M&P 9 Pro in Canada with very hard to seat Mags

[Tactica]

A buddy of mine in Canada has got into the shooting sports and recently. After going through the many courses and registrations in that neck of the woods, he finally had a chance to shoot his first owned firearm of his life last week at the local range (M&P 9 Pro). The experience went well, but he had some problems with his new magazines.

He said even with a speed loader, loading the last round into his 10-round max (Canadian limit) mags is a real pain and requires an increadible amount of force. In addition, performing a reload during a course of fire requires significant effort due to the tightly coiled mag spring. From what he describes, slamming the magazine to get it seated is an understatement.

In the past, I've read about folks snipping coils and tuning magazines to reduce tension. However, I've never performed this modification myself.

He has taken the large basepad off the mag and states the mag spring extends several inches below the bottom of the mag tube, so believes he has plenty of room to eliminate a coil or two.

Does anyone have some videos or some online reference where I can direct him to research tuning these magazine springs? Something specific to this gun and Canadian style of limited round count magazine would be ideal.

Thanks,

[Skydiver]

How are his mags limited to 10? Is there a rivet or dent on the mag body that prevents the follower from going past 10? Or did somebody just add more material under the basepads until it become very difficult (eg impossible) to go past 10? Or is there a special follower that has extended "legs" that bottom out when 10 rounds are reached?

[Tactica]

I haven't seen it in person as I'm in the states, but what he describes is a shortened mag tube with a large base pad which acts as a 'blank'. This is from the manufacturer, not aftermarket. From my limited understanding of the situation, it's a Candian requirement that the mag not hold more than ten rounds, thus the manufacturers adhere to the requirement in order to sell in that country.

[Skydiver]

Oh I see... something like they did for the CZ'z during the ban era in the US.

Here's an image I found trying to extend my google fu:

First I would try leaving bullets in the mag for a couple of days to see if the springs will take a set. Only after that would I cautiously try clipping half a coil at a time.

Edited October 27, 2011 by Skydiver

[Unregistered]

Same problem with the Glock 10 round mags we get up here.

If they are factory 10 mags, they may just need to be compressed a bit. Charge the magazine will the full 10 rounds with something like a UpLula and leave it for a week like that, empty it and repeat. My Glock mags used to require a very hard smack to seat properly, but they work fine.

[Heathen]

I have the exact same problem with my M&P 10 round mags. I charged the mags and left them for a week just like Unregistered suggests. It took quite a while for them to get loosened up.

[motosapiens]

my m&p9 compact has that problem. if the slid is locked back, i just load them to 9 rounds unless i know i'll be waiting til the slide is locked back to reload.

[bpipe95]

We have those same mags in NY, they SUCK! You have to slam the shit out of it on a closed slide, and getting the last round in is a PITA. It is a poor design on S&W's part they made the bottom tower a bit to tall and the top sheath a bit to short.

The load them and let them sit thing does not always help here due to that you are not compressing the spring, but you are actually out of room in the mag. The follower is bottomed out on completely compressed spring hard parts are not going to "give". Some local guys have tried to take material off of the follower but if you go a little is not quite enough and and if you go enough the followers will tilt and jam.

I had mine apart just the other night trying to figure out a way to make just a tick more room without adversely affecting function or reliability. I have a couple ideas though I am not sure if I want to ruin a $40 mag, and yes that is how much the 10 rounders are. Standard caps are only $25 it burns my ass...

Edited October 28, 2011 by bpipe95

[jar]

Smith changed the design of the followers, and I think they never really got tested in the 10 round mags. There's at least one thread here about it, but here's a thread on another forum including a how-to video on fixing them: http://www.northeastshooters.com/vbulletin/threads/124192-How-to-video-on-modifying-M-amp-P-magazine-followers

[jar]

I've paid $25 ea for all of my 10 rounders. You can find them from time to time. I think the most recent set was on sale at midway.

[bpipe95]

I've paid $25 ea for all of my 10 rounders. You can find them from time to time. I think the most recent set was on sale at midway.

Damn I always miss the deals!

Thanks for the heads up though.

[mnpfamily]

You might want to wait a bit before resorting to tuning the mags. Here in HI. we also have the 10rnd. mag cap for pistol, and my wife and I both had the same issues with our M&Ps. Both loosened up quite a bit after a leaving the mags fully loaded like posted above, and after a thousand or so rounds thru the gun. We have probably a little more then 9000 rounds through each of the pistols now, and fully loaded mags seat easily with the slide forward. I still remember our first match though, we both dropped mags on the ground because of not seating them forcefully enough. I can still tell which mags are newer, as it is still noticeably harder to load the 10th round. I actually find it easier to load the last round in these mags by hand rather than using the speed loader.

[Tactica]

Oh I see... something like they did for the CZ'z during the ban era in the US.

Here's an image I found trying to extend my google fu:

First I would try leaving bullets in the mag for a couple of days to see if the springs will take a set. Only after that would I cautiously try clipping half a coil at a time.

That looks like what he's describing for sure. I'm going to redirect him to this thread. You guys have some great ideas. Thanks for the vid as well. I'm surprised more haven't experimented with reducing a half or full coil. Sounds like these springs soften up over time. With that in mind, it may make the most sense to get as many mags as you think you need up front and try and soften them all up at the same time...

Does anyone make any after market springs that fit these mags and that eliminate the problem? If so many have issues, seems like a no brainer to offer some post production / aftermarket springs. I wonder what S&W's stance on this 'issue' is... or if they even recognize it as an 'issue' for that matter.

[Tactica]

Smith changed the design of the followers, and I think they never really got tested in the 10 round mags. There's at least one thread here about it, but here's a thread on another forum including a how-to video on fixing them: http://www.northeastshooters.com/vbulletin/threads/124192-How-to-video-on-modifying-M-amp-P-magazine-followers

Watched the video, I think this is exactly what he needs to do. The pictures further down in the referenced thread are also quite helpful. It would have been moresoe if some measurements of how much material was removed though... still, very handy I suspect.

Much appreciated.

Edited November 2, 2011 by Tactica

[Sin-ster]

I have always been told by people with sufficient knowledge that leaving the springs under stress barely (if at all) "wears them in" (or out).

I have a 10 round M&P 45 mag that sat loaded in a pouch for almost a year and STILL didn't seat very well on a closed slide, to prove it.

So I whipped up some dummies and cycled it for an hour or so, then stuffed it full and shot about 500 rounds through it. Butter smooth in a day, after 300+ days of nada while it was simply sitting full.

Anecdotal to some degree-- with word-of-mouth support! Fill it, empty it; fill it, empty it. You can do it by hand if necessary. I personally noticed a difference after 10-12 repetitions, but obviously every spring and mag will be different (gun to gun, and mag to mag). Give it a shot!

[bigtattoo79]

I have always been told by people with sufficient knowledge that leaving the springs under stress barely (if at all) "wears them in" (or out).

I have a 10 round M&P 45 mag that sat loaded in a pouch for almost a year and STILL didn't seat very well on a closed slide, to prove it.

So I whipped up some dummies and cycled it for an hour or so, then stuffed it full and shot about 500 rounds through it. Butter smooth in a day, after 300+ days of nada while it was simply sitting full.

Anecdotal to some degree-- with word-of-mouth support! Fill it, empty it; fill it, empty it. You can do it by hand if necessary. I personally noticed a difference after 10-12 repetitions, but obviously every spring and mag will be different (gun to gun, and mag to mag). Give it a shot!

+1 I find moving the spring up and down helps a lot more than just up or just down. I have used a wooden dowel rod in the past to push down on the follower let it spring back up then push it back down and so on "easy on the fingers".

Edited November 5, 2011 by bigtattoo79