M&P 9mm: Who Do I Have Fix It?

[TunnelRat]

@ vyse.04
And I can appreciate advice, but let's also be fair and say that there are ways of giving advice without coming off as insulting or demeaning. His ideas are not bad, just his communication of them. My inclination to believe it was in fact meant like that came from the rest of his post where he went on to describe how all his friends can't shoot the M&P while he can. It seems to me he is saying with this gun it is more the people than the gun, which could be true or could not be true.

Regardless I appreciate the advice so far. Still I don't have access to the things you mention, sandbags, a vise, etc. Best I might be able to do is shooting kneeling with my arms resting on a bench, and that's gonna be tricky because I don't have a lot of range access.

This is another reason I am sending it in to S&W. They have the facilities to test it while I don't.

 

[AZAK]

Still I don't have access to the things you mention, sandbags, a vise, etc. Best I might be able to do is shooting kneeling with my arms resting on a bench, and that's gonna be tricky because I don't have a lot of range access.

Got a bag of: sugar? flour? rice? beans? Or a rolled up shirt? You don't have to go out and buy a specific rest or a vise; many inexpensive/free possible rests, and what does a sandbag cost these days? Literally a couple of bucks.

You really need to shoot it from a rest. Sure S&W can do it for you; however, if you do it for yourself, then you know for yourself if the sights/gun are the issue. (And have a target to send in to S&W shot from a rest.) Or you can wait the weeks for S&W to get it back to you, maybe have the issue resolved, or maybe not. If not, you still will not be certain of what it is, until...
You shoot it from a rest.

 

[harly69g]

Low & Left

My bad meant to say pad of finger.

Also here is some other problems people run in to.
http://pointshooting.com/lowleft.htm
I would try the different techniques myself before I sent it back in & cost you money.

 

[TunnelRat]

@ azak

*Sigh*, yes I could make a sandbag, or even buy a bag and fill it with sand.

However if you kept reading you'd see that my range access is limited. Let me try to answer your further counterpoints with the following:

Most ranges directly around me are private, in fact all of them are. I am on a waiting list at a lot of them. I am hopeful of getting into one before the end of the month.

There must be one public range
Well yes there is, but it is an indoor range 1 hr from my house. Now there are benches there, but no chairs, and the people that run it are anal retentive and I seriously doubt they want me running around with folding chairs and sandbags. This is because it is mainly for novice shooters and they are very safety conscience, which I don't blame them for.

Do it outside your house
Good idea, except I live in an apartment. I know, get a house, I'm lazy. Thing is I am only 24 and I can't afford a house right now, certainly not one with the amount of land that would allow me to shoot on my property (the area I live in is fairly densely populated).

Go to the woods
Another good idea, except that is also tricky. The only public land near me where I can go shooting is not accessible by drive, I have to hike there. This is because it is behind town property and is gated from vehicles. I have to walk the .5 mile in.

A true shooter would do it regardless
Undoubtedly, but even were I to build it there, carry it there, or airlift it there I lack a true backdrop that would make me feel safe shooting at chest level elevation. As it is I use an old stump and fallen logs, and that might work but it's very hard to hang targets. Guess I could build a backdrop.

Find a hill and shoot at the base of that into the hill
I have the perfect spot for that, honestly I want to build a range there. However there is a person who lives nearby and takes issue with me shooting there. Says it makes his four year old son cry. While I am in my legal rights to shoot there (distance from all private property), I don't want to make a scene.

I look forward to the future "Do it yourself" comments. Trust me guys, if I could I would, but I don't have access to all the options a lot of people do. Feel grateful if you do.

 

[TunnelRat]

@ harly69g

As a note to you and all others:

it costs nothing to send anything back to S&W for repair and maintenance. They pay for the shipping both ways, they don't charge you for the repair. All I need is a box and I have one of those lying around in my closet. That is the whole advantage to S&W.

 

[FALshootist]

Bottom line call S&W. I had an M&P 40. Nice gun. It had some problems and I sent it back. It was fixed quickly and properly. I sold the gun because I prefer Glocks. But I was treated very well by S&W as I always have been.

 

[ET.]

...And I can appreciate advice, but let's also be fair and say that there are ways of giving advice without coming off as insulting or demeaning. His ideas are not bad, just his communication of them. My inclination to believe it was in fact meant like that came from the rest of his post where he went on to describe how all his friends can't shoot the M&P while he can. It seems to me he is saying with this gun it is more the people than the gun, which could be true or could not be true.

You read way too much into my post. There was no intent of condescension or insult. The reason I used the example that SOME of my friends, who shoot their guns very well by the way, couldn't shoot one of my guns (a Sigma with a 12lbs. trigger pull), was to point out that unless a shooter is familiar with your particular gun, he might not get any different results than you are getting (or worse), which in turn might lead you to assume that the sights are off. So why not take the one variable out of the equation that could cause the problem by shooting from a bag or vice. That's all I was saying...

 

[TunnelRat]

@ E.T.
Okay, thanks for the clarification and sorry I jumped to conclusions.

As I stated, my living situation ATM makes doing intensive testing on my end rather difficult. I am hoping to bet back out there and do some more testing tomorrow before the shipping label comes. I do very much appreciate your idea of sending them a target with exactly the grouping I am experiencing.

 

[ClydeFrog]

Smith and Wesson PC; Bruce Gray, David Olhasso, David Bowie...

First, I'd contact the S&W gunsmiths to see if they can correct the problems with the full size M&P pistol.
If that plan doesn't work or you want another top pistolsmith to look it over, see the websites of David Olhasso, Bruce Gray or David Bowie.
Bowie is also a sworn LE officer & SWAT unit commander. Olhasso is a highly rated match shooter known mostly for Beretta semi auto pistols.
I plan to get a NIB M&P 9x19mm pistol soon. My idea is to keep it factory stock but I may buy Trijicon HD night sights, a X-grip magazine(23rd) & a Viridian green laser/white light.
I might buy a few 17rd factory or high quality magazines & get them treated with Robar NP3+ or Bearcoat; www.Bearcoat.com .
I like pistol mags that "drop free" loaded or unloaded & want extra protection for duty magazines stored on a belt/concealed.

ClydeFrog