[Review]: Brand new FS M&P9

dlombard

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I absolutely love this gun.

Talk about money well spent. I had a chance to fire a rental at a local range once, and I fell in love with the sick ergonomics. So after a very long wait and a not-so-small amount of money spent, I finally found an in-California M&P9 and was able to buy it a few weeks ago. Brand new! I got so lucky.

I couldn't wait to take it to the range once I finally got all my mags, cleaned it, etc.

The perfect grip isn't marketing wordsmithing, that 11-degree angle IS perfect. It just feels so solid, and not at all "plasticy" like many polymers (including their SD-series of entry level semiautos). I've fired actual steel and alloy-framed guns and this felt no different. The extended beaver tail worked like magic.

Recoil? What recoil? There's a POP, a blast and the next thing you know, your rounds land on target.

People complain about the M&P1.0 trigger and get the Apex but it's perfect IMO. Not too light (like the Glock) and not too heavy (like a stock SD). It just Feels good to pull that trigger. The reset was not the easiest thing in the world to feel or hear, BUT it was super easy to intuit. After a while, the gun and I just "became one." What my body wanted to do and how it wanted to perform just melded and instead of thinking about how to shoot, I just fired shots on target. Eventually, I "just knew" how and where to reset the trigger the same way I know how to snap my fingers.

This is an easy gun to shoot so long as your fundamentals are sound. Counter balanced grip, sights aligned, don't over squeeze and then just a steady smooth pull on the trigger landed shots on target EVERY time. This gun's accuracy is so good, you can't believe it, and it just makes you want to shoot it more! Even the stock sights look good!

It will shoot factory reloads just fine but I fed it my coveted supply of factory Remington UMC 124gr. FMJs with it's "Klean Burn" propellant to start with... Soft shooting, 1% muzzle flash. Just an absolute joy and pleasure to shoot with. A kind range mate was polite enough to lend my wife and I some of his Federal American Eagles when we ran out and it shot those 147gr. loads brilliantly also.

I really hope/wish some day S&W will see the point in paying California's silly extortion fee to be on the "safe handgun roster" to sell us their M&P2.0's. If these first generation M&P9s are THIS good, I won't be able to contain my excitement given all the advancements they've made on the trigger system. I hated the experience of installing an Apex trigger on my SD and the stock trigger on this gun is good enough so I won't be doing that again. But a Stock gun from Smith & Wesson that claims to have a more crisp break and a clear, distinct reset would be a dream.

What a fine gun. Highly recommended by me.
 
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No argument from me! I got one two years ago and have enjoyed it immensely.


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Sounds like you could be a sports writer...haha... Well done. Obviously by your attention to every step of the shooting process you were able to learn more about your new gun than most owners ever know. Some just want the bang. I, like you, pay attention, enjoy what I like, and cuss what I don't. And then do what I can to fix it. Thanks!!
 
I'm glad you love your gun.

I really hope/wish some day S&W will see the point in paying California's silly extortion fee to be on the "safe handgun roster" to sell us their M&P2.0's.
Your research in this area is a little light. S&W and Ruger and some others have left CA not because of the fee and testing, but because of micro-stamping. This technology exists only in a very immature form and doesn't work. So, even if S&W wanted to deal with this state, they CAN'T.
 
I forgot to mention the near-science fiction of microstamping, good call. I hope the lawsuits do something about that some day.
 
I bought my FS and Compact 9s while they were still on roster (2013).

I put in "H" trigger bars, the new style slide lock and added the PC sear to my compact. A little buff and polish here and there.

Voila!!
 

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