M&P 9mm shooting way low and crunchy trigger

Chris R.

Chris R.

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Just picks up one of these little guys and shot it for the first time today. I like it but the instil shoots very low and the sights are not adjustable...at 15 yards I have I aim 8" high to hit centre. Also, the trigger is very rough and crunchy thus far. I only have about 60 rounds through it so far. It's not taking away from it but once I got back on my cz, I was dead on mag after mag.
Suggestions for the sights? Will the trigger break in after a while?

Thanks!
 
My M&P 9 exhibited the same problem on my second trip to the range. The first time, I shot straight and had tight groups because the gun was new to me and I had better form. The second time out, I was consistently low and to the left. A quick search online revealed this to be a common issue with these pistols, not because the sights are off, but because of the shooter. The trigger on a new gun is crunchy and stiff as you described. I was finding that as I squeezed on the trigger, the pressure applied had to be increased gradually until the break point. Coupled with the crunchiness of the trigger pull, I was jerking the muzzle down and to the left. The sear has a ramp on the surface that contacts the striker surface which forces the trigger pressure to rise until it releases the striker. The rough stamped surfaces of the trigger bar add to the problem.

I did a variation of the Burwell DIY trigger job and vastly improved the trigger feel. Lots of dry firing can help with trigger control and smoothing out the feel of the trigger, too.

http://www.burwellguns.com/M&Ptriggerjob1.htm
 
Chris R. said:
Just picks up one of these little guys and shot it for the first time today. I like it but the instil shoots very low and the sights are not adjustable...at 15 yards I have I aim 8" high to hit centre. Also, the trigger is very rough and crunchy thus far. I only have about 60 rounds through it so far. It's not taking away from it but once I got back on my cz, I was dead on mag after mag.
Suggestions for the sights? Will the trigger break in after a while?

Thanks!
Click to expand...

Simply put it is you not the gun. I suggest you get someone else shoot the gun from a rest and then you do the same. You shoot the CZ better because you are more familiar with it. The M&P trigger can be improved significantly by installinga Apex USB. It is as easy install and is cheaper than either the Comp Kit or the DCEK kit. The latter two will give you either a 2.5 -3.5 pound trigger or a 5+# trigger. Both will be very smooth with a faster reset.

Take Care

Bob
 
Thanks for the responses guys.
I'd like to think that it was me but we were 3 with the same results and i was very careful to squeeze very gently. All the hits were well grouped...just about 8" low at 15 yards.
I'll fire it some more and report back but normally when I'm rough, I shoot low and left (right handed shooter) but this is just low.
 
Chris R. said:
Thanks for the responses guys.
I'd like to think that it was me but we were 3 with the same results and i was very careful to squeeze very gently. All the hits were well grouped...just about 8" low at 15 yards.
I'll fire it some more and report back but normally when I'm rough, I shoot low and left (right handed shooter) but this is just low.
Click to expand...

Trust me when I say its not the guns sights out of alignment from the factory.

I had the exact same issues with the M&P .40.

After installing the APEX trigger kit, my shooting improved drastically. I went all out and purchased their complete Forward Set Sear And Trigger Kit includes the following:

Apex Forward Set Sear
Apex Forward Set Trigger (complete with trigger bar pin)
Apex Forward Set Striker Block
Apex Forward Set Spring Kit
Apex RAM Spring

One of the reasons I went with the entire Trigger Kit is the new trigger reduces trigger pre-travel and over travel by approximately 20%.
 
Chris R. said:
Thanks for the responses guys.
I'd like to think that it was me but we were 3 with the same results and i was very careful to squeeze very gently. All the hits were well grouped...just about 8" low at 15 yards.
I'll fire it some more and report back but normally when I'm rough, I shoot low and left (right handed shooter) but this is just low.
Click to expand...

At 15 yards the front sight would have to be significantly higher than the rear for the gun to shoot that much low. Have you tried shooting the gun from a rest?

If you find the trigger gritty simply replacing the USB witj an Apex USB will clean up the trigger. All three of the kits available from Apex will improve the trigger significanty. All three will reduce the reset. The FSS trigger kit will reduce the reset the most. That said, the difference between the Comp Kit reset and the FSS reset isn't much. Some shooters may gain some benefit from the difference. I know I can't. My Comp Kit Pro has a trigger pull of 2.5#'s while my FSS Trigger runs around 4.5#'s.

Take Care

Bob
 
what weight bullet were you shooting??? maybe try something heavier....it will bring your point of impact up..........
 
I'll go and shoot it more and do some dry firing to see if I can improve the trigger feel. I'm using Blazer 115gr ammo, the same I use in the CZ75 Sp01 i have.
I'm not looking to make this a super race gun or even use it in ipsc or anything, just have it shoot more or less where I point it. If it does not get better, I'll consider the trigger job (cost on that?) but don't want to spend much on it...I have too many as it is! I just wanted a small poly gun that was not a glock (sorry glock guys, it's just not for me).
 
yodave said:
what weight bullet were you shooting??? maybe try something heavier....it will bring your point of impact up..........
Click to expand...

A heavier bullet will make the point of impact go up? That seems reversed to me. Can you explain?
Oh, and I'm using the medium backstrap...it's the one that fits me well so far. I can try changing it and see though!
 
Chris the Comp/DCEK kits are around $100 if memory serves me correctly. Neither are really necessary. If you just want a better feeling trigger than jus get an Apex USB for around $30. US. You can install the thing yourself. Allen key, brass punch to get the rear sight off and some patience to get the USB in place and reinstall the rear sight. It really is that easy...I have done it several times and if I can do it anuone can.

Take Care

Bob
 
Your approach to the trigger can cause low shots too. If you try to pull from rest straight through release, you will shoot low. Think of it as a 2 stage trigger, take out the crunchy take up and when you feel the sear (the pull gets quite firm) stop, then re-align the sights and press through. With practise you don't even know you're doing it. Also the M&P is quite sensitive to trigger placement, the grip that "feels" the best may well put too much finger on the trigger - use the one that lets you press with the centre of the pad of your trigger finger - if you're getting knuckles invovled, swap for a larger backstrap.
 
enefgee said:
Your approach to the trigger can cause low shots too. If you try to pull from rest straight through release, you will shoot low. Think of it as a 2 stage trigger, take out the crunchy take up and when you feel the sear (the pull gets quite firm) stop, then re-align the sights and press through. With practise you don't even know you're doing it. Also the M&P is quite sensitive to trigger placement, the grip that "feels" the best may well put too much finger on the trigger - use the one that lets you press with the centre of the pad of your trigger finger - if you're getting knuckles invovled, swap for a larger backstrap.
Click to expand...

FTW!

Feed it some more, that trigger will smooth itself out. Mine has 5-6k rounds through it now, and the trigger and reset are great IMO.

I shoot 147's through mine and it seems to be the best for me. It didnt like 115's, 124's, handloads or factory ammo.
 
There may well be an issue with some recent batch of the M&P. One of our local fellas got an M&P recently and it is/was shooting low by this amount. And it's not just him. Some good shooters including other M&P owners found it shot low as well. The new owner is now waiting on a new shorter front sight. If we were in the US he'd likely have simply sent it back. But since we're in Canada and the turn around time for warranty issues is so great he's chosen to just get a shorter front blade and install it himself.
 
A close friend of mine just shot his m&p 9 for the first time and I will say that without a doubt that 115gr blazer ammo did not work well in the gun. We couldn't hit paper at 15 yards. The other ammo we tried was fine (other then shooting low and left because of sloppy trigger control) Try some new ammo and I bet it gets better
 
I find my M&P's trigger difficult to manage as well. My theory is these pistols were designed to be loaded with 17 rounds of 9mm, not ten, and the long hard trigger pull isn't as noticeable when you balance it against the added weight of the ammo in the butt. I added the APEX trigger kit and there was an improvement in the smoothness of the trigger pull, but it's still a long take-up.
 
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