Positive Magazine Insertion

[hlpressley]

OK guys I have had my M&P 9FS for a few weeks now and I absolutely love the gun despite being a Ruger fan for many years. It has quickly became my favorite centerfire pistol. I liked it so much that I decided to pick up a 9C to possibly take the place of my SR9C which is my CC gun that I carry everyday. After getting the gun home it seems to be somewhat difficult to get the magazines to lock in. This has never been a problem with the FS as that is one of the many things that I liked about it. The magazine will go in and it snaps but you almost have to slam it in. Is this a common problem?

Thanks in advance for the help.

 

[insomniac]

is this with a full mag and the slide forward?

how about with the slide locked back?

we need more info.

 

[Lost Lake]

You should try to put a full mag in my 3913!!! I'm a strong guy and I really have to push hard!

 

[hlpressley]

is this with a full mag and the slide forward?

how about with the slide locked back?

we need more info.

Yes, it is with a full mag, one chambered and the slide forward.

 

[Houdini1953]

If you are inserting a magazine after unloading one in a self defense situation, you should slam it with force, all M&P are service or duty weapons and fully capable of taking abuse.

In some weapons this might cause what is called auto forward when after slamming the magazine home the slide goes into full battery and is ready for the next shot without need for slingshotting the slide. I personally find this a plus but there is not universal agreement on this phenomenon.

Slamming the mag home when changing is not bad at all and as far as I am concerned should be standard practice!

 

[insomniac]

Yes, it is with a full mag, one chambered and the slide forward.

with the slide forward, the disconnector rail in the slide will push the top round down into the mag a few mm's when the mag is inserted. if the follower is hard against the floor of the mag, or if the mag spring has gone solid, it can sometimes be very difficult to insert a full mag.

try unloading one round from the mag and see if that makes it easier.

 

[DocSunShine]

All of my M&Ps are stiff putting a full mag in with 1 in the pipe. The shield is the worst followed by the compact, the 2 full size aren't bad.

 

[WR Moore]

, the disconnector rail in the slide will push the top round down into the mag a few mm's when the mag is inserted. ...............try unloading one round from the mag and see if that makes it easier.

"Disconnector rail" is a unique label for the part of the breech that strips the rounds from the magazine. I don't believe I've ever heard the term before. BTW, it also has absolutely nothing to do with the disconnector on the M&P series.

The suggestion to download the mag, or actually not topping it off after loading the chamber, is a good one. The magazines will ease up considerably after some use-several hundred rounds worth.

 

[SMMAssociates]

WR Moore:

"Disconnector rail" i what it's called in a 1911....

The trick is to "don't do that" ....

Seriously, the magazine springs in new magazines seem to be exceptionally stiff in the M&P line. Store fully loaded magazines for a few weeks and the spring will take a bit of a set, basically solving the problem.

Meantime, load from a full magazine with the slide open, and don't try to top it off for a few weeks.

It will get easier, although it will take a while.

(After a couple weeks, you should be able to top the mag off and reinsert it over a closed slide, but it'll still be a bit of a fight for a while longer.)

This thing still has a disconnector, btw, but it's a little bitty cam cut in the slide. I'm too lazy to look to see if a rail-like thing is there or not .... Certainly doesn't do the same job.

Back in 2004, I bought a new Para Tac-Four (sort of a double-stack Commander - .45ACP, 13+1), and had just the opposite problem. Pre-ban magazines and springs appeared magically (as the ban had just ended) but the springs were on the ragged edge of too soft. Just the opposite problem, more or less....

Regards,

 

[WR Moore]

I worked on 1911s for decades and never heard the term (or at least I don't recall hearing the term). Learn something everyday.

However, it still doesn't have anything to do with the M&P disconnector. And no, in the .40/.357 the rail almost doesn't exist. There's only a wee stub at the breech face to strip rounds. The engineers worked hard to get 15 rounds in the mag and yes, they're a cast iron son of a gun to load and seat for awhile.

 

[insomniac]

"Disconnector rail" is what it's called in a 1911....

The trick is to "don't do that" ....

sorry, i should not use 1911 teminology around here

 

[SMMAssociates]

WR Moore:

I think that's a bit of an obscure term.... It also whacks the hammer back (when you consider the bottom of the firing pin stop as part of that rail) during recoil, to cock it for the next shot.

One of those things a 1911 guy should figure out in a couple seconds if it's quiet ....

(Finding - for me, at least - the little cam cut in the slide that does the disconnect thing in the M&P - moves the trigger bar sideways - was a bit of a WHAT?! for me, too.)

insomniac:

I'm not going to complain about 1911 terminology.... I keep calling the "USB" a "drop safety". Nobody's complained yet, but it's early this week ....

Regards,

 

[MP1SG]

hlpressley
These threads usually end up in a forum war between two obviously very knowledgeable firearms experts. SO to answer your question, Load the mag to capacity, lock the slide to the insert loaded mag, sling shot the slide forward. take the mag out and top off. reinsert the fully loaded mag again. and let it sit for a day, I gurantee u in a few hours it will loosen up

 

[SMMAssociates]

MP1SG:

As one of those "experts" ....

You're correct....

Some of the guys can't get the new magazine into the gun at all when it's full and the slide is closed, though. For them, don't top the mag off when carrying. Just close the slide over a full magazine and put it in your holster. But DO store the magazine (top it off when putting it on the shelf) fully loaded for a while. It'll come around pretty quickly.

Since you may be handling (reloading) the gun more than usual, be very careful with overall length of the round if it's a .40.... They don't like getting slammed around too much, and the ball can set back into the case sometimes. Toss those, or use a puller and reload them again. (Or so I'm told .)

Regards,