Well, I took out my new MP9, my first handgun, for the first time to the range today. My brother and I put 300 rounds through it. 100 UMC, 100 WWB, and 100 purchase reloads. I had no FTF and no FTE, it shot great (I didn't though) and felt really good in the hand. I did have a few problems/questions.
Twice the slide failed to lock back after the last shell, once on the first magazine and another time in the first 100 rounds. I hope this doesn't continue to happen.
Also, if I pulled the slide back and let it got somewhat gently, the slide would not lock all the way forward. It would not shoot and the slide must be given a tap to set itself completely, using the slide release or pulling back and letting go did not have this problem. I will just have to make sure that I give it enough force to shut all the way.
Much of my brass was coming back and hitting me in the face, arms, shoulders. This proved to be quite annoying after a while getting hit in the forehead with hot brass. I hope this gets better as it continues to get broken in.
Finally, if I slam the mag in a little too hard the slid would release and chamber the round. Wasn't really expecting this to happen so I had to be a little lighter with my inserting.
I will say that I did not really mind the trigger, its a little rough but I'm sure it will get better.
Any input into these issues that I encountered?
Overall it was a good time, I really like this gun. The UMC was the most accurate, with WWB right there with it. The reloads were not something I will get again though, very inaccurate. Got home, cleaned it and wiped it down and now it sits in its case till it can go again.
BTW, anyone use only a silicone cloth to protect their gun? Thats what I use on my shotgun with no problems but it seems everyone here uses CLP or equivalent to wipe down and protect.
make sure your not holding down the slide release. I was doing this and was seriously concerned till I read a few post here and realized it was my grip.
I noticed with the M&P that if you load a new magazine and slingshot the slide to close it, you have to be careful not to ride the slide or it may not go fully into battery. If that happens, a light tap on the back of the slide will chamber the round.
If you use the slide release or pull back and release the slide cleanly, then it chambers with no problem. I haven't worried about it, because it hasn't affected function when shooting. Also, I have a Kahr CW9 that is much worse about chambering a round when you slingshot the slide. In fact the owners manual for the Kahr tells you to use the slide release and not to slingshot the slide.
I have had only had two rounds fail to go into battery when I did not use the slide release. The first time was when the gun was brand new and the second time was reloading JHP's after an extensive range session when the feed ramp was dirty. It hasn't happened since about round 300, so I suspect that it gets better after breakin.
As a general rule, you do not want to "ride the slide" when loading a around. This will cause the slide to not go fully forward (full "battery") on most semi-autos. You can either release it with the slide release or pull it fully rearward and let it go. Many experienced shooters would rather you practice pulling the slide to the rear and letting it go rather than using the slide release. The reasoning is that this is a gross motor skill and you are more apt to do it well under stress.
The slide not locking back on an empty mag is most likely due to one of two things:
1. Faulty magazine (the spring or follower), or
2. Holding the slide release down with your thumb while shooting
If you are new to handguns, my guess would be #2. I still do it with some guns (especially SIG's). You get a strong grip on the gun while you're shooting and you don't realize that your thumb is resting right on the slide stop.
Two things should help diagnose this problem. First, pay attention to your grip. See if your thumb is resting near the slide stop when you shoot. Second, number your magazines. If it is a faulty mag, it is probably just one of them. Having them numbered makes it easy to see if the failure occurs with one magazine consistently. If it does, you may have a faulty mag.
As for the brass coming right back at you, that is more of a gunsmith question that I am not sure about. I would not like it one bit and would want it fixed. There are a couple of post on here about it.
Much of my brass was coming back and hitting me in the face, arms, shoulders. This proved to be quite annoying after a while getting hit in the forehead with hot brass. I hope this gets better as it continues to get broken in.
When I qualified for my CHL, I was using a Glock 17... a shell came back and stuck between my eyes for the better part of a second leaving a nice little red mark and me jumping around my stall... luckily we were outdoors qualifying so I had plenty of room to back up. In about 100 rounds I shot through that glock (it was borrowed, not mine), I got hit in the head 5 times, and had numerous burn wounds up and down my leg. I found that about 90% of it was my stance... what is your shooting position? Do you have a barrier next to you when shooting? A lot of the shells ricocheted off the barrier and hit my waist and lower, but the ones that got me neck-up were usually because my gun was a little to close and I had some recoil anticipation going, allowing the shell shoot back towards me. Anyways, just study your surroundings and shooting position, and with each shot, if it hits you, figure out what it may be.
Thats a good number of rounds for a break in although I would have probably lubed and cleaned it about 150 rounds through. Did you clean and lube before you fired the pistol?
M&P in 9 is a good pistol for a beginner. The trigger should be getting smoother right about now and reset a little better. It is common for the slide to slam home if you slam the mags in. I prefer it did not do that but lots of other pistols do the same thing. Put a few hundred more rounds through it and let us know how it goes. Silicon cloth is fine.
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