S&W M&P

[Patrick Sweeney]

From a quick eyeball measurement, I'd say yes. At least, that was my impression when I had it. It is over on Irv Stone's bench getting measured for a barrel (Hey, I'm a gun writer, I have to dick with everyting right?) so I can't slap the digital calipers on it right now.

I can't imagine that the engineers at S&W would go and make it a proprietary dovetail dimension. That would be insane.

[Crusher]

I can't imagine that the engineers at S&W would go and make it a proprietary dovetail dimension. That would be insane.

Ya mean like the 1911 PC front dovetails?

Finding a FO (off the shelf Dawson) at .090 or .100" is a no go.

[Zerwas]

I just picked up one of these M&P's last night for my wife. It'll be her personal defense pistol as well as her competition pistol.

I had issued to me a Glock 22 for duty use, and I like the Glock. I have to admit, however this M&P looks very nice and fits nicely in my hand (as well as my wifes hand).

The low bore axis looks to be a nice way to control recoil.

I can't wait to see how it shoots.

For those that are interested, S&W is selling has stocked several magazines for this pistol, so buying up extra's is possible. I'm not sure how they are available at any distributor or not, but they are $40.00/each directly from S&W.

Also, the pistol fits nicely into the Safariland "custom fit" 560 open top holster. In fact it is almost identical to that of the G22.

And Patrick, it was a nice article on the pistol.

[RIIID]

I got a M&P in and did a quick inspection and a 50 round test fire. In the 50 rounds I had five failures to fire. All rounds had a light hit on the primer and when rechambered they all fired. The interesting thing was those five happened when shooting the gun as fast as I could. The rounds were reloads I use in function firing and Production loads, 180 grain Zero JHP with 3.5 grains of N310 and small rifle primers. I know small rifle primers but these primers have always worked in any gun I've used them in.

Has anyone had the same thing happen to them?

Rich

[Patrick Sweeney]

I'll bet S&W would be very interested if you can do that again. If you've got more of that ammo, shoot some more. If it does it again, call Joe Bergeron at S&W (tell him I told you to call) and talk to him about it. He may well want some of that ammo to see what is going on.

[Kevin Kline]

We had several misfires also, but ours was due to reloaded frangible ammo from ammo/reloader shop locally. When we used factory stuff, it was 100% reliable. Cheap reloads was our cause, no doubt.

[Bigbadaboom]

Dirtypool40, Dp40's wife, PaulW, My wife, my 5 year old Son and myself put 100 rounds of 165 Win. white box through one last Saturday and it didn't do anything but shoot and shoot accurately. Even when Nathaniel (My 5 year old) shot it he hit the target 5 for 5 and the M&P had no "Limp wristing" issues.

I like it a lot and will soon be ordering one in .40 with a spare .357 Sig bbl.

Edited March 8, 2006 by Bigbadaboom

[PaulW]

yea, it did shoot nice, one small problem I encountered though, where was the dot?

Really though it did shoot well, I would have to get use to how curved the trigger is though. Seems to be curved more than most, may just be me though.

[dirtypool40]

it's that friggin' SIGMA trigger!!! I told you!!!

[steven t]

I just got back from putting 155 rounds through mine, I really like it. No malfunctions very accurate. The only things that I dont like are the sights. Why Smith and Wesson put large dots on the rear sight and a smaller one up front has me baffled. They also painted the rear end of the recoil spring with blue paint. I just loved cleaning the blue paint out of the frame. Hopefully I can remedy the sight problem with Heinies from the S&W 1911 series, the blue paint problem ought to dissaper with more shooting. I would have put another 100 rounds or so through it but had to leave as the kids get out of school early today. I also tried the medium and large backstrap and found that I prefer the large one. With the medium grip the pistol kept moving in my hand, put on the large grip and problem solved. I really like this pistol and after I track down a couple of mags and a holster will give it a try in production.

Steve

[gpappy]

We got to shoot one of these at the S&W Winter Championship. We had a stage where we shot our handgun dry (6 rounds loaded) and then picked up an MP40, loaded it and fired at 2 (or 3 if you wanted) more targets. I have been shooting a Glock since last fall and shooting the MP40 was a pleasure. I was down 2 (just out to the left) on the two targets which was not bad considering that I was point shooting a gun that I had never had in my hands before. When they come out with the 5" 9mm I may have to look at replacing my G34. I just really like S&W revolvers and this would be a nice addition to my collection.

[Zerwas]

My wife and I had the chance to use her new M&P40 just yesterday.

We shot the following "gun food" out of it...

1- 150 rounds of Federal American Eagle 165gr FMJ

2- 100 rounds of my reloads which consisted of a 180gr Montana gold FMJ with 3.7gr Titegroup OAL 1.125"

3- 16 rounds of my reloads which consisted of a 180gr Montana gold FMJ with 4.1gr of Titegroup OAL 1.125"

I started my wife out shooting the M&P with my reloads as they are loaded softer than factory ammunition. I wanted her to get used to the gun then start to use the factory stuff later in the day. She shot the majority of the ammunition listed above. I shot about 50-75 rounds out of the pistol because I was curious to see how it felt in the hand. I loved the low bore axis and I felt it aided greatly in recoil control.

We never cleaned the gun, as I wanted to see how it would shoot while dirty.

We had ZERO malfunctions. It was wonderful to shoot. As stated earlier a few posts ago, I am a big Glock fan and I must say this gun is every bit as nice as the G22 is.

I believe the G22 has a quicker trigger reset than the M&P does, but that is one of the only disadvantage to the M&P in my opinion. I felt the pistol was very controllable with full power loads.

The small grip insert seemed to fit my wife the best, so that is the way I shot it as well. Smith and Wesson packed 2 small grip inserts and a large insert with the pistol, so I wasn't able to see how the medium insert felt. I called Smith on the matter and told them they accidently forgot to pack the medium insert. I'm supposed to call them in a week or so, and they'll see what they can do (from the Smith customer service agent..). I personally like the extra palm swell as the small insert is, well, small and doesn't have much of a palm swell. Since it is her pistol, I figured I'd let her set it up the way she wants it, which makes a ton of sense to me (right guys!?).

I think this pistol will make a very good production pistol with downloaded 40 "gun food".

I think a fiber optic front site and a plane black rear site will also help. I'm used to the Dawson sites on my other pistols, and they work better for me. I hope Dave does something for this pistol as well.

I've never been a Smith and Wesson semi auto fan, but I think Smith did a GREAT job with this pistol.

[chp5]

I picked up an M&P yesterday and shot 300 rounds through it today.

Like TRP, I’m a devout Glock shooter and I’ve never liked S&W semiautos. In fact, my first handgun was a 2d generation S&W 9mm – which was a POS in every possible way. However, I’m VERY impressed with the new M&P.

The removable backstraps are a great design. I settled on the medium one, but I also like the small and large. The frame has a built-in beavertail that fits my hand nicely.

The stock trigger on my M&P is approximately the same as a stock Glock with a 5# connector. The trigger reset is slightly longer than a Glock with a 5# connector and about the same as a Glock 3.5# connector. The trigger is curved and hinged – and I didn’t expect to like. However, I liked it a lot. The trigger is positive and seems to reset easily despite the amount of required travel.

I had no problem shooting sub-two second, zero down Bill Drills at 7 yards with this stock gun. The Bill Drill groups were well grouped (not all over the A zone). My Talon Tactical kydex G22 holster held the M&P nicely (although the M&P didn’t my Uncle Mikes holster). The M&P hit to point of aim on 6” resetting plates at approx 20 yards.

The ammo was my major PF reloads for my Limited G22 (about a 171 PF). Recoil was about the same as my G22. The mag release was easy to hit and reloads were pretty easy. I REALLY like this gun. When we figure out how to do trigger jobs on this pistol, it will be a great choice for Production and even Limited (at least for me - I shoot a G22 in Limited).

With a reversible mag release and two slide stops (one on each side of the slide), this is a great gun for a lefty. A few observations:

· The slide release is very hard to release at lock-back. However, it seemed to get easier after while. An extended slide release may be the trick.

· The sights are adequate, but not great for competitive shooting. Some nice Dawson FO sights would rock.

· Like most service pistols, the recoil spring is very heavy. I was getting some muzzle dip when the slide slammed forward. It looks like a Glock recoil assembly, but the rod is steel. I tried my G22 tungston rod and ISMI 15# spring in the M&P – and it worked.

· I had no failures, except for 3 light strikes. Each of the 3 rounds ignited when struck a second time. These are my reloads and I’m famous for high primers, so I’m not worried but I will continue to monitor it.

Overall, I really like this pistol.

[Chris Keen]

WOW. Thats some great reviews there everybody! I have a friend who just bought one, and we plan on going to the range tomorrow to try it out. I'll let you know what I think, after years of shootin' Glocks.

When they come out with the 5" 9mm I may have to look at replacing my G34.

You mean "look into complimenting your G34", right ???

Edited March 11, 2006 by C.Keen

[Vlad]

I played with one at the gun shop, but I didnt fire it. My obervations:

-Fits my hand well, CZ like

-Though thicker then a Glock it feels thinner because of the more oval shape

-Magwell seems narrow, though I'm sure it isn't. I had a harder time reloading it then my CZ or a Glock, but it isnt bad. I think the piece of plastic on the rear of the magwell, sticking down some, should have been beveled. The magwell is beveled but not enough.

-The mags are a bit funny shaped at the top, which may account for my reloading problem.

-slide release is HEAVY

-sigths would need replacing

-the trigger felt gritty on the example I played with, but I suspect it would clean up.

Overall I like more then I dislike it. I may get one after I get to shoot it.

Edited March 12, 2006 by Vlad

[chp5]

-the trigger felt gritty on the example I played with, but I suspect it would clean up.

Yep, I noticed the same thing. I inspected mine and found it was the striker safety plunger being depressed by the trigger bar. I didn't notice it at speed when shooting the gun, but it should be an easy fix - polish the plunger and tweak the spring. Now I need to figure out how to rig an over-travel stop.

[RobE1010]

Anybody know when the 9mm's will widely hit the shelves?

My local area S&W rep told me about 30-45 days, give or take...like you, I'm waiting for the 9mm but the .40 was a pretty good shooter. Nice Production or IDPA alternative to the Grocks or XD's.

[the duck of death]

The M&P would be a hard sell for me after I learned how to work on the Glock trigger. CRISP 2lbs w/minimal take up which keeps all the safeties working. And I like the cheap G mags.

[Behr]

Ok got me new M&P today. This is no Sigma trigger, much, much better. I'm an armoror for about 125 of those and the M&P is a much better trigger all the way around. The grip is comfy too.

Haven't shot it yet but am going to the range tomorrow with my Glock 22 and the M&P with about 800 rounds. I've had my Glock for about 15 years so have become very used to it but I am curious how the M&P will "compare".

[Patrick Sweeney]

In a word: "Well."

[Behr]

Ok I am back from the range with a couple of dirty guns. Overall, my Glock 22 and the M&P shot pretty similar in regards to accuracy and felt recoil though the ergo's on the M&P feel more comfy to me. I used CCI Blazer Brass @ 180 grn and Federal HST @ 165 grn for the ammo. Shot about 700 rounds total with 75% of it through the M&P since it is the new one

Assuming no durability issues, I think the M&P is a winner. I liked the trigger a lot and it appears like it will be "tweakable". Mine is a little gritty on the pretravel and looks like it's from the trigger bar sliding across and then depressing the plunger. Trigger pull is not gritty with the slide off and I can feel the grit when I push the the plunger up with a punch. I think a good polishing of the plunger and trigger bar area will get rid of that. It also appears to me that the striker stays at full cock and the trigger does not pull the striker back during the trigger pull like the Glock, it just cams the sear out of the way to release the striker. I'm a pretty average shooter and was able to get .17 splits consistently while goofing around at close range (ok very close range), all in the A zone ( I consistently get .13's with my open gun at close range). My Glock is pretty comparable with that but not the Sigma. That one takes some work!

The M&P felt like it cycled smoother than my Glock, which is fairly stock. I wonder if that is because of the metal guide rod vs. Glock's plastic one? I'll throw my metal one in the Glock and compare them again sometime.

With my Glock and the way I grip the pistol, it almost never goes into slide-lock because my thumb rides on top of the slide-stop. The M&P always went into slide-lock but I do have to concur with the other posts regarding the slide-stop. It is tough to release the slide with the slide-stop. We'll have to see if that works itself out over time.

I like the sights on the M&P better than the stock Glock sights. I think mostly because the front sight post is thinner. However, I do not like white dot set-up on the M&P. The rear dots are bigger than the front dot and I found it a little distracting. I'm not a dot fan anyway, I usually black my sights out and will be doing that with this one too.

I guess this is long winded enough. But now I'm really interested in the 9mm version for production class.

Oh yeah I almost forgot. No malfunctions

Edited March 17, 2006 by Behr

[chp5]

It also appears to me that the striker stays at full cock and the trigger does not pull the striker back during the trigger pull like the Glock, it just cams the sear out of the way to release the striker.

I noticed the same thing. Based on my definition, that makes it a single action pistol.

IDPA classified the XD as a single action for the same reason I believe (correct me if I'm wrong - I know you guys will ). As a result, you can't shoot an XD in SSP - but you can in USPSA Production.

Behr - any light strikes?

Edited March 17, 2006 by chp5

[Catfish]

Ok, If I've waded through all of this correctly, IDPA has given the ok to shoot the MP in SSP, but it's not on USPSA's list of accepted pistols for Production?

I'm really interested in picking one up, but I'd hate like hell to not be able to shoot it legally at a USPSA match...

[Behr]

chp5,

No light strikes at all. Looking at the fired brass, primers look well struck. No "Glock bulge" either. It ran without a hitch from the first shot.

[Chuck Anderson]

I've had the chance to shoot two M&P's now. I got one for a customer a couple weeks ago and got to shoot that one. Very good, 100% reliable with CCI Blazer ammo.

I won one at the SMM3G and shot it today for the first time. I had several malfunctions with this one. The rounds just didn't want to feed out of the magazine and would hang up on the breech face. Happened about 15 times in the first 100 rounds. Shot another 100 with only one malf. Hopefully it was just a break in period. I did get a weird two stage feeling when the slide was going forward though on some rounds. Almost like it was start going forward and then stop while stripping the round. I was surprised that I had the issues after the first one was flawless. The ammo this time was Win White box 180.

The gun seems to point well vertically but I'm having some issues getting used to it on the horizontal axis. Seems to squirm side to side. Might just take some getting used to. I do like the gun. I hope mine works it's bugs out. Seems like a great gun.