Smith & Wesson M&P 9 mm

Having concluded from my revolver experiment that I prefer a semi-auto, I headed across town to an indoor range that I had read has a wide selection of guns available to rent to see if I could get my hands on a Glock 19.  They had one, but unfortunately it was already checked out—perhaps to someone who was smart enough to call ahead.  The guy behind the counter offered an alternative: a Smith & Wesson M&P 9mm, which he observed is similar in basic design to the compact Glock. 

This was only the second semi-auto pistol I had fired, and I’m a novice shooter, but I my initial impression wasn’t very favorable.  The sights were marked with low-contrast orange that I couldn’t see well in the shadows at the firing line, and out of 50 rounds fired, I had four rounds stove-pipe on me.  It's possible, perhaps even likely, that this was my fault, and that I was limp-wristing—defeating the proper operation of the slide and ejector by gripping the gun too loosely.  But I hadn’t had this problem with the Taurus 92 when I fired it, and I haven’t had it with the compact autos I’ve fired since.  Maybe it was a bad box of ammo.  Or, given that it was a rental, of course, maybe it just needed a good cleaning.  Whatever the cause, the experience put me off the pistol.  I resolved that next time I went shooting, I would wait to try the Glock.

Comments

[raptor]

it was too new!.. i bought mine and it did the same thing.. but after 100 rds and 2 cleanings it has never done it again. it is an exceptional firearm and just needs to be broken in.

[David Gaw]

That seems like a definite possibility. Being a rental gun, I have no idea how many rounds had been fired through it, but I didn't notice any signs of wear.