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Articles
NEWS | Aug. 11, 2021

M9 Pistol: No Cracks please!


This article initially appeared in PS 760 (Mar 16), p. 36-38. 
 
Your M9 pistol will eventually develop cracks if it’s fired regularly. That’s just a fact of life.
 
So it’s important that you spot cracks before your M9 completely cracks up. Here’s how to catch cracks early…
 
Wipe off any oil because it can hide cracks.

Then eyeball these areas:
  • Locking block along the front and rear of the locking lugs.
  • The barrel in the area around the locking block
  • The inside of the slide where the locking lugs sit
  • The receiver rails where the locking blocks sit in the receiver
  • Around the magazine catch
 Check for cracks in:
  • locking block.
  • in barrel around locking block.
  • in slide around locking lugs.
  • in receiver rails where locking blocks sit.
  • and around magazine catch.
Check for cracks in multiple places on your M9
Check for cracks in multiple places on your M9

Cracks in the lower receiver mean you need to have the pistol inspected and possibly replaced. Cracks elsewhere are usually repairable. Tell your repairman.
 
Subscribe to Clean Magazines
 
The magazine is often overlooked during PMCS. If crud invades the magazine’s insides, it may not feed right. Get rid of dirt by disassembling the magazine and giving its insides a good working over with a toothbrush. See WP 0012-6 in TM 9-1005-317-10.
 
Clean out magazine with toothbrush
Clean out magazine with toothbrush

When you reassemble the magazine, follow the steps in WP 0013-6.
 
Remember that the follower goes on the spring end that points up and forward.
 
Followers can get worn and won’t lock back the slide when the magazine’s empty. If the slide won’t lock back when you do the function check, tell your repairman.
 
Disassembled magazine
Disassembled magazine
  
Trigger Bar Spring Warning
 
Careful when cleaning inside the magazine well. Many trigger bar springs are lost during cleaning.
 
The spring is under lots of tension. If you nudge it —ZING— it’s gone! And no spring means no firing.
 
Keep cleaning tools away from the spring and make sure the spring is still in place when you’re through cleaning.
 
Rail Reminder
 
Make a point when cleaning to wipe off the receiver and slide rails. if the rails become gritty with sand, the back-and-forth action of the slide wears out the bearing surfaces and soon you’ve got firing problems.
 
Wipe off rails
Wipe off rails
 
Be Safe with Safety Lever
 
If the safety lever is bent, don’t try to bend it back. That just weakens the lever or snaps it off. DS needs to replace the lever.
 
Report bent safety lever. Don’t try to fix it
Report bent safety lever. Don’t try to fix it

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