As you are aware I approved the adoption of the Smith and Wesson M&P 9mm as the Department’s service handgun beginning with Recruit School A14. However, we have been experiencing malfunctions during Recruit School firearms training, which is unacceptable, and I have suspended the transition to the Smith and Wesson M&P 9mm.
The agency decided to halt the use of the new handguns after a couple of the weapons experienced slight movement of less than 10 microns after repeated firing of about 3,000 rounds, Vinger said. A micron is one-millionth of a meter. Movement in a gun could affect accuracy. There were also bullet “feeding and ejection” issues. None of the performance issues resulted in any injuries. And so far, DPS has not been able to replicate these issues in subsequent testing, Vinger said.
The bolded portions of this story make me doubt the validity of the source. To put it in perspective, the diameter of a red blood cell is about 8 microns. I doubt that the human body can detect such a slight movement or that DPS has the technical ability to measure it.
25 microns is right at .001", 10 microns is near .0004". To be able to reliably measure 10 micron movements you would need instrumentation capable of discriminating .0001mm. I have my doubts.
So they had some move around the size of a blood cell after 3,000 rounds, and have not been able to replicate the issues again in testing and they are dropping the gun? Something doesn’t seem right. And like Sensei said, I seriously doubt they have the ability to even test that. And they also had “bullet feeding and ejection issues” but they don’t say how many or give a percentage, yet they measured a movement of less than 10 microns after 3,000 round?
I would be willing to bet just about any new gun has at least some degree of movement(I.E. a few microns) as it breaks in.
I just grabbed a handful of pistols here and felt slide fit and all of them at some side to side movement. Don’t have anyway to measure, but there is some and I imagine it is more than a blood cell since lube is able to ride between the frames and slides of all of the pistols. The pistols I grabbed included, a Springfield TRP, H&K P7M8, a Beretta 92, A Glock, and a H&K USP, among others All those listed have been reliable and are more accurate than I am.
Looking at the other pistols in my collection the two that had the tightest fit were an old High Standard Supermatic that had no movement i could reprieve at the rear of the slide, and very little up front, and, wait for it, a god damn Tokerev who slide to frame fit is tighter than my ****ing TRP :blink:
Excuse me while I go have a drink and try to figure that one out.