ZAT
Member
A couple of months ago, when the rumors about the new 45’s coming started popping up, I began Jonesing for a new gun. Doing some reading and one visit to Cabella’s to handle an MP9 pretty much convinced me that I may be eating crow on my bias against S&W auto loaders. Having handled the MP9 I went home an dug through the safe for that G19 that hasn’t seen the light of day since about 2004 and went shopping.
Surprisingly, there are quite a few options to choose from when shopping for an M&P pistol. You can choose to have a locking mechanism like the revolvers, a mag disconnect, night sights, or a carry package. For the upcoming MP45 you will additionally get to choose between color and manual safety. The MP9 I picked up was a carry package with standard sights, without the lock, without the mag disconnect. The difference in price ($485 vs $515) for the carry option seemed like a good value.
For my hard earned trade in and a bit of cash I got the following items:
• MP9 with Medium grip panel installed
• 3 17 round magazines
• 1 Blade Tech Revolution Holster
• 1 Blade Tech Revolution Dual Mag Carrier
• 1 Small grip panel
• 1 Large grip panel
• 1 Clear chamber indicator
• 1 Owners manual
• 1 Warranty card
• 1 Spent case
Given that currently spare magazines seem to be going for around $35, the additional $30 for the carry package was well worth it as you get not only an additional magazine, but also the holster and mag carrier.
Out of the box, the action felt decent, but as with every other gun a quick disassembly, cleaning and lube job smoothed it out. Disassembly was easy, yet quirky at the same time. Lock the slide back, turn the sear de-activation lever to lower the sear, rotate the take down lever, release the slide and it comes right off the frame. The gun can also be disassembled using the standard striker fired method of lowering the slide manually into battery and pulling the trigger to release the striker. Not quite sure that I would do this too often though. When dry firing the MP without a snap cap in place, there is a very metallic sound heard. This type of sound is not as prevalent on my XD, nor can I remember in on my G19 or P99. Not sure if its significant at all, but since the sear de-activation lever is relatively easy to access, I would suggest that it be used. The rest of the disassembly process is the same as any other link less assembly.
Below are some pics that turned out:
Fit and finish seem to be on par with most other mass produced guns. I would not rate it along with an HK or Sig, but it definitely holds its own against its primary competitors, the XD and Glock. The fact that it is all stainless in construction, however, puts it ahead in some ways in my mind.
The trigger out of the box is gritty to say the least. The break is OK, but the take up is like rubbing sand paper together. There is also a LOT of over travel. The gritty feel comes form the stamped sheet metal trigger bar rubbing on the firing pin safety during take up. So to smooth it up some I spent time in front of the TV dry firing and simply pulling the trigger. The practice worked and after a couple of hours it became acceptable. Putting my RCBS scale to work got a very consistent 6.75# break after my little smooth out exercise.
Pros:
1. Ergonomics: The gun feels very good in the hand, and with the 3 grip inserts can be customized as needed.
2. Low Bore Axis: Makes for very manageable recoil and follow ups.
3. Ergonomics: The gun feels really good.
4. Workable trigger: Wouldn’t call it great, but for me it is better than an out of the box Glock.
5. Stainless construction coupled with Melonite should make for a rugged gun in the long run.
6. Spare parts available from Brownells
7. Good factory sights.
8. Ergonomics: The gun feels good in the hand
9. Reliability: So far out of 720 rounds fired I have only encountered one failure which was ammo related.
10. No need to pull the trigger during take down.
11. Options: You can get factory set ups with or without various “safety’ devices, so no back yard gunsmithing is necessary.
12. Affordable smithing services.
13. Have I said ergonomics yet?
Cons:
1. Sear de-activation lever: I cant make up my mind about it completely.
2. Complete disassembly of slide requires removal of rear sight to access the striker assembly.
3. Expensive mags.
4. Metallic sound during dry fire.
5. Exterior finish. The “black” finish in the slide does not seem very tough. Simply bumping it against a set of keys left a mark, so holster wear will probably show quick. Being melonited stainless this is probably going to be an aesthetic issue only.
Now for the shooting part. Shooting took place over a 2 day period separated by a trip to get a trigger job. I fired 200 rounds of S&B to make sure the gun ran without failure and then decided to make some changes. I replaced the rear sight with a 10-8 U-Notch rear in all black and got a Dan Burwell standard trigger job. All I can say that both changes were well worth their price, especially the trigger job. At $50 plus shipping, the change was like night and day. Weight dropped to a consistent 4# at the middle of the trigger. Over travel was minimized as was reset and take up was smoothed out considerably.
The following factory ammo was used for a total of 720 rounds fired over 2 days.
Sellier & Bellott 115gr FMJ 200 rds
Independence Arms 115gr FMJ 50 rds
CCI Blazer 115gr FMJ 50 rds
Remington UMC 115gr MC (White Box) 50 rds
Ultramax 115gr FMJ 50 rds
Monarch 115gr FMJ (Steel Case) 50 rds
Monarch 115gr FMJ (Brass Case) 50 rds
Winchester 115gr FMJ (White Box) 50 rds
PMC 115gr FMJ 50 rds
Fiocchi 115gr FMJ (9mm Magnum) 10 rds
Speer 124gr TMJ 10 rds
Federal 115gr JHP Hi-Shok 20 rds
Federal 124gr JHP Hydra-Shok 20 rds
Federal 147gr JHP Hydra-Shok 20 rds
Speer 124gr JHP GoldDot 20 rds
Speer 147gr JHP GoldDot 20 rds
Total Rounds Fired 720 rds
Through the 2 days I experienced one failure to feed using Remington UMC ammo. Upon examining the round it was apparent that the round received little to no crimp and I doubt that anything would have fed it.
Here are the details:
- Trigger: Out of the box, the trigger is acceptable. I like it better than the factory G19 and it comes close to the XD aside from the gritty take up. With the $50 investment the trigger easily surpasses the XD and rivals some of the 1911’s I have had over the years.
-Sights: Factory sights are acceptable. The 10-8 is also a well spent $40. The U-Notch makes for a very clean sight picture and also makes for quick follow ups.
-Accuracy: I did not shoot for groups, during the break in process, but did notice that when I did my part the gun cold put 5 rounds into a clover leaf at 7 yds using S&B ammo. The second day a the range, with the new trigger job, I was able to engage 8 six inch plates with single and double taps without missing out to 15 yds. It did take a mag or two to get used to both the factory and refined triggers though.
-Summary: The sound you are hearing in the background is me eating crow on my S&W bias. At least with the MP9 model, it appears that S&W has hit a home run. I definitely feel no regret at having traded the G19 for it. To date, reliability has been exceptional and accuracy is more than acceptable for a service grade weapon. The thing that truly sets this gun apart from the competition, is the ergonomics. The gun feels very natural in the hand. The low bore axis, adjustable grips, and beaver tail make for a gun that is very pleasurable to shoot. I am eagerly awaiting the MP45, to say the least.
Surprisingly, there are quite a few options to choose from when shopping for an M&P pistol. You can choose to have a locking mechanism like the revolvers, a mag disconnect, night sights, or a carry package. For the upcoming MP45 you will additionally get to choose between color and manual safety. The MP9 I picked up was a carry package with standard sights, without the lock, without the mag disconnect. The difference in price ($485 vs $515) for the carry option seemed like a good value.
For my hard earned trade in and a bit of cash I got the following items:
• MP9 with Medium grip panel installed
• 3 17 round magazines
• 1 Blade Tech Revolution Holster
• 1 Blade Tech Revolution Dual Mag Carrier
• 1 Small grip panel
• 1 Large grip panel
• 1 Clear chamber indicator
• 1 Owners manual
• 1 Warranty card
• 1 Spent case
Given that currently spare magazines seem to be going for around $35, the additional $30 for the carry package was well worth it as you get not only an additional magazine, but also the holster and mag carrier.
Out of the box, the action felt decent, but as with every other gun a quick disassembly, cleaning and lube job smoothed it out. Disassembly was easy, yet quirky at the same time. Lock the slide back, turn the sear de-activation lever to lower the sear, rotate the take down lever, release the slide and it comes right off the frame. The gun can also be disassembled using the standard striker fired method of lowering the slide manually into battery and pulling the trigger to release the striker. Not quite sure that I would do this too often though. When dry firing the MP without a snap cap in place, there is a very metallic sound heard. This type of sound is not as prevalent on my XD, nor can I remember in on my G19 or P99. Not sure if its significant at all, but since the sear de-activation lever is relatively easy to access, I would suggest that it be used. The rest of the disassembly process is the same as any other link less assembly.
Below are some pics that turned out:
Fit and finish seem to be on par with most other mass produced guns. I would not rate it along with an HK or Sig, but it definitely holds its own against its primary competitors, the XD and Glock. The fact that it is all stainless in construction, however, puts it ahead in some ways in my mind.
The trigger out of the box is gritty to say the least. The break is OK, but the take up is like rubbing sand paper together. There is also a LOT of over travel. The gritty feel comes form the stamped sheet metal trigger bar rubbing on the firing pin safety during take up. So to smooth it up some I spent time in front of the TV dry firing and simply pulling the trigger. The practice worked and after a couple of hours it became acceptable. Putting my RCBS scale to work got a very consistent 6.75# break after my little smooth out exercise.
Pros:
1. Ergonomics: The gun feels very good in the hand, and with the 3 grip inserts can be customized as needed.
2. Low Bore Axis: Makes for very manageable recoil and follow ups.
3. Ergonomics: The gun feels really good.
4. Workable trigger: Wouldn’t call it great, but for me it is better than an out of the box Glock.
5. Stainless construction coupled with Melonite should make for a rugged gun in the long run.
6. Spare parts available from Brownells
7. Good factory sights.
8. Ergonomics: The gun feels good in the hand
9. Reliability: So far out of 720 rounds fired I have only encountered one failure which was ammo related.
10. No need to pull the trigger during take down.
11. Options: You can get factory set ups with or without various “safety’ devices, so no back yard gunsmithing is necessary.
12. Affordable smithing services.
13. Have I said ergonomics yet?
Cons:
1. Sear de-activation lever: I cant make up my mind about it completely.
2. Complete disassembly of slide requires removal of rear sight to access the striker assembly.
3. Expensive mags.
4. Metallic sound during dry fire.
5. Exterior finish. The “black” finish in the slide does not seem very tough. Simply bumping it against a set of keys left a mark, so holster wear will probably show quick. Being melonited stainless this is probably going to be an aesthetic issue only.
Now for the shooting part. Shooting took place over a 2 day period separated by a trip to get a trigger job. I fired 200 rounds of S&B to make sure the gun ran without failure and then decided to make some changes. I replaced the rear sight with a 10-8 U-Notch rear in all black and got a Dan Burwell standard trigger job. All I can say that both changes were well worth their price, especially the trigger job. At $50 plus shipping, the change was like night and day. Weight dropped to a consistent 4# at the middle of the trigger. Over travel was minimized as was reset and take up was smoothed out considerably.
The following factory ammo was used for a total of 720 rounds fired over 2 days.
Sellier & Bellott 115gr FMJ 200 rds
Independence Arms 115gr FMJ 50 rds
CCI Blazer 115gr FMJ 50 rds
Remington UMC 115gr MC (White Box) 50 rds
Ultramax 115gr FMJ 50 rds
Monarch 115gr FMJ (Steel Case) 50 rds
Monarch 115gr FMJ (Brass Case) 50 rds
Winchester 115gr FMJ (White Box) 50 rds
PMC 115gr FMJ 50 rds
Fiocchi 115gr FMJ (9mm Magnum) 10 rds
Speer 124gr TMJ 10 rds
Federal 115gr JHP Hi-Shok 20 rds
Federal 124gr JHP Hydra-Shok 20 rds
Federal 147gr JHP Hydra-Shok 20 rds
Speer 124gr JHP GoldDot 20 rds
Speer 147gr JHP GoldDot 20 rds
Total Rounds Fired 720 rds
Through the 2 days I experienced one failure to feed using Remington UMC ammo. Upon examining the round it was apparent that the round received little to no crimp and I doubt that anything would have fed it.
Here are the details:
- Trigger: Out of the box, the trigger is acceptable. I like it better than the factory G19 and it comes close to the XD aside from the gritty take up. With the $50 investment the trigger easily surpasses the XD and rivals some of the 1911’s I have had over the years.
-Sights: Factory sights are acceptable. The 10-8 is also a well spent $40. The U-Notch makes for a very clean sight picture and also makes for quick follow ups.
-Accuracy: I did not shoot for groups, during the break in process, but did notice that when I did my part the gun cold put 5 rounds into a clover leaf at 7 yds using S&B ammo. The second day a the range, with the new trigger job, I was able to engage 8 six inch plates with single and double taps without missing out to 15 yds. It did take a mag or two to get used to both the factory and refined triggers though.
-Summary: The sound you are hearing in the background is me eating crow on my S&W bias. At least with the MP9 model, it appears that S&W has hit a home run. I definitely feel no regret at having traded the G19 for it. To date, reliability has been exceptional and accuracy is more than acceptable for a service grade weapon. The thing that truly sets this gun apart from the competition, is the ergonomics. The gun feels very natural in the hand. The low bore axis, adjustable grips, and beaver tail make for a gun that is very pleasurable to shoot. I am eagerly awaiting the MP45, to say the least.
