Did S&W just get it right with the M&P?

Status
Not open for further replies.
B

bleedingshrimp

Member
Joined
Apr 25, 2008
Messages
6
Wanted some opinions from those that have owned or extensively shot this platform. I'm more impressed with my M&P9c than any other polymer type pistol I've shot. Did S&W get the polymer thing right? For me I think they did.

Accuracy: I've own a G30sf and it took me about 500 rounds to start getting proficient with it. I was shooting my M&P better the first time I went to the range.

Ergonomics: Multiple back straps means multiple chances that the gun will fit your hands. Not the "here it is, take it or not" approach of XD (XDm excluded) or GLOCK.

Cost: With the $30 rebate or magazine value, the M&P comes in cheaper in most cases.

The other things that have me sold are the steel sights, good trigger action and design, magazines that drop free with no friction and quickly, and the overall height which is perfect for me.

I love my Glock 30sf and won't trade it or sell it. But overall, I'm more impressed with the M&P platform. It just feels right in every way.
 
Man did they ever get it right , I've carried a M&P40 for nearly 2 years now . The ergonomics got Glock beat all to hell , drop free mags interchangable grips and metal sights .
 
i think a more accurate staement might be "S&W are getting it right"

they are working on correcting their initial breakage and mag droping problems

the design and comcepts are very good. the scales are growing on me, but that rear tang just looks chessy
 
I believe they did. Like many new guns there have been a few growing pains but they seems to have fixed those. I have a Full sized .45, a mid sized .9mm and am looking at a Compact .40 or 9mm. I like them as much as my XD and actually traded my Glock 17 for my M&P9.

The only problem I have ran into so far is the lack of Night Sites.
 
I have a full-size 40, test-fire date: September of '06. I purchased it NIB in November of that year, the first year of production. It has been as flawless as I could expect. It has never choked on factory ammo, rarely chokes on my own loads, point-shoots incredibly well, and has had none of the issues reported.
After two mag-drops in a local shoot, I was about ready to send it in, but I realized that my grip might have changed during the reload and have since run it through numerous strings. Not a single repeat of the mag-drop, it it was definitely user induced.

The compact 9 and 40 have had time for the bugs to be worked out. The only problems I've heard lately have been with old stock and the newer 45's.

The M&P is availiable with factory Trijicon night-sights for about a hundred bucks more, or you can get whatever brand you like from the major companies.

The M&P really is a great gun, and the hard work that has gone into it shows. Not to mention that Smith will take care of you should you ever have an issue, unlike some other companies that prefer to deny there's an issue and/or force you to pay for shipping one or both ways.
 
My April '08 production M&P 45 has demonstrated itself to be a reliable and accurate pistol during the time I've fired 900+ rounds through it.

I'm not surprised some minor issues have surfaced during the first 2 years of production. Glock has still been revising & refining parts in some of its pistol line. ;)
 
On the pro side: I've got over 2000 rounds through the compact and maybe half that through a full sized one with zero FTF's. Also, both have proven to be very accurate...my best group with the full sized one was 3/4" at 10 yards, offhand. They fit my hand well and I like that there is a Crimson Trace laser available for the grip insert.

On the con side: I wish S&W had made them a little more rust resistant. Not sure if it is a variance in the material or finishing process but I and some others have experienced some slide rust. Some people discount it saying all guns, even stainless, can rust, but IMHO, it happened way to fast and too easily on mine. S&W was great about it. They replaced my slide, paid for shipping both ways, and threw in some freebies. I should also mention that the surface rust didn't effect the function or reliability of the gun in any way.
 
My 40 SN MPA09xx (very early production) has been flawless in operation. It has never dumped the mag. It is more accurate than most other 40s I have had. The 357 sig barrel dropped right in and has functioned just as well. It may even be a wee bit more accurate than the original 40 barrel.

It has one spot on top of the slide just behind the ejection port that is prone to rust. Keep some lube on the spot and no rust problem.

No rust problems at all on the newer production 9c or 45.

Yes S&W got it right.
 
I think S&W got it right.

Went to gunshop to get XD Compact but they were out. S&W had deal for military & LEO (just needed to have ID). The price was right but I still wasn't sold. I picked it up and switched to medium backstrap. The weapon just fit. I new it was a winner before I even shot it. At the range it didn't disappoint. At 10m it is more accurate than I am. No Failures even when using WWB bulk packs.

Now there ALWAYS is room for improvement.
The rust protection is pretty weak. I haven't seen any rust but I am serious about keeping my guns clean & oiled, and have desiccant in the vault.

The mag release issue is a potential rough spot. Once again hasn't happened to me but it does seem to affect enough people for S&W to take close look.

All in all I am happy with it. The 9c is my current carry gun and one of my favorites at the range.

For anyone looking for a good matching SD ammo: 147gr Federal LE HST. I bought 500 rounds to ensure it feeds & functions well. Never had a failure. Despite the wide mouth, the shallow angle to the jacket seems to assist with a good feed. Even w/ moderately dirty gun (200+ rounds that day) the M&P chewed em up good.
 
How about that M&P in .45? I have been toying with the idea of getting one. I see one person with experience with it here. How about others? :confused: Either that or the Taurus 24/7 in .45.

The Doc is out now. :cool:
 
"Getting it right" as stated above, is probably closer to the truth. It's a good gun. Own the 9mm standard version. Had to send it back for a tune-up to stop it from exactracting brass and dumping it on my head. They tuned the extractor, tightened the barrel and I believe secured the the mag release on the thing. The other problem for me was the gritty trigger. Have about 1,200 round through it now and it's turning into a fine shooter. I still think right out of the box, again subjective sensibility here, the triggers on both the Glocks and the XDs are better.

Great customer service though. After the return, been great. I am considering another one of these a bit later, if money allows. BTW, it is the best, for me, feeling grip that I have encountered on a pistol for my small hands with the small backstrap in place.
 
+1 for "getting it right". Trigger is OK, but definitely not on par with the XD. That may have as much to do with my dislike of the feel of the hinged plastic trigger as the pull. My M&P .40 also won't feed one brand of range ammo reliably. (GA Arms 165gr FMJ) It's been perfect with other brands, though. No problem with the mag catch. (serial MPW1xxx)

I was initially not thrilled with the small rail lugs, but I think I "get it" now. They certainly haven't been a problem so far, and wear is minimal. (about 400 rds)
 
welcome to thr,

i was never a fan of s&w autos, love thier revolvers, but not the autos. and then i thought they were going in the right direction with the sigma, and then i discovered i didn't like them either. and then the m&p came out, and i do believe that they got it right this time. the ergos are awesome, they are accurate and reliable, and if i wasn't already a polygun owner of a different sort i would be leaning toward an m&p and giving them a serious look. i thnk they did great.
 
I have a few thousand rounds through my full size 9mm. It has been a good reliable pistol. My only real gripe with the pistol is the excessive amount of over travel in the trigger. Other than that I like it.
 
I don't think there is a definitive answer as to what is right other than ergonomic variety.

As long as it doesn't break easily, having interchangeable backstraps is a universally good thing for a gun to work well for as many people as possible.

Beyond that, it is more or less subjective.

Having dovetailed sights up front and in back? A good thing, unless you like the stock sights on a gun, in which case it doesn't matter. But generally, this is less subjective, and considered a good thing.

Having a low bore axis? From a physics point of view, it's a good thing. It should be objective, but it bothers some people.

1911 grip angle? A good thing, unless you don't like the 1911 grip angle.

Better quality sights? From a strict functionality/durability point of view, the sights beat out the glock sights, and I like them better than the XD sights, but I still don't like the factory rear sight.

Better trigger? So far all XD triggers I have run into have been smoother than any M&P trigger. And the worse glock trigger is worse than the worse M&P trigger. However, I don't really like the spongy feel you can get with most glock and all XD triggers, regardless of how smooth or light that sponginess may be. I like the more positive break and reset on a trigger, and the M&P was close enough out of the box to please me. After a trigger job, I find it very pleasing. After getting to test drive several M&P trigger jobs by different people, I'll say that they are more universally pleasing than the variety of glock and XD trigger jobs I have encountered.

I don't know if they got it right, but they did understand one thing very well. If you are going to arrive this late to the game, you damn well better learn form every product that came before you and make sure you improve upon what is seen as lacking in their guns.

I think they did borrow all the right features from successful predecessors and integrated them into a very usable product.
 
The M&P is S&Ws proof that Mssrs. Smith and Wesson manage to get it right every now and then. The hard part will be keeping S&W from screwing it up now. I think that they've hit it out of the park with this one. I've read recently that over 80% of the LEO agencies that demo the M&P for issue end up buying it.

Personally, I love the M&P. It's everything that I wanted the Glock to be and wasn't. Things like ergonomics were simply overlooked on the Glock, and the M&P made up for it.
 
M & P 9

I sure like mine have alittle over 2000 rounds through mine. I hardly ever clean it, other than a snake down the barrel after each session. It is my range gun and after a super action job by David bowie at bowie tactical. this is the most accurate handgun I ever shot. Must admit the trigger was horrible at first but it sure is super smooth now, course a set of hi viz sites sure helped it along to. great gun IMO, nary an issue with mine. I would highly recommend one. To big for anything other than holster carry but I never bought it to carry, MY PM9 fits that bill perfectly, but I do shoot the Smith twice as good as my PM9. I think Smith got it right this time...

I think raz O said it all. course there is a differnece inthe trigger system on the glocks and Smith M& P. The Smith is basically a single action, always fully cocked and ready to go where as the glock is in the half cocked position. Correct me if I am wrong here ....
 
The only criticism I have of my 9mm compact is the slide thickness or width; it is not quite as comfortable to carry IWB as a slimmer gun, although my very nice UBG holster helps a lot. I am most impressed with the fact that it has had 100% perfect cycle reliability from the very first round.
 
I now own an MP9, MP9c, MP40, MP40c, MP45, and an MP9 Pro Series. Yes, I love them and just put a MP45 Compact on layaway. I have thousands of rounds through my MP9 and MP40c and can't complain a bit. I have a few handguns, so the other models in my possession have relatively low round counts, < 500.

If you think they got the standard models right, just wait until you try a Pro, all I can say is WOW!!
 
Hillary Hole?

Don't all production runs of the M&P have that oh, so necessary lawyer-inspired Hillary Hole safety? :barf:

I still have my heels dug in on principle. :fire: I have no plans to buy a new S&W with a safety I don't want.:banghead:
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

Similar threads

H
  • Locked
Impressed with new S&W M&P .40!
Replies
1
Views
2K
Jupiter
J
U
  • Locked
Choice of Glock 26 or M&P compact 9mm?
2
Replies
28
Views
2K
PhillyGlocker
P
Kayaker 1960
  • Locked
Apex trigger for M&P or just get a Glock?
2 3
Replies
70
Views
4K
RBid
R
D
  • Locked
Hey Cops! Why M&P and not XD(m)'s?
2 3 4 5
Replies
103
Views
6K
Kiln
K
M
  • Locked
Love My M&P, But...
Replies
9
Views
886
Dean1818
D
Back
Top