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Old 03-19-2009, 07:09 PM
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S&W Rover S&W Rover is offline
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Default Updated 6 years later: Initial Impressions: S&W M&P 45

From 3-19-2009:

I recently ordered a M&P 45 "mid-size" (4 inch barrel, SKU 109307). Cost was $619.00 delivered, from a first class local dealer; greater than some internet prices, but I got exactly the model (no magazine interlock, no safety) I wanted and the purchase is totally backed up by dealer service and support.

The fit and finish of this pistol are excellent.

The pistol appears to be well-designed. The take-down is ingenious and enhances safety. The requirement to move the sear deactivation lever before moving the slide forward and off the frame eliminates the typical procedure of pulling the trigger prior to moving the slide of a striker-fired pistol forward.

The captive recoil spring is an excellent design, virtually ensuring the spring is re-assembled correctly.

One minor flaw: During re-assembly, the plastic slide endcap can easily strike the sharp beak in the magazine well above the sear deactivation level, causing marring of the plastic. In fact, my pistol came from the factory with a cut in the plastic, presumably from original initial assembly.

I fired 120 rounds (100X ball of two types and 20X JHP) on my first trip to the range with this pistol without any failures or problems. The 10 round magazines offer excellent capacity, in practical terms for a .45 not bested by many (e.g., the FNP-45, with a much fatter grip, and the XD-45). I could load easily only 9 rounds in the two mags that came with the pistol -- I have two free mags coming from S&W as part of a special deal through 30 April -- but I think I will be able to get 10 in them after the springs relax a bit.

The trigger pull is smooth and relatively light. It qualifies as having a "long trigger pull" for safety's sake, but it is not unduly so. I got no sensing of what some reviewers call a "gritty" feeling in the trigger. With the striker-fired design, every pull is consistent.

The pistol appears to be very accurate - shot placement at 20 feet offhand was all within 3 inches, my practical best with any pistol. The pistol's absolute accuracy is unknown, but exceeds my ability to aim it consistently (old eyes!).

The pistol is a pleasure to hold. The various backstraps (S, M, L) allow tailoring of the pistol to the user. Despite the fact this is a large pistol, it feels comfortable in my medium sized hands.

Recoil in .45 seems controllable (this is entirely subjective). Few handguns feel as natural and perfect as a M1911A1 or a Kahr P9, but the M&P 45 is very, very close. However, the pistol jumped in my hands a bit, which I attributed to the grip being somewhat smooth despite the stippling cast into the polymer frame. I have added several patches of skater tape to the gripstock, but I'm not sure how well they will adhere to the stippled grip material. I may have to smooth out a small segment along the front strap (1/4 inch X 2 inches vertically) to ensure the skater tape adheres well to that key area (under the pads of the fingers, at the front of the grip).

Overall, from my initial experience I would rate this pistol as an "A". If a horde of VC hit the wire, this is the pistol I would grab.
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Last edited by S&W Rover; 06-21-2015 at 03:25 PM.
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