This is my current IDPA gun for two seasons

 

Congrats on a nice piece, I have been watching one of these at my local shop, but I feel I don't shoot my Canik Mete SFT Pro or my CZ Shadow 2 enough to justify another competition pistol.

 

That's a good problem to have. That CZ Shadow 2 looks like one sweet shooter. Unfortunately I've never laid my hands on one.

 

I had an opportunity to handle one of them a couple of months ago and my friend ended up buying it. S&W did a great job with that gun particularly to the grip texture on the front and back straps. The gun seemed well built with a nice trigger. Enjoy your new gun - I hope it serves you well in your matches.

 

Thanks very much. I love the grip texture too

 

Congratulations GD.

Nice blaster. Thanks for sharing it.

Now that you're played with it a bit, what's your initial impressions?

I briefly played with one while counter cruising at my LGS, somewhat stripped down (no magwell and no optic) as I was considering as a bedside companion.

Thoughts?

 

Good morning Gray-

As of yesterday afternoon, I've put 400 rounds through it. Yesterday, the gents on my pistol team got to shoot it too. Everyone on my team are IDPA "Master" except me. :-( At the level they are, they certainly have their favorite pistols on which they rely. Side note: They all shoot with optics too and are instructors.

One team member shoots an M&P 2.0 with Apex trigger. The others shoot either Sig P320's (Legions, X frames etc.) or CZ's. Each of these gents really, really liked this pistol and they're pretty critical. Everyone liked the recoil impulse and pointability/balance. Note: The first day I shot it I had the "standard" grip panel on it. Yesterday, I put the larger sized (not largest) on it which everyone liked better than the standard one.

Other thoughts (my own and team members):

*. The barrel is extremely accurate. We were all stacking shots on top of each at 25 yards. Note- This is more accurate than the team members M&P 2.0's barrel. It is on par with my Sig in the picture above.

*. Shooting various brands of ammo, some of questionable quality, the gun remained accurate and there wasn't a hint of a malfunction.

*. Trigger- This needs some work. Now, I really do like it but it can (and will be) lighter and cleaner. I've worked a bunch on my Sig comp gun to lighten and smooth our the trigger but, it remains "smooshy"; it's a 3.5lbs on average. This is kind of what made me roll the dice with this M&P. Having cut my teeth on 1911's, I'm always looking for triggers that break with a "pop". The inherent nature of the M&P gets closer to that. There's less take-up, over travel and reset. It's just a bit gritty and heavy; just over 4lbs. As mentioned in another post, I've already ordered an Apex trigger for it. My team mate has one in his M&P and it's fantastic.

*. Recoil impulse- This is a light gun. I haven't read the specs but I've been told it isn't any heavier than the polymer version. This gave me a bit of concern about how quickly I'd be able to shoot it as a competition guy. Note: It's 9 oz. lighter than what I'm used to. In the end, it shot very quickly and "flat". Since they lightened the slide so much and the bore is lower than my Sig, they're both on par. Bore axis- yes, it's lower on the M&P. Just my opinion, but I think people make too much out of that on a 9mm when it comes to recoil. With a proper grip it doesn't really matter. I will say though, that at least for me, a lower bore axis aids in the "pointability" of the firearm. Once again, just my opinion.

*. How am I shooting the gun?- In slow fire (no timer) I shoot it very accurately. As mentioned, I was stacking shots at 25 yards. With a timer, my splits at 15 yards are between .17 and .20 seconds. Those are A-zone hits. That's pretty good for me. I'm happy with it since with my Sig, I'm between .20 and .24. I think I can just work the trigger quicker on the M&P. I'm not a strong guy- I'm 6'2" and 175lbs. with noodle arms. The lighter weight of the M&P compared to the Sig lets me "drive" more quickly on transitions. Out of the holster to my first shot- I'm still quicker with the Sig. Again at 15 yards, I can draw and put an A zone shot in at 1.7 seconds on average. With the M&P, I'm at 2.0. I'm sure I'll get there with it but I only have two days on it and it does hang in my holster at my hip a tad differently.

Sorry for the long review but I hope it's helpful to some folks.

 

That is a nice looking pistol. How's the trigger? I've been using a 5.25 Elite since they came out and really like it, stock trigger and all.

 

Very cool

I had one for a short time, but sold it. They shoot nice

 

That is one pistol that looks better in metal than polymer.

 

The M&P line was sorta ho-hum for me for years. Then I put an Apex trigger in one of their new 10mm's that were released last year. And now I'm addicted. It changes the gun from mediocre to extreme fun. The original trigger on the Pro Series 9mm 2.0 had a measured 0.49" of take up (at the bottom of the trigger). Like WTF? Why? That's insane. The Apex trigger is 0.21" and the pull went from 5lbs 0oz. to 3lbs 6oz. If Smith offered them out of the box that way, it would be a game changer in the striker fired market.

 

Nice!

 

Quite helpful GD.

Thank you.

 

thanks Gray. I'll also add that the machining, finish and fitment on the gun are immaculate. I'm always a bit reticent in considering modern S&W's but this pistol is very well executed. There aren't any apparent QC issues.

 

Nice review, it seems like a good pistol.

In my experience, you don’t need to go spending money after gritty triggers, most get smoother with lots of dry and live fire. 3-4k rounds usually does it.

 

Very nice, congrats GD.

 

I’ve been interested in these but disappointed to hear the trigger needs work.
Guess it’s not the end of the world though if one can get the fix from Apex…

 

Congrats! I swear I snagged one of the first.

I admit, I let it go because like you said, the trigger is needing something extra (not end of the world) but the grip texture didn't excite me as all that comfortable.

I think it's a great option for those not wanting the Shadow or Canik. I think the Q5 is even better, but you're a lot more to get there. So defiantly a good buy for sure.

 

Apex will fix the OEM trigger issues. I have one in my M&P 9 and it's great.

There's one here in the gun case at Fleet Farm. I'm tempted, but the wife will divorce me.

 

Apex will fix the OEM trigger issues. I have one in my M&P 9 and it's great.

There's one here in the gun case at Fleet Farm. I'm tempted, but the wife will divorce me.

Yeah...I'm looking forward to getting the Apex in there.

 

Thats a beautiful pistol, The M&P line shoots great, I carry the shield plus now and love it

 

Thank you. I have to be honest in that I haven’t been an S&W fan until this model.