Got the APEX trigger kit in the M&P yesterday?? Man it's easy to lose track of time/activities...
Trigger pull is down right amazing. 3&1/4 lbs. on the gauge but the number doesn't do it justice, at all. Over travel and reset, as well as crispness, take this one to a new level.
And, the groups show me that the stock 5.5 lb. trigger pull is not the issue. Groups didn't drastically improve when the trigger pull did drastically improve. I either have a load development task ahead of me (cheapest and easiest route) or a different barrel at some point - if I want it to shoot like a CZ. More on that at the end.
When I found my stash of M&P 9MM magazines they were full of 147 grain hollow points. I haven't looked through the reloading log for details but I know in those years I was using Rainier plated 147 grain hollow points and AA#5 powder. Primers would be either Federal or CCI (again, not sure till I dig bag several years through my log book.
I decided to shoot up the 147's today. Nothing special about the groups. Definately not up to par for a good shooting pistol.
The results of one magazine of 17 rounds. Range was 10.25 yds. for all the groups.
Did have a weird/unexpected thing happen. One the third, or fourth magazine I got two "duds" with the last two rounds in the magazine.
Very tiny dimples in the primers.
Put them back in the empty magazine and tried them again and both went BANG! Hmmm?
You can see the dimples are slightly larger.
Next magazine I had another 1 about half way through. Same thing. Put it back in the magazine and it fired the second time. A magazine or so later I ran into two more duds. Again, second time through both fired.
I had noticed, or thought I did, that as the rounds were going off they sounded different. Some louder than others, some feeling different. All of the fired rounds ejected and loaded the next round, even if they were weaker than other rounds. While I was starting to feel bad (my first go round with the M&P's had problems with failures to fire), I took into account that the ammo did seem inconsistent. As I was picking up brass I found some that looked like I'd shot them in the blow back operated AR9 pistols/carbines. When I got home and started cleaning it the M&P was really dirty inside. Granules of unburned powder, black smokey residue all over the chamber area (outside) of the barrel and in the slide in that area. I know the AA#5 was getting old when I used it but I can't say that was the reason behind this. Powder breaking down wouldn't cause the 5 dud rounds (that fired on the second strike).
I moved on to the the last seven 115 grain FMJ Winchester 9MM ammo I had left from the 9MM carbine test firing/sighting in. No issues wtih that ammo going bang and the group actually wasn't that bad. Well, for 5 out of the 7.
Then I shot some of the 115 grain Precision Delta hollow points that shoot so well in my CZ 9MM pistols. Not bad, compared to the 147's and all of them went bang the first time. Still, not a group to brad about.
Then I couldn't stand it any longer. I reached under my shirt and pulled out the old CZ P07 in .40 S&W and shot 5 shots at a target. I was carrying it with the Nosler 135 hollow points sitting on a compressed charge of Blue Dot. The M&P groups could be the pistol or the load, but I'm not taking the blame.
After putting almost $600 into the M&P you watch me end up carrying a CZ anyway (not a bad thing at all, except for the $600 it costs me to once again prove I shoot my CZ's better than anything else I've got.) Some day (maybe this time) I'll learn.
