Some of you may have read this review on another forum but I figured some folks here might like to see it too.
I was on the fence for awhile between an XD and M&P. Handling them back to back I liked the ergos of the M&P better (even though the XDs are excellent). It feels great in my hand and all the controls are very east to reach and manipulate. I liked the M&P`s lower bore axis,the higher magazine capacity and the fact that it`s made in the good ol USA so an M&P 40 followed me home. BTW comparing my CZ75 and the M&P side by side the grip shapes are almost identical except for the M&P`s higher and much wider grip tang. If you like the feel of a HiPower or CZ you`ll like the M&P too.
The trigger takeup was a little gritty but a quick look inside revealed that it was due to some light burrs on the stamped bar that contacts the firing pin safety plunger. A few secs with a fine polishing wheel on the Dremel and a dab of Militec took care of that right away. I suspect a few hundred rounds of shooting would do the same.
I finally got to the range with it today. It`s outdoors and it was windy and COLD. Probably around 10*. The gloves I brought were too bulky for shooting or loading mags so they were off most of the time and after the first 15mins. or so my hands were numb so tiny groups were not going to be the order of the day. I put around 250rds. of assorted 40 through it from cheap Magtech 180gr. to Rem. 165gr. GoldenSabers. No jams or malfunctions of any kind,so far so good. My best groups offhand were around 4". I brought my trusty CZ75 as a control and I didn`t shoot that any better (it`ll do much better than that normally) so the M&P will probably do better under more reasonable conditions.
Doing drills on steel I did just about as well with the M&P as I did with the CZ. High praise because I`ve got well over 10,000rds. through the CZ. The short crisp M&P trigger really helped.
Recoil and muzzle flip are very mild with the M&P. It actually feels a lot like the heavier all steel CZ 9mm. I don`t know why but it doesn`t have that "snappy" feel 40s often do. I tried the different grip inserts and despite having fairly large hands and long fingers I think I like the "small" insert best. The "medium" is a close second though.
An interesting note,my M&P has no lock but it does have the mag safety. In this gun it has no effect on the trigger pull but it does act as a mag ejector so that the mags eject about 3/4 of the way even if the gun is laying on it`s side!
Now for the downsides. The mag springs are stiff and they`re moderately hard to reload,especially the last 2 rounds. Mags are hard to find and fairly expensive.
The Novak sights have a good sight picture but the front dot is smaller than the rear ones. That looks backward and a little odd to me. Also the front sight was slightly off to the right. POI was about 2" left at 25yds. My local smith took care of that in about 2mins. but they should have been aligned properly in the first place
I had a FIST thin kydex IWB holster for a USP 45 in my holster drawer (picked it up at a show for $5). The S&W is loose in the holster but the kydex is thin enough that it`s still snug when IWB. I carried it for a few hours today and it was very comfy. No sharp edges or controls to poke me and it`s fairly slim. I measured it at a few points and overall it`s only about 1.1" thick (with small grip insert). In comparison my CZ75 (which is known for being slim and is fitted with slim Hogue wood grips) measures about .95" through the frame and 1.2" across the grips. My little KelTec P-11 is almost identical at 1.1" thick. Looks like I`ll be taking the heatgun to that holster and remolding it to the M&P.
Except for having to tweak the sight alignment and the initial grit in the trigger I`m very happy with it. If you`re in the market for a polymer frame pistol make sure you include the M&P in your option list. Marcus
I was on the fence for awhile between an XD and M&P. Handling them back to back I liked the ergos of the M&P better (even though the XDs are excellent). It feels great in my hand and all the controls are very east to reach and manipulate. I liked the M&P`s lower bore axis,the higher magazine capacity and the fact that it`s made in the good ol USA so an M&P 40 followed me home. BTW comparing my CZ75 and the M&P side by side the grip shapes are almost identical except for the M&P`s higher and much wider grip tang. If you like the feel of a HiPower or CZ you`ll like the M&P too.
The trigger takeup was a little gritty but a quick look inside revealed that it was due to some light burrs on the stamped bar that contacts the firing pin safety plunger. A few secs with a fine polishing wheel on the Dremel and a dab of Militec took care of that right away. I suspect a few hundred rounds of shooting would do the same.
I finally got to the range with it today. It`s outdoors and it was windy and COLD. Probably around 10*. The gloves I brought were too bulky for shooting or loading mags so they were off most of the time and after the first 15mins. or so my hands were numb so tiny groups were not going to be the order of the day. I put around 250rds. of assorted 40 through it from cheap Magtech 180gr. to Rem. 165gr. GoldenSabers. No jams or malfunctions of any kind,so far so good. My best groups offhand were around 4". I brought my trusty CZ75 as a control and I didn`t shoot that any better (it`ll do much better than that normally) so the M&P will probably do better under more reasonable conditions.
Doing drills on steel I did just about as well with the M&P as I did with the CZ. High praise because I`ve got well over 10,000rds. through the CZ. The short crisp M&P trigger really helped.
Recoil and muzzle flip are very mild with the M&P. It actually feels a lot like the heavier all steel CZ 9mm. I don`t know why but it doesn`t have that "snappy" feel 40s often do. I tried the different grip inserts and despite having fairly large hands and long fingers I think I like the "small" insert best. The "medium" is a close second though.
An interesting note,my M&P has no lock but it does have the mag safety. In this gun it has no effect on the trigger pull but it does act as a mag ejector so that the mags eject about 3/4 of the way even if the gun is laying on it`s side!
Now for the downsides. The mag springs are stiff and they`re moderately hard to reload,especially the last 2 rounds. Mags are hard to find and fairly expensive.
The Novak sights have a good sight picture but the front dot is smaller than the rear ones. That looks backward and a little odd to me. Also the front sight was slightly off to the right. POI was about 2" left at 25yds. My local smith took care of that in about 2mins. but they should have been aligned properly in the first place
I had a FIST thin kydex IWB holster for a USP 45 in my holster drawer (picked it up at a show for $5). The S&W is loose in the holster but the kydex is thin enough that it`s still snug when IWB. I carried it for a few hours today and it was very comfy. No sharp edges or controls to poke me and it`s fairly slim. I measured it at a few points and overall it`s only about 1.1" thick (with small grip insert). In comparison my CZ75 (which is known for being slim and is fitted with slim Hogue wood grips) measures about .95" through the frame and 1.2" across the grips. My little KelTec P-11 is almost identical at 1.1" thick. Looks like I`ll be taking the heatgun to that holster and remolding it to the M&P.
Except for having to tweak the sight alignment and the initial grit in the trigger I`m very happy with it. If you`re in the market for a polymer frame pistol make sure you include the M&P in your option list. Marcus
