Picked up a New M&P 40 a few weeks ago and I must say, it is a very nice pistol. While I would never give up one of my third gen. Smith and Wessons, this pistol has made me believe in the new technology and dare I say it..................I like the plastic!!!!!!

Fit and finish are excellent, as I have come to expect from S&W. Cleaning is a breeze, take down easy, and the ability to change the grips back-strap to fit to your hand is tremendous. The pistol points very naturally and the recoil is easy to manage. I got a set of Truglo sights on it as well, and they are extremely easy to see and bright in daytime or pitch black.

I always worry the first time out on the range, i HATE IT when a guns sights seems to be off. I benched this one and the first shoot split the X of the bullseye. After ten rounds benched making a nice ragged hole I knew things would be good. Off hand, as long as I do what Im supposed to and focus on the front sight, this pistol is very accurate. I had no problem with the recoil and actually think it felt less snappy than others. Now that I have taken it apart and seen how the striker fired action works, shoot it a few times and done some holster drill, I fell much better about its safety features. I would carry this pistol and feel fine.

Only bad is I got the model with the external safety and I keep hitting it when shooting and engaging it. That is annoying, so I think it will be removed soon. Even without it I feel the gun is very safe, and i honestly feel the external safety is more of a problem. As I am sure you have figured out, I really like the M&P and would recommend it to anyone. My first trip, this is 60 rounds (4 mags) at about ten yards:


Of course I needed a cool modern holster for my new plastic. I had seen advertisments about the Reflex holster from Uncle Mikes. PIcked on up for 35.00 and used it at the range. It only took about two times to get used to the motion (which is a very natural reflex) and I was drawing my pistol like nothing was in the way. I used it to run a timed course and it was great, I will carry it with confidence. Keep in mind, I do not think it is a good CCW holster, it does stick out a bit and has no way of breaking the line of the holster, but under and jacket or even an open carry at a range, it would be perfect. I am quite impressed with this holster.

Sorry for the big post, but wanted to let out my excitement. TD

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Adjust your grip. Put your thumb on top of the safety and leave it there. This will eliminate your accidentally engaging the safety. It will help keep your hand high in the grip which will help control recoil and make the follow up shot much faster.

This may seem awkward at first, but you'll get used to it. You could remove the safety, but it is a band aid. Using the grip I describe is better and will help improve your shooting accuracy and speed.

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