S&W M&P 9 full size and Pro

[razorback2003]

Have folks had good luck with the M&P line of pistols? I saw that the ATF and DEA awarded contracts for Smith and Wesson for the M&P and Glock, so is the reliability there with Glock, Sig, Beretta? What about the durability of the pistol, including finish? Is the gun as rust resistant as a Glock? Any common problems with the full size and Pro versions? Thanks

 

[plouffedaddy]

I have 5 M&Ps and all have been great guns---reliability on par or better than any other guns I own. 4 of the 5 have never had a malfunction at all and 1 had a mag with a bad feed lip so I'm not sure that I'd blame that double feed on the gun....



If I had to do it again, I wouldn't buy a Pro though. For the same money, you can just get the standard model and put an APEX kit in it and have a better gun IMO.

 

[postalnut25]

I carry the 5 inch Pro Series 9mm on duty. I like it a ton, but there were a few issues that I experienced.

The first was finding a holster that fit the gun with a light on it. safariland makes one, but my department had to special order it, and it took some time to come in.

The second was the sights. I broke the fiber optic front sight twice. They are just not made to withstand hard use. The rear sight got replaced, too, since the original did not have a shelf to use for racking the slide one handed.

The last issue I had is a little strange. I was at a long range session for work, about 10 hours. I cut myself right off the bat, and got some blood all over my slide. I wiped most of it off, but not enough I guess. I ctook apart the gun to clean it the next morning and noticed a small rust spot where some of the blood didn't get cleaned off well enough. It was kind of an anomoly, and proper cleaning earlier would have prevented it. Just remember that blood is very caustic and can eat away at a finish very quickly.

I still trust my life to my Pro Series on a nightly basis, so that should tell you something.

 

[plouffedaddy]

The first was finding a holster that fit the gun with a light on it.

The holster in the above post is a NTAC. It's great and they offer mil/leo discounts. They also make an OWB holster for those who want that....

 

[postalnut25]

^^^^^^

Thanks,I'll look at that for off-duty carry. It looks pretty good.


I was actually talking about a holster for my duty belt. As far as I know, Safariland was the only maker for a Pro series w/ a light, in basketweave. They are a little harder to come by.

 

[MikePaiN]

I've had a basic full size M&P9 w/ night sights for a long time, The trigger is stock but for whatever reason I have always shot accurately with it and I never give it a second thought, so I've not bothered to change it to the Apex.
Reliability is stellar, as in "never a functional issue". On top of all that its super comfy

 

[JTQ]

I was actually talking about a holster for my duty belt. As far as I know, Safariland was the only maker for a Pro series w/ a light, in basketweave. They are a little harder to come by.

You may want to check Garrett Industries. They recently added a basket weave design.

http://garrettindustries.mybigcommerce.com/

 

[mizer67]

The 9mms have major accuracy issues at >=20 yards.

The .45 ACP models are your best bet.

All are relatively reliable.

Common problems:

Breaking slide stops
Dead trigger in older models without the new sear housing block and plunger
Light primer strikes
Older models broke strikers regularly
Ejection / extraction issues with 9mm models were somewhat common
Some batches of slides were not melonited properly and would rust
Dovetail slots for sights are cut too large regularly, leading them to fall out (Had this happen on two of my guns)
Stock factory sights white paint shoots loose - on any gun I've owned this happens within ~300 rounds
Large amount of play between slide and frame
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[ny32182]

I bought my 5" 9 Pro in March 2011, and it sat until November 2011 when I started shooting it. It is at 10k rounds now. Like any other pistol it has its quirks and things I like or don't like. Before the M&P I shot a Glock.

My biggest gripe is that the springs do not seem to be as durable as Glocks. I now replace the mag springs in the three primary mags that I use every 3k rounds through the gun, so roughly 1k rounds through the magazine. With the Glocks I could change them once a year in the same conditions, and it was good; in the M&P it needs mag springs a lot more often. I've also had a handful of light strikes with Tula primers (known for their hardness) which never happened with the Glock either, so I think the striker spring either doesn't have quite as much oomph, or once again, wears faster. But really, only about 4 or 5 total out of 9k or so, is fine for practice. I have taken to using Federals for sanctioned ammo, no problems.

Other than that I have not replaced any parts at all involuntarily. Stock trigger and sights are working fine. My offhand groups at 30 yards are not particularly stellar, but no different than I did with my G34, so I don't have any reason to say the pistol is not "combat accurate".

I've actually been plesantly surprised with the finish; it is holding up just as well as my Glock's. The black will wear off of contact points, but I have not seen any rust at all.

I do wish the mags were plastic coated like Glocks, and I wish they had just used pushpins for the frame like Glocks, but neither of those are really deal-breakers for me. Overall I think they have a winner.

I hope to get my hands on an FNS as soon as they come out with a 5"+ model.

 

[razorback2003]

Yes, the M&P I shot had one primer not popped with Tula 9mm ammo out of a box of fifty. I was able to load it again and it fired. Brass cased Federal FMJ 115 grain did not seem to be a problem. I also shot some Remington 124 +P hollowpoints and again no problem. I am guessing the Tula primers are a little harder than other primers.