Chris Costa and Travis Haley

[The Viking]

I realize these two excellent instructors have left Mag Pul. However, if anyone has watched their handgun video - "Dynamic Handgun," you will see them shooting S&W M&P's. I am wondering if they still use the M&P. Travis Haley's new and really good handgun video, made by Panteao Productions, has him running a Glock. He says he runs a Glock.
I know Nighthawk says they use their guns in their 1911 class. However, I have seen nothing further on them using S&W M&P's. Anyone know anything about whether or not they still use the M&P?

 

[DustyDawg48]

I've seen a few pictures of them (you can be a fan of both of them on FB) and it seems that they run all sorts of weapons. It seems Costa is a huge 1911 fan and Haley seems to like Glock but I'd say they run just about everything.

That video series is the reason I shoot M&Ps now...I was interested when I first saw the video and then started researching them and one thing lead to another and now I am officially hooked on M&P autos...I have 4 and plan on having more!

I will say that there was probably some great marketing with Magpul, Costa and Haley since Smith had their M&P15's decked out in Magpul gear. It was a good partnership from the get-go and it resulted in them getting the M&P9's in their hands for the videos but I have seen pics of them shooting them after they left.

 

[The Viking]

Those videos also caused me to look at the M&P's. I picked up a spec op M&P and was hooked ( Chris Costa shot the identical pistol in the video). I like them better than my Glocks and have quite a few now. I am a die hard 1911 fan; however, I really like the M&P. I am hoping it does well and proves to be a tough reliable pistol. I would love to see Smith recapture some market lost to Glock.
I went through a one day AK course with Travis Haley recently. Everything else he is teaching is filled. Chris Costa also teaches here; but his courses fill up early.

 

[DustyDawg48]

I get a bit of a hard time from some buddies because I reference a lot of their philosophy but I think a lot of what they teach is sound.

I think Smith hit one out of the park with the M&P and it seems to do something that no Glock clone could do and that's to offer something different but equally tough, simple and reliable for less money.

 

[The Viking]

Hope so cause I really like the ergonomics of the M&P better than any striker pistol I have picked up. Even the new FN's.
It feels right to me and the mag release is really good.
I know Chris Costa is a big fan of the 1911 cause Nighthawk has one of their custom 1911's named the Costa and supposedly drawn to his specs.
Let's hope the Smith proves as durable and reliable as the Glock!

 

[DustyDawg48]

I took my M&P9 Pro to a Combat Focus Shooting pistol course last year. It was mid-August and incredibly hot. My little M&P was the only non-Glock there and it chugged out 1200 plus rounds over 2 days without a cleaning and without a hiccup. I shoot it in IDPA when I'm not shooting my M&P45 so its official round-count is upwards of 2,000 right now and my black M&P45 is fast approaching 1,000 in just a few short months...it was used, but barely, when I traded for it so I've probably put the majority of rounds through it. So far so good!

 

[The Viking]

I have two M&P 9mm. Not too long ago I went through a three day advanced course with a friend. He had put a 9mm barrel in his 357 Glock and planned on shooting it. The gun kept jamming on him and we did not know if it was the gun are the reloads. So I loaned one of the M&P's with 1,000 rounds of blazer. I told him to forget his reloads and shoot the blazer. I shot the other M&P. Both went through the course without a hiccup. I have since shot the one I was shooting ( a spec op M&P) a lot more. It has about 2,000 rounds through it without any problems.

 

[DustyDawg48]

Awesome! I remember when I first started shooting years ago and 1,000 rounds through a gun sounded like a LOT...now 1,000 rounds means it is just getting broken in!

I'm actually taking my 2 newest M&Ps to the range today for some after work fun! My M&P9c and my new M&P45 FDE. The 9c is just such a great shooter and I may even like it a touch better than my 9 Pro. The 9c has the thumb safety, which originally I didn't think much of, but now 3 of the 4 M&Ps I own have them and I think I want to pick up a full-size 9 with the thumb safety since nearly every pistol I own now has them! LOL

Only my Glock 21 has more rounds through it, but every one of my Smiths has shot every bullet shape and weight and never had a problem. Inittially my M&P45 had a terrible feed issue but it was due to a bur on the bottom of the extractor. it would bite into the case rim and not allow the round to slide completely under and it would jam up. That was obviously the reason the guy traded it to me; I'm sure he was glad to be rid of it and he didn't tell me the gun had problems...imagine that. But about 5 minutes and some 400 grit sandpaper and that big 45 is now my favorite carry, competition, range gun out of all that I own.

 

[Armed Babysitter]

Not too long ago I went through a three day advanced course with a friend. He had put a 9mm barrel in his 357 Glock and planned on shooting it. The gun kept jamming on him and we did not know if it was the gun are the reloads.

Some guns don't run reliably with reloads, some don't run reliably with conversion barrels, and some don't run well with reloads and conversion barrels.

 

[The Viking]

I read an article not long ago written by a SWAT cop on the S&W M&P 45. Seems he dropped it off the top of the SWAT van and otherwise subjected the pistol to abuse testing it. Last he fired 5.000 rounds through the pistol without cleaning it. It functioned fine.
I have two M&P 45s; but I shoot them very little preferring my 9mm Spec Op. Much more economical and easier to handle.
My Glocks are taking a back seat to the Smith because they give me Glock knuckle. Yesterday I dremel tooled them hoping to cure this. We will see.

 

[kris7047th]

I have two M&P 9mm. Not too long ago I went through a three day advanced course with a friend. He had put a 9mm barrel in his 357 Glock and planned on shooting it. The gun kept jamming on him and we did not know if it was the gun are the reloads. So I loaned one of the M&P's with 1,000 rounds of blazer. I told him to forget his reloads and shoot the blazer. I shot the other M&P. Both went through the course without a hiccup. I have since shot the one I was shooting ( a spec op M&P) a lot more. It has about 2,000 rounds through it without any problems.

Was it a 4th Gen?

 

[The Viking]

Some guns don't run reliably with reloads, some don't run reliably with conversion barrels, and some don't run well with reloads and conversion barrels.

I do not believe it was either the reloads or the the barrel. A friend of mine, who is a Glock fanatic, changed out a part in the Glock so it would run reliably. I think he changed the ejector to a 9mm ejector because it orginally had a 40 ejector in the pistol, which would not work with the 9mm cartridge. It still does not run 100 % but does run much better. He is now able to switch barrels without any trouble.

 

[The Viking]

Was it a 4th Gen?

Best as my friend can remember it was a Gen 3.

 

[HokiePS7]

Costa was/is running a M&P45c, worked over by Doug at ATEi (Apex, RMR) or often a NH1911. He now runs his signature NH Costa models that were recently introduced. Haley seems to be running Glock now and really pushes his Skimmer Glock trigger.

 

[The Viking]

Thanks Hokie. I always thought Costa was running a spec op 9mm.

 

[The Viking]

Costa was/is running a M&P45c, worked over by Doug at ATEi (Apex, RMR) or often a NH1911. He now runs his signature NH Costa models that were recently introduced. Haley seems to be running Glock now and really pushes his Skimmer Glock trigger.

What is ATE? What is RMR? Yup I have seen the Costa NH.

 

[Tommato]

Talked to Costa a bit at SHOT, in the Nighthawk booth. He said 1911s were his favorite platform and he liked Nighthawks the best. Might have at least partially been where was standing right then...

The latest issue of Recoil magazine has an interview with Travis Haley. It shows his EDC gear, which includes a G17. Likely he is running mostly Glocks these days.

Tommato

 

[Armed Babysitter]

It seems a while ago they were both using and promoting the M&P's heavily, now not so much. I wonder if they encountered something that made them make the switch to something else, or if they went to where the money is. I don't know, they're world class trainers but I'm not going base my decisions on what to carry just because certain trainers are partial to certain brands.

Glock, SIG, M&P, 1911, Beretta, etc are all carried and promoted by various trainers out there so rest easy if one of them switched platforms, yours is still probably the right decision for you.

Costa and Haley have a huge following, if they started using Hi Points and Bryco-Jennings in their classes you can bet some would rush out and buy them too, though that scenario is highly unlikely.

 

[HokiePS7]

What is ATE? What is RMR? Yup I have seen the Costa NH.

ATEi
http://www.ateiguns.com/

RMR
Trijicon RMR™

 

[Ericgt50]

Costa was/is running a M&P45c, worked over by Doug at ATEi (Apex, RMR) or often a NH1911. He now runs his signature NH Costa models that were recently introduced. Haley seems to be running Glock now and really pushes his Skimmer Glock trigger.

You are 100 % wrong. It was a standard mp pro 9mm. How do I know - well I took the handgun 101 class with Chris down in myakka this past fall. Chris shoots - and always has shot - an MP 9mm. We talked about the gun in class. When that video was made the gun had over 100,000 rounds through it, two replacement barrels. He shoots warren tactical sights on it. I shot the same gun in class but had big dot sights on mine - Chris had never shot big dots before and for a few drills we actually swapped guns. If you are going to try to be a fanboy - at least be correct.