M&P 9 slide auto forwards

[johnandersonoutdoors]

Hey everyone,

I have an M&P 9 that I purchased this past fall that is my edc and IDPA gun. I have about 1000 rounds through it. The slide has auto forwarded on mag insertion a few times (as noted in the manual it may do this with forceful mag insertion).

Each time it has done it, the slide has picked up a round and chambered it without any feed issues. However, unlike some people, this is not something I like. I am trying to train myself to insert the mag relatively gentle but under stress I can imagine that I would be slamming mags in.

Is there anything that can be done to stop this from happening? Should I send it back to S&W and see if they can stop it? I have read many forums and it seems like it happens with many brands of polymer pistols. I like the M&P 9 as it fits my hand very well and I don't want to change platforms, but I don't want to live with this issue either.

Thanks for the help.

 

[mgmorden]

Its not an issue - its simply something that happens with auto-loading pistols. Pretty much any gun will do it. Some do it more readily than others (and admittedly the M&P does it fairly easily), but my advice is just learn to live with it.

Train yourself to not expect it to happen, but expect that it CAN. If it does - no biggie - keep shooting, but have your hand on the way to the slide to slingshot it just in case it doesn't.

 

[tarosean]

Is there anything that can be done to stop this from happening?

Gingerly place a mag that has not been fully loaded in the magwell.
Every poly gun I've owned has done that.

 

[johnandersonoutdoors]

The forums I have been reading seem to show that it does happen with many semi-autos. However, I have a buddy who sold his M&P 9 when it started happening (his was not feeding a round which is obviously very terrible). He currently has 4 glocks and says not one of them has auto forwarded.

Anyway....back to the issue. Can you use a file or something to rough up the slide release or the notch on the slide itself to try to prevent this? Or does S&W have a fix? If I am not willing to live with this are we saying I will have to move away from semi-autos completely and back to my trusty S&W model 64?

 

[allaroundhunter]

You can hold the slide stop up with your thumb or you can be less forceful when changing mags. I have an M&P9, a Glock 19, and a Glock 34 and while I can make the Glocks do it, I have to try a little harder. The M&P is much more sensitive to it, to the point that I now just try to make sure that it will happen (which is not difficult with a full mag). Never have I had it cause a feeding problem.

And no, filing anything would take material off and possibly make the slide stop not catch it at all as opposed to having the desired effect that you are trying to achieve.

If you aren't willing to live with this then no, you don't have to leave semi autos. Heck, you don't even have to leave polymer semi autos. As i said, it takes a good bit more muscle for me to get my Glocks to do it (more than is normal for a mag change). You could also go to metal framed autos.

 

[johnandersonoutdoors]

I mentioned using a file but I guess I meant scoring the surface of the slide release or the notch in the slide so that they hang onto each other a little better.

Is this something that happens with 1911s?

 

[breakingcontact]

I used to be super cool and slam the mag in to send the slide forward...until I was shooting an IDPA event (10 rounds in a 17 round mag) after a mag change (drop mag, slam new mag in, autoforward) and I take aim at the target, press the trigger and "click". Gun has been 100% reliable, so I think, what the heck? Rack the slide and try again and it goes bang.

With the adrenaline going I remedied the situation quickly, but it took me a bit afterwards to figure out what happened. If your mag is full I don't think it will skip picking up a bullet if you do slam the mag in.

So now, I'm no longer the cool guy slamming mags in to send the slide forward. Just a boring "insert mag, rack slide with weak hand over the top guy", less flashy, more reliable.

 

[tarosean]

Is this something that happens with 1911s?

No.. It's the minor frame flexing on a poly gun that releases it.

 

[ny32182]

If you shoot more IDPA and get competitive I think you will come to appreciate the flash, glitz, and glamour that comes from the slide auto-forwarding. If you do it enough, GQ will want to interview you.

When you get a few more rounds through it and the slide catch wears in, it will only happen more often, and it is quite reliable with every M&P I have ever seen. If you don't think you like it you will have to go to another gun.

For me it was one of the features that caused me to switch from a Glock to an M&P (for now). When I broke my original factory slide catch, I polished up the edge of the new one as soon as I installed it to make sure it would happen reliably right out of the gate.

 

[ny32182]

No.. It's the minor frame flexing on a poly gun that releases it.

I really, really doubt that the frame material has anything to do with it. If anything the M&P frame is stiffer with its full length metal chassis than a Glock, yet you have to try much harder to make the typical Glock do it than an M&P.

 

[breakingcontact]

If it doesnt pick up a round reliably it's no good to me. Does yours reliably pick up a round?

 

[ny32182]

Yes, every time..

 

[johnandersonoutdoors]

So far, yes, mine has been reliable in picking up a round when it auto forwards. However, that is not the point I was making. My goal is to get it to stop doing this so I guess I will either train to insert mag more softly or try some other fix.

From the sounds of it, nobody here has ever come up with a successful fix for this because and maybe one does not exist. From a training and consistency perspective, I hate this auto forward with a passion.

 

[Quick Draw McGraw]

I don't have an M&P (yet ) but my Glock 19 will close on the top round every time, and I've come to like it and prefer it. But I REALLY wail on the mags, I can even get my 1911 to auto close maybe half the time. I've just kind of trained myself to give two HARD whacks to the mag and then slingshot if needed, but the Glock loads on the first whack EVERY time. It's become part of what I like about it.

 

[danez71]

If I am not willing to live with this are we saying I will have to move away from semi-autos completely and back to my trusty S&W model 64?

If you're not willing to train that it possibly could happen, then you need to move away from semi-autos.


However, with your current mindset, if you're not willing to train that any gun can have a slight hiccup, then maybe you should move away from all guns.

I'm <NOT> saying that to pick on you; only to point out that all mechanical devices are imperfect and with regards to self defense guns in particular, you should train for it.... or at least not be so skittish about it.

Personally, I consider it a feature. But on my MP9c, I really have to slam it to do it.

 

[9mmepiphany]

My M&P9 has automatically released its slide whenever I insert a mag with any speed at all...I use it for IDPA and it has done this reliably when I only have 10 rounds loaded into a 17 round mag.

What I recently found amusing is that the slide stop is almost impossible to use to release the slide...it is really stiff. I had never noticed before, because I only use it to lock the slide in the open position...and I've had it a couple of years

 

[tarosean]

. If anything the M&P frame is stiffer with its full length metal chassis than a Glock,

Possibly.. However the M&P also has a much wider gap between the frame and slide then a Glock allowing for more play, etc.

 

[allaroundhunter]

My M&P9 has automatically released its slide whenever I insert a mag with any speed at all...I use it for IDPA and it has done this reliably when I only have 10 rounds loaded into a 17 round mag.

What I recently found amusing is that the slide stop is almost impossible to use to release the slide...it is really stiff. I had never noticed before, because I only use it to lock the slide in the open position...and I've had it a couple of years

Yep, my slide stop is darn near impossible to use to release the slide. Probably a good thing I have never really practiced using it for such a thing.

 

[The Lone Haranguer]

Lots of guns do this. I would rather have more control over the process, that is true, but as long as the round does chamber I don't consider it a problem. If I slam a magazine home with any force, chances are I was planning to reload anyway.

 

[jhb]

None of my polymers do this, course I don't own an m&p, and the onl yone I slam mags into is my cz po7 as otherwise it won't catch.

I got 20 something + different model pistols from modern to old, none do it. It can't be that prevalent, can it?

 

[Fishbed77]

I've found this will happen with some Glocks, the Walther P99, the Ruger SR9, and with a few different Kahr pistols.

It all depends on how hard you insert the magazine, and it varies a pit from pistol to pistol. It's just physics at work.

 

[labhound]

It happens at times with my Glock 19 and my SR45, never with my SR9, Berettas, Stoegers, XD, FNH etc. I prefer that it doesn't happen but I've learned to live with it.

 

[ny32182]

A nice guy just gave me a lefty-setup CZ SP-01 to evaluate for a couple weeks. On this particular gun, at this time, I can get it to auto forward, but it takes more punch on the mag insertion than my M+P by far.

Also I've only not been able to use the M+P catch as a "release" when it is brand new... once broken in, it will release easy from pressing down on either side lever. Slightly easier on the left of course. As a lefty I'm pressing the right side with my strong hand thumb, which is what I do in the rare even it doesn't auto forward. I would estimate it costs me .25sec when that occurs, maybe 5% of the time depending on how dirty the gun is.

 

[Lj1941]

My M & P-9 has done it occasionally, but not enough for me to be concerned.Mine has about 1.5K rounds through it.It is a none issue for me.

 

[justice06rr]

I have owned both a M&P9 and M&P40 Full size. Both will do it, but more so the M&P9 even when it was brand new. I don't have any issues with it personally and have used it for IDPA also.

As stated by others, auto-forwarding will usually happen with any polymer-framed semiauto. The only way to kinda prevent it from happening is to insert the mag gently when the slide is locked back.