S&W M&P .45

[revchuck]

I've checked, and there aren't any .45-specific posts here.

I've decided to get myself one of these, based mainly on the availability of the thumb safety, and the compatibility of the factory barrel with lead bullets.

Anyone have problems with theirs? Magazine reports have been positive, but then they usually are.

Anything better than Comp-Tac for holster and mag pouches? These need to be IDPA-legal.

Thanks!

[NCShooter]

I have one. Probably 500 rounds through it, factory and reloads. No problems so far. It chronos almost the same as my 5" 1911's. Mine is extremely accurate (I have several 1911's and a Sig P220 and the M&P is the most accurate of any of them). I don't know if I got lucky or if they are all that accurate. The only holster I have for the gun right now is a Blade Tech Serpa (for the 9mm / 40 guns) so the muzzle sticks out a little. The only thing I've been not satisfied with was the finish on the first 4 magazines I bought. The bluing was poor and the show surface rust at the drop of a hat. The last couple I bought were much better.

I've checked, and there aren't any .45-specific posts here.

I've decided to get myself one of these, based mainly on the availability of the thumb safety, and the compatibility of the factory barrel with lead bullets.

Anyone have problems with theirs? Magazine reports have been positive, but then they usually are.

Anything better than Comp-Tac for holster and mag pouches? These need to be IDPA-legal.

Thanks!

[Nemo]

My only issue with that gun is THAT I DON'T HAVE ONE!!

[mjbine]

My only issue with that gun is THAT I DON'T HAVE ONE!!

I am with Nemo.

[raz-0]

Only widespread complaints I have seen has been about the quality of the finish on the slide, and the general level of workmanship on the magazines.

Mostly just "looks uglier than it should" stuff.

Since there have been few new gripes, either peopel got used to the slid3 finish, or S&W cracked down on QC for it.

[Beretta Lover]

A guy I shoot IDPA and USPSA with has the 9mm, his slide rusted pretty well and he sent it back to SW

They returned it with a note that said "no malfunctions found", and "testfired" or something like that and the slide still rusty

He called them and corrected their oversight.

He waited and they sent it back in a week or so

WHen they sent it back (2nd time) the new slide/barrel and old lower had not beed testfired because the gun failed to feed (he shoots winchester wally world ammo almost exclusively)

Last time I saw him he was shooting his G17 and he was still waiting on his gun to come back from SW

I dont think he is much on weapons maintenance but his opinion was "if they want to compete with glock they need to make guns that dont rust if they are not babied (which is fair)

I will wait until somone gets a little ammo (100K or so) through one before I invest in one

I do like the over travel stop built into the rear of the trigger guard, I like the easily reachable mag button and flatness of the gun. I do not like the BS mag safety

[mwx40x40]

A guy I shoot IDPA and USPSA with has the 9mm, his slide rusted pretty well and he sent it back to SW

They returned it with a note that said "no malfunctions found", and "testfired" or something like that and the slide still rusty

He called them and corrected their oversight.

He waited and they sent it back in a week or so

WHen they sent it back (2nd time) the new slide/barrel and old lower had not beed testfired because the gun failed to feed (he shoots winchester wally world ammo almost exclusively)

Last time I saw him he was shooting his G17 and he was still waiting on his gun to come back from SW

I dont think he is much on weapons maintenance but his opinion was "if they want to compete with glock they need to make guns that dont rust if they are not babied (which is fair)

I will wait until somone gets a little ammo (100K or so) through one before I invest in one

I do like the over travel stop built into the rear of the trigger guard, I like the easily reachable mag button and flatness of the gun. I do not like the BS mag safety

I thought those were coated Stainless Steel Slides. I am surprised it rusted. Are the 45's Carbon Steel?

[mike cyrwus]

I thought those were coated Stainless Steel Slides. I am surprised it rusted. Are the 45's Carbon Steel?

Is s.s., but the coating is not in the same league as the glock slides. Better than many other pistols, but you can only treat a glock, like a glock.

Non- or ex- glockers have to remember how to wipe down a gun with oil every once in a while.

[sfinney]

"I do not like the BS mag safety"

They sell M&Ps with and without the mag safety, you just have to order the right one. I think that all (or most?) of the .45s do not have the mag safety, and that is disclosed on the side of the slide as a safety warning.

[raz-0]

As for rusting M&Ps, apprantly there was issues with their coater. They were using their baths for more parts than they should heve. The net result was a finish that actually degraded the underlying steel's corrosion resistance and made it rust faster than no coating at would have.

Stainless doesn't mean rust proof, just means it is more resistant to rust.

[nhglyn]

I bought the M+P 45 and had an issue with it. I copy and pasted this post I made on the M+P forum, check other information there:

http://mp-pistol.com/boards/index.php

I am EXTREMELY disappointed with my purchase of a new M+P 45 auto. I took it home and proceeded to sight it in. I found the trigger to be excessively hard to pull and gritty in feel. Put my Lyman digital pull gauge on it and the average was 9.5#.

I looked on the S+W website technical specs page and it says the trigger on this handgun should be 6.5#. Obviously disappointed, I called S+W and they had me send it down for an overhaul, which I did. I got it back last Friday and put the gauge on it to see how nice it was. The average had been lowered to 9.0#, a change of around -1/2# pull! Still gritty and hard to pull.

So, I call S+W again and all I get is "send it in and we'll look at it again". Wanting to give them every chance I have sent it back down again and am waiting for it's return after this second go-over.

If it comes back basically the same, as I suspect it will, what can I do to improve the trigger pull on this gun? I can breakdown all of the above handguns and have polished many trigger parts. Never detail stripped this gun yet as I haven't had it long enough. Would need some good detailed explanations and pictures before starting on anything.

Can anyone help me with advice and information. Sure would be appreciated. I like the gun but the trigger pull really is awful. Not up to the name Smith and Wesson!

Note: I got it back and the trigger was much more acceptable (6.5#) but it took 2 trips to Springfield to do it. Happy now, but it was a PIA that customers shouldn't have to deal with.

[chrisjohn]

First caveat, I don’t own one. I recently decided that I wanted a low cost .45 for the house, motorcycle, etc, that would serve me in IPSC production too as I’ve got 4K lswc 200gr sitting around the house.

Checked out four samples of the M&P and all of them had unacceptable triggers. I wasn’t expecting anything special, just a duty trigger. These dudes had pulls that out right sucked, long, heavy, gritty, and sloppy feeling. Yes, they were that bad. Magazines are blued steel, hold ten rounds and were 40 USD.

Springfield XD45 tactical trigger felt Hammerli smooth in comparison to the M&P, 13 round stainless steel magazines, which cost 25 USD I might add. To top it off, it felt better in my hand any of the M&P backstraps. YMMV, but from what I saw the M&P 45 isn’t ready for prime time. Odd because a 9mm sample I fondled a few months ago had perhaps the best OEM striker fired trigger I’ve ever felt.

[mike cyrwus]

I bought the M+P 45 and had an issue with it. I copy and pasted this post I made on the M+P forum, check other information there:

http://mp-pistol.com/boards/index.php

Note: I got it back and the trigger was much more acceptable (6.5#) but it took 2 trips to Springfield to do it. Happy now, but it was a PIA that customers shouldn't have to deal with.

Well, thats youre problem; they probably fixed it the second time, figuring if they dont take care of you, youll just send a S&W gun back to Springfield for a 3rd time!

Edited November 15, 2007 by mike cyrwus

[nhglyn]

It's just frustrating that you pay good $$$ for a well reviewed handgun, and you have problems right out of the box. You send it back for them to fix and.......... it still isn't right! Just shouldn't have to go through all that with a new gun from such a quality manufacturer. And, from the posts here and on the M+P sight, this particular trigger issue of mine is more than just a random occurance.

I will say this for S+W though, once they got it fixed right, it is a very nice gun to shoot.

[Derek45]

"...but it took 2 trips to..."

Geeze, this kinda sounds like COLT 1911's back in the old days.

[shootingchef]

I bought my 45 today for an early x-mass present to self. I will shoot it this weekend and report my opinions. I love my 9mm! Put a dawson FO front sight, a good trigger job and she rocks! I put 800 reloads through it in one weekend, it never failed. I am hoping for the same from the 45. I oiled it and will dry fire it a few hundred times to help the break in, so far the trigger is crisp and right at 5.5#.