Officer Safety: Smith & Wesson M&P pistols

[glockem]

This may put a damper on my PT.com purchase. I hope info comes out soon.

[Mark/MO]

Interestingly a friend was shopping for a 9mm handgun last fall. Going to a local gun store they did not have any M&P hanguns while having other Smith models, etc. When asked the owner told him that each one he had sold had been problematic, most requiring return to the factory. As a result he was no longer carrying them until the bugs were worked out. At the time I chalked it up to gun shop bull.
Disclaimer: I wasn't there, it is simply what my friend was told.

[Powder_Burn]

Very bad news - I just started trading out otherwise satisfactory XD's for M&P's this week due to the expert guidance of this forum. Hopefully this and all of the broken striker reports turn out to be isolated. S&W also updated the mag followers recently and within this context it is making me paranoid.... Is that a vision of Gaston I see ahead!?

[RogerinTPA]

I didn't think dry firing was an issue with center-fire weapons?

There were problems with the M&Ps earlier on when they first came out and then a year or so after that. S&W was made aware of the issue and made a mod on the striker assemblies, making them more durable. I think Glock had the same issue. I remember the Manuals on both, saying not to dry fire without using snap caps.

[ZDL]

FWIW, I thought the majority of the members on this site were above most of the comments we're seeing. Everyone cut the knee-jerk crap out already. Let's get some more information first. Check sample size. Compare it relatively. etc. etc. Be cool fellas.

[ZDL]

There were problems with the M&Ps earlier on when they first came out and then a year or so after that. S&W was aware of the issue and made a mod on the striker assemblies. I think Glock had the same issue. I remember the Manuals on both, saying not to dry fire without using snap caps.

Gotcha. Thanks for the info.

[Shotdown]

So are LEOs experiencing mag drop issues with their M&P's too? I use to own an M&P40 and I had to send it back twice for that problem. I think they should of added that to the safety letter.

I loved the M&P but I had no use for it. I couldn't carry it and I couldn't use it for IDPA either because after shooting 4 rds, the mag would drop.

[Gentoo]

Interesting. Looking forward to Todds comments regarding this.

[NCPatrolAR]

So are LEOs experiencing mag drop issues with their M&P's too? I use to own an M&P40 and I had to send it back twice for that problem. I think they should of added that to the safety letter.

I loved the M&P but I had no use for it. I couldn't carry it and I couldn't use it for IDPA either because after shooting 4 rds, the mag would drop.

The only mag drop issue I'm aware of was with some of the early .40 Compacts. I have yet to see it occuring with our full size guns.

[USMC03]

Gents,


I posted the info above for nothing more than a FYI. It is not intended to be a slam on Smith & Wesson or the M&P pistol.

Those of us in law enforcement get these kind of email on a semi-regular basis, and they cover problems with firearms, ammo, protective gear, accessories for police vehilces, etc.

Something I have noticed over the years is that one agency may have nothing but problems with a pistol, and another agency (close to the same size) tells you that they are extreemly pleased with the performance and reliablity of the same pistol.

I don't know what causes this....ammo....production runs.....differing quality control at different times......etc.

I have seen several recruits in recent classes using M&P 9mm and .40 hand guns and haven't witnessed any problems. I have seen several 9mm, .40, and .45 M&P pistol in training classes. I only witness one that had a problem....it was a 9mm and there was something wrong with the trigger.

If I were considering a M&P, would the information above influence my decision to buy a M&P 9mm? Probably not.

If I owned a M&P 9mm, would I sell it because of the information above? No. Would I inspect the areas of the pistol that were problematic for LASD? Yes.

Every company has it's good days and it's bad days. No company is perfect and no product is perfect.

Use the platform that works best for you, and don't have a "knee jerk" reaction to the information posted above. If the gun doesn't run or the platform doesn't work for you, move on to something that is reliable and works for you.

Semper Fi,
Jeff