Smith & Wesson M&P 9mm – Perfect Pistol or Polymer Poseur?

Here is another from Elton at large...

After pumping 1,500 rounds through a Beretta 92FS over a 3-day training course with minimal cleaning I can officially confirm the weapon as a trusty workhorse. I never had a single malfunction, jam, or misfire and could consistently place 5 well-aimed shots through a single ragged hole in the center-of-mass of a head-shaped silhouette at 7-yards using Winchester “white box” off the shelf ammo. But toward the end of my class, I noticed I was getting beaten from the draw during man-on-man steel plate challenges by Glock-toting companions due to my delayed double-action first shot (see previous post).

When I suffered the same first-shot blues during my first USPSA shooting match the next month, I was suddenly in the market for a modern polymer handgun with a consistent trigger pull. I talked to a dozen or more guys at the club, range, and Blackwater training site before I settled on three leading contenders: the Springfield XD, Glock, and Smith & Wesson M&P.
I test fired all of these models in different variants over a period of months. All had their merits but I was truly smitten with the ergonomics and shootability of the M&P. One of the newest pistols on the market, Smith & Wesson is heavily touting their ground-up design based on extensive user research in creating a safe, versatile, and reliable firearm for personal and professional use After extensive testing, several law enforcement agencies including Colorado Springs, Atlanta, Charlotte and Syracuse Police Departments have chugged the Kool-Aid and adopted the platform as their official weapon.

Endorsed to me personally by at least one former Glock-toting ex-Marine, leading IDPA shooter, and fellow “born in the USA” advertising blitz believer, I figured I had a winner. I found the M&P at a local dealer for $499 sporting a $50 promotional rebate and 2-free magazines. After some quick math, I figured a $650 weapon with $60-worth of mags for $450 was the steal of the century and bought it on the spot. After my mandatory 72-hour Illinois waiting period (can someone tell me what the background check for our Firearm Owner ID Card – or FOID – is for if they’re just going to re-check us anyway?) I eagerly unpacked my M&P and headed for the range.

My pistol came with two magazines and three interchangeable backstraps to fit a variety of hand sizes (see photo). Once tuned, it’s one of the most comfortable grips I’ve felt on a mass production gun. The design supports a pronounced 1911-like beavertail which limits the slide bite if you really choke up on your hold. The rest of the grip is well-angled and has a rounded, form-fitting feel unlike the two-by-four handle on your average Glock. The magazine and slide releases seem perfectly positioned and easily accessible without being in the way or prone to accidental triggering.
Shooting is equally comfortable and controllable. Recoil is average and second shot placement is very manageable – possibly due to the excellent ergonomics. Magazines fly out of the grip like an ejector seat on a jet fighter making re-loads a snap.

After some drills, though, I noticed the trigger was quirky. It was relatively heavy to start with (I’m guessing 7-8 lbs) and had the tendency to do an annoying “false”, two-stage reset as opposed to the Glock’s solid and comforting thunk. Some users have suggested it’s just a break-in question, while I opted to go a little further and do my own partial trigger job (see next post).
I also ended up installing a fiber optic HighViz front sight with a Warren Tactical rear for better target acquisition. I like the combo of the glowing red-dot which naturally draws your focus to the front sight where it belongs, coupled with a plain molded black rear which makes picking up silhouette targets intuitive (see photo).

After a winter’s-worth of range time, I was ready for my first real test – a steel-plate man-on-man challenge to kick off the summer shooting season. During the match I had two malfunctions – basically misfires which required me to re-rack the gun in the midst of the competition. Talk about disappointing! Despite good ammo and full cleaning, I’ve tracked the problem down to a slide that intermittently stops short of full-forward. After talking with some other guys at the meet, they related similar problems including the aforementioned false trigger reset and light striker misfires. One guy was an avid M&P fan and owns two at home -- but shoot his Sig for competition which has got to tell you something. I ended up tied for third out of 14 despite the problems. The winner shot a stock Glock in .40 cal.

I don’t know if my problems are just bugs from an initial production run, but I’d question the wisdom of adopting a newcomer for public police use versus a firearm with 20 years of reliable service and kinks fully worked out. I’ll take the M&P back to the shop under Smith & Wesson’s lifetime warranty, but not before I pick up an old trusty. Stay tuned for a review on the Glock 17.