Springfield EMP WARNING!!!

Status
Not open for further replies.
franconialocal

franconialocal

Member
Joined
Oct 21, 2008
Messages
673
Location
New Hampshire
A little story into a product warning......

I work as a police patrolman in a rural area of northern NH. I cover approx. 100 sq/mi. by myself so there are more than enough opportunities in a shift to get in/out of the cruiser on many, many calls....much less for bathroom breaks, foot patrol, etc.

I carry a Sig P-220 for duty, but a Springfield EMP 9mm. for backup on my ankle. I'm not going to give away "all my secrets" but generally I wear it on my left ankle....which is a lead-in to my product warning.

The other night I was with a police "ride-along" (a prospective new hire) and had conducted a few motor vehicle stops in town. I got back into the cruiser after clearing a stop and heard something rolling around on the floorboard of the driver side. I stopped to look and found a 9mm round on the floor by the gas pedal. I was stumped as to why I found a 9mm round when we duty carry .45 ammo. Then it hit me......damn.....that's MY 9mm round from my backup. I lifted my pant leg to find the base plate and plastic casing totally gone, 9mm rounds pouring out all over the place, and the spring hanging out of the butt end of the mag. Needless to say I was more than dismayed.... I just made note of hit, cleaned up my mess, apologized to the "rookie" for the poor lesson, and went about my shift.

Next shift I prepared a new mag and started shift.....then it happened AGAIN. A few 9mm rounds on the floor, spring coming out, and no base plate or housing on the mag....DAMN. This time I was able to retain the pieces though and did my inspection on it.

First I want to say that Springfield makes a fine weapon and this one has served me faithfully for over 2 years now.....it's not really a problem with the firearms so much as it is A MAGAZINE PROBLEM AND USER CHOICE OF CARRY that is the problem.
Without even noticing it....every time I was getting in/out of the cruiser I was knocking the butt of the mag on the floor runner (step up into an SUV). Every so slightly it was manipulating the depress dimple and shifting the floorplate and casing forward until it fell off completely.

So....just a "heads up" to all you EMP owners with the supplied factory mags (I think they were Mec-Gar) Keep an eye on the mags/butts/floorplates for unusual movement and a total loss of the floor of the mag by way of cracking or shifting. It seems like they just didn't make the "nipple" that fits into the dimple deep enough to fully secure the floor plate...If it happened once then fine.....all user error I guess. But since this happened the second time, it really has me wondering about those specific mags and how they were designed, as well as the obvious change-up in my method of carry (never had a problem in YEARS...why now?? All variables being equal).....
I'm sorry I didnt' post more on what brand they were....I'm at work and they are at home, but I'll try to add more here (via edit) when I find out.
 
Sounds like a magazine issue if I understand it correctly. Could you be catching the butt of the mag on anything during your shift or even at home removing/storing it?

Edit: Sorry missed the part about the cause of the issue, thanks for the heads up.
 
Thread should probably not say EMP warning. Should be EMP MAGAZINE warning. That would be better suited. Makes the gun itself sound dangerous. That being said that is not a good problem for policemen to be having. Did Springfield say anything about this??
 
Last edited:
Isn't this a warning for anyone who carries any magazines in a frequently impacted spot?

That's not an EMP problem, or even a EMP magazine problem, that's a "magazines that get abused might fail at the bottom" problem.
 
I've got a solution for you -- go on the www.1911forum.com, contact Logman, and have him convert some EMP mags for you. He cuts off the base plate and welds the mag base shut to make a flush fitting mag. You lose 1 round in capacity, but you will never, ever have the problem you just experienced with a mag he's modified. His work is excellent, btw, and looks completely factory.
 
First of all yes....even though it's a magazine problem it's STILL an EMP problem since they are the factory mags that came with it....so I don't think the title is " misleading nonsense" lol....but hey, to each his own.
But in fairness.....yes...it's a mag problem. C'mon people.....really? Anyway...on to more constructive dialogue with people who are interested in a valid safety warning.

To the "user error" crowd. I fully understand my "role" in this (knocking/ hitting/ etc.) but the problem I have is that it's happened twice with the same kind of mag....AND NOTHING BROKE so much as worked loose and fell off. As I stated, the "nipple" doesn't fit well in the dimple at the bottom of the baseplate...and it seems to be a recurrent problem OTHER THAN where I place it on my ankle, which ankle, etc. It's a design problem that leaves the base plate susceptible to coming loose very easily and may be a safety issue. And to the "abuse" crowd....I'm sorry, I just have an expectation that my $1,100 sidearm isn't just going to fall apart just from being bumped on the frame of a door. I don't really think I'm being unreasonable here???

Thanks for the heads up on the custom work...sounds good.
And yes...they are Mec-Gar mags.
 
Last edited:
I have 4 logman modified magazines for my daughters and my EMPs. Good Kit. And the "butt" plates don't fall off.

Have you solved the SIG 220 trigger bar spring problem? I have been working on it for over 20 years, no success, yet.

Go figure.

Fred
 
As long as you are carrying different calibers, snubby 38 in ankle holster would never have created a problem in the first place. Too old-fashioned, I guess.
 
As long as you are carrying different calibers, snubby 38 in ankle holster would never have created a problem in the first place. Too old-fashioned, I guess.
Click to expand...

You're going to compare a 5 round snub to a 10 round 1911 with an excellent trigger? Maybe you're an amazing shot or something, but I'm far, far more effective with my EMP than I could be with any snub.
 
I'll add this problem to the list of reasons I carry a revolver for a BUG.

You could always consider relocating your gun someplace that would be less likely to hit the rocker panel when you get in the truck.

Regardless of anything else it sounds like having the mag bases modified would be a good idea for anyone that carries an EMP. I'd assume that if someone has made a business out of welding the bases you're not the first person to experience this sort of problem.
 
I had the same problem with a Kahr P380.

I could wipe the bottom of the mag off with my thumb, dumping ammo all over the place. "Cleanup isle 3."


I pulled the mag plates off, they were metal, and flatened them with a hammer. Making the side folds much tighter. Then I pressed the plates back on the mag.

They're not going anywhere now. I'm not sure about EMP mags, do they have metal bottoms or plastic?
 
The magazines should probably be made better

Sounds like the "button" part that sticks out of the floor plate might be too sensative and may press in too easily. Myabe you could fasten some kind of rubber over it with removable glue. Or put a bit of electrical tape right over that button part.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

Similar threads

G
  • Locked
Springfield EMP 9mm magazines?
Replies
10
Views
3K
tahunua001
tahunua001
S
  • Locked
Springfield EMP Question
Replies
17
Views
1K
mattk
M
B
  • Locked
Springfield EMP Conversion ?
Replies
6
Views
2K
Lonestar49
L
T
  • Locked
  • Poll
Springfield EMP or HK PSP?
Replies
13
Views
750
Tcruse
T
ChCx2744
  • Locked
As an alternative to me buying more Glock mags...
Replies
9
Views
987
Rexster
Rexster
Back
Top