M&P M2.0

[exxonv]

Smith & Wesson released the M&P M2.0 5" in FDE w/the manual safety and a loaded chamber indicator that they do not include with the 4.25" version. No idea why that is, but I've shot the 5" 9mm version quite a bit and I like it!

Here is my review and some range and competition videos:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dQhyHbnbUCQ&t

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w8ELewt39bU

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fq7G7EGC-FE

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T5clz3uNxFo

The trigger isn't as nice as the APEX Trigger, but it is (to me) a major improvement. I was able to remove the manual safety and plug the frame w/frame plugs provided by Smith & Wesson, and I've put well over 1,000 rounds through mine and it runs great. There were some strange extraction issues when I first shot it, but I cleaned it pretty good and ran a few hundred through it and all is well.

[ray1970]

Put the first 200 rounds through my M&P 2.0 yesterday with zero issues. Here's my take on it.

First, the grip texture is awesome. Once you have a hold of the pistol it is pretty much locked into place. I'm not sure if there would be issues if this was a carry gun as far as rubbing your sensitive areas or snagging clothing or whatever.

Besides being perfectly reliable so far, the accuracy was great as well. The 2.0 is noticeably more accurate than the last M&P I owned.

The trigger is pretty nice for a striker fired handgun. Not VP9 or PPQ nice but still pretty decent for an out of the box pistol. There is a fair amount of take up before the trigger bar engages the sear but once you get there the trigger break is crisp and well defined with very little overtravel. The reset is short and noticeable but not forceful like a Glock. Overall I would say the trigger on my example is pretty nice.

The sights on mine are just your garden variety, non-tritium, three dot sights. They were spot on at reasonable distances but I did engage some targets at about 35 yards just for fun and found at that range the shots were Impacting about a foot higher than point of aim. I'll have to measure the factory sights and try to get a taller front sight when or if I replace them.

I would say if you're in the market for a polymer, striker fired handgun but you're one of those guys that doesn't like the fit or feel of a Glock the M&P would be a good option.

[funkymonkey1111]

Aim surplus has .40 SW M&P police trade ins for $299. Would you choose an original with an apex trigger or a 2.0?

(or, a 2.0 with an apex?)

[ray1970]

Aim surplus has .40 SW M&P police trade ins for $299. Would you choose an original with an apex trigger or a 2.0?

(or, a 2.0 with an apex?)

$299 seems like a good deal and leaves you room to upgrade to your liking without having a lot of money tied up in the thing. Of course I say that but with $300 in the pistol and if you dump another $150 into upgrades then you're right at the cost of a brand new 2.0.

In a nutshell, what you don't get with the original M&P is the extra metal reinforcement in the frame, the longer frame rails, the different grip texture, the fourth backstrap, and a steel magazine release. You do get the built in beaver tail on the original version that is no longer present on the 2.0 but I always hated that beaver tail and have actually removed it on my last M&P.

Personally, I'm not a 40 caliber kind of a guy so all of the trade in handguns flooding the market right now aren't tempting me. Although I'm tempted to pick up a Sig P229 and swap the 40 cal barrel,out for a 357 Sig barrel.

[exxonv]

Aim surplus has .40 SW M&P police trade ins for $299. Would you choose an original with an apex trigger or a 2.0?

(or, a 2.0 with an apex?)

Spot on Ray!

I love the M&P9 M2.0 - shot it in a USPSA Match yesterday and it was great (that's my third match with it). I have the M&P9 5" Pro and the 4.25" in the original version as well. I upgraded both - the Pro has the full Apex trigger kit, a Pachmayr grip sleeve, and Trijicon HDs. The 4.25" has the same setup minus the trigger (kept the actual trigger stock, but installed the Apex kit). Both are great pistols, but the M&P9 M2.0 is stock except for the sights (TruGlo TFOs that I'd removed from the 4.25").

The .40 cal seems to be losing buyers - a P229 for $450? Wow - so I don't know if $299 is a great value, but it is a great price. Side note, what happened to the .40??? Great round (not my choice) - but it seems to be less popular... A topic for another thread...

The best setup (to me) would be an M2.0 w/the Apex trigger or springs, but I'm keeping mine stock for now.

[ray1970]

I think a lot of law enforcement agencies are switching back to the 9mm from the 40 lately. I think they are starting to realize that a couple of good shots with a 9mm are just as effective as a couple of bad shots with the 40 and the 9mm is typically easier for most people to shoot comfortably and accurately. Not to mention the wear and tear on a service handgun tends to be less in 9 than 40.

I'm seeing lots of Glocks, M&Ps, and Sigs popping up cheap as law enforcement makes the switch to 9mm.

[funkymonkey1111]

I think a lot of law enforcement agencies are switching back to the 9mm from the 40 lately. I think they are starting to realize that a couple of good shots with a 9mm are just as effective as a couple of bad shots with the 40 and the 9mm is typically easier for most people to shoot comfortably and accurately. Not to mention the wear and tear on a service handgun tends to be less in 9 than 40.

I'm seeing lots of Glocks, M&Ps, and Sigs popping up cheap as law enforcement makes the switch to 9mm.

oh, definitely. i picked up a brand new M&P Pro C.O.R.E. 40SW for under $400 about 15 months ago. the 9s are all over $600 it seems (cheapest i've seen in $638 other than at an auction)

[SouthPaw]

I recently picked up a 5" M&P 2.0 FDE 9mm. Initial impressions were very positive. As many other have stated, the texturing on the grip is amazing. It literally just 'sticks' to your hands. I have always been a glock guy but just holding this thing made me question my Gen4 G17. Depending on how well I shoot the M&P, I maybe replacing my 19 with 4.25 version.

[68Charger]

I think a lot of law enforcement agencies are switching back to the 9mm from the 40 lately. I think they are starting to realize that a couple of good shots with a 9mm are just as effective as a couple of bad shots with the 40 and the 9mm is typically easier for most people to shoot comfortably and accurately. Not to mention the wear and tear on a service handgun tends to be less in 9 than 40.

I'm seeing lots of Glocks, M&Ps, and Sigs popping up cheap as law enforcement makes the switch to 9mm.

not to mention slightly more capacity, if you're not limited to 15 rounds...

on another note, I wonder if the reinforced frame means 10mm or Rowland conversions could be possible? Rowland stopped doing conversions because of problems...

[exxonv]

I recently picked up a 5" M&P 2.0 FDE 9mm. Initial impressions were very positive. As many other have stated, the texturing on the grip is amazing. It literally just 'sticks' to your hands. I have always been a glock guy but just holding this thing made me question my Gen4 G17. Depending on how well I shoot the M&P, I maybe replacing my 19 with 4.25 version.

I love the M&P M2.0, but not enough to replace my Glock's . Besides, it's a buyer's market right now .