PS Magazine - TB 43-PS-618
PS, The Preventative Maintenance Monthly
ISSUE 618
MAY 2004
PS 618
MAY 04
15
Dear Half-Mast,
We have had lots of trouble with our M9 pistol magazines jamming in
Iraq. It looks like either the spring is not strong enough or the plastic
follower is catching the inside of the magazine well. Can the spring or
follower be replaced? Is there any fix for this problem?
CPT D.P.
M9 Pistol…
Staying Out of Magazine Jams
Dear Captain D.P.,
No, the spring or follower can't be replaced. If they're bad, replace the whole
magazine, NSN 1005-01-204-4376. A new magazine costs less than $8.
But there are several things you can do
to make sure you're not jammed up by a
bad magazine in battle.
First, clean the magazine as described
on the next page. Then do the PMCS on
each magazine that's listed on Page 2-12
in TM 9-1005-317-10:
•
Push the empty magazine in the pistol
until it's fully seated. Depress the maga-
zine release button (be ready to catch the
magazine). The magazine should fall out.
If it doesn't, get rid of it.
•
Inspect the magazine for missing or damaged parts. If you spot any problems, get
a new magazine.
•
Depress the follower with your finger and release it. If the follower doesn't spring
back into position, get a new magazine.
Cleaning
also will help the
magazine do its job. Chapter 3 of
the -10 TM gives details on dissas-
sembling, cleaning, lubing, and
putting the magazine back togeth-
er. The main thing to remember is
to wipe every part of the magazine
clean. Wipe ammo clean before
you load a magazine. Dirt can
cause the magazine to jam. Clean
magazines daily if possible.
Normally, you would also give
the inside of the magazine a light
coat of CLP or LSA. But
don't
do
that in the desert. Lubes attract
sand, which leads to jamming.
Another
don't
is don't store the
magazines loaded. Leaving the
magazines loaded for a long time
causes the spring to take a perma-
nent set. Then the spring loses it
spring and the magazine jams.
Store your magazines in a
ziplock bag. That will help them
stay clean.
Magazine
fall out?
Wipe magazine
clean inside
and out
Follower
spring
back into
position?
hey!
if
you’re
gonna
store me,
unload
me first!
what a
great
idea!
we’ll stay
clean
in
this baG!
no
jamming
for us!
other-
wise,
my
spring
loses
its
spring!
uh-oh.
I think I may
have a dirty
magazine
problem!
yeah! I’m
jammed
with
sand
here!
618. 14-15 (C)
3/21/04
12:23 PM
Page 1
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