with the tactical use of the pistol.
I don't ever want to shoot a pistol 'dry' so it is totally empty. I want to change magazinese while there is still a round in the chamber and one in the magazine. The first because an empty gun does you no good. The second because the weight of a cartridge In the magazine helps drop the magazine free for reload.
Once reloaded, there is no fussying about chambering a new round via slide brelease. It's already loaded. I can't remember a time when I used slide release in string of fire.
I think these issues arise from operator error: shooting the gun dry! A big no no.
If you are shooting your gun dry, you aren't handling it properly. Slide release issues arrisre when you make a mistake. And find yourself with an empty. Locked open pistol. bad situation
Like most bad situations , better to void!
E.
E
I don't ever want to shoot a pistol 'dry' so it is totally empty. I want to change magazinese while there is still a round in the chamber and one in the magazine. The first because an empty gun does you no good. The second because the weight of a cartridge In the magazine helps drop the magazine free for reload.
Once reloaded, there is no fussying about chambering a new round via slide brelease. It's already loaded. I can't remember a time when I used slide release in string of fire.
I think these issues arise from operator error: shooting the gun dry! A big no no.
If you are shooting your gun dry, you aren't handling it properly. Slide release issues arrisre when you make a mistake. And find yourself with an empty. Locked open pistol. bad situation
Like most bad situations , better to void!
E.
E
Atticaz
Member
I am not in law enforcement and have never been in the military. But, I practice tactical reloads. What is written above it what I believe in, in a SHTF situation. I don't think (I mean I pray) that I will ever be in a situation were I will need to use this training or use my pistol at all. But, it's good to have. As for the catch/release/squirrel lever, koolaid be damned, I believe it's a slide catch. It can be used as a release, if you're strong enough and like the hassle. There is no problem with slingshotting the slide into battery. If you do run dry, in the heat of stress, remember that fine motor skills suffer. Having owned the Beretta Nano before this pistol (Shield 9), I am very familiar with slingshotting the slide.
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I too have a stiff squirrel catch on my 9c, but to be honest, I really don't know which method I use to close the slide after a reload. I have strong hands and I can use the lever as a release, but it is tough. I also just rack the slide (I think), but then again while shooting, my concentration is on the target and the only thing I am consciously aware of (as far as the reload goes) is if my weapon is in battery and ready, or if it is not. I guess that having shot for over 35 years, I just got so used to "just doing," that I forgot WHAT I was doing 
I guess that my opinion in the matter, is that it is not a squirrel lever issue, it is a training issue.
I guess that my opinion in the matter, is that it is not a squirrel lever issue, it is a training issue.
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CA Escapee
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There are a lot of changes that take place in your body when under the stress of a life and death situation. Time seems to slow down, you get tunnel vision, and you loose your fine motor skills.
I've always heard that trying to place your finger on a slide lock lever is a fine motor skill that may not be there when you need it. Gripping the slide with all four fingers and a thumb is more of a course motor skill.
Regarding how hard one has to press down on an M&P slide lock lever, I have owned two full size M&P .40's and a compact .40. I could press the slide lock lever on all three to release the slide, but grip the rear of the slide and slingshot it into battery. I have a friend with a full size M&P 9mm and he can't press the slide lock lever to release the slide.
Bill
SoCalDep
Member
Several firearms trainers advocate the closed-slide speed reload. (Dropping a mag and loading when the mag is mostly depleted but rounds are still in the gun). I think it is a valid technique in specific circumstances but as with any technique it has its drawbacks. In the middle of a shooting, when the suspect and good guy are moving, looking for cover, trying to react to each others actions, dealing with the fear of potential death, etc., trying to count rounds becomes very difficult. It is well documented that many individuals involved in shootings have no idea how many rounds they fired...Some believe they fired a certain amount but it was actually many more. I recently ran an solid performing student through our shoot house. He engaged each target in the close confines of the house with five rounds, making good, solid hits. After the drill I commented how I was impressed by his decision to engage with multiple rounds rather than the old-school double-tap/assess. He said he trained and planned to shoot them each three times because two might not be enough. I said "so you shot them each three times?" He said "Yes". I said "So you didn't realize you shot each target five times?" He said he thought he shot each one three times. He admitted part of the reason he went empty when he didn't want to was because he didn't think he had fired as many rounds as he did.
Any form of "offensive reload" such as a tactical reload, reload with retention, slide-forward speed reload, etc., are almost never conducted in the middle of a gunfight... They are conducted after the shooting, or during a lull in the gunfight IF the person has significant training. The vast majority of the time the firearm will be shot until the threat has been neutralized or the weapon is out of ammunition. This has been supported by force-on-force training as well as documented shootings. If one never trains for their gun running out of ammunition they are failing to train for a very likely result of a real shooting incident...Especially if they are using a lower-capacity handgun.
The fine-motor skill issue is true, but one must remember that pulling a trigger is also a fine motor skill. Landing an airliner in the Hudson river is pretty stressful and requires all sorts of fine motor skill. This is why training is so important. One must train such that the technique-based response in a stressful situation is familiar and can be accomplished without advanced thought. Hitting the slide release is simply not that difficult when one thinks of all the things one must do in a gun fight. My department has a significant number of shootings to support these contentions.
We put sights on our guns knowing that under stress pupils dilate and close-range vision, and thus front-sight focus, becomes difficult. We overcome this problem through training and stress inoculation.
There is nothing wrong with the overhand/powerstroke loading method. It is one of the options we currently teach. In fact, I prefer the option for most shooters. I have used the slide release so many times it is automatic. I have to "think" to use the overhand method.
I just think it's funny that people buy into the idea that a manufacturer can put a device on a firearm that has been used for the same purpose for a hundred years, call it something else, and people just go along with the idea it isn't the same thing it was before.
A break pedal will apply the breaks no matter what it is called. A trigger will fire the gun no matter what it is called. If they put a lever on the gun with serrations on top to assist with downward motion and if that downward motion releases the slide it is, by definition, a slide release... No matter what it is called.
Any form of "offensive reload" such as a tactical reload, reload with retention, slide-forward speed reload, etc., are almost never conducted in the middle of a gunfight... They are conducted after the shooting, or during a lull in the gunfight IF the person has significant training. The vast majority of the time the firearm will be shot until the threat has been neutralized or the weapon is out of ammunition. This has been supported by force-on-force training as well as documented shootings. If one never trains for their gun running out of ammunition they are failing to train for a very likely result of a real shooting incident...Especially if they are using a lower-capacity handgun.
The fine-motor skill issue is true, but one must remember that pulling a trigger is also a fine motor skill. Landing an airliner in the Hudson river is pretty stressful and requires all sorts of fine motor skill. This is why training is so important. One must train such that the technique-based response in a stressful situation is familiar and can be accomplished without advanced thought. Hitting the slide release is simply not that difficult when one thinks of all the things one must do in a gun fight. My department has a significant number of shootings to support these contentions.
We put sights on our guns knowing that under stress pupils dilate and close-range vision, and thus front-sight focus, becomes difficult. We overcome this problem through training and stress inoculation.
There is nothing wrong with the overhand/powerstroke loading method. It is one of the options we currently teach. In fact, I prefer the option for most shooters. I have used the slide release so many times it is automatic. I have to "think" to use the overhand method.
I just think it's funny that people buy into the idea that a manufacturer can put a device on a firearm that has been used for the same purpose for a hundred years, call it something else, and people just go along with the idea it isn't the same thing it was before.
A break pedal will apply the breaks no matter what it is called. A trigger will fire the gun no matter what it is called. If they put a lever on the gun with serrations on top to assist with downward motion and if that downward motion releases the slide it is, by definition, a slide release... No matter what it is called.
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Jyezahn
US Veteran
The simple answer is: use two fingers to do it a couple of times, then it becomes easier. I had to use two fingers on my 40c at first, but once the edge is smoothed out, it becomes easier. And NO, this doesn't hinder the ability of the slide stop no matter how much people here will tell you.
Bkreutz
US Veteran
I'm of the school that uses the slide "lock button" to release the slide, just the way I learned and have been doing it a long time. I release the slide with my off hand when starting a combat course but use the release during the stage. When I first got my FS9, the button was a little stiff but loosened up quickly with use. When I got a 9c, I couldn't release the slide with two fingers pushing as hard as I could
, looking at the release I could see a little "hook" on the lock point, I knocked it off with a stone and it works normally now. Recently I got a 9 Pro Core and the release felt like it had a thousand rounds through it. Conclusion... they're all different but after use (or filing) they smooth out.
, looking at the release I could see a little "hook" on the lock point, I knocked it off with a stone and it works normally now. Recently I got a 9 Pro Core and the release felt like it had a thousand rounds through it. Conclusion... they're all different but after use (or filing) they smooth out.rsrocket1
Member
Well, I hope you are pressing down and not in on the slide lock lever. It is made to manually lock the slide back when you don't have an empty magazine in the gun. To close the slide you are supposed to pull the slide back, then release. You are not supposed to use the slide lock lever as a slide release lever.
How do I know? After 2 years and over 600 "slide release" actions, (6000+ rounds) mine broke off in the middle of a session. Fortunately, the other side still worked so I could keep shooting. After getting a warranty shipping label from S&W and 3.5 weeks, I got my baby back with a new slide lock lever installed. I would have rather replaced it myself but they required me to send it in. I later found out that the part was only $11, so you might want to have an extra in your shtf kit.
I'm used to the single handed "slide release" method of closing the slide after inserting a fresh mag, but I'll be changing my routine in the future.
How do I know? After 2 years and over 600 "slide release" actions, (6000+ rounds) mine broke off in the middle of a session. Fortunately, the other side still worked so I could keep shooting. After getting a warranty shipping label from S&W and 3.5 weeks, I got my baby back with a new slide lock lever installed. I would have rather replaced it myself but they required me to send it in. I later found out that the part was only $11, so you might want to have an extra in your shtf kit.
I'm used to the single handed "slide release" method of closing the slide after inserting a fresh mag, but I'll be changing my routine in the future.
SoCalDep
Member
I have over 30,000 rounds out of one M&P, between 8,000 - 10,000 rounds out of another, and probably around 3,000 through a third (newest revision). I'm certified by S&W as an M&P armorer and have taught hundreds of recruits on the M&P and nearly thousands of deputies who have either been issued or personally purchased an M&P. No broken slide stop/slide-release/squirrel buttons. We have had some on our test M&P45s, and I am aware it has happened on occasion on the 9mm versions, but on all our high-round count guns, it hasn't happened, so I'm going to contend it's either based on the type of strain put on the release by certain shooting styles, or it's a flaw in the metallurgy or manufacturing of a certain percentage of parts.
My partner, who had over 60,000 rounds through one of our range M&Ps with no change in recoil spring split a barrel, then when sent back to S&W they found the frame had been literally destroyed by the slide smashing against the frame with the worn spring. In all that shooting, using the slide stop/slide lock/slide release/squirrel button, it never broke.
I am aware of some of these parts breaking. That's why S&W has beefed up the part in the most recent revision of the pistol's design.
Say what you want... To close the slide you are "supposed" to do what you have trained to do...Rack the slide like people have been doing for over a hundred years, or hitting the slide release, like people have been doing for over a hundred years. Just because S&W calls it something different doesn't negate the reality of the device.
My partner, who had over 60,000 rounds through one of our range M&Ps with no change in recoil spring split a barrel, then when sent back to S&W they found the frame had been literally destroyed by the slide smashing against the frame with the worn spring. In all that shooting, using the slide stop/slide lock/slide release/squirrel button, it never broke.
I am aware of some of these parts breaking. That's why S&W has beefed up the part in the most recent revision of the pistol's design.
Say what you want... To close the slide you are "supposed" to do what you have trained to do...Rack the slide like people have been doing for over a hundred years, or hitting the slide release, like people have been doing for over a hundred years. Just because S&W calls it something different doesn't negate the reality of the device.
Most will auto-forward if you slap the mag in..
There is no slide release on an M&P......
Ran about 8 mags through my 9c Friday. Every single one had the slide go forward and chamber a round without any further manipulation. Was pretty sweet.
