Smith & Wesson M&P 45ACP Opinions

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Back in 2012 I decided I wanted a new 45 Auto. I wanted a new striker fire gun with a polymer frame. I started looking around and ended up going with the M&P45 without the manual safety. I loved the gun, but the trigger wasn’t all that great. I installed an APEX spring kit and it became a great gun with a great trigger. I liked it so much that I bought a M&P9 too.
Most people find it hard to believe, but I like the M&P better then the Glock.
Right now I waiting for one of the distributors to get in a M&P9 M2.0 with the 4.99 barrel and no manual safety, in FDE. As soon as one is available I’m gonna order one.
 
TomJ said:
I have a number of M&P 2.0's and also found the stippling to be a little rough. I took care of it with some light sanding.
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I'm somewhat surprised at how many people think the stippling on the 2.0's is too aggressive. I think it's perfect even after a fairly long range day. I wonder if it's because I've been lifting weights for many years and my hands are probably toughened up by the knurling on the bars.

I bought a Ruger Security 9 which is about the same size as my M&P Compacts and the first thing I noticed was that the grip was too slippery for my taste. I added a grip sleeve to address that.
 
mmb617 said:
I'm somewhat surprised at how many people think the stippling on the 2.0's is too aggressive. I think it's perfect even after a fairly long range day. I wonder if it's because I've been lifting weights for many years and my hands are probably toughened up by the knurling on the bars.

I bought a Ruger Security 9 which is about the same size as my M&P Compacts and the first thing I noticed was that the grip was too slippery for my taste. I added a grip sleeve to address that.
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I should clarify. It wasn't too rough on my hands, but at the time I carried IWB. It was rough on my waist where it rubbed against it and it eventually tore small holes in a number of my shirts.
 
I also have a Security 9. They are very slippery. I ended up getting a Pachymer grip which is great

I also have a Shield9 and Shield45, both 2.0 models. No issues with the stippling on those even after firing 100+ rounds on one session. The 2.0 Compact in 9mm is very aggressive. Makes me glad to have the 1.0 45. It may be smoother, but it doesn't slip nor does it dig in to the hands when firing.
 
GunnyUSMC said:
Back in 2012 I decided I wanted a new 45 Auto. I wanted a new striker fire gun with a polymer frame. I started looking around and ended up going with the M&P45 without the manual safety. I loved the gun, but the trigger wasn’t all that great. I installed an APEX spring kit and it became a great gun with a great trigger. I liked it so much that I bought a M&P9 too.
Most people find it hard to believe, but I like the M&P better then the Glock.
Right now I waiting for one of the distributors to get in a M&P9 M2.0 with the 4.99 barrel and no manual safety, in FDE. As soon as one is available I’m gonna order one.
Click to expand...

Gunny,
Gallery of Guns has 2 available in my area. I believe this is the one you're looking for.
Tom

https://www.galleryofguns.com/Genie/default.aspx?item=11989
 
Like GunnyUSMC, I hate the jointed trigger on S&W M&P, Shield, and SD9's.
I gave my Brother In-Law a 9mm Shield because of that awful trigger. Didn't want to invest in an Apex Trigger at the time. Especially since the Shield had a right hand only safety on it and I'm left handed.

The Apex Trigger, FYI - is a Glock style trigger. I put one in a cheap S&W SD9VE I picked up. Turns it into a fun to shoot truck gun.

index.php
 
GunnyUSMC said:
.... Most people find it hard to believe, but I like the M&P better then the Glock.....
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I only have 1 Glock, but the M&P line tempts me to trade it in every so often. I don't know that I'll ever bring myself to do it, but I can't blame you for liking the M&P better. The only ones I own are Shields, but I've been awfully impressed with them.
 
Spats McGee said:
I only have 1 Glock, but the M&P line tempts me to trade it in every so often. I don't know that I'll ever bring myself to do it, but I can't blame you for liking the M&P better. The only ones I own are Shields, but I've been awfully impressed with them.
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I believe, one should never limit themselves to just one brand of gun. Variety is the spice of life.
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"Most people find it hard to believe, but I like the M&P better then the Glock."

I do too. I have a Glock 22 (and a conversion barrel that turns it into a 17). It's a good pistol, but I like my M&P better. It fits my hand better and I think the trigger is better.
 
Spats McGee said:
I only have 1 Glock, but the M&P line tempts me to trade it in every so often. I don't know that I'll ever bring myself to do it, but I can't blame you for liking the M&P better. The only ones I own are Shields, but I've been awfully impressed with them.
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I stopped in at the local gun shop on my way home from work today. The owner told me that my M&P is on it’s way and should be in by mid week. I asked how much and he said $50 over his cost.:)
 
My M&P is the 2.0 Compact. I don't have experience with the Apex trigger kits but I like the trigger fine on it. The stippling has never bothered my hands (maybe because of 30+ years as a construction worker) but sometimes it does bother me where it rubs against my side when carrying IWB.

Edited to add: I liked the trigger fine out of the box but after about 500 rounds it got a lot smoother.
 
I have an FS M&P 2.0 in 40 S&W. It is the only striker fired pistol that I own. Quality is good. I like the fit and feel , including the above mentioned quite aggressive/rough stippling, (and I am very much a 1911 partisan), and it has a decent trigger, as far as these tupperware (sorry, polymer) guns go. I would imagine recoil will be a little sharper than a 1911 but I think the M&P 2.0 is pretty well done.
 
I broke down and ordered the Apex trigger kit, Talon grips, and 2 Compact 1.0 backstraps.

The 1.0 backstraps did not fit. So it was a good thing I ordered the Talon Grips. The talon grips fit excellent and my M&P 9mm Compact. Made a world of difference.

I installed the Apex trigger kit today, and man it is awesome. The 2.0 triggers from Smith and Wesson are a major improvement over the 1.0 guns, but my shot groups are so much better and almost effortless with the trigger kit installed.

After firing 100 rounds, my palm felt great. No redness or discomfort whatsoever.

I just wish the the trigger kits weren't so expensive.
 
Crazy Horse said:
I installed the Apex trigger kit today, and man it is awesome. The 2.0 triggers from Smith and Wesson are a major improvement over the 1.0 guns, but my shot groups are so much better and almost effortless with the trigger kit installed.

I just wish the the trigger kits weren't so expensive.
Click to expand...

I keep hearing people rave about the Apex trigger kits and it's making me think maybe I need to try one. I have M&P Compacts in both 9 mm and .45, and both are the 2.0 version. I don't see any problems with the triggers on them but then I have no basis for comparison to a superior trigger. I also have a Shield 9 mm and it's version 1.0 that everyone seems to think have bad triggers but I don't see a problem there either.

I'm not completely oblivious to bad triggers as I bought a Ruger Security 9 and hated the trigger on that one. I did a Seneschal upgrade and it's better, but still not as nice as the Smith's in my eyes.
 
Yeah. The M&P 45 I purchased was a LEO turn in. I think they had 10 lb triggers on them, which made it a pain to shoot accurately. After reading about issues with the triggers on 1.0 models, I perused the Brownell's site for the trigger. I chatted with a gunsmith on the site and he fully supported the kit. He added that he had the same model firearm and did the upgrade himself. He indicated that based on personal experience, I'd be happy with the upgrade. So I went ahead with the upgrade. I was not disappointed one bit. after the upgrade, the M&P 45 went from being a chore to get on target, to easily hitting a 2 inch target 10+ yards out.

Initially a skeptic, I know believe that a trigger makes a significant difference in shooting a semi well. So much so that I broke down and ordered one for my M&P 9mm 2.0. Still like you, because of cost, I hesitated for some time before biting the bullet.
 
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