Is M&P 2.0 vulnerable to limp wrist failure?

[HankB]

I'm looking to purchase a pistol that's "optics ready" and am considering an M&P 2.0. The 10mm is appealing, but there are enough people reporting bugs that I think I'll go to 9mm for now.

So like the title says - how vulnerable is the M&P to limp wrist failures? I know the solutions are usually something along the lines of "use proper technique" or "load hotter ammo" but some things may not always be possible, for example in the case of an injury.

Not all guns have the same issue - my Gen 1 Glock 17 works fine with a normal grip, but will malfunction on demand with a loose grip. Conversely, my Gen 3 Glock 26 simply WON'T jam no matter how I hold it.

Just trying to get a feel for this forum's collective experience on how the M&P 2.0 stacks up in this regard.

 

[jurek]

I've never had a "limp wrist" failures with M&P9 2.0. Is it bacause of proper technique? I don't know, but sometimes during training sessions I've found my grip to be loose. It has never had any negative effects on M&P pistol... only accuracy sucked.
I found metal handguns to be more forgivable in this matter, their heavier frame provides better support for slide's reciprocation.

Anyway, I don't think you will have any issues with M&P9 2.0 if you follow basics building your grip. Even weak.. it won't make your handgun fail.

 

[Muss Muggins]

All semiauto's are prone to limp wrist failure. It's the cause of about 95% of semiauto malfunctions. Hang on to it, and grip it like you mean it . . .

 

[Ranger17]

I have gone thru thousands of rounds with various MP 9’s I own and have had zero failure of any kind. Totally admitting I am not some highly skilled shooter, but especially while learning I limp wristed plenty with those low-left hits until I got better. Just that my assumption is with a “decent” grip the MP line is a very forgiving platform. Just my .02

 

[Aegis]

Guns are not prone to limp wrist the shooter is.. If you have proper grip it wont happen.. Look at youtube videos on grip/stance check more than one or two.

 

[dla]

I've shot my M&P40c with two fingers and it cycled fine. But it has about 4k rounds through it.

 

[Bumpus13]

If you’re looking for “limp wrist proof” I’d recommend a revolver.

 

[balin]

I have the M&P 10mm and never noticed any limp wrist-ing. But I have never had that issue with any pistol that I have shot.

 

[HankB]

Was just curious. I found out about my Gen 1 G17's sensitivity when I gave it to my petite elderly mother to shoot - what had been flawless in my hands malfunctioned when she shot it. I found that with a looser grip it jammed - and further testing revealed that my Gen 3 G26 didn't have that problem. Nor did my BHPs or 1911s. (All with metal frames.)

None of the other pistols malfunctioned in my mother's hands, either.

So a normal grip will give normal results. But for a defensive pistol, I'd really rather not have another failure mode (like a looser grip) in play. For example - what if you've been injured, but aren't out of the fight? Pain or injury may preclude a perfect grip, inducing a malfunction at the worst possible time. Hence my question.

 

[stansdds]

Any semi-auto pistol can have reliability issues if shot limp-wristed, some are more prone to this potential issue than others.

 

[The Mighty S&W]

I’ll be another who is going to tell you that all semiauto handguns are vulnerable to malfunctions when not held with a proper, firm grip. It’s the simple mechanics involved in the way that guns of the type operate. Think about it for a moment:

A round in the chamber of the pistol is fired which causes the slide to retract as the spent casing is extracted and ejected from the weapon. The slide will then be brought back closed while loading a fresh cartridge from the magazine. All of this happens in a small fraction of a second, and if the slide does not manage to travel far enough back, the spent casing won’t fully eject, or perhaps a fresh one will not load. There’s very little room for error in this process as it is millimeters of travel that make the difference between a successful firing process and a malfunction.

When you are properly gripping the pistol with a firm hold and a secure wrist, the frame of the pistol remains in place as this sequence occurs which is how the system is designed to work. When your wrist is allowed to be “limp”, your arm absorbs some of the energy that the pistol is trying to use to perform the ejection/loading sequence and the slide doesn’t travel as far back as it needs to in the time it has to do it.

If maintaining a firm hold on your handgun is a concern due to strength issues caused by age, injury, or illness, a revolver is a better option. The problem then becomes the typically heavy double action trigger pull which can also be problematic for those with severely diminished hand strength.

Regarding the M&P M2.0 specifically, I have had no reliability problems with my M2.0 Compact. Then again, I’ve not had reliability problems with the dozens of other pistols I’ve owned over the years with the exception of some of my 1911’s, and I am convinced that the design of those pistols is simply more finicky than more modern designs to begin with.

 

[HankB]

Just to update this thread - I just took delivery of a compact (4" bbl) 9mm M&P M2.0. It's FDE, flat trigger, optics ready, with a manual thumb safety.

I've got 120 assorted rounds through it - function was perfect.

I fired 1 magazine (15 rds) with the loosest "two finger" grip I could manage and a loosely bent wrist - still perfect function, couldn't induce a "limp wrist" failure.