While working from home this morning I have been doing some dry fire exercises to get used to the trigger. When I demo'd another shooters M&P at the range a while back I came to the conclusion that the trigger was the most usable of the striker-fired pistols for me but I didn't really observe much detail about the trigger pull, break, and reset. I thought I'd post some observations from this morning's dry firing:
Thee trigger on the M&P is really quite different from any other pistol I've tried. Regardless of what occurs before break it's the break that I really like. Without being too descriptive I find that I can keep the muzzle on target with no perceptible movement through the trigger pull and break. It doesn't feel anything like a good single action trigger (e.g. 1911) but I find the break surprises me in a similar way regardless of how predictable the rest of the trigger pull is. When the trigger is ready to break I find it breaks just a hair sooner than I think it will when squeezing it slowly and deliberately. This is just a perception though as the trigger is clearly breaking in a very consistent manner. The break could easily be described as 'crisp' when compared to, say, a Glock or XD/XDm - other striker-fired pistols seem to have a 'springy' or 'spongy' feel to the break, a trait I don't care for. The best analogy I can make to describe the difference is the difference between plucking a string on an electric bass guitar with a pick or finger. The pick gives a sudden and defined break as it leaves the string whereas plucking the string with a finger the string sort of rolls out from under the finger pad and springs away with a longer duration of hold on the string (sorry for the obscure analogy). I believe this is the trait that I liked so much when I shot the M&P.
The trigger pull is strange though not in any negative way. There are several interesting things that occur as the trigger is being squeezed from rest to where it's ready to break. First the jointed trigger hinges into place and clears the slot in the polymer frame - this is a short and nearly effortless squeeze. From here (as the trigger itself catches the rest of the fire control group?) there is an equally short, ever so slightly heavier, gritty motion rearward where it meets a definable point where resistance increases. Squeezing through this point it almost feels as though there is a detent, a smooth false 'break' of sorts that sets the trigger at the break point. Squeezing further the trigger breaks. With a slow and deliberate squeeze of the trigger it's easy to feel all of this occur. With a quick squeeze as one would use in a real-world application all of these subtleties go largely unnoticed by me other than I perceive the trigger as increasing resistance in a slightly stepped manner. This isn't bothersome in the least. No, it doesn't feel like a luxurious ride to a 'glass rod' break like my S&W 4506 in single action (some top shelf trigger work in this gun) or a similar brake without the take-up like on a good 1911 trigger, It is, however, just as serviceable. I don't feel anything in the trigger that would affect my shooting in any negative way. That I did not notice anything significant in the M&P's trigger pull while shooting one does not surprise me now.
The reset is perhaps a bit long but not overly so. I'll get a better idea of how I perceive the trigger reset after my first range visit. Actually, as I type this I cycled the M&P a few times and observed trigger reset with a bit more speed and I doubt the reset would ever bother me. Of course I'm not doing any competitive shooting (yet?) so shaving 1/10th's of a second off between shots is of no concern to me.
I may well add the Apex duty/carry action enhancement kit at some point down the road but for now I believe I'll be quite happy with the stock trigger. I'll put at least 500 rounds down range before I even consider the Apex kit. By then I'll be familiar enough with the pistol to make a practical decision regarding the Apex kit.
A few other observations:
All three of the interchangeable backstrap inserts are very comfortable in my hands. If I had to pick one that fits best it would be the medium I guess, with the large possibly being my next pick. I can raise the pistol to a target with eyes closed and then open them to find the pistol pointing where it should be regardless of which backstrap is installed so, again, any of them would be a good fit for me. This is good because I have a Crimson Trace LaserGrip on the way. If the CT ends up being somewhere between the medium and large backstrap in size (I've read this observation more than once it seems to me) it will fit me very nicely. I placed a small amount of rolled up and flattened paper right where the CT pressure switch is located and it seems like the switch is in a great place for predictable activation with a firm grip. I'll know soon enough.
I like the magazine release button position. It is easily reached and depressed with intention. I will never unintentionally depress it though because of where it is located. Perfect!
The slide release is also in an ideal location for my hands, is easily to actuate (except with an empty magazine - snap-caps used for the test at home), and very low profile. Nice!
The slide serrations provide a positive grip for cycling the slide.
The grip texturing is quite sufficient for a positive grip on the pistol, certainly enough for my part. At this point I doubt I will ever need or want to stipple mine. Time will tell.
Lastly, I really like the sight picture with the low profile Novak 3-dot sights. For this type of pistol I prefer 3-dot sights over others I've used. I'm pleased that the pistol comes with 3-dot sights. I may opt to install Trijicon night sights in the future if I see a practical use for them. I have Trijicon's on my 4506 and, while I like the sight picture, I haven't yet experienced anything that would make them a must. Between a tac light and a laser sight I doubt that they would ever be used as more than standard 3-dot sights.
Now I just need to get to the range and shoot it. It's looking good for this weekend!
