*UPDATE: Solution, post #30* Smith & Wesson M&P Magazine Issues.. Anyone else?

Ganderite said:
I had a different problem with M&P9 mags and phoned S&W service in USA. They mailed me 3 mag followers - free. There is a new version out. I gave them an American mailing address.
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M&P9 mags are the only part of the gun, I don't like.

Mine will take only 9 rounds, and first round to go in is very difficult to insert.
More difficult than any other gun I own.

Is that the same problem you had, and did new followers resolve it?

Cheers,
Dan
 
lanis said:
M&P9 mags are the only part of the gun, I don't like.

Mine will take only 9 rounds, and first round to go in is very difficult to insert.
More difficult than any other gun I own.

Is that the same problem you had, and did new followers resolve it?

Cheers,
Dan
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Take the follower out and shorten it. You will see a "U" shaped notch in it, front and back. File the bottom until the notch is gone. About 2 tenths of an inch. Then the 10 round will go in ok.
 
NoRestForTheWicked said:
Hey everyone,

so Ive been having this issue with my m&p9 where the magazine follower gets stuck up against the slide release and will not drop freely. Ive found online that people have had issues with the magazines fitting tightly in the frame but thats not the case here. The magazines drop free when the slide is closed and also when there are rounds in it, the only time it happens is after it locks back from the last round.

I sent it to Murray Charleton (the warranty dealer) out in BC and he was able to install a new slide stop but he had no replacement followers and it could be months before they get anything ordered from S&W. He said that the issue in the follower which makes sense, but for some reason when I try these mags in a friend's older m&p9 they function fine. Murray was very helpful but Im looking for other opinions. Can anyone chime in on what exactly might be causing this or does anyone have any solutions for it? Do I need new followers or can I somehow modify the ones I have to function properly?
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I have had no issues with my mags, but my M&P is a 40S&W not 9mm.
 
I read somewhere that Smith started using the .45 frame for all of their calibers. Im wondering if because of that there's just a little bit extra wiggle room inside the magwell that is causing this to happen? As far as I've read online, people haven't had the issue with older guns. It seems to be only the ones manufactured around the middle of this year. They also did change the followers about the same time, but I'm wondering if the problem is a combination of both or even more small changes that were made recently?

New mags seem to work with older guns, older mags seem to work with new guns, older mags work with older guns.. The only issue is new guns with new mags. But then again, not everyone is experiencing this issue with their new guns...

Maybe they slightly altered the way the walls of the magazine itself are stamped? I've noticed that, when I push down on the follower with my thumb and slowly let it back up, the follower will come back straight until most of the pressure is taken up by the magazine wall near the top. But when I let go of the follower completely, the left side of the follower jumps a bit more towards center. I'm having a hard time explaining exactly whats happening. Maybe there's too much spring tension?

I'm just brainstorming but its starting to make my head hurt, lol. Maybe I'm over thinking it?
 
Here are pics of mags in my 5" Pro Series. The slide release is nowhere near the edge of the follower. All mags drop free with no problems. I don't think the issue is in the followers.




 
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jackrabbit000 said:
Here are pics of mags in my 5" Pro Series. The slide release is nowhere near the edge of the follower. All mags drop free with no problems. I don't think the issue is in the followers.
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Sorry, I must be missing something. Are you saying the OP's mag followers must be fine since yours are?
 
Hey guys, I have an update for you! Still nothing from smith or brownells as far as some replacement followers go, but I found a modification that solves the issue that I am having!!

I was looking at the followers and I noticed that there really isnt much surface area for the slide stop to grab onto. I also noticed that the outer edge of the follower kinda slopes out. So on one of my magazines I took a very fine diamond file and filed the contact point down so that there was more for the slide stop to grab onto. And there you have it! The magazine drops free every time now! The only issue is that there is a bit of forward and aft movement in the mag well and when I move the bottom of the magazine forward, the follower jumps off again. But thats just when I screw with it. For normal use and practice, this seems to be a good option to solve this problem!

Here are some pictures to better illustrate:

This is the front of the magazine, you can kinda see what Im talking about where the edge of the magazine slopes on the unaltered magazine (LEFT SIDE) and you can see how much Ive taken off of the altered magazine (RIGHT SIDE)
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This is the side of the magazine, again to illustrate how steep the area is on the unaltered magazine (LEFT SIDE) and how much I took off of the follower (RIGHT SIDE)
1393786_10153404929725657_1822260354_n.jpg


And here is a view from the top of the magazines, here you can see how much more surface area there is for the slide stop to grab on the follower I altered, (BOTTOM) and an unaltered mag for comparison (TOP)
1383060_10153404929705657_1788427050_n.jpg
 
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