Common Problems and Solutions
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Gritty Trigger
That was quick. I'll get it rolling.
Problem: Gritty Trigger (probably the No. 1 compliant)
Solution(s): Lube the trigger bar and firing pin safety where these two parts bear on each other. Or, have a trigger job/polishing done.
Edited to show problem in the subject line. Buckshot
That was quick. I'll get it rolling.
Problem: Gritty Trigger (probably the No. 1 compliant)
Solution(s): Lube the trigger bar and firing pin safety where these two parts bear on each other. Or, have a trigger job/polishing done.
Edited to show problem in the subject line. Buckshot
Loose Sights
Issue seems to be with the first batch of 9mms with the dovetails cut too large. Send it back to S&W for a new slide.
Magazines Popping out on their own.
Issue has been reported mainly with .40 in earlier serial numbers. Send it back to S&W for a frame replacement.
RollPins walking out
This issue was with preproduction M&P .40s and some very early models.
Broken strikers or light strikes
Send it to S&W for a new one or order a new one. The striker design has changed from earlier models.
These are the only problems with some of the early M&Ps I can think of. Most of the issues seem to be resolved.
Not hitting Center of Target.
Most likely shooter error. Shoot the gun from a rest. Have other experienced shooters use the gun. If problem still persists, send it to S&W to have them give it a look over.
Slide Not Locking Back or Locking Back with rounds in magazine
Watch your thumbs and fingers. Most likely shooter is pushing the slide release up or down during fire.
Magazines dropping
Shooters also should watch their grip to not inadvertently release the magazine during fire. A thumbs forward grip works the best with the M&P.
Problem: Failure to Eject or Fire.
Solution: Use quality ammunition from a major manufacturer.
I have seen this one a number of times where the owner curses the gun only to find they used someones cheap reloads or low quality ammunition from American Ammunition or the such. Other problems I have seemed come from hard primers or primers that were not properly seated
Thankfully, S&W has great CS which will look over their guns on their dime.
Issue seems to be with the first batch of 9mms with the dovetails cut too large. Send it back to S&W for a new slide.
Magazines Popping out on their own.
Issue has been reported mainly with .40 in earlier serial numbers. Send it back to S&W for a frame replacement.
RollPins walking out
This issue was with preproduction M&P .40s and some very early models.
Broken strikers or light strikes
Send it to S&W for a new one or order a new one. The striker design has changed from earlier models.
These are the only problems with some of the early M&Ps I can think of. Most of the issues seem to be resolved.
Not hitting Center of Target.
Most likely shooter error. Shoot the gun from a rest. Have other experienced shooters use the gun. If problem still persists, send it to S&W to have them give it a look over.
Slide Not Locking Back or Locking Back with rounds in magazine
Watch your thumbs and fingers. Most likely shooter is pushing the slide release up or down during fire.
Magazines dropping
Shooters also should watch their grip to not inadvertently release the magazine during fire. A thumbs forward grip works the best with the M&P.
Problem: Failure to Eject or Fire.
Solution: Use quality ammunition from a major manufacturer.
I have seen this one a number of times where the owner curses the gun only to find they used someones cheap reloads or low quality ammunition from American Ammunition or the such. Other problems I have seemed come from hard primers or primers that were not properly seated
Thankfully, S&W has great CS which will look over their guns on their dime.
I seemed to have a lot of those problems. My M&P shot low left at ten yards when bench rested off shot bags. I've been shooting pistols for 40 years, so was pretty sure it wasn't me. Next, it started dropping magazines during live fire. I thought it may be my grip, so was very careful how I held it and it still happened. S&W fixed both problems. Now I am getting light strikes on primers. I cleaned to striker last weekend and when it quits sleeting will go and see if that rectifies the problem. Other than those, I love the ergonomics of this pistol and hope these problems are gone. I would love to trust it to carry.
Matt 7184, Being a newbe thank you for all the information you posted about the early problems. I just purchased a used M&P 40, I don't know if it is a early one or not. Is there a way I could check when it was made to see if mine might be early enough to have some of these problems? In another words, is there a certin prefix or anything to the serial number to let me know if mine is one of the early models you mentioned? Thank you, Frank. Mine starts with MPB.
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635 Posts
RollPins walking out
This issue was with preproduction M&P .40s and some very early models.
Not so. I have a brand new M&P40s and my locking block coil pin (the pin that engages the notch in the take down lever) is walking from the recoil. How do you quantify that this problem is limited to preproduction guns, just curious? Did the factory change the specs on the pin or the frame hole since? Thanks.
This issue was with preproduction M&P .40s and some very early models.
Not so. I have a brand new M&P40s and my locking block coil pin (the pin that engages the notch in the take down lever) is walking from the recoil. How do you quantify that this problem is limited to preproduction guns, just curious? Did the factory change the specs on the pin or the frame hole since? Thanks.
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450 Posts
This issue is getting very frustrating for me!
I sent my M&P 40c back to S&W 3 times. They finally replaced the slide lock lever spring.
I went to David Bowie for a shooting lesson. He helped me adjust my grip and that seemed to help for a while, but later on I duplicated the grip he showed me (or so I thought), and the problem returned. I've talked to S&W and they keep telling me to send it back so they can look over it again. But I'm not sure how much good that will do.
David suggested maybe we could replace the lever release button with the older one, which was flat against the frame. That would make it less likely for me to brush against it. But so far, S&W can't seem to come up with any of the old ones for us to try. I've tried changing out the backstraps; all that did was make my aim worse.
I'm afraid I'm coming to the conclusion that this particular gun in this particular caliber might not be a good match for me.
But I'm also torn about going to a 9c. I don't like the ballistics numbers I see out of a short-barrel 9mm. The 9mm just doesn't have enough time to pick up much energy in a compact gun. I'd prefer to stay with the 40 (or a 45, if I can find it in the right compact package). But the M&P is the only compact 40 that can be easily controlled!
So I don't see any good answer. I'm stumped!
I'm not sure where you're getting the ballistic data, but if anything 9mm is probably least likely to be adversely affected by a change from 4.25" to 3.5" barrel. The .45 in particular is notoriously handicapped out of short guns, since the ammunition is designed to function best at velocities achieved out of a 5" barrel (cf. 4" for the 9mm and .40).
However, I'd recommend against getting the 9c unless you're absolutely certain the slide catch won't get in your way. It sounds to me -- and it's hard to diagnose without seeing you shoot -- that David showed you a grip that worked but over time you've reversed back to some old habits, even if it looks the same.
However, I'd recommend against getting the 9c unless you're absolutely certain the slide catch won't get in your way. It sounds to me -- and it's hard to diagnose without seeing you shoot -- that David showed you a grip that worked but over time you've reversed back to some old habits, even if it looks the same.
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4,935 Posts
I'm going to have to agree with ToddG on this. When it comes to short barrels, the ballistics of 9mm and .40 are quite good because 9mm and .40 loads are optimized for 4" barrels.
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450 Posts
OK, sorry. Didn't mean to start a ballistics debate. I forgot where I saw the data I was referring to, anyway. I saw a table or a comment on another forum (Internet comments are always correct, aren't they?
Todd, I agree. I've probably reverted back to my old grip. I wouldn't mind taking multiple lessons until I really get the "correct" grip muscle memory. However, David is an hour and a half from me, so that's just not a practical solution. I haven't had much luck finding any local instructors who are proficient with the M&P.
Bottom line: I know my grip sucks, but it's not like I haven't been trying to fix it. But if I can't get keep the correct grip when I'm concentrating on every shot, I'm a little worried about having the correct grip if I need to use the gun in a hurry at 2 AM some night. I guess I'm a little worried about the "interface" between me and this particular gun frame. If the "correct" grip is so counter-intuitive that I can't recreate it even a couple of weeks after a lesson, then maybe this isn't the right gun for me. I don't have time to shoot daily (or sometimes even weekly) like the pros do. I get to the range a lot, but if I need to practice my grip hours a day every day, then this isn't the right gun for me.
For what it's worth, David actually got me thinking about the 9mm. He's a big 9mm proponent, and his belief is that if the recoil of the 40 is what's making my thumb brush the slide lock, maybe I'll have better luck with the 9mm. He stated at one point during my conversations with him that the 40 is prone to more problems like this because of the amount of muzzle flip it generates compared to a 9mm. He recommended I at least seriously consider switching over to a 9mm. So I am consdiering it.
I don't want to tick anyone off and start a ballistics or caliber debate here. I prefer a bigger bullet, but reliability from a smaller one is probably more important than an intermittently dependable big one (and I'm solely talking about my interface with this particular gun, not a vague generality!)
Hello,
I'm very new to this forum, but after reading about the problems with the early production M&P40s, I'm a bit concerned with my roll pins (I've also posted a question in the "mag drop" section although I've never really had that problem). I am quite happy with this gun, but am no expert on the matter, its only my 2nd pistol (I've owned a Ruger P89 for 15+years). I've shot the gun 800+ rounds since I bought it new in late July '08. The SN is MPA**** and the brass is dated 2/2/06. The roll pin in front of the take down lever is sticking out of the left side of the gun less than 1mm and is recessed into the right side of the gun. The rear roll pin is flush with the left side of the gun & very slightly recessed into the right side. I would not have noticed, but after reading the common problems I took a close look at the gun.
Considering the early SN/date of the gun what course of action should I take? I'm expecting to order a new mag catch at least, but I'm wondering if the gun should be sent back to S&W? What is the fix for the roll pins walking out of the gun?
Thanks
Chad
I'm very new to this forum, but after reading about the problems with the early production M&P40s, I'm a bit concerned with my roll pins (I've also posted a question in the "mag drop" section although I've never really had that problem). I am quite happy with this gun, but am no expert on the matter, its only my 2nd pistol (I've owned a Ruger P89 for 15+years). I've shot the gun 800+ rounds since I bought it new in late July '08. The SN is MPA**** and the brass is dated 2/2/06. The roll pin in front of the take down lever is sticking out of the left side of the gun less than 1mm and is recessed into the right side of the gun. The rear roll pin is flush with the left side of the gun & very slightly recessed into the right side. I would not have noticed, but after reading the common problems I took a close look at the gun.
Considering the early SN/date of the gun what course of action should I take? I'm expecting to order a new mag catch at least, but I'm wondering if the gun should be sent back to S&W? What is the fix for the roll pins walking out of the gun?
Thanks
Chad
I can't say I have noticed the pins have moved over time. I'll reset them so they are centered in the gun & keep an eye on them. I guess I should not be too worried about my gun, it has performed almost flawlessly. After seeing my SN was so low (MPA6***), and reading about the problems with the early production, I got a little jumpy.
I'll be busy reading everything I can find here. Looks like a great forum with tons of info.
Thanks
Chad
I'll be busy reading everything I can find here. Looks like a great forum with tons of info.
Thanks
Chad
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245 Posts
I have had 2
1. FTE - rack slide harder. 1k rounds since, no trouble.
2. Gritty Trigger. - Send for trigger job, hopefully soon.\
3. Awesome to shoot but hard to get ammo - expand production......and licking hurry
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14 Posts
I've had my M&P 40c for about a year now and I'm starting to notice a couple issues that are definitely bothering me. I'll see if I can describe them accurately enough and see what everyone's opinion is. Whether its me or the gun.
1) Light strikes causing the round to not fire. I'm using WWB ammo and its only about 1 out of 50 rounds, so I'm guessing that one is probably all ammo related.
2) Pull the trigger and nothing happens. Can't feel the striker hitting or anything and its always happened around the 4th-6th shot through the 10 round mag from what I can remember. Pull the slide to eject the round and load a fresh one and it works just fine again. Had this happen probably 3 times out of 200 rounds today.
3) Fire a round and the slide doesn't come all the way back forward. It isn't that far out, maybe 1/8th of an inch, but its enough that the gun won't fire the next round unless I nudge the slide forward that 1/8th inch into place. This I usually start to notice near the end of my trip to the range and someone mentioned that it may be grip related as my hands are getting tired.
Any thoughts?
1) Light strikes causing the round to not fire. I'm using WWB ammo and its only about 1 out of 50 rounds, so I'm guessing that one is probably all ammo related.
2) Pull the trigger and nothing happens. Can't feel the striker hitting or anything and its always happened around the 4th-6th shot through the 10 round mag from what I can remember. Pull the slide to eject the round and load a fresh one and it works just fine again. Had this happen probably 3 times out of 200 rounds today.
3) Fire a round and the slide doesn't come all the way back forward. It isn't that far out, maybe 1/8th of an inch, but its enough that the gun won't fire the next round unless I nudge the slide forward that 1/8th inch into place. This I usually start to notice near the end of my trip to the range and someone mentioned that it may be grip related as my hands are getting tired.
Any thoughts?
1 - 20 of 42 Posts
