I think the change in the plunger was for cheaper production and to cut down on confusion on installation. I lost mine during disassembly, while waiting for new parts I made one out of a nail in my drill press. It worked fine. When I got the new one I found that I made mine about .020 too short. It appears that most of the problems are with the 9mm which has the same plunger, spring, and extractor as the 40 & 357 sig. I have not shot the the M9 but I beleive these weapons want hot ammo and a good grip. My M40/357 has never had a malfunction.