M&P 40 fs slide

[Dieseldog13]

My son and I are going to start shooting in USPSA events with our M&P full size 40's. The slides on both guns are difficult to work by hand. Is there a way for us to loosen them up ourselfs or is a gunsmith required? I know, put 10,000 rounds through the guns.

 

[SJan]

Hard to pull the slide to the rear?

Not really a job for a gunsmith, sounds like you want a lighter recoil spring. M&Ps do not respond well to lighter recoil springs. The striker is cocked as the slide closing the last 1/4" or so, and the barrel locks up at the same time, everything happening at once. If you do put in a lighter recoil spring, you may get occasional problem of the slide not going fully into battery, or the striker not being reset. That problem can be cured with a lighter striker spring, but then you may have problems with light strikes. Even before all of that, you don't want to be shooting factory ammo with a lighter recoil spring, if you are reloading you can tune the load and spring combination. Will you be shooting major or minor PF ?

 

[92G]

Hard to pull the slide to the rear?

Not really a job for a gunsmith, sounds like you want a lighter recoil spring. M&Ps do not respond well to lighter recoil springs. The striker is cocked as the slide closing the last 1/4" or so, and the barrel locks up at the same time, everything happening at once. If you do put in a lighter recoil spring, you may get occasional problem of the slide not going fully into battery, or the striker not being reset. That problem can be cured with a lighter striker spring, but then you may have problems with light strikes. Even before all of that, you don't want to be shooting factory ammo with a lighter recoil spring, if you are reloading you can tune the load and spring combination. Will you be shooting major or minor PF ?

^this
if going to shoot mouse fart loads you might be ok w a weaker recoil spring. Personally i wouldnt screw around w it. The M&P slide serrations should make charging the slide pretty easy. If still having trouble install a tac rac plate which makes pulling the slide even easier.

http://www.skdtac.com/TacRack-Smith-Wesson-M-P-p/tac.101.htm

my mother couldnt run her G17 slide at all until I installed one of these for her. Now no problem.

 

[Dieseldog13]

Thanks guys for your help. We do reload so we could match the spring. I will look into that Tac Rac also. We both will be starting in Production class.

 

[Gammon]

Hard to pull the slide to the rear?

Not really a job for a gunsmith, sounds like you want a lighter recoil spring. M&Ps do not respond well to lighter recoil springs. The striker is cocked as the slide closing the last 1/4" or so, and the barrel locks up at the same time, everything happening at once. If you do put in a lighter recoil spring, you may get occasional problem of the slide not going fully into battery, or the striker not being reset. That problem can be cured with a lighter striker spring, but then you may have problems with light strikes. Even before all of that, you don't want to be shooting factory ammo with a lighter recoil spring, if you are reloading you can tune the load and spring combination. Will you be shooting major or minor PF ?

+1. I tried a lighter recoil spring in an M&P 9mm and was immediately rewarded with FTFs. Striker fired guns are vulnerable to spring changes. The springs are part of a system so changing one can have a detrimental effect on the gun's reliability.

 

[MMArtist]

My son and I are going to start shooting in USPSA events with our M&P full size 40's. The slides on both guns are difficult to work by hand. Is there a way for us to loosen them up ourselfs or is a gunsmith required? I know, put 10,000 rounds through the guns.

Push, Pull-ups etc will help a lot.

 

[Retired-LEO]

Check out Arachnigrip!

https://www.arachnigrip.com/store#!/~/category/id=1302142



it's really grippy! your hands could be covered with oil and you still can easily pull the slide back!

 

[pupchow]

Check out Arachnigrip!

it's really grippy! your hands could be covered with oil and you still can easily pull the slide back!

Interesting.

 

[SJan]

Both the TAC RAC thing and grip tape on the slide are not permitted in production division of USPSA.

 

[greencobra]

it's really grippy! your hands could be covered with oil and you still can easily pull the slide back!

i have a similar problem with some guns, the shield being one of them. it's not a matter of being "grippy", but just loosing strength in my hands as i've aged. the colt xse 1911 i got last year is another ball buster to rack. i feel the pain of anyone who has this issue.

 

[Dieseldog13]

I will have to really study the rules before making any changes. Thank you SJan. NowI wonder if the Talon grips we both have are allowed. Probably not.
Greencobra I hear you on losing hand strength as we age. However my son is a brute and he agrees that the slide is not easy to work.

 

[SJan]

https://www.uspsa.org/document_library/rules/2014/Feb%202014%20Handgun%20Rules.pdf

Grip tape is ok, in certain areas
See appendix E4

 

[Retired-LEO]

Check out Arachnigrip!

https://www.arachnigrip.com/store#!/~/category/id=1302142



it's really grippy! your hands could be covered with oil and you still can easily pull the slide back!

I originally ordered it for my M&P full size 9 (really like it)

So now I ordered it for my M&P Shield 9 & Bodyguard 380.