I added a safety to My M&P 40 1.0

[BourbonCowboy]

I don't want to start a debate about pistol safeties. That's not the point of this post. But...I just added a thumb safety to my (police trade-in) M&P 40 that I use as my truck gun..

Several years ago, I had an old 1911 that I carried around, cocked and locked, in a nylon holster. I eventually got rid of it when I got a S&W 4056TSW. I missed it quite a bit. So I bought a thumb safety kit for my M&P 40 last year...and lost it. Last week, I found it. I searched for videos that would guide my in the installation, but only found one - and it was terrible. But it was a simple process and i figured it out. Now I almost feel like the S&W is cocked and locked.

My only two S&W handguns (this, and the BG 2.0) both have thumb safeties, and I'm continually working to create the muscle memory to disengage them when I draw. For years, I refused to even think about owing any semiauto with a safety, but I'm slowly coming around to the idea. Maybe I'm just getting old.

 

[cowboy94916]

I have shot 1911 for 55 yrs.. along with Browning Hi-powers and Smith revolvers. When a deputy and constables association I belong too, required quarterly qualifications and required double action weapons I shot smith 5906 and 4006 or Smith revolvers. During some of the drills under pressure I learned the valuable lesson. Always stick with what you know. I failed to disengage safety on a knife attack drill ergo I lost. I immediatly sold my non 1911 style thumb safety pieces. I replaced them with S&W M&P 1.0 40's with 9mm extra barrel that had 1911 thumb safety. No more failures. I automatically disengage safety when drawing without thinking about it. Familiarity breeds confidence. I also use Para-ord LDA's in 45 for same reason. Your not getting old just comfortable and confident.

 

[hardluk1]

My first pistol is a colt huntsman , Not much of a thumb safety but with a 2lb trigger pull you learn to use it . Then when I got my first CCL I carried a 1911 and had thumb safety on my carry handgun since . M&p's included one added to my wifes early m&p core . I will say I hate the larger thumb safetys found on most 1911's . I perfer the small GI style safety as I can sweep it off and shoot thumb's forward .

 

[M1A4ME]

I buy whichever M&P is available in the caliber/size I want. If it doesn't have a thumb safety, I just buy the parts and add the safety to the frame.

Just got an old 1.0 9MM sub compact that will be getting a thumb safety sometime today (I hope).

Let me add some advice about the thumb safeties. I've had this happen on two M&Ps, one that came from the factory with thumb safeties (1.0 9MM 4&1/4" about 12 or 13 years ago) and a 2.0 .45 acp Compact I added safeties to maybe 4 years ago.

Because of my years carrying 1911s I always do a test of the safety/sear/hammer set up when I finish cleaning/lubing the pistol and before I load it. I insure there is no magazine and no round in the chamber and I point it at the floor and with the safeties engaged I pull the trigger.

Years ago, on the factory original 9MM I was still doing this. Imagine my surprise, one afternoon, when I heard the striker release. I racked the slide, insured the safety was still fully upwards and pulled the trigger again and it released the striker. Darn. Not supposed to do that.

After some inspection and thought I realized that when I pulled the trigger the trigger bar would move rearward, contact the thumb safety there on the right side and then twist a little and ride up over the safety and move back far enough to actuate the sear and release the striker.

On that one I got a pair of pliers and just twisted the right side of the safety up enough to insure the trigger bar would no longer move past the safety. I didn't care if you looked close enough to see the two sides of the safety weren't at the same angle.

I don't know how the factory does this or if they even check to see if it happens. As I said, my M&P 1.0 9MM came from the factory with the thumb safeties installed.

On the 2.0 .45 I found the same issue. I installed the thumb safeties but they were factory parts. On that one I took longer to fix the issue. I removed the safety and used a triangular shaped file to alter the size/angle of the lower notch in the left side of the thumb safety so it allowed the safety to raise up higher before locking into position. That put the right side contact portion of the thumb safety high enough to keep the trigger bar from riding over it.

Again, I don't know how the factory adjusts for this. I just wanted to let you know to check yours and make sure a trigger pull can't release the striker when the safety is in the SAFE position.

Good luck with it.