Sheepdoggit
Member
- Joined
- May 16, 2014
- Messages
- 47
- Reaction score
- 12
I would like to see a S&W M&P DA/SA pistol utilizing a short-recoil rotating barrel action like the Beretta PX4 storm.
This type of system utilizes a direct barrel-slide locking system which dissipates energy and lowers bore axis compared with traditional browning-style tilt action breach designs of most DA/SA pistols.
This both reduces felt recoil and minimizes muzzle flip. The design also increases accuracy as the barrel never leaves its axis (it never tilts). This also allows for a tighter fit between the barrel and slide since the latter does not have to accommodate the former tilting.
With modern bullet designs like the XP rounds from Lehigh Defense, expansion, which can be affected by velocity, is no longer necessary to achieve superior ballistics. In other words, rounds like Underwood's XTreme Defenders wouldn't be affected by the decreased in barrel length requisite of the rotating barrel design. In fact, in some cases it is actually welcomed on certain bullets which tend to perform too close to the maximum FBI penetration requirement of 18".
Sig and Beretta have proven that wonderful triggers can be had from a DA/SA design, and the extra safety that goes along with that is of greater value in my opinion than most people realize in today's age of polymer wonders. For the first 13 years I carried, I only had striker-fired pistols. Over the years I've kept my eyes and ears open and have come across myriad stories of people accidently shooting themselves. Let's face it, we can all have a bad day and make mistakes we wouldn't normally make, and in some cases this causes lives. At the very least it is embarrassing and may result in an injury you might wish you never had.
Today, however, even SIG Sauer and Beretta are caving to the demand of striker-fired guns. As someone who started out with striker-fired pistols, personally carrying almost 20 to date, I have come full-circle in the last year after owning my first SIG (a P229 chambered in .357 SIG and 9mm). You can learn and/or refine a DA pull to be perfectly accurate while enjoying superior accuracy from subsequent single action trigger pulls.
Striker-fired pistols are fine for agencies concerned with training the LCD of shooters with a minimum effort (though I'm not sure that's an area you want to skimp out on), but for those of us willing to take the modest initiative to learn how to transition from DA to SA, the design allows for a superior blend of safety and performance in my opinion, and the reliability of SIGs, CZ's, Beretta's and the Walther PPK, just to name a few, are proof positive that these types of guns are perfectly reliable, accurate, and SAFE! Of all the people you've ever heard of accidently shooting themselves in the ***, foot, groin and femoral artery, how many have been with DA/SA pistols? I'm not saying it's never happened, but I personally have never heard of it happening. However, the dozens of examples I am aware of all happened with modern striker-fired pistols. Are striker-fired pistols safe? In the right hands, yes, but DA/SA is safer in my opinion.
Also, weight is an overblown issue in my opinion. I am perfectly fine carrying a 33.4 ounce pistol (P229) which I prefer for .357 SIG, but even a full-size 9mm Beretta PX4 storm is only 27.7 ounces which is on par with that of a comparable full-size M&P pistol (with the weight of the empty magazine added of course).
I find a little extra weight when compared to my Glocks a welcomed attribute anyway. I think it makes for a smoother and better wielding pistol, and personally, I don't like to forget I'm carrying a gun. I enjoy the comfort of carrying a pistol, so I see no reason to sacrifice that by physically forgetting I have one on. Smith & Wesson has so much to offer. I bought my first M&P shortly after they first debuted, and I've had five over the years that have been great pistols, but after carrying a variety of pistol designs, I'm kinda over striker fired guns. I like the safety and performance of DA/SA best, so I wish Smith & Wesson would get back to offering that kind of pistol.
Rumor has it that Glock even has a rotating barrel design now, by the way (but I don't think they'll ever tap the DA/SA market). Truth, however, is stranger than fiction.
This type of system utilizes a direct barrel-slide locking system which dissipates energy and lowers bore axis compared with traditional browning-style tilt action breach designs of most DA/SA pistols.
This both reduces felt recoil and minimizes muzzle flip. The design also increases accuracy as the barrel never leaves its axis (it never tilts). This also allows for a tighter fit between the barrel and slide since the latter does not have to accommodate the former tilting.
With modern bullet designs like the XP rounds from Lehigh Defense, expansion, which can be affected by velocity, is no longer necessary to achieve superior ballistics. In other words, rounds like Underwood's XTreme Defenders wouldn't be affected by the decreased in barrel length requisite of the rotating barrel design. In fact, in some cases it is actually welcomed on certain bullets which tend to perform too close to the maximum FBI penetration requirement of 18".
Sig and Beretta have proven that wonderful triggers can be had from a DA/SA design, and the extra safety that goes along with that is of greater value in my opinion than most people realize in today's age of polymer wonders. For the first 13 years I carried, I only had striker-fired pistols. Over the years I've kept my eyes and ears open and have come across myriad stories of people accidently shooting themselves. Let's face it, we can all have a bad day and make mistakes we wouldn't normally make, and in some cases this causes lives. At the very least it is embarrassing and may result in an injury you might wish you never had.
Today, however, even SIG Sauer and Beretta are caving to the demand of striker-fired guns. As someone who started out with striker-fired pistols, personally carrying almost 20 to date, I have come full-circle in the last year after owning my first SIG (a P229 chambered in .357 SIG and 9mm). You can learn and/or refine a DA pull to be perfectly accurate while enjoying superior accuracy from subsequent single action trigger pulls.
Striker-fired pistols are fine for agencies concerned with training the LCD of shooters with a minimum effort (though I'm not sure that's an area you want to skimp out on), but for those of us willing to take the modest initiative to learn how to transition from DA to SA, the design allows for a superior blend of safety and performance in my opinion, and the reliability of SIGs, CZ's, Beretta's and the Walther PPK, just to name a few, are proof positive that these types of guns are perfectly reliable, accurate, and SAFE! Of all the people you've ever heard of accidently shooting themselves in the ***, foot, groin and femoral artery, how many have been with DA/SA pistols? I'm not saying it's never happened, but I personally have never heard of it happening. However, the dozens of examples I am aware of all happened with modern striker-fired pistols. Are striker-fired pistols safe? In the right hands, yes, but DA/SA is safer in my opinion.
Also, weight is an overblown issue in my opinion. I am perfectly fine carrying a 33.4 ounce pistol (P229) which I prefer for .357 SIG, but even a full-size 9mm Beretta PX4 storm is only 27.7 ounces which is on par with that of a comparable full-size M&P pistol (with the weight of the empty magazine added of course).
I find a little extra weight when compared to my Glocks a welcomed attribute anyway. I think it makes for a smoother and better wielding pistol, and personally, I don't like to forget I'm carrying a gun. I enjoy the comfort of carrying a pistol, so I see no reason to sacrifice that by physically forgetting I have one on. Smith & Wesson has so much to offer. I bought my first M&P shortly after they first debuted, and I've had five over the years that have been great pistols, but after carrying a variety of pistol designs, I'm kinda over striker fired guns. I like the safety and performance of DA/SA best, so I wish Smith & Wesson would get back to offering that kind of pistol.
Rumor has it that Glock even has a rotating barrel design now, by the way (but I don't think they'll ever tap the DA/SA market). Truth, however, is stranger than fiction.
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