M&P Compact 2.0 #2: Variety is the Spice of QC Issues

[TunnelRat]

Hi all,
I've mentioned on this forum before that if I have a pistol I like I usually get a second one and set it up the same way. Both are shot to say 1,000 rds, but then one becomes dedicated for carry and home defense (shot periodically to ensure function) and the other becomes a class and range gun. The idea here is that the pistol getting abused and likely to see a failure isn't the one that I'm trusting my life to, not a revolutionary idea.

Despite the issues I mentioned in the other thread here , I really like the M&P 2.0 Compact. So I picked up a second one yesterday. Today I had a class so last night I was testing all the magazines I had for it. All the compact magazines seated and ejected just fine. Then I went to eject the fullsize magazines. And nothing happened. I press the magazine release, and nothing. The magazine barely moves. So I try some of the other fullsize mags I have. 3/5 ejected just fine. 2/5 barely moved. It's at this time I'd like to say I may be the walking incarnation of Murphy's Laws (though to be honest this seems to really only happen to me with S&W products).

Knowing I had a class the next day I decided to try to fix this myself, even though I know S&W would let me send it in were I to call. I tried the same fullsize magazines in my other Compact. They dropped just fine. That's when I took a good long look in the magazine well. With the M&P 2.0 Compact there is a seam that runs the circumferences of the inside, my guess is from how it's injected molded. On my other Compact you can feel it, but it's a minor bump. On this pistol it's much more. This is a picture of me trying to catch how much flashing was left at the seam.


Now why only the fullsize magazines have problems? In my experience the Compact magazines have stiffer springs and are pushed on more by the slide stop, so they eject with more force anyway. For some reason these particular fullsize magazines, which ironically were the ones S&W sent back to me from the other pistol, didn't like this pistol.

I've worked on kydex and polymer before, so at first I tried some fine grit steel wool. Unfortunately the amount of flashing left was too thick and I would have been there for hours. So I used a utility knife up the mag well, cut that flashing off, and then started with fine grit steel wool and finished up with very fine grit steel wool (as an FYI very fine grit steel wool will create a heck of a smooth polymer surface). One pass with the steel wool after the trimming wasn't enough. After a second pass it seemed good to go.

Fast forward to today and it ran very well. 400 or so rounds with a lot of bent elbow and one handed shooting and not a single malfunction, with me only applying Slip 2000 at the start. Ejection, like all my M&Ps, was way more positive than my Glocks. Even with the stock trigger I was doing 1.06 sec draw to first hit drills at 3 yds, was doing 4 rds at 3 yds in 1.94 sec, and did a poor man's briefcase drill of two to the chest, transition, two to the chest and one to the head in 3.55 sec. I was keeping all hits on a IPSC plate rapid fire at 15 yds and doing lateral movement drills at 10 yds had me up in the top 3 of the class. This was all with the stock sights and this pistol's first time out for me (windage was a bit left for me, but I can adjust that easy). Now there was one magazine drop of one fullsize magazine that seemed a bit slow, but like an idiot I decided to shake it free instead of letting gravity take it and made my life worse in the process.

In short the pistol functions great, but my luck with S&W QC continues. I don't think this makes them worse than many others, but it is what it is. I have no doubt many here have had 100% function with S&W products, but this makes M&P number six I've owned with some kind of issue. I continue to believe that like many companies they use their warranty service as a second line of quality control. I have had Glocks with issues, mainly ejection related. But frankly no where near the variety as with S&W. As my wife said, every time I buy a S&W I get to learn a new troubleshooting solution.

[Sharkbite]

I noticed that changing to one of the other size backstraps increased the mag resistance to ejecting. It only occured in a static slide lock reload. Any amount of flip to the gun during the reload caused all 10 of my mags to fall free.

I may get inside the magwell with some emery paper and see if i can improve on it.

Thanks for the write up.

[TunnelRat]

I'd read that too for people using the larger straps. My guess it you might be able to sand or wear down the part of the backstrap that seats in the pistol and that might help too. You can see it in the magazine well.

[Uncle Malice]

Not sure, but I had the same issue with the flashing inside. I used the knife on my leatherman (fairly long and thin with some belly right at the front) to get int here and lightly scrape the flashing off, using a flashlight for good lighting. Now everything drops perfectly smooth and free. Even the compact mags drop smoother than before.

[JDBerg]

I had something similar happen a while back with my HK P30, one of the three magazines I had wouldn’t drop free after I replaced the backstrap & grip sideshells to the largest versions that come in the kit. The largest backstrap would bind on just 1 of the 3 mags when I tried to eject the mag. I took it to a local gunsmith back when I was in PA, who fixed it right up for me.

Then I had a similar problem just a few weeks ago with my Sig P6 when I tried to eject 2 borrowed 8 round ProMags, and these wouldn’t drop free. Solution was to avoid the ProMags, which otherwise worked fine, and stick wirh rhe Sig OEM mags. Recently I was able to pick up 4 more of the Sig OEM mags in great shape for only $25 each, these magazines are getting really scarce to find and new OEM mags are out of production. But I have 7 now, and Wolff sells the mag springs.

[TunnelRat]

A Leatherman is a good idea. The utility knife I have has a long handle, but it was a reach.

The only other issue with this one is the striker block is pretty gritty in its travel. My other pistol is actually very smooth. I'm debating throwing an Apex striker block in. The striker block itself seems smooth and I can't see any kind of burr on it or the channel itself. I don't notice it when shooting, but my OCD is getting the best of me.

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[Uncle Malice]

I always run the Apex striker block, but the gritty feeling actually comes from the trigger bar most of the time on these M&P's. Look at that 45-degree angle that depresses the striker block... they can have a bit of a rough edge... stone and polish that and it should help a lot. Nearly totally removes the grit during take-up.... The stock striker block has angles that slightly catch on those rough spots where the Apex block is rounded and polished so it doesn't affect it as much. Easy enough work around either way.

[TunnelRat]

Yeah this isn't in the take up, it's right before the break at the point where the block is depressing. I can feel it in the striker block if I depress it with a punch rather than the trigger bar. But I will double check the trigger bar when I get a chance. Like you said easy enough fix either way and it's more for my OCD than anything else.

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[TunnelRat]

Well when I'm wrong I'm wrong. I tried the same slide on the other frame and the grit was pretty much gone. In looking at that 45 degree angle on the trigger bar that depresses the striker block I noticed it had some scratches. I polished it with some Flitz and a polishing cloth and it was better, but not as much as I had hoped. Then I noticed the other trigger bar had scratches in the same spot. Turns out that it was the shoulder at the bottom of that angle. On my older pistol's trigger bar the shoulder goes down lower than on this newer one. Coupled with it being less rounded than the older one and that seems to be the issue as it was engaging the striker block at a rough corner. I polished it for a bit, taking very little material and mostly smoothing the shoulder the grit is mostly gone. So thanks Uncle.

I think I could get it all the way but I'd have to stone it very carefully to preserve the shoulder as I don't want to take off too much engagement surface. I might leave it as is. Doesn't help that I can't find my stoning tools. Do you Uncle or anyone else have a set of stoning tools you like?

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[Uncle Malice]

I honestly have no idea where my stone came from. I think I got it with a bunch of my Dad's old tools years ago. There were a couple of these small stones... similar to a typical knife sharpening rectangle stone, but much smaller. I have like a finer grit dark gray stone and a ceramic stone int he same shape. I use those and then just hit it with a little 1000-1200 grit wet sandpaper and then some polishing compound on the felt dremel wheel.

From looking at the engagement surfaces on the trigger bar, I think the importance is really the height of the nub. So you can stone and smooth the ramp without any ill-effects. And the tip should pretty much center on the plunger, so even a little rounding at that top shoulder shouldn't cause any issues.

As always, YMMV with you particular specimen... but I've had no problems doing that in the past. Again, the Apex plunger will resolve the issue as well. And worst case, if you screw up the trigger bar, You could always just order a new one from Speed Shooter Specialities, or similar.

[TunnelRat]

Do they sell the trigger bars for the 2.0s without the loop though? I tried to buy them through S&W and they wouldn't let me. Factory install only. I looked on Brownells and the more recent one they have won't work on the 2.0, according to the Q/A.