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I purchased a new Smith & Wesson M&P15 ORC from Academy on July 4, 2010. It has never been fired, but I have loaded/unloaded, cleaned, oiled, etc. Yesterday after removing a magazine the release fell out in pieces. It came apart where the pin presses into the release. So, I have questions maybe some subject matter experts can help with them...

Is this a common occurence?
Should I hope S&W would repair even though it's been more than a year since purchase? If so, do I have to ship it from a Gun Shop? Do I ship the whole gun or just the lower?
I S&W won't warranty it, where would be the best shop to take it?

Sorry for all the newbie questions...

Which part broke?

The plastic button? http://www.midwayusa.com/product/767204 ... -308-matte" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Or some other part of the whole assembly? http://www.midwayusa.com/product/615834 ... -308-matte" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

As you can see from links, these are not expensive parts. And S&W should be a basically MilSpec AR-15 so parts should be interchangeable. And fixing them should really not be that difficult a DIY job. I've not had this problem myself, but have assembled one lower receiver myself and it was simple enough following step-by-step directions found at AR15.com, YouTube, etc.

You could even upgrade the button to a larger one http://www.midwayusa.com/product/733579 ... r-15-matte" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Doing it yourself and buying part yourself would most likely be much cheaper than shipping gun back to S&W even if they do supply part & labor for free. Even if S&W covers shipping, you could still avoid some downtime by doing it yourself (depending where you're located, a local shop may even have the parts in stock - thus no wait for delivery from midway, brownells, etc).

As for WHY this happened, could be a shoddy part (perhaps an air bubble in the polymer when it was formed?), or perhaps a cleaning solution you used contributed to degrading the plastic/polymer? I'm just guessing

Call S&W and theyll likely send you a new one. They have great customer svc.

gigag04 wrote:Call S&W and theyll likely send you a new one. They have great customer svc.

I tried that with them on my Walther and they made me send it to them to replace a broken plastic part, then they DIDN'T replace the part, sent it back to me still broken, and on my second call I demanded to speak to a supervisor who finally agreed to just overnight the plastic part to me. Of course, they are the ONLY source for parts for Walther in the US, so I had no other alternative.

Might have better luck on an actual S&W-branded firearm.

The part that broke/separated is the "L" shaped piece, not the threaded plastic button. I watched a video on Cheaper Than Dirt which explained how simple the parts are to install. Embarassed I didn't see how simple the process is.

After doing some research, yes, it appears the easiest, cheapest route is to just buy a new one and fix it myself....

I would demand S&W fix it. That rifle is sold as being capable of use by LEO's and others. I have never seen an AR-15 break such as you describe. It sounds to me like they might be using some cheap parts to hold costs down. I am dismayed by some recent reports about S&W.

I would, in priciple, like to demand to have S&W fix this, but if I do, will I be required to ship my lower to them through a FFL dealer? Wouldn't a FFL charge me a fee for that?

igotta40 wrote:I would, in priciple, like to demand to have S&W fix this, but if I do, will I be required to ship my lower to them through a FFL dealer? Wouldn't a FFL charge me a fee for that?

No you can ship directly via common carrier like UPS or FedEx, but must be shipped overnight ($$) and must be dropped off at a "hub" distribution center location - not a UPS or FedEx retail storefront. If S&W is paying shipping both ways, you only lose time. But if they ask you to pay even one way it'll likely cost $50+

When I had to send my M&P9C back (daily carry in 100+ 'F was hard on the take down and slide --- rusted) they paid both ways... emailed me a label - easy peasy!

Actually since it is a RIFLE you can ship it (the gun or any of its components) via USPS directly to the manufacturer. You can also use any other common carrier to ship rifles as well as handguns. You do have to declare that you are shipping a rifle to the clerk at the common carrier and they are prohibited from marking it as such.

Well I called S&W customer service, I was only on hold 13 minutes... they checked stock, took my name and address, and said they will ship the part today. I'm good with that... my alternative was pay $8 admission to the next gun show and shop around for a new part... since the mag catch is so easy to replace, I think it would be more work to box the lower up and ship it than to actually replace the catch myself!

Nice. Best possible solution.

Got my new magazine release in the mail today from Smith & Wesson, no charge, we're back in business, yay! Now I just need to find time to get to the range!