New Performance Center M&P w/ Ported Barrel

mafbloggerdanny · Sep 24, 2014

Just bailed my 5 inch CORE out of jail yesterday and today I received this email from S&W about 4 new models of M&P PRO coming from Performance Center.

According to video these will be the same as the current CORE models (regular and long slide versions in 40 and 9) but will include a ported barrel, slide lightening cuts, and an adjustable trigger.

Very excited to see S&W coming out with more features that customers commonly pay tons of extra money to modify their guns with, and here is Smith bringing it to you from the factory for only a fraction of the extra cost. It might not be tricked out like the way ATEI would do it, but you have to spend serious cash to get custom work like that.

Compared to the competition-themed offerings from Glock and Springfield I think that Smith and Wesson is giving the consumer a lot more features for the money. I hope they sell a ton of these, what do you guys think ??

Smith & Wesson M&P Performance Center Ported Pistols - YouTube

Performance Center® By Smith & Wesson® Introduces New M&P® Ported Pistols

Llando88 · Sep 24, 2014

Pretty cool.

Is there any evidence any of these doo dads translate into better accuracy or tighter groups?

I mean, if it makes me shoot like Miculek, I'm selling the car and buying one tomorrow.

mafbloggerdanny · Sep 24, 2014

Llando88 said:
Pretty cool.

Is there any evidence any of these doo dads translate into better accuracy or tighter groups?

I mean, if it makes me shoot like Miculek, I'm selling the car and buying one tomorrow.

I don't think they are geared towards inexperienced shooters but they provide excellent value over the regular M&Ps

Personally, I bought the CORE for fun, not because I am a good shooter or thought it would make me a better one. I just thought it would be fun as hell to put a red dot on there.

And perhaps in a roundabout way it will make me a better shooter because more features = more fun = practice more often = become a good shooter.

To some people these features might be a waste of money but like I was trying to point out, you are getting better value over competitors Glock and XD so to me it still makes sense for S&W to introduce these improvements

Mydogmax · Sep 24, 2014

I got the same email from S&W today. Pretty cool, but I'm not a competition shooter, just an every two weeks range shooter with my 5" 9mm CORE. Still, nice to see S&W coming out with new things. The CORE is a better shooter than I'll ever be, plus extremely reliable.

AVG · Sep 24, 2014

I bought my CORE in 40s&w the first time I saw one with the red dot mounted on it. For us old guys it's a great gun for target shooting. I bought a KKM 9mm barrel for it which made it a very accurate gun. I may go for the five inch one when I get to see one..........

shipwreck2 · Sep 24, 2014

I can see the advantage of porting on a 40 but does it really make much of a difference for the average guy with the 9mm?

BigCityChief · Sep 24, 2014

shipwreck2 said:
I can see the advantage of porting on a 40 but does it really make much of a difference for the average guy with the 9mm?

I agree on the .40 and asked myself the same question about the 9. I think you're right on the money with your assessment.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Jim Watson · Sep 25, 2014

I am unclear on just what type of competition a ported barrel M&P will be suited for. But then my main game is IDPA where it would not be allowed at all and I somewhat track USPSA where it would be entered in Open versus all manner of extra high capacity fully compensated scoped pistols.

hardluk1 · Sep 25, 2014

S&W had to come out with them as jerry miculic was talking up the magna-ported m&p's pistol he had , Then the fact that so many of use have some amount of apex parts in our pistol that they had better improve the trigger too. But to the average guy the porting means one thing. Less velocity with that flatter shooting pistol. Not much more as the core pistols already can limit the class's you shot in.

I have mine for carry and enjoyment as run and gun or is in my past now so what class I shoot does not matter any more. It would be nice if they would add a couple 5 round + adaptors to the kit for the extra bucks for the open class competitor. .
Nice but I'll pass, 600 bucks is enough to pay for the luxury for bolting on a optic and tall sights on for most of us.

Aircrewman · Sep 25, 2014

It seems to me that the important point being made here is that Smith and Wesson is seemingly trying to be receptive to a part of the market that wants/needs/is interested in these styles of competition guns. That, rather than acquire a base gun and go from there, spending copious amounts of hard earned money, a person wanting to compete can get a "Performance Center" gun without "selling the car" to get it. Will it be like some specialty smiths' product? Maybe it will. If not, it may be close enough to allow someone interested in competing to start competing without spending a ton of cash to do it.

Alot of manufacturers are doing something similar but Smith and Wesson seems to be taking a step to meet the needs of the shooters in the area that these guns are being built for. I think it is a commendable attempt to be trying to be responsive to its customers. I hope it pays off for the company.

hardluk1 · Sep 25, 2014

This new pistol is for the already well seasoned match shooter looking to step up and play with the big boys. But it will get bought by many because its cool too .

Bkreutz · Sep 25, 2014

hardluk1 said:
Not much more as the core pistols already can limit the class's you shot in.

The Core is legal (in unmodified form and without an optic) in both USPSA production and IDPA SSP divisions.

Personally, while I like the idea behind the new Core, I prefer the MagnaPort method for a couple of reasons. I don't like compensators that direct the gasses straight up, and I've never seen the need for the "lightening holes" on the top of the slide, they seem like a "gimmick" to me. I already have to clean the glass on my Deltapoint every 100 rounds the way it is. The MagnaPort only cuts trapezoidal openings at 45 degrees to the vertical directing the gasses outward from the line of sight. Another thing to remember is that equipment only makes a difference when comparing equally skilled shooters. If you took a mid pack shooter and a top tier open shooter, had them trade guns, the mid pack shooter would still shoot mid pack(maybe a tiny bit better) and the top tier guy would still out shoot him by a bunch. Buying a race car doesn't make you a race car driver.

. I'm waaaaay past my prime in regards to running from shooting position to shooting position but I still enjoy shooting Open class. When I stop enjoying it, it will be time to stick me into the ground.

bbates123 · Sep 25, 2014

I'm just your average joe kind of occasional shooter. So for occasional range use and home defense will it reduce recoil and help me get on target faster? Also, dumb question but I'm assuming these don't come with night sights, do the red dots work in the dark or do they use ambient light?

Bkreutz · Sep 25, 2014

bbates123 said:
I'm just your average joe kind of occasional shooter. So for occasional range use and home defense will it reduce recoil and help me get on target faster? Also, dumb question but I'm assuming these don't come with night sights, do the red dots work in the dark or do they use ambient light?

Don't reduce recoil much (you'd be hard pressed to feel the difference). They do reduce muzzle flip so your follow up shot could be faster (depends on you

). They don't come with night sights but yes, red dot's work in the dark.

bbates123 · Sep 25, 2014

Bkreutz said:
Don't reduce recoil much (you'd be hard pressed to feel the difference). They do reduce muzzle flip so your follow up shot could be faster (depends on you ). They don't come with night sights but yes, red dot's work in the dark.

Is the red dot on all the time? How long does the battery last? Seems like it could be a better solution for self defense, acquiring the target more quickly correct?

Bkreutz · Sep 25, 2014

bbates123 said:
Is the red dot on all the time? How long does the battery last? Seems like it could be a better solution for self defense, acquiring the target more quickly correct?

Depends on which reflex sight you're talking about. I have a Leupold Deltapoint I, the dot is motion activated and adjusts automatically to the ambient light. I use mine 6 times a week, I replace the battery at 6 months. I don't know how long it lasts, I've never run one till it died. Some other brands have off/on switches and intensity adjustment knobs but I've never felt the need for either of those features. The newer Deltapoint II is supposed to have an on/off switch and a battery tray so the battery can be changed without taking the sight off the slide. I don't see the need, and from what I've seen in pictures, the tray for the battery makes the sight bulkier which I don't like. Opinions about pistol optics are like butt cheeks, everyone has at least one.

Sgt 45 · Sep 25, 2014

I have the RO 6 Trijicon on both my FS 9 and 9c, it automatically adjusts for ambient light which is nice EXCEPT if you are running a light on your pistol, then you need to bump it up to bright so that you can see the dot when you hit your light. I like mine a lot for really low light as you can just barely see your target and the red dot is right there, it also makes hits at distance easier for my aging eyes. I carry both guns. Batteries last ??? I change the batteries yearly.

Wyatt p. Tato · Sep 25, 2014

Cool, I could not afford a custom gun maybe these will be affordable for when I play JM. Now if Honda would make a Ferrari for a civic price...

DanTana · Sep 25, 2014

I don't think this new gun will make me go out and sell my "old" CORE. I do wish they had come out with this when I bought mine. As it is now, the only guns I really want to own either have or can have a red dot, laser or another form of sight assistance. My eyes are not what they used to be anymore and I can actually shoot half decent with my CORE and the Deltapoint on it. Much better than I ever thought I could without the sight. I almost bought a FNX 45 Tactical for the same reason. Many of my smaller hand guns have laser grips and my Ruger 22/45 has a red dot too. I just got a SKS which will be sporting a red dot in the very near future.

hardluk1 · Sep 25, 2014

bkreutz Yea I know that but then money would be smarter with a PRO model. The porting mean darn little to most people.

New Performance Center M&P w/ Ported Barrel

Member

Member

Member

US Veteran

Member

Member

Member

Member

Member

Member

Member

US Veteran

Attachments

Member

US Veteran

Member

US Veteran

Member

Member

Member

Member

Similar threads