M&P 9 1.0 rolling changes

smith46wesson

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I just came across a great deal on a 1.0 M&P. Is there a good list of rolling production changes and the time frames that apply to them? I know the twist rate was changed to improve accuracy and the later triggers had more of a reset to them. Anything else to be aware of?
 
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There's that whole dot marking thing on the barrels. I can't recall if that was about tist rate or other tolerance.
 
The main rolling change occurred around 2012 and involved a change in the twist-rate of the barrel, removal of the word "Stainless" from the slide, use of the "pro" sear in regular models, and modifications to the trigger bar and slide-stop to increase the tactile feel of the reset. While trigger weights varied, the changes resulted in a generally heavier trigger pull weight... I'd say the average was around 7.5 - 8 pounds with many being over 8. Earlier versions were in the 6lb Range.
 
The dot markings on the inside top of the slide (not barrel) we're not indicators of changes/upgrades.

After 2013 I don't think there were any changes until the 2.0. Once the barrel twist rate was fixed, nothing else is expensive to set up.

Going above and beyond a very good stock pistol can involve simply polishing trigger components or replacing parts with Apex stuff. The different barrel lockup dimensions of the Apex barrel are a significant improvement over stock.
 
Off the top of my head, there were some occasional revisions to refine things that didn't get a lot of fanfare.

The angle of the cam loop (candy cane) on the trigger bar received a couple of angle changes with the sear changes (from 32 to 40 degrees?), but I'd have to dig out my notes. This was said to have been done to help keep the trigger pull within the normal spec for the regular series guns, meaning the Pro could have a lighter trigger from the get go.

The striker block spring was connected to the small spacer plate. This became a welcome improvement for those armorers who nick-named the spring spacer plate "The UFO" when losing control of it at the bench when reinstalling a rear sight base. ;)

The extractor received a couple of changes over time. I remember one them as the hook being given a sharper edge and a more raked rearward angle. The reason offered was to improve extraction for some of the hotter ammunition seeing LE use.

Then, later on they made another change that was said to make the hook longer. The first ones I saw was in an armorer recert class, and those extractors had the letter "L" lightly inscribed on the inside (where it couldn't be seen outside the slide). A little later, when ordering a few spare extractors, I noticed they came without a hand-scribed letter L, but had been renamed to include an actual name in the part number (which I thought was interesting).

I noted that the part number for the trigger bar return spring was changed to reflect the same part number used in the .45's. (Except for the MA complaint guns, which I was told needed a heavier spring as one of the ways needed to bump up the trigger pull to meet MA requirements.)

The sear blocks were revised so the "standard" block became one which could be configured with and without the manual thumb safety option. The ILS (lock) capable sear block disappeared from standard production and became a special order.

The ejectors changed with some of the sear block revisions.

The slide stop assemblies were revised a few times, and not just for the ambi "pad" on the inside to be built up a couple of times, but to change the wire spring tension (color coded paint denoting changes and caliber designation).

The frame and sear block "rail" cuts were changed over time, and the newer sear blocks won't fit inside the older frames. This is one of the reasons armorers (or regular customers) might be asked for the specific serial number of a gun when calling the factory for parts, as the customer service person might need to look up the production vintage to be able to order the right assemblies for any particular M&P. BTDT.

There have been some further changes in some critical ways between the original (or 1.0 guns, as some folks like to call them online) and the 2.0 guns, other than the sear block/trigger interface, and some of those parts and assemblies are not interchangeable.

The RSA springs have been revised and tweaked a bit among the calibers.

In the almost 14 years since the M&P pistol was officially released (Jan '06) the company has been addressing customer feedback by making continual revisions and refinements here and there, but that's been S&W's normal practice for many years. In all the years I served as a S&W armorer for many of their guns I was always learning of some revision when calling to order parts. And that was just with their long running models like the 3rd gen pistols and their revolvers. ;)

If I were to buy a used M&P from the first 4 years production, I'd replace the RSA, and probably the original striker assembly, slide stop assembly and perhaps the trigger bar (calling the factory to match the trigger bar cam loop angle to the production period of the gun and sear). The slide stop assembly and RSA are recommended for replacement every 5,000 rounds, anyway, but the striker assembly not for 10,000 rounds (9/.40 guns). The trigger bar for the 9/.40 guns is listed at recommended replacement at 10,000 rounds (but the trigger return spring every 5,000 rounds).

Congrats, BTW.

One of the things about the early 9's is that reportedly some of them might be tack drivers, and some "not". This was something we were told the engineers were trying to identify and address for the first several years. While the .40/.357 & .45's were usually described as being pretty accurate right out of the box, the 9's could be unpredictable and not as uniformly accurate. The ones produced in the last few years have demonstrated themselves to be tack drivers, though. I've handled and fired some later production 9mm "original" series guns (1.0's) and 2.0's, and they were very, very accurate.

Just some thoughts off the top of my head. No doubt I missed remembering some others. :)
 
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Nice post by Fastbolt!!

However, there's no way to map by serial number or date of manufacture which of these updates have been applied.

I have a FS and Compact M&P (both 9s) dated in 2013. Both had the updated barrels but still had the "S" stamped trigger bar and Gen 1 slide stop. I added the "H" stamp and new slide stop the following year after getting my Shield. After a bit of polishing, I got a relatively smooth trigger with both. However, I could still feel the "staging" as the trigger bar engaged the OEM striker block, slid up the ramp and across the flat, then engage the sear. If I hunted for the reset, I could feel the trigger bar slide off the flat of the block and down the ramp feeling like a "false reset", until the trigger bar slipped off the side of the sear. Of course, this only happened on slow fire.

Since then, I installed the 2.0 trigger (sear housing ***'y, trigger bar) in my FS and topped with a 5" ported core kit. The Core slide has the rounded striker block similar to the APEX USB. No "staging" now, nice and smooth all the way to "bang" (or click). No sense of false reset. Still have the hinged trigger though. Wish they made them beefier like the Shield.
 
Thanks guys. I just had to go back and correct some typos, as I was rushed last night when posting.
 
Well, I just picked up my "new to me" 1.0 M&P9. It's a March of '16 production SKU #209301. Very little wear on it, save a small odd scuff on the left side of the slide. The trigger feels good in it and it has a nice reset. It came with 5 magazines, one of which is unused and one other looks like it may have been used once. It also came with a DeSantis leather OWB holster and a double mag pouch. For under $350 OTD I feel like I made out ok. It would have been even better, but unbeknownst to me the FFL decided to raise their transfer fee since the last time I used them.
 
Great buy on a great gun. You'll love it!
 
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