11,695 rounds
2 stoppages, 0 malfunctions, 0 parts breakages
This past week we hit the first stoppages during the M&P Torture Test.
During some weak hand only rapid fire practice (this week’s Switch Hitting II Drill of the Week), the trigger failed to reset twice over the course of about twenty rounds. Releasing the trigger all the way and pulling again did not resolve the problem. The gun had cycled fully, ejecting the spent case and loading a new cartridge. The striker simply did not engage the sear properly.
A standard tap-rack cleared the stoppage and the gun fired properly on the next round each time.
After the second stoppage, the pistol was field stripped and inspected. The only visible anomaly was lack of lubrication on the barrel … the gun had gone approximately 2,000 rounds since the last time it was cleaned or lubricated. The rails were still wet, and grease was still visible on the action.
Once the gun was put back together, hundreds of rounds were fired — including many during further weak hand only rapid fire — without any problems.
After discussing the issue with an armorer, the most likely culprit was user-induced error. It seems perhaps I got a little too enthusiastic the last time I squirted TW25B into the action, and it picked up some grit or other debris which kept the sear from moving properly. When the gun came apart, the debris dislodged and the gun started running properly. So the lesson learned is to use the action grease a little more sparingly in the future.
This week the plan is to attend the first pistol match (IDPA) shooting the test gun. See you next Monday with a full report!
Train hard & stay safe! ToddG
Previous weekly reports:
- Week One
- Week Two
- Week Three
- Week Four
- Week Five
Train hard & stay safe! ToddG
So Todd, where do you apply TW25B? I’ve never used anything but some light gun oil at the 5 spots indicated in the owners manual for lubrication. With this minor exception, I take it you like this grease over oil?
Still working out the details on that, given that I managed to cause a problem last time. 8)
I’d say a little bit on the sear, a little bit on the trigger bar, and a little bit on the face of the striker where it contacts the sear would be safe. Beyond that, I’d recommend detail stripping the gun.
I was wondering, considering that this may be a problem caused by dirty parts, what do these stoppages say about the gun’s reliability. Several other guns have been put through mud, sand, water, and everything else and (reportedly) still fired without malfunction. I have yet to find any similar tests run on the M&P.
Considering your M&P is modified, could that have been the issue? I’ve been following this torture test and this remains a curious point for me.
Love the site. Thank you.
Cruhmm — It wasn’t dirty parts, and I don’t believe it would be similar to dirt/mud testing. A thick grease was injected into an otherwise protected area of the action.
But yes, as mentioned previously there is also the possibility that the modified sear simply wore to the point that it skipped engagement with the striker. That’s one reason we switched the gun over to the Performance Center sear.
I had a similar problem with the trigger of my M&P 9 Pro not resetting.
I just got the pistol back from S&W (extractor replacement), and the gun was completely dry. I had a round in the chamber that didn’t seem to want to let go of the barrel, but the slide seemed to be in battery.