Mags won't drop freely

[drdoc]

DanTana,

First I started with just checking the mags. All were working OK. I could feel that they were sticking a tiny bit, but they still fell free. I could hear them laughing at me saying, "Watch, we'll work now, but when he gets to the range we'll all stick.

Rastoff,
I went through this with a CZ PCR, where the problem wasn't consistent. It turned out to be the rubber grips binding the magazines. That's not relevant to your M&P, of course, but the diagnostic might be.

I coated both the magazine well and a magazine pretty heavily with smoke from a candle. Gently inserted the magazine and then released it. The marks in the soot show where the magazine makes contact with the frame.

(You can get water-soluble "spotting ink" that will do a better job, but I already had a candle....)

I had to repeat a few times to figure out what was supposed to rub and what wasn't, but it did show me where I needed to file & fiddle.


Doc

 

[Rastoff]

Doc,
That technique is actually called a "lamp black" process. Gun smiths have been using it for centuries when hand fitting parts together. They us an oil lamp and set the flame to produce a really sooty flame. Then they coat the parts with soot, put them together and take them apart. They they sand down the shiny spots. Repeat process until everything fits perfectly.

It's more difficult to do inside a mag well, but it can work. It's not a bad idea.

 

[drdoc]

Doc,
That technique is actually called a "lamp black" process. Gun smiths have been using it for centuries when hand fitting parts together. They us an oil lamp and set the flame to produce a really sooty flame. Then they coat the parts with soot, put them together and take them apart. They they sand down the shiny spots. Repeat process until everything fits perfectly.

It's more difficult to do inside a mag well, but it can work. It's not a bad idea.

Augh, thanks! I kept thinking it's "candle black" and I knew that's not it....


Doc

 

[mtnrider]

I am having issues with my M&P 9 not dropping mags. Sent it back in November. Came back just before Christmas and same problem. Threw it in the safe and came back a few days later and they were dropping fine. Went to the range a week later and all mags sticking again? I finally realized what was going on. My frame is contracting in the cold. When it's in the house and above 70 they drop fine, take it outside for 5 minutes in 40 degree weather and the mag well tightens up and they won't drop. I proved in several times by taking it outside of throwing it in the freezer for a couple minutes. Every time it's say below 50's the mags start getting stuck.

I have the Cabela's FDE model and have heard that this tan version of the frame may be "softer" then the black one. I can actually squeeze the grip with a mild amount of force and cause the mags to stick as well.

 

[Mr. Satchmo]

I previously had 2 magazines, one stuck and the other dropped freely, I bought a new one today and it also drops freely. It doesn't matter if I have a full magazine, that specific magazine that I have still sticks, it might be worth it for me to send it back to S&W to see if they replace it. I believe in my case it's an isolated magazine issue and nothing with the firearm itself

 

[uechikid]

Here is a video that shows the follower slipping off the tab on the mag stop/release. This might not be the whole problem but it looks like mine does the same thing, most of the time.
How to fix the magazine drop free for M&P 9 - YouTube

 

[Rastoff]

Here is a video that shows the follower slipping off the tab on the mag stop/release. This might not be the whole problem but it looks like mine does the same thing, most of the time.
How to fix the magazine drop free for M&P 9 - YouTube

DO NOT FOLLOW THE ADVICE GIVEN IN THAT VIDEO!!!

Here is the problem he's having:

This is what it's supposed to look like:

That corner of the mag follower is what locks the slide back after the last round. If you grind it off, all you're doing it ensuring the slide won't lock back.

Yes, it's a problem and the slide stop should not ride on the side like I showed in the first picture. The fix for this is not grinding on the follower, but getting the new, redesigned one. Call S&W and they will send you a new one for free. They sent me two.

 

[Booboo357]

I know one of the shooters at S&W. He told me that the new guns they are making for California, that the mags only drop a little,then you have to pull the mags out of the gun. He said that's the only state that makes them do that. I don't know if it's some new regulation or what.
I guess California thinks it will take longer to reload and a bad guy can't do as much damage or something.
I'm not sure if that's what is going on with your gun or not.

 

[uechikid]

DO NOT FOLLOW THE ADVICE GIVEN IN THAT VIDEO!!!

Here is the problem he's having:

This is what it's supposed to look like:

That corner of the mag follower is what locks the slide back after the last round. If you grind it off, all you're doing it ensuring the slide won't lock back.

Yes, it's a problem and the slide stop should not ride on the side like I showed in the first picture. The fix for this is not grinding on the follower, but getting the new, redesigned one. Call S&W and they will send you a new one for free. They sent me two.

Thanks Rastoff. I wasn't going to start cutting my followers. But, they only stick when the follower slips off the slide stop lever.

 

[Rastoff]

I know one of the shooters at S&W. He told me that the new guns they are making for California, that the mags only drop a little,then you have to pull the mags out of the gun. He said that's the only state that makes them do that. I don't know if it's some new regulation or what.

Well, either your friend doesn't work for S&W or he is just ignorant in general. There is no requirement, in any state, for such a design. S&W does not make guns that only drop the mag a little intentionally.

If the mags do that it's a design or manufacturing flaw.

 

[Monte Verde]

A little "Armor All" on the mags and mag well will help.

 

[Booboo357]

Well, either your friend doesn't work for S&W or he is just ignorant in general. There is no requirement, in any state, for such a design. S&W does not make guns that only drop the mag a little intentionally.

If the mags do that it's a design or manufacturing flaw.

He told me he's notice this on the California compliant guns he's been shooting. He was sending the guns back telling them there was a problem with the mags not dropping all the way out. They told him it wasn't a problem it was suppose to do that.

It may not be a state requirement, but I don't know why S&W would tell him it wasn't a problem and why it is only happening on California compliant guns.

I was complaining about the triggers and mag safety on Mass compliant guns. That's when he told me about the mags on California guns.

 

[Rastoff]

He told me he's notice this on the California compliant guns he's been shooting.

Technically this is a misnomer. The only feature on the M&P guns that CA requires is the mag disconnect. Since this is not specific to CA, mag disconnects are just part of the normal line up, there technically aren't any M&Ps made specifically for CA.

Anyway, the mags are supposed to drop free. I have no doubt that someone inside S&W told him that. Ignorance is everywhere. However, if it were true, why would S&W tell me to send mine back for repair?

As far as I know, the only manufacturer to ever make a magazine that intentionally didn't just drop out was Glock. The Gen 1 Glock magazines didn't drop out because they thought it would help the user keep the magazine. It worked, but made reloads slow. So, they changed the design of the mag.

 

[Booboo357]

there technically aren't any M&Ps made specifically for CA.

Just look at the Smith catalog, there are CA. compliant M&Ps. The Shield sku#187021 is just one example. Heck that is the only shield I see with what they call the Tactile Loaded Chamber Indicator on it. It may not be required but it's only on the CA compliant model.

All I know is he said he was sending them all back and they told him not to. I don't know if they were just being lazy or what. But I wouldn't think S&W would risk sending them all out just to have them returned.

I know they been making changes this year on the guns. I was buying a M&P40c and on this yrs gun the MA. compliant M&P40c has the mag disconnect safety sku 109253. Last yrs M&P40c didn't. That's how we started talking about it.

 

[Rastoff]

Yeah, sorry, forgot about the Shield. That's the only one that's truly a CA gun. Anyway, the mag drop issue is simply a defect.

 

[Booboo357]

I'm not even sure what gun it was.All he said was California and I didn't ask.
Most of them are dropping off the Ca. list anyway from what I have been reading.

 

[Mr. Satchmo]

I contacted S&W about my
Magazine not dropping freely and the rep told me to send it in for replacement at their expense. I own two other magazines that drop freely as they should, I'm hoping I get a new one back shortly. I remembering reading that another guy received a second free magazine for his troubles, maybe I'll get lucky.

 

[Mr. Satchmo]

S&W really delivered, I sent my magazine in a week ago and today I got a brand new one that works properly, thank you S&W for the super quick turnaround

 

[pixfella58]

I have several M&P's and never experienced that until I purchased an M&P9L C.O.R.E. The mags would come out about an inch then had to be pulled out. I sent it to S&W and just got it back last week and according to the work order they replaced the mag catch and deburred the parting lines in the mag well. It works perfectly now. Just my .02

 

[George9]

Ya not so hard to do at all even in the mag well take off the slide first.. you could use a candle for some things but with the oil lamp if you turn it up a but it will soot like craze so you can keep your frame away from it.. I would hit the inner mag well with a light color primer paint just a little.. Use something that you can get off the gun with gun scrub.. Soot the mag well and then slide in the mag one time.. This will give the place to take down I would use some files test and do it again if needed.. it's not going to take much .. I have never done this for fitting a mag but I would if I had too.. I don't like sending guns back for work.. George


Doc,
That technique is actually called a "lamp black" process. Gun smiths have been using it for centuries when hand fitting parts together. They us an oil lamp and set the flame to produce a really sooty flame. Then they coat the parts with soot, put them together and take them apart. They they sand down the shiny spots. Repeat process until everything fits perfectly.

It's more difficult to do inside a mag well, but it can work. It's not a bad idea