Smith & Wesson M&P stiff slide release fix

[bryan995]

I've always had this issue with my M&P.
The slide release was always stiff and could never be fully disengaged without pressing down on both sides of the slide release button.
Personally I would always press the slide release button down while pulling the slide back to put the slide forward and never really questioned it.

For some reason I had just always thought of this as a slide lock and not a simple slide release button (doh!) or just the fact the the pistol still needed to be broken in.

Found this video on youtube - I just filed my slide release catch down a bit and bingo. Works perfectly every time.

Hope this can help someone else out.

 

[drgrant]

So you didn't just try to break it in? A lot of the S&W slide locks are stiff like that when you get a new gun. usually it doesn't take long before the part wears in. SW99's were often like this, too.

-Mike

 

[bryan995]

I've probably put close to 500 rounds through the pistol, but I guess because I was pulling the slide back to release the pressure on the slide lock, I was not allowing the part to wear down by simple use. Silly newbie mistake .

 

[Sweeney]

So you didn't just try to break it in? A lot of the S&W slide locks are stiff like that when you get a new gun. usually it doesn't take long before the part wears in. SW99's were often like this, too.

-Mike

Breaking it in accomplishes the same thing except over a much greater period of time...similar to many 'trigger jobs'. This is my gripe with S&W... they simply don't 'finish' their guns. They don't smooth or deburr surfaces.

I recently picked up an M&P45. Before I ever shot it I had it apart cleaning up all the sliding surfaces in the trigger system that were left rough from manufacturing. They could have been deburred and smoothed during manufacturing literally in seconds but that step of the process has been skipped. What comes out of the 'Performance Center' is what should (and used to) come right off the production line.

My M&P45 went from having a gritty, notchy trigger to a very smooth consistent trigger with a few minutes of work...most of which was taking it apart and reassembling it.

So, why not jump right to a properly functioning mechanism rather than hoping it wears in after hundreds of rounds?

 

[drgrant]

Breaking it in accomplishes the same thing except over a much greater period of time...

If it takes that long to break in instead of a dozen reloads, then I'd be pissed and sending it back. It shouldn't be -that- tough. Then again I've only shot a few M&Ps so for all I know this level of shitty workmanship could be "typical".

I guess this is par for the course though, awhile ago when they changed the 10 round M&P cripplemag followers suddenly we had herds of people grinding the legs down on them so the damned things will work right...

-Mike

 

[Greg Derr]

Thanks for posting Bryan.

 

[noxin]

I've always heard/read that you should slingshot the slide into position and not use the slide lock in this fashion. I know it's possible, but I think S&W recommends against it.

 

[Bonesinium]

So you didn't just try to break it in? A lot of the S&W slide locks are stiff like that when you get a new gun. usually it doesn't take long before the part wears in. SW99's were often like this, too.

-Mike

I'm not sure what you would quantify as 'doesn't take long', but 4000+ rounds didn't do anything for me, had the same issue with my 9c.

 

[Steven Pom]

since the slide stop only engages when the mags empty, if you put 500 rounds through it, it only latched 50 times.
i got the same result with opening and releasing my slide a few dozen times with an empty mag.

 

[xero2099]

since the slide stop only engages when the mags empty, if you put 500 rounds through it, it only latched 50 times.
i got the same result with opening and releasing my slide a few dozen times with an empty mag.

That is what i did for mines and now it works fine

 

[ztargetshooter]

Thanks Bryan. Reps for this thread. I have the same problem with my m&p 9.

I plan on letting it brake in through shooting. I think mine is like that because the springs are new and very strong. In particular the new mag springs.

 

[DemonChronicles]

Hated the mag safety in my .40c, got rid of it quite easily.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Deleted member 12999]

My m&p goes into battery if I look at it. I call it a 'feature'

Its got 6 or 7 k through it though.

 

[gearwhore14]

I have about 500 through mine and it's gotten significantly less stiff. Recently, if I insert a mag with any urgency, it has been releasing on it's own.