M&P Junkyard Wars!

[Quillslinger]

Hello all! I've enjoyed so many posts and threads by others, I figured I'd finally start one... and I can't find a thread that this topic fits under so here we go!

I've found a new hobby in building M&P pistols with parts from the GunBroker (GB) "junkyard." Was wondering who else might be doing this. Here's the story...

A while back I discovered serialized M&P frames for sale by the GB seller "Freestone Armory." Freestone is a relatively small (under 1K transactions) seller on GB, and they sell (among other things) parts from S&W pistols. Around this same time I realized how many M&P "Gun Parts Kits" were floating around out there through companies like the various "Gunbusters" on BG. These are companies who happily take guns seized/found/etc. by municipalities and "destroy" them (cut the frames up to BATFE standards) and then sell the rest as parts kits on GB.

Intrigued, I bought a serialized M2.0 compact frame and looked for a deal on a parts kit to round out the gun. It was great fun and it produced a nice little Carry M&P40 M2.0 3.6" model. So then I did another... and another... and, well, you get the idea!

Anyone else doing this? I'll post some of the builds here and share some picture and details on each. Would love to see who else might be doing the same!

 

[Quillslinger]

CCO Project using M&P M2.0 Compact Frame

Here's one of the first ones I built. Freestone was selling M2.0 Compact (4") frames for what I thought was a pretty great deal at the time... $50.

The funny thing is I was apparently overpaying... right now you can get those same serialized frames from them for under $30!

So, I had a compact M2.0 (4") frame and went looking on GB for a
matching 4" M2.0 Compact slide in a Gun Parts Kit from one of the "Gunbuster" sellers... and came up short! Nothing. (Yes, since then I've seen them from time to time but for the few weeks I was eagerly working on this project, they just weren't to be had.)

SO... that got me thinking about CCO-style pistols. From my own experience with M&Ps, I know that the internals on the full size (4.25" and 5") guns is the same as that on the 4" frames. I thought that extra 0.25-inch slide couldn't hurt. After all, that's just extra sight radius, right? And, more importantly, I had more luck finding M2.0 gun parts kits in the 4.25" length.

So, I found one and ordered it. And, since I'm not a huge fan of the hinged trigger (I've replaced all the ones on my "factory" M&Ps with one Apex model or another), I opted to put an Apex trigger on this build.

Here's the result!

 

[swsig]

Very enterprising! So how do they shoot?

 

[Quillslinger]

Better Picture of M2.0 CCO Junkyard Build

You'll note the mag looks odd... that was a little project in an of itself. This was a picture for when I decided to sell this one, and here in the People's Republic of WA you can't "distribute" a magazine over 10 rounds (as if it were drugs!). In any case, as I'm an officer of the court, I try to not violate the law, so needed to find a 10-round M&P mag for the M2.0 compact. That turned out harder than I envisioned. Ultimately I combined a "1.0" M&P9C (now known as the M2.0 "Subcompact" size) 10-round mag body along with a 10-round baseplate extension off another M&P40 WA-legal mag. The end result was this, a mag that was CLOSE, but not perfect, for this size. They DO make 10-rounders for the M2.0 Compact size, but they're just harder to find.

 

[Quillslinger]

Very enterprising! So how do they shoot?

It shot fine, actually. I think I've done about 6 of them (or am on my 6th? I can't remember). For a project that costs south of $300 and is more fun than a Christmas-morning Lego set from childhood memory, it's great!

 

[Quillslinger]

Build #2 - My Nephew's M2.0 4.25" M&P9

Here's the second one, a project I really enjoyed doing with my nephew. For this one I used a full-size M2.0 frame (compatible with 4", 4.25", and 5" slides).

For his, I wanted all new components. At the time, Ed Brown was selling off brand new OEM barrels and slides that were left over from their "Fueled Series" build guns. I waited until they ran a sale (might have been Black Friday) and got the complete "upper" (barrel and slide) for $175. I ordered the rest (small frame parts) from Midwest Gun Works which carries lots of M&P stuff.

To elevate things, we put in a red polymer Apex flat-face forward set trigger kit, which made it a VERY nice shooter. He opted for no thumb-safety (an option on every M&P, easily swapped out) and put in a slightly stronger spring combo for the Apex that gave him a nice, 5-6# trigger with a clean, sharp break that's perfect for carry. To top it off, we put on a set of HiViz H3 tritium-fiber combo sights. It turned out great! (Yes, that's a full-size M&P. His hands are big.)

 

[hardluk1]

What have you invested into one of these functional parts guns .

 

[Quillslinger]

What have you invested into one of these functional parts guns .

So, it depends. You will notice that I try to bargain hunt and grab parts on sale for holiday specials and Black Friday sales, etc. That, after all, is part of the fun for me. Also, the final auction price for various Gun Parts Kits on GunBroker van vary quite a bit. Patience on that front can save you $50-$100 off your build cost.

Some examples...

For my nephew's build, which was all new parts and a little fancy, it was around $500.00 for everything, including Apex trigger kit and tritium-fiber optic combo sights (plus some tax, shipping, and WA transfer fee for the frame):

- $69 for the frame (Freestone Armory, prices vary)
- $175 for the complete slide (Ed Brown, Black Friday sale)
- $90 for the Apex trigger kit (Brownells, on sale)
- $90 for the HiViz sights (cheaper now on Amazon)
- Maybe another $80 for other small parts (Midwest Gun Works)
- $20 for used M&P9 17-round mag (CDNN. NOTE: I built about half of these before before the WA ban, which made getting mags easier and cheaper. Now it's a bigger cost, see below.)

Right now I'm working on one of my cheapest builds yet, which will be a 3.6" M2.0 Compact sized M&P (posts on that coming soon). The total for that, even with sights, is only about $220.00 (plus shipping, tax, WA fees, etc.).

- $30 for the frame (Freestone Armory, prices vary)
- $93 for an M&P9c gun parts kit off GB
- $47 for the Apex trigger kit (Midwest Gun Works)
- $10 for the Trijicon rear tritium sights (CDNN, still there!)
- $40 for the front tritium sight (NightFision, on sale)

(I should add that I didn't buy a mag yet because I've already got 15-round M2.0 compact mags. Were I wanting to do this from scratch, like someone here in WA starting with nothing, I'd also need to track down a 10-round M2.0 compact mag, which is about $40.)

 

[Quillslinger]

Junkyard M&P CCO #2 - FrankenM&P!

Here's the second CCO I built as part of this fun. I used an M&P 1.0 full-size 4.25" slide and a compact M2.0 (4") frame.

This build was all about the Apex trigger.

I was on GB and saw, on that particular week, that there are a lot of M&P9 parts kits out there. Whenever there are several of the same item, the prices are lower because there's less bidding competition... everybody wins! I saw this particular parts kit, and it was ugly looking... just dirty, it apparently had (at one point) had some kind of grip tape on the slide that left residue that collected grit and grime, etc. But functionally, it looked good, and I noticed that it had a 1.0 metal Apex trigger among the parts. I won the auction at around $130 as I recall.

I then went to Freestone on GB and, at the time, they only had M2.0 compact frames available, so I grabbed one for $50. I had to also order the M2.0 compact backstrap, which was another $20 (from somewhere... might have been Ebay).

Finally, I saw that CDNN had some tritium Trijicon night sights (white outline, 3-dot, yellow rear green front) for like $50.

So, for just $260 (plus shipping, taxes, and WA fees) I put this "CCO" build (full 4.25" slide on M2.0 compact frame) together.

One note on putting a "1.0" slide on M2.0 frame. If you use a M2.0 slide stop assembly, it works fine BUT you can't "slingshot" to release an open slide on a full mag (or empty chamber). If you want that capability, you need to use a 1.0 slide stop assembly (which is what I did here) and make a small bend to open it up about 0.5mm. There's a video on YouTube about the topic here, and it worked great when I tried it.

Even though it's a "1.0" sear assembly, the trigger was absolutely awesome. Quite light, actually... I'm glad I put the thumb safety on this one. I tried a few different trigger spring weights left over from an Apex kit I had for my nephew's build, and settled on the medium weight spring. It gave it a nice 4-pound short trigger pull. The reset was hard to feel or hear, but otherwise it was a very nice shooter!!

 

[Saudade]

Nice.

I consider one of my M&Ps more of a "parts bin" gun.

Started out as a plain ol' fullsize 1.0 back in 2013. Now it has a 5" Ported CORE slide kit (also 1.0) with a new recoil spring assembly, a 2.0 sear housing and trigger, updated slide catch (still 1.0) and an RMR.

The only original parts are the frame, locking block, mag release and takedown lever. I've replaced the trigger pin and the roll pins. I have a box full of 2.0 backstraps in black and fde. I've got a Storm Lake 5" non ported barrel for it as well. It's wearing the CORE backstrap in the pic below.

However, unlike you, this was no "budget build" but I still have all of the original parts.



I do have a 1.0 M&P 9C that also has the 2.0 trigger in it but the rest is pretty much stock.

 

[seldon14]

Been trying to. I'm a 4in shield barrel away from completing it though and can't find one anywhere.

 

[Saudade]

As far as I know, all of the M&Ps (full, compact, subcompact, 1.0, 2.0) use the same 10 round mag body in same caliber (Shields, EZs, etc don't apply). The difference is the extended baseplate (as you found out).

When I bought my 1.0 Compact, there were no 10 rounds mags around (I'm in CA). My full size mags (also 10 rounds) fit and I bought some XGrips to fill the gaps. Once I realized only the baseplates were different, I contacted S&W CS and explained I wanted to "convert" a few of my full mags to compact. They sent me a few of the shorty 1.0 baseplates for free.

 

[Quillslinger]

Been trying to. I'm a 4in shield barrel away from completing it though and can't find one anywhere.

Nice! In addition to the 5 M&P builds I've done this way, I've also done two Shield Plus builds (frames from the same source) and one SD9VE build, all with slides and parts from the junkyard. Lots of fun!

As for that 4" barrel, I also had that struggle. (I suspect we both bought some of the same 4" Shield PC Slides!!) It took a while but I just watched Ebay for a while for one to come up.

Here's the final product (with an Apex metal trigger, some HiViz sights just like the OEM kind and Riton micro red dot)...

 

[Quillslinger]

As far as I know, all of the M&Ps (full, compact, subcompact, 1.0, 2.0) use the same 10 round mag body in same caliber (Shields, EZs, etc don't apply). The difference is the extended baseplate (as you found out).

When I bought my 1.0 Compact, there were no 10 rounds mags around (I'm in CA). My full size mags (also 10 rounds) fit and I bought some XGrips to fill the gaps. Once I realized only the baseplates were different, I contacted S&W CS and explained I wanted to "convert" a few of my full mags to compact. They sent me a few of the shorty 1.0 baseplates for free.

Thanks--I've heard that over and over again about S&W Customer Service... I'm sure there are a few nightmare experiences out there that some have had, but I can't think of a major maker that would just send parts out like that for free. Appreciate the post!

 

[RETDOE]

M&P45 2.0 ?

I was wondering if any of you guys know if you have a M&P10mm can you buy a M&P45 2.0 slide and barrel and put it on a 10mm frame. dimensions seem the same and it's not like I'm going to a higher pressure cartridge. Just would like the ability to shoot .45ACP since it is more available and cheaper.

 

[Quillslinger]

I was wondering if any of you guys know if you have a M&P10mm can you buy a M&P45 2.0 slide and barrel and put it on a 10mm frame. dimensions seem the same and it's not like I'm going to a higher pressure cartridge. Just would like the ability to shoot .45ACP since it is more available and cheaper.

I believe so. I think the 10mm frames are just the M&P45 M2.0's frames anyway... but I haven't tried it. I doubt there's any structural difference and your stepping from 10 to 45 (as you mention) removes concerns.

I do see GB has M&P45 parts kits (usually 1.0 models) that come up pretty regularly. One this week in fact.

 

[RETDOE]

Thank you Sir!

 

[Quillslinger]

Next Junkyard Build - 3.6" M2.0 in 40S&W

So, here's the next one. (By the time I got here, I'd started paying regular attention to Freestone Armory on GB to see when they would have different M&P frames in for sale.) Around the same time that Freestone Armory listed a 3.6" M2.0 compact frame, I spotted an M&P40 M2.0 parts kit in the same size (3.6" barrel). The combined total on those purchases was under $200.

I wasn't motivated at the time to pay up for a full-on Apex flat-faced adjustable weight trigger, so I went with another one of their basic polymer models, which can be found for under $50. I also snapped up some Night Fission front sights on sale (I think I only paid like $35 each for tritium with orange surround) and some of the CDNN specials (Trijicon rear, yellow tritium with white surrounds) for like $10 each. I had some spare 13-round mags from an M&P40 M2.0 Compact (4" model) I already had.

The end result was a very nice little 40, which shoots great. I carry as my CCW from time to time. Not bad for an investment of around $300. Here it is...