I just returned from a 4 day defensive handgun class so I got to put my M&P .40 through it's paces. On 2 occasions my mag dropped out! It appeared to happen both times when I loaded the magazine with 15 rounds. I didn't have the problem when only loading 14. Mine is a MPM series. I've heard about some issues with this. Is there something I need to do? Rick
I can only assume that it drops the mag when you fire a round? Check your grip and make sure your not accidentally hitting the mag release. If that's not the problem take it to a gun smith. Its probably a really simple fix. Could be the mag release tension spring.
+1 on accidentally hitting mag release. Make sure you are seating the mag firmly. With the slide closed and a full mag, many handguns require a good slap up on the mag to get it to seat properly. Full mag/open slide, piece of cake.
Actually both times it happened was during a tactical reload with 1 in the chamber. After the one in the chamber fired, just a "click" and looking down the mag was on the ground.......It only happened when I put in a fully loaded mag with 15 rounds. I did MANY reloads with 14 without a problem so I was assuming I was slapping it home OK......Maybe not if it requires more omph with 15 in..... Rick
It shouldn't be that hard to correctly seat a 15 round mag with the slide closed. I would go ahead and take it to a gunsmith, and get his/her take on it.
I'm now hearing that M&Ps with series numbers prior to MPN had a problem with the mag catch or the mag well being a little oversized.....Looks like mine is in that group. Anyone hear about this? I'm going to give S&W a call on Monday to see what they say. Rick
I have not heard of that being a problem. If it is, I can pretty much guarantee S&W WILL fix it. They have excellent customer service.
If you are sure that you have not hit the mag release, then you are putting too much time into this issue here on the forum. Smith & Wesson provided you with a lifetime warranty on your M&P. As part of their great warranty service, they will pay shipping both ways to repair anything that might be amiss on you firearm. I'm pretty sure that the answers you seek come from the service department at Smith & Wesson. I'm sure you will be surprised at how easy they are to deal with.
Load 14 rounds... Just Kidding. Barring some factory defect, I would say that with the fully loaded magazine you may not be seating it well enough. The fact that the malfunction occurs after a magazine change supports that as well. Standard clearance drill for a malfunction is to TAP, RACK, BANG (or READY depending on your training). This is because it is not uncommon for magazines to not seat securely. The TAP is to make sure the magazine is seated. Contact S&W to find out if there are any recall issues. If not, go to the range and ensure your magazine is seated securely. Keep your hand position to make sure you're not putting pressure on magazine release. If you don't have any problems, then run some reloading drills. Make sure you really smack the magazine into the gun during your reloads, and see if you can induce the malfunction again. If you're obviously seating the magazine and can induce the problem, its time to call Smith & Wesson back. Good Luck, and let us know how it turns out.
Thanks for all the input guys! Based on all this, I will definitely go to my local range and do some drills with a fully loaded mag to see if I can find out if it was just me. I was only concerned about it possibly being something with my pistol after reading about some other folks having this problem and S&W providing a newer mag catch to solve it. I then saw where my pistol was in the series range with the problems and.......Other than that I figured it was probably me to start with...... Maybe too much reading and over-thinking this....It looks like operator error rather than equipment problems. Rick
I own a M&P .40 as well and one thing I have noticed is that when the mag if loaded to full cap. it take a little more 'umph' to seat it. I think it also has a hard time even when there isn't one in the chamber... Either carry clips with 14 or use a little more force when you reload. 14 rounds is more than enough to get the job done IMHO. It may have something to do with the guiding mechanic used to hold the round into place on the slide and the stiffness of the spring in the mag. I've noticed that I am unable to place a round into the chamber through the ejection port because of a notch/hook on the slide that will only allow the round to come from the mag well. Post if S&W fixes the problem though!
