# Curious



## Brevard (Jan 24, 2009)

**NOTE***So I guess to even post a question you MUST at all times use correct terminology or be politically correct with gun terms. So when I refer to clips in my post it is meant for magazines. Please forgive my ignorance at the misuse of such wording, as to being too much trouble to change all the clips to magazines. Please forgive me and when you read clips please substitute clips for magazines as to not cause a stir with the gun gods. Thank you.*

Here is the deal. My buddy bought a ruger .22 for goofing off and to take camping with him. He decided to go break it in at the range. I grabbed my Ruger P90 because it needs more shots put through it. I get to the range and notice they have the full size M&P .40 for rent. Excited I bought .40 ammo (blazer) instead of shooting my hollowpoints. And rented the M&P.

Loaded the clip up and the grip (full size backstrap) was alittle bulky but nothing unpleasant. Already liked the feel better than the ruger. Loaded up the clip and dropped one in the chamber. The thing was shooting awesome. Filled the clip up again. A few shots click nothing happened. There was a strike on the casing but the bullet never fired. Ejected it put it aside and shot the rest. 2 clips later click nothing happened ejected the bullet no striker mark on this one. Nothing happened the rest. So I went purchased another box and the first clip click nothing happened. Same thing striker mark but bullet never fired.

Thinking it might be the ammo I get my ruger and buy two more boxes of the same stuff. I shoot the ammo that the M&P didnt shoot and the two boxes except for 20 rounds. No problems. I had one miss fire again out of the 20. I did notice that the slide was extremely hot on the M&P.

Now is this a common problem. Could the striker pin be bad? Could the M&P be picky on ammo? Could it just be the ammo? Or maybe it a fault in the rental from being use so much (there didnt seem to be alot of wear anywhere on the gun). I want to know as I am seriously looking into picking one up but if it is a common problem I will wait till S&W get the bugs worked out. Now on the upside the M&P shot great


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## JeffWard (Aug 24, 2007)

1) Many range rental guns are rarely cleaned. And they are abused like a rental car. Bad cleaning practices in ANY gun can cause striker issues. Over lubrication can cause striker issues. This was most likely the issue.

2) The one weakness to the M&P IS the striker. They have a tendancy to break strikers with lots of dry fire. Range rentals find their way to the case after hundreds of customers have "tested" them. Then see above... Dry-fire with snap-caps helps, and most of the newer M&Ps have improved strikers in them, but likely this is an older model, and abused, and cleaned poorly if at all, and/or over oiled, causing grit to build up in the striker channel... Soft-strikes... No boom.

Your ruger is striking the primers correctly... Don't blame the ammo, or the M&P... Blame the knuckleheads who get paid NOT to clean it correctly.

JW


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## Brevard (Jan 24, 2009)

Well I cant say it is used and abused. Like I said there was no wear at all. When I went to the range the other day they had no M&P's to rent. That was like Monday. Now they could have gotten a used one. Maybe someone did dry fire it abunch. It could have been a an old one.

My point is I want to know exactly what I am dealing with before dropping $530 plus taxes on a gun. I know almost exactly what I am getting with a glock. The xdm's I am skeptical. The M&P's I really, really like but all the problems I have read and then the misfires have me worried about what would happen if it did this when I needed it the most.

I am not the best person in the world for cleaning guns like they should. But then again I only shoot about 100 rounds a month. Sometimes more sometimes not at all.

But why did the slide get so hot. This is the first pistol I have ever shot (between this, Ruger's, H&K's, Berettas, and glocks) that the slidehas ever been that hot. Is it normal. Could this be a reason it was misfiring?


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## VAMarine (Dec 25, 2008)

Some guns get hotter than others, the M&P has less slide mass than the Ruger if I'm not mistaken. I have a couple different guns that start getting really hot after 100 rounds of rapid fire, and I mean HOT, not warm, but almost too hot to touch.

Regarding the M&P, it could be that it's a used gun prior to rental, could be that it was just not in the case when you were there last.

I wouldn't get to overly concerned with the performance of a rental, they are good to see how the gun shoots and feels, but the maintenance issues associated with them is anyone's guess. Could be a lemon, could be abuse, could be neglect, you just don't know.

If you have reservations about the M&P, don't buy it, but don't NOT buy it because that POS rental has issues.


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## zhurdan (Mar 21, 2008)

It could be the "clips".:mrgreen:

Zhur


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## Todd (Jul 3, 2006)

zhurdan said:


> It could be the "clips".:mrgreen:
> 
> Zhur


:smt023


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## literaltrance (Dec 24, 2008)

Brevard said:


> ...Could it just be the ammo? Or maybe it a fault in the rental from being use so much...


I've experienced problems with rentals QUITE a bit. They get abused, neglected, and used a ton, no question about it. I'd bet hard cash the M&P you rented was exhibiting problems because it was a rental...probably a weak striker spring, or crud in the striker hole was preventing the striker from making full contact with the primer.

As a rule of thumb, using rentals to gauge the "feel" of the firearm is fine (recoil characteristics and grip mostly), but anything beyond that and you're basically using pooly-placed optimism the rental was relatively new and/or under the care of a meticulous owner.

http://www.gundirectory.com has great user reviews and ratings for all kinds of handguns. I put more faith in gundirectory to learn about firearm reliability than I do a rental.


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## texagun (May 5, 2007)

It's a fairly common problem with MP's.


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## TheReaper (Nov 14, 2008)

I have not seen this problem with either of my M&P's . The .40 has seen a lot of rounds since I bought it in 2006.


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## mplecha (Dec 20, 2008)

I believe they are called magazines. :mrgreen:


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## Brevard (Jan 24, 2009)

When you say magazines I assume you are talking about the magazine safety. The M&P's they get do not have them. The rental didnt either as I loaded a round with the mag out and shot it. So it wasnt that. I talked to the guy today he said they put the gun in the case tuesday and rented it twice before me. He also said he shot some blazers and that they messed up also. Tried federal and winchester they were fine. He said he thought the primer was too hard for the striker pin.

He also went on to say that he carries one and has a couple fo thousand shots and never had that problem. He thinks it may just need to be cleaned as he wasnt sure if the old man that works there at night did it.

I am not judging by the rental if it was a problem I just heard of. But with alot of people complaining about the striking pin it got me thinking and that is what I come on here to do is learn if it was still a problem that may be still occuring.


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## Todd (Jul 3, 2006)

Brevard said:


> When you say magazines I assume you are talking about the magazine safety.


No, people are busting your chops for calling the magazines "clips". There's a big difference.


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## Brevard (Jan 24, 2009)

I guess it is where you are from. I hear people use clips and magazines all the time talking about a pistol. Just whatever word that comes out first. Been to numerous gunstores and stuff that say clips instead of magazines. Could be a southern thing who knows. Just what I have always heard coming from people who love guns. For me I dont what you call it. If you say I have a Ruger and 2 12 round clips...I believe anyone who has been around guns will know exactly what you are talking about.

Note has been added...thank you.


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