Looking at a M&P 3.6. Was curious if you guys would go with thumb/manual safety or no?

Ive never owned a pistol with a safety, just wanted some feedback.

If you can get 1 w/o, then I'd go that direction. The manual safeties don't bother me and usually never engage it. I'm wondering if I can just remove it and use it w/o any issues?

I have two 3.6 compacts, both without the manual safety.

If you're unsure which one you'd prefer, you can get the manual safety model and if you don't like it, just remove the safety. S&W has plugs for the holes that are left behind once the safety has been removed. The non-manual models come with the plugs in place of the safety lever.

Unless you’ve trained w/a thumb safety making it part of your muscle memory I’d advise against it. My M&P Compact does not have a safety and I don’t own any handguns with one.

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Old Cop
LEO (Ret.)

Another vote for no thumb safety.

Another NTS vote. Have two M&Ps (M&P40 1.0, M&P 2.0 10mm) without but one with (M&P 5.7) so that reminds me of a question I have.

A friend of mine has the M&P 10mm TS and the safety blocks the trigger whereas the 5.7 completely disengages it, which I like a lot better.
Which of the M&P TS block it and which disengage it?

None of my M&P pistols have the thumb safety. My first, a full size in 9mm, had the safety but it was removed and replaced with the plugs. My Shield .45 had the safety, but I just sold it, and the new one without it should be at my LGS for pickup at the end of the week.

You'll love the 3.6" compact. Mine has been one of my favorite carry guns.

All 4 my M&P pistols are void of the thumb safety, just the way I like them. The only pistol I have with a TS is my Colt 1911.

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SIC SEMPER TYRANNIS

My S&Ws have thumb safeties, all of which are easily removed as described above should I ever want to remove them.

I developed thumb-safety muscle memory on 1911s and even try to thumb off the non-existent thumb safeties on Glocks. Frame-mounted thumb safeties also provide a convenient thumb rest to which I am accustomed.

The safeties on the M&P line are particularly attractive because they allow administrative handling (racking the slide to load/unload the gun, etc.) of the gun while the safety is engaged. I have no statistical support, but I strongly suspect there are far more accidental/negligent discharges while handling guns than actively shooting them.

I have the M&P SubCompact Perf Center Model in 9mm. It has all the bells and whistles you'd expect, including a safety.

I deliberately bought it with the Safety, because historically I'm a 1911 guy. I automatically holster the gun with the safety on and unholster it taking the safety off. That has always been part of my training and safety routine.

Of course, a number of times I have centered on a target and been unable to fire as the safety wasn't "turned" off. You-know-what happens sometimes.

My M&P 45 has the manual safety. All my pistols have manual safeties.

If you're an old fart stuck in the 1911 mindset, get the thumb safety.

If you're a young tactifool stuck in the Glock mindset, get it without.

I started shooting 1911's when I turned 21. My future wife started shooting them 3 or 4 years later . Were both 68 now and each of us have a CC pistols are 1911's . Kimber ultra 9mm for my wife and a lw commander in 45 for me . So our M&Ps for the most part have thumb safeties ether stock or added . 3 of our 5 also have apex fst kits added for a lite short pull weight and reset much like our 1911's . My wife's first m&p was the m&p9c and I think only the apex sear was available and was added. I did some minor stoning and polishing on the trigger group and ended up with a good 4lb 3oz trigger . It has a thumb safety kit added to it .

When the apex full trigger kits became available my wife bought a 4.25 core and I added a kit to it and ended up with a 3lb 4oz pull weight and the short reset much like a our 1911's we also carry . I bought the M&P 4.25 40sw with a thumb safety soon after my wifes CORE and added a apex fss trigger kit to it and have 2 other m&ps since . I have added a thumb safety to my wifes m&p core too .

Like GP70 When I carried a kahr tp40 my watched me sweep for a thumb safety when there was none so its a muscle memory thang ! I prefer a small GI thumb safety to the larger landing strips found on most "modern" 1911's many use as a thumb rest .

My carry choices are a lw commander in 45acp and a m&p 4.25 40sw thumb safety and apex fst kit , both have 3.5lb triggers or slightly less .

I have one more m&p a gen 2 PC 5" ported 40sw no thumb safety or trigger group upgrade as of yet but it has a nice stock 4lb7oz trigger a gun light with green laser and is a house gun for now .

When I was on the prowl for a M&P Shield Plus I opted for one with a thumb safety.

The reason I did so was because it was substantially less expensive than the other models that were available without one.

Wether it is there or not, or wether I choose to use it or not is not a big deal to me.


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Get whichever is available, or whichever has the better price.
I prefer NTS, but whenever it's time for me to buy, there are no NTS models to be found.

Like Top O' Texas, I simply leave the safety disengaged. M&P safeties are easier to disengage than to engage and in the 12 Yrs I've been carrying a M&P TS pistol, none have inadvertently engaged on their own.

All my M&P’s have thumb safeties. I even added them to two bought used. I do wish they were bit more of a positive click, smaller, and available in one sided only version.

I purhased my mid sized M&P 2.0 in 45 while picking up an ordered gun from my favorite FFL. It does have the safety but I never use it. I have owned 1911's in the past and am familiar with their use. However I strongly feel that a safety is not necessary on a M&P.

I’m out voted here , butI prefer a thumb safety. I’m an old guy, so that may enter into my thinking, but every classic semi auto pistol I can think of has a manual safety. A dingus on the trigger is NOT a safety, in my view.

My two M&Ps don't have a safety, my Shield does. Non-issue in my book. I don't use the safety on the Shield.

Although I have shot 1911s for decades and do not fail to disengage the safety on the draw, I have left it on in non-standard conditions. Frex, on a square range, I might fire several shots, lower the gun to peer at the target, and not be able to fire another string because I reflexively engaged the safety and failed to disengage it with the gun already in hand.
So my defensive weapons are DA/SA or DAO. The M&P I shoot at IDPA SSP lacks a safety, the M&P .22C has one but it is not for critical use.

I was thinking about a Shield Plus for increased capacity in a hideout gun. I found a .30 for a much lower price but it has a safety. The safety on those guns is a lot less accessible than on a M&P and I probably wouldn't bother with it anyhow.

I think you should:

1. Buy the one you want (might have to wait, might have to pay more)

2. Buy the cheaper of the two. (might have to wait)

3. But the one available now (might have to pay more).

If with safety, you can delete it if you like. (subject to parts availability)

If no safety, you can add it if you like (subject to parts availability)

Sorry but I'm no help help here.

However, for the record, I have a Fullsize, Compact and Shield (all 1.0), none have manual safeties. Yet, my choice shouldn't influence your choice.

I just saw your other thread. If you plan to carry this, you should factor that is as well.

Many who carry appendix have said they prefer manual safeties. If you plan to carry this way, perhaps that's a point in the + column. If not, disregard.

No safety! I own and have EDC'd mostly pistols without a safety. The only EDC I own that has a safety is my Springfield Hellcat, and the only reason I brought it was because I got it used like new for cheap. Long story short, I almost always forget to turn the safety off when I go to shoot it. Leaving the safety off isn't going to solve the issue either because the safety periodically gets bumped on or off some how.

I vote no thumb safety. I suspect S&W only included it in the design so they had the inside track on certain LE markets.

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Release the Kraken

All of my M&P Compact 2.0 pistols have thumb safeties. It's what I'm used to, and I find it an easy transition when I shoot a 1911 or a Hi-Power.

My M&P Shield 2.0s don't have such a safety. First, their safeties are a very different configuration. Second, and most importantly, I shoot left-handed so the Shield's safety doesn't work for me.

Get the one with the thumb safety. If you don't like it, just don't use the safety. I bought two Shields with the thumb safety. Then I read all the "Don't get one with a safety" posts. So when I bought my S&W 9mm Compact I got one without a safety. I'm kind of regretting that now.

That's bad advice. If there's a safety on a handgun, always assume it's on and attempt to swip it off. Just leaving it off and training as if it's not there is not a smart move.

Remember, old farts don't smell as bad as newer ones.

As usual, I would try to find both types either at a store, or better still at a rental range. I don’t know if the 2.0 manual safety is different from the 1.0 but the latter had a very light action, perhaps too easy to move to fire.

However, the deciding factor may be that you mentioned you have no handguns with a safety. It may be hard to adopt to having one.

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Alan
SWCA LM 2023, SWHF 220

I have a M&P 4“ 10 mm with the thumb safety and I really like it a lot. It has a great feel and is very positive with just the right amount of resistance and it came from the factory with a pretty light trigger so I wouldn’t be comfortable carrying it without a safety.

Absolutely not, there should be no need for a manual safety on a striker gun.
The thing between your ears is all the safety you need.

I am disgusted that S&W puts them in PC guns, it completely ruins the gun in my opinion.
I shouldn't have to change my grip because other people are not responsible enough to think.

I prefer having one, but its from using 1911s and HiPowers so much. My thumb still wanders around looking for its place.

Doesn't matter to me either way, but neither of my M&Ps has a thumb safety.

If yours has one you'd be wise to ensure it's disengaged when you need to fire it even though you may not be using it.

I learned to shoot with a colt huntsman when I was a 6 year old back in 1961 and my dad use to give me a hard time about how and when to operate a thumb safety . If your not ready to shoot leave the safety on safe and that worked well for my younger years as that old colt has a 2lb trigger pull with basically no take up or over travel .

I did not get my first ccl till '86 but I has 10 years shooting a gi style 1911 mostly for fun and a little time hog hunting with it so handgun safety started taking a different approach for CCl on drawing and when to disengage and reengaging the thumb safety . I hunted mostly around older men and some were LE's so my handgun safety was watched and corrected by LE officers even shooting on the sheriffs range at times for some years and was watched and corrected as needed by old officers or the instructor when I brough my 1911.

I spotted a video that's shows how and when to disengage a thumb safety and when to reengage it . Simple and to the point video .
But If your do not train using a thumb safety you should not carry a pistol with one till your very reliable using it .

Only change to video below you should practice retention drills and thumbing the safe off will be slight earlier in the drawing and when starting to rotating forward but pressing out !

I’ve been hearing the “striker fired guns don’t need a safety” repeated over and over so often over the years that I’m convinced it is just people repeating what they hear and read so they sound experienced. Add in the inevitable “my safety is between my ears” and “keep your booger hook off the bang switch” and I’m convinced of it.

What is it about a striker gun that makes a safety such a travesty? I’m aware of how striker fired guns work. They have a striker block. So what? Hammer fired guns made within the last 50 years aren’t gonna fire if dropped either. If anything, safeties are MORE advisable on a striker gun. 5 pound trigger and no hammer to thumb as you holster? Safety for me, please. I have and sometimes do carry DAO hammer fired guns with no safety. No hesitation at all. Same goes for TDA guns with safety off. No problem. No way I am sticking a striker fired gun without a safety in my waistband. I used to carry a Glock 19 and a Glock 26 so I’m not afraid of them. There just weren’t any other light and slim striker guns with safeties at the time. Now it’s either a Shield Plus or a Ruger LC9S. Both with safety and carried safety on.

A manual safety prevents the trigger from being pulled when you didn’t want it to. Striker or hammer fired, the safety does the same thing. We’ve all probably seen the video of the guy carefully holstering his Glock in his appendix holster and then even appearing to check it seated. Then he bends and shoots himself in the groin. Even when I do carry my Shield or Ruger, the gun does not get holstered with the holster still in the pants. I have no such aversion holstering my 3953 while the holster is still in my pants.

As I said, I wish S&W would make a smaller and more positive clicking safety in their M&P’s. I’d replace them all. And it is cheaper to buy the plugs from S&W in case you want to take the safety out then it is to buy the parts to put it in.

Out of the box I could go either way. Once I put a timney trigger in, I put in a manual safety right after.

The other issue I have with the safety guns is the safety blocks the trigger bar from coming back but it just barely covers the trigger bar. There should be more coverage over it. The safety works, but I think they could have done a better job with it. No need to be ambidextrous or have the levers be so big.

I believe much of the mythology about striker-fired guns began with Glock's early sales efforts in the law enforcement market. Glock emphasized to LE administrators they didn't have to worry about accidental discharge liability because Glocks had DAO triggers, which was also why Glocks didn't need manual safeties. Then Glock emphasized to LE evaluators like firearms instructors that Glocks had relatively light and consistent trigger pulls that required less training than DA/SA guns and that Glocks did not have manual safeties so that part of training was eliminated. Glock's sales efforts were successful; administrators were happy to avoid liability, instructors were happy to simplify training, and LEOs got simpler guns with triggers pulls that were very slightly longer and heavier than the SA triggers on previous DA/SA guns.

The Glock "story" was the basis for claiming striker-fired guns did not need manual safeties. During ensuing decades, striker-fired guns had their trigger pulls shortened and their trigger pull weights reduced. The trigger changes were so slow and incremental that the manual safety story was easy to keep alive for each new change. Today, many striker-fired guns have absolutely single-action triggers with pull weights below 5 pounds.

When I started shooting, anyone who would have carried a cocked single-action pistol with a sub-5lb trigger for defensive purposes -without using a manual safety- would have been universally labelled a total idiot and a mishap waiting to happen. Somehow over the last half century, shooters have become so much smarter and more careful that they no longer need manual safeties.

Wow, an answer to the question I asked much earlier in the thread.

Some people like safeties, some don't. Neither are wrong.