Parts breakage/wear on M&P

[Sin-ster]

as an aside, i've always talked to a real life human being when i called customer service. the guy who answers will probably know more about the gun than anyone here. if not, he knows someone who does. if you called them and said "i really think i need a new striker, because this gun isn't running right," i wouldn't be surprised if they asked very few questions and sent you the part. (which will be the latest design.) whether that design works is another story.

TBH, that is the dead opposite of my experience-- regardless of product or manufacturer. I've heard enough lately about standard S&W phone conversations to reinforce that wariness as well-- since the "change of guard", anyway.

These things come with the front post backwards and missing roll pins from returns; phone operators are cheap t'boot. Knowing what I do about the M&P line and the current business model in regards to it, I'd be surprised if the majority of the operators have even shot one of the guns, much less know the first thing about their mechanical operation.

That said-- I don't call the CS line when I have an issue, so I could be totally wrong. If I were stuck in that boat, though-- I'd ask for a senior tech/manager from the jump, just like when you call about a troublesome modem or router. ("Yes, damnit-- I rebooted and checked my connection. I just need to know about this specific port and whether or not its blocked by default. Give me L3 and STFU."

[theycallmeingot]

I called CS twice in 2011 and had no issues. not sure when or what the "changing of the guard" is you're referring to.

I've found actual experiences are usually better than people's internet horror stories.

[retarmyaviator]

Last month I called twice about an issue with the magazine release when switched for left hand use causing the magazines to jam. This has been the case for me with a FS M&P and a M&P Pro. Release works correctly until rounds are added then it hangs up on the follower.

From what I have read on this forum and the S&W forum this is far from an isolated problem. Several posters had reported calling S&W about this with S&W stating they had never heard of the issue. I received the same answer when I called about this, the first rep made me so mad I all but ordered a Glock to replace the M&Ps, which if you knew me would know this would have been a huge change of course for me. The second rep was much nicer, was willing to listen to what I had to say but still did not have a clue about the problem.

I was not impressed with the CS from S&W.

[stevet1]

A buddy and I have very low round count M&Ps (1,500 rounds) and we have had some problems with parts breakage and wear. First thing, his slide release broke and the slide started locking back when the magazine still had cartridges in it. Then my magazine release wore out and started dropping magazines by itself. Is the magazine release plastic all the way through, including the portion that retains the magazine in place? Then my trigger started failing to reset, so I couldn't fire again (this last was traced to a mildly dirty firing pin channel).

I like the ergonomics of the M&P, but if these problems are common, I'll have to consider unloading it to some guy I don't like. I have fired about 50,000 rounds through a Beretta 96D and I broke two trigger return springs (since fixed permanently by a Wolff Gunsprings redesign of the part) and the lever that lifts the firing pin block out of the way (fixed by a Beretta redesign of the part). My Tanfoglio Witness Match has 5,000 rounds through it and I had to tighten the rear sight. Both pistols run fine with some dirt in them, although I normally keep them clean.

Could someone with a fairly high round count tell me what to expect with this pistol?

I have 2 M&P 9's with thousands of rounds through both of them. They were purchased in 2012. Never one problem or even a misfire. Couldn't ask for a more reliable gun. I clean and lube them after every few hundred rounds. They don't even get very dirty shouting cheap ammo. From what everyone says Smith customer service is also top notch if you ever have a problem. They're also made in the USA.

[sniperfrog]

Smiths customer service is good compared to the other companies. However, the people that answer the phones for CS don't seem to know a lot about their firearms. I would not take what they say as being 100% correct.

[Fried Chicken Blowout]

I've had 6 M&Ps since they came out. I currently own 3 now and another will be at my FFL on Tuesday for my 4th at this time. All have between 10-20k rounds, all 9mm, all small sear plunger (before sending them to Apex to have 2 of them modified for the large plugger for FSS install) and I have never had a single one "break" a part. I've worn out extractors which S&W replaced and I've "worn out" strikers. The strikers were the old design. They didn't break but I stated having some light primer strikes and discovered that the striker tip was eroding away. Not sure why, I hadn't noticed any pierced primers but one side of the striker tip had some nasty wear in it so I replaced them all with the new design. You can get pretty much all the parts for them from Brownells so you don't have to deal with shipping the guns back to S&W for repair.

I like them a lot. They are easy to work on, reliable and I've had no 9mm accuracy issues. My next one will be my first .40 which I'm setting up for a Limited gun. I've got all kinds of fun toys for it sitting in a box waiting for the gun to arrive.

[jmbaccolyte]

Managed to swap my early M&P for a 2012 version (not straight across but the other guy is aware of the problems I've had and doesn't shoot enough to have to deal with them, he just wants to own neat things). So far the newer version is running like a top, but I'm getting a sharp crease about halfway up each and every fired case during the ejection process. It's a crease, not just a vague dent and I'm worried about case life. Does anyone have any ideas? I ordered a lighter recoil spring on the off chance... Perhaps a longer ejector (if anyone makes such a thing)?

mcracco- glad you like it.

Edited July 27, 2012 by jmbaccolyte

[dejadoo]

I purchased a NIB 40 Pro on-line a coupe of days ago.

The included fired case is dated December 2011.

Is that recent enough to avoid the known issues or are there some I still need to be on the look out for?

Edited July 27, 2012 by dejadoo

[ProGunGuy]

of the 4 mp's i have, I've had 2 slide stops and a striker break. All i did was call them and they sent me a prepaid label to send it back. Got them back 10-14 days later.

I never got any free mags like others have stated though

[mcracco]

I purchased a NIB 40 Pro on-line a coupe of days ago.

The included fired case is dated December 2011.

Is that recent enough to avoid the known issues or are there some I still need to be on the look out for?

Mature product. You should be good.

As a side commentary....I own 6 M&P's with my 9 Pro being my IDPA go-to gun. Couple matches ago I paused and thought how nice it was not be thinking about my hardware. Feed it decent handloads and when you pull the trigger it goes bang. Allows me to work on my skills without being distracted by the mechanics/malfunctions of the gun. Last malfunction was a bad 25 year old CCI primer and that was 5,000 rounds ago. My point is it is a sweet design for a handgun and even if you have to dick with it to get it right it is worth the effort.

[jmbaccolyte]

I agree, I expect S&W worked out the teething problems within the first year or two, like any reputable manufacturer (although I'm surprised they don't have anyone participating in forums like this- it seems like they'd hire someone to participate in at least this forum). I haven't researched the history of this model much, but it appears only the early ones had problems. The three 2008 versions I fired had problems with the striker not resetting, the slide-stop breaking and the magazine release dropping partially full magazines. Evidently the factory will still fix these problems free if you don't need it everyday and can send it in and wait for for them to replace the first draft parts (I don't therefore recommend the early guns to LEOs or people who carry everyday).

I love the ergonomics of this model and the later production pistol I obtained is working slick, except for the sharply creased (deep dent) cases. I'm talking to younger people about posting pictures of the dented cases as I'm afraid they are deeply creased enough to shorten brass life for reloading.

[John Thompson]

I had one of the orginal frames and it was so bad a Smith rep actually came to my job to personally give me another. These guns are manufactured with the assumption that some just wants a cool "zombie gun" and may never put more than a box of ammo through it.

[VMaxSplat]

These guns are manufactured with the assumption that some just wants a cool "zombie gun" and may never put more than a box of ammo through it.

Most folks think the M&P series are manufactured to be premier law enforcement weapons that can be counted on for serious use. My personal experience with three centerfire M&P pistols has been very positive. Even the two rimfire M&Ps I own have been great.

[kend]

These guns are manufactured with the assumption that some just wants a cool "zombie gun" and may never put more than a box of ammo through it.

That would probably be a surprise to the folks at S&W.....

[John Thompson]

I love the M&P but truth be told these guns have a rather high rrate of eturn for warranty work. Same problems over and over again.

[IL-SIG]

I love the M&P but truth be told these guns have a rather high rrate of eturn for warranty work. Same problems over and over again.

Do you actually know the exact percentages or rate of return and do you know the actual rate of return for all other gun manufacturers to make your comparison - or is your comment only based on speculation and on what you've heard from a handful of owners? I expect that those who frequent this forum make up a very minimal amount of the overall M&P owners. My M&Ps have worked quite well.

Edited August 11, 2012 by IL-SIG

[reichebrown]

I looked in both of my M&Ps today. I have had my pro since 2008. It has been back and forth to smith a handful of times for FTE's. I finally broke down and got the Apex FRE and its been shooting like a dream since then. Back on topic both of my guns have the "old" striker. The pro at this point has 41K through it plus daily dry fire.With the reports of the old style striker breaking I am amazed it has made it this far... I would asume by the age of the gun it also has the old sear block with the small spring? Will smith replace the striker if its not broken yet? The other M&P i have is a full size 9mm. It has not seen much use since it was suposed to be for my wife. Any thoughts?

[Hardy]

8-10K through my M&P Pro. I installed the Apex competition kit in the first 1K. Had a problem with the rear sight being loose (fixed with loctite) and a hardened extractor around 2K. I had problems with extraction prior to replacing the extractor.

No problems in the last 6-8K through the gun and I run a pretty dirty gun most of the time.

[Wilkenstein]

My pro9 is a 2010 production and has been absolutely awesome for me. Has about 2000 factory loads and 5000 reloads (cast lead mostly). I've had 1 failure to eject due to a soft load. Clean every 4-500 rounds and have been using slide-glide from day one. Burwell competition trigger job for about 4000 rounds. S&W recommended I replace the recoil spring and mag springs between 5 and 10k rounds so I went ahead and replaced it right at 5k. I rarely load more than 10 at a time in the mags, so didn't worry about those. I'll probably replace the barrel here in the next few thousand rounds just because.

Just remember, most people aren't going to come on here and post about how they don't have issues with their gun.

[KennyWiz]

I took a tactical rifle course and the instructor was quite verbal about his 5k+ round, NEVER cleanend M&P full 9. He is now teaching the Magpul courses and was pleased with the durability of the M&P product. As am i with mine.

ALso found this info:

http://pistol-training.com/archives/category/range-reports/mp-monday/page/4

[FightFireJay]

I had one of the orginal frames and it was so bad a Smith rep actually came to my job to personally give me another. These guns are manufactured with the assumption that some just wants a cool "zombie gun" and may never put more than a box of ammo through it.

I love the M&P but truth be told these guns have a rather high rrate of eturn for warranty work. Same problems over and over again.

And what is the return rate? There are several people talking about it here but how many people never have a problem and never comment because they don't have to? Anything we see on here is purely anecdotal.

I had a planned a long rant full of other firearms from $300 to $3000 price range that ship with common issues, but I think 1 rant per week is enough from me, lol.

Personally, I have nothing negative to say about my M&P Pro 40 (after installing some Apex trigger parts)... I can't imagine paying $3k-$5k for a gun that I then have to "tune" my magazines for, that's just crazy.

[S391]

S-391- I guess we screwed up by buying early M&Ps. But if you read everyone's post on this topic, I believe you will find that average respondent has had a fair amount of trouble with this model of pistol, if he shoots much. The striker problem still seems prevalent. I'm glad that your's work (do you work for S&W?). Just kidding, I love S&W revolvers for hunting and shooting paper, but prefer semi-autos for carry. I'm not yet sold on S&W semis, regardless of how well they feel in my hands, if I need a armorer to follow me around to keep them running, then perhaps they're not the right duty/carry pistol for me.

2 of my M&P's were early model guns and I guess I got lucky..... and no, I do not work for S&W.

Edited October 2, 2012 by S391

[pkm]

I own 4 M&P pistols at this point and they all have been great. I bought a .40c right after they came out and it went about 11k rounds before I had any issues, which is when the front locking block broke. I sent it back to S&W and they sent it back two weeks later. With the invoice notice of "refreshed" with all new internals (trigger, trigger bar, locking block, barrel, springs, etc.) for free. I have about 8k rounds through my FS .40 this year and haven't had a single problem. After seeing Fried Chicken's youtube video I put the same parts in my FS and it has run like a champ ever since. It's not as fancy as other limited guns, but it's reliable and much more accurate than I.

[sdm74]

M&p pro 9mm , adjusted by burwell, with about 15000 rounds so far and nothing replaced yet but spring at 10000 rounds. Like someone else said earlier, for every complaint on here, there are probably 1000 others that run fine.

[Sin-ster]

These guns are manufactured with the assumption that some just wants a cool "zombie gun" and may never put more than a box of ammo through it.

I have a 9 Pro that's eaten about 65k rounds that would argue with you on that point, and a 45 FS that's had at least 1/3 of that diet that would do the same. The former gun never digests fewer than 300 rounds, was eating 1k at a time for many months, and gets cleaned about every 2k rounds-- and detail stripped about every 15k.

Next year, it'll be another 9 Pro in the same boat-- and I'll bet it tells the same tale.

ETA-- no breakage at all, and I've only swapped the 13# ISMI recoil springs I run in it. They however go out about every 7k rounds, and get replaced at 5k.

Edited October 3, 2012 by Sin-ster