M&P Safety Features

[McNick]

Good evening S&W Fans... I'm relatively new to this forum and have recently purchased my familys first pistols. An M&P22 12R & an M&P9 17R. I am a novice at best only shooting a few times. Does anyone have preferences in regards to safety features? I.E. Thumb Safety and the option to not have the ability to fire when the mag isn't in? (I think that's an option)... Any thoughts/opinions will be greatly appreciated

 

[SMMAssociates]

McNick:

Welcome Aboard!

You're going to get letters ....

Just IMHO, the M&P series guns don't really need a thumb safety. Other than the Shield, they're pretty easy to get used to, and if you're into 1911's or other guns that must have a thumb safety, then the one on the M&P won't be particularly strange/different. However, the gun really doesn't need it.

If you bought one so-equipped, and want to remove it, it's very simple, and S&W will give you little plugs to fill the holes in the plastic frame. You probably cannot add one to a gun you already have. Removing the plugs is the easy part , but, mostly, it's whether or not the gun's sear block is designed to accept one. If you have a Hilary Lock, it won't....

(The "Hilary Lock" is the key operated "switch" that deactivate the gun. These are necessary in some areas to give the Bad Guy a chance to kill you before you can make the gun ready. OK, one might be useful with kids around for "dead storage", but your "grab it now" gun shouldn't have one. If you managed to buy a Hilary Lock gun, it's easy to remove, too, and there's a plug available .)

I have a thumb safety on an M&P9C. Probably a bad idea, but I took what I could get at the time. Easy enough to remove - I just have to get the plugs.

The Shield's thumb safety is easy to remove, too. The problem with it is that it's a bear to switch on or off. If you decide to just leave it off, you have to pray that it'll stay that way. I don't think the larger M&P's will stay on or off as reliably if you're depending on it to be in a particular state. (One big rule for defensive guns - the thumb safety, if it exists, MUST work the same way for all of your defensive guns. Up to fire or down to fire, but don't mix 'em.)

Mag safeties are one of those personal things. I prefer to NOT have 'em.... (I have one "serious" gun with one right now, but quit carrying it decades ago.)

Some people like the idea of being able to do a reload while not rendering the gun inoperative. To me, that's one key, and another is just fewer parts to malfunction.

Others like being able to render the gun inoperative by dropping the mag in some kind of fight. I don't think this is particularly wrong, but the fine motor skills necessary to do that while wrestling around may not be there. YMMV....

(It's extremely easy to remove the mag safety from an M&P.)

All of that said, IMHO (channeling Mas Ayoob) it's a bad idea to remove a manufacturer-supplied safety device. Buy the gun set up the way you want it, or add something if possible.... IMHO, besides some laws in some areas to protect us, "Civilian" use of a defensive firearm probably won't cause any problems if the Judge(s) and Prosecutor(s) aren't seriously anti-freedom. Civil Court is the real hazard, IMHO....

Enjoy the new pistols, and take the time to learn how to use them safely.

Regards,

 

[WR Moore]

Asking for advice/opinions AFTER buying the guns seems kinda like a cart before the horse situation. However............

If you have a thumb safety, that's readily apparent. I kinda like them, but they're not really needed with the design of the M&P. The magazine disconncter is either in the weapon or not, it initially was a standard feature. I learned to like magazine disconnectors after initially hating the concept. Many of the scenarios where they might cause a problem are largely fantasy* (my employer has issued S&W pistols equipped with them since 1992 with no failures to fire due to mechanical problems in literally millions of rounds) and there are slews of LEOs who are still alive because they were able to deactivate their pistols during a struggle.

The design of the key lock, if present, will not allow the lock to turn itself on. Should you desire to remove it , where legal to do so(I did after 4 years on my personal pistol 'cause lint was entering the works, but never caused a problem), Brownells sells the plug to close off the key hole. No ethical gunsmith should charge more than $20 to do so, probably not that.

Suggestion: read your owners manuals cover to cover several times until you understand everything in there. It may be considered un-American, but do it. Also, check your locality, or the NRA website, for certified instructors to get you started off right as a new handgun owner.

Welcome aboard.

*Under stress/threat, most folks fire to slide lock, there is no round in the chamber. If you are doing a retention/tactical/top-off reload, that's an action performed while behind cover and not under threat with the next mag already at the gun. Should any threat beam down unexpectedly, you should be able to seat either mag in less than a second and deal with the problem.

 

[Maddmax]

Good evening S&W Fans... I'm relatively new to this forum and have recently purchased my familys first pistols. An M&P22 12R & an M&P9 17R. I am a novice at best only shooting a few times. Does anyone have preferences in regards to safety features? I.E. Thumb Safety and the option to not have the ability to fire when the mag isn't in? (I think that's an option)... Any thoughts/opinions will be greatly appreciated

First off. Welcome Aboard. You are on one of THE best forums going with tons of help and friendly people. Also,being a "newbie" (or oldie),there are NO stupid questions.

I guess my question back would be,are you going to stay a novice or plan on going "whole hog" and making this a serious hobby ? Most are in-between,weekend shooters that just enjoy the sport. Reguardless of what your plans are,DO take some safety courses. Start with the novice and work up a couple notches. Rule #1 Safety is First,Last and ALWAYS.

Everyone has different preferences for safety features on their weapons. It is what YOU are comfortable with. Myself,I like the M&P-22 with the safety (and other 22 handguns I have),because they are my practice,plinking and range weapons. Those "usually" have a case they sit on and are unloaded and on safe when not being used. As for my Concealed Carry Weapons (CCW) 9mm & 45acp,I prefer no thumb safety. Those are also holstered (never laid on the bench) on the range when practicing. Don't care for the thumb safety for CCW. If I have to draw it,it is for one purpose only. No kids,so Home Defence (HD) is the same as CCW for no safety. Grandkids come EVERYTHING is locked up and safe. I do like the FIRE with mag removed too.

Stay Safe and Happy Shooting

 

[JaPes]

While I would like to speak from a position of absolute authority on "safety" features, I can not. The practical "safety" of a feature is subjective to the user, and can generate some ugly arguments. You will learn your preference as to presence or absence of safety features on a firearm as you gain more experience with various firearms.

From my experience owning handguns with various "safety" features, here is my opinion:

1. If you practice & ingrain strict trigger control, then a S&W/Glock style trigger safety is good to go. By trigger control I mean that your finger is off the trigger until your sights are on target, you are 100% sure you have to shoot the target, and you are aware of the background of the target.

2. If you want an extra measure to block an unintended trigger press, then a manual safety of some sort would benefit you. You'll need to practice engaging & disengaging the safety to ingrain it into muscle memory. On those pistols I own which have a manual safety, I prefer a frame mounted safety for ergonomic reasons.

3. If you think you will ever be in the situation where you may loose possession of a firearm in a self defense situation, a magazine disconnect "safety" may be of benefit to you. If you have the presence of mind to drop out the mag, the BG can't shoot you with your chambered round.

I am comfortable manipulating a firearm with just a trigger safety (S&W/Glock style) and/or a firearm equipped with a frame mounted safety (1911 like). I personally choose not to own a defensive handgun equipped with a magazine safety.

Unlike some firearms manufacturers that give the customer no options, S&W did a great job with the M&P series of pistols to offer the customer their choice of configuration.

 

[Rastoff]

Let me add my welcome to not just the forum, but to shooting in general.

Just for reference, my M&P 45 has a thumb safety and mag disconnect.

"...the option to not have the ability to fire when the mag isn't in?"
This is called the magazine disconnect. Except under extremely specific and rare situations, the mag disconnect is a non issue.

Do you need your gun to fire if there is no magazine? It is unlikely that you will, but I'd rather have the ability than not.

Will you be able to remove the mag is a bad guy is trying to take it? If you're concentrating on pressing the mag release while wrestling with a bad guy, you're more likely to lose the gun. Concentrate on keeping the gun and this shouldn't be an issue.

Having said that, if you have a mag disconnect, I see no benefit in removing it. If you don't have mag disconnect, I see no benefit in adding it. See, non-issue.

The thumb safety in the M&P is not tremendously helpful. All it does is block trigger movement. It doesn't block the sear or striker. So, it won't prevent the gun from firing like most other guns do with their safeties.

It does help in the unlikely event something gets inside the trigger guard. While holstering, several guys have discharged their guns because a piece of their shirt or holster snagged the trigger. The thumb safety would prevent this, but that is the only value.

 

[McNick]

Thank you very much. That answered all of my questions... Very informative

 

[McNick]

In response to the cart before the horse. I did A LOT of research and knew these were the pistols I wanted. The .22 comes standard with the thumb safety because it's still made in Germnay, had no choice there. With the 9mm, I had been looking at the Range & Cary Kit for awhile but once the gun control talk started, EVERYWHERE sold out of the kit and single pistols. I found a site, Quantico Tactical that sells Smith & Wesson cheap to military, Leos and FF's, and the pistol comes with 3 mags, so I went with it, chose no thumb safety and I believe I have the ability to still fire without the mag in. Seemed like the best way to go. I just wanted opinions from others who know much more than I do. Thank you for your information

 

[McNick]

MaddMax, I'm planning on going to the range at least once every couple weeks, maybe more. I have a membership at an awesome lil' range, very family oriented... Family Firearms in Valrico FL (Shameless plug ;-) have to buy the ammo there but it's very cheap. My wife and I took our CWP there and the pistol we had to shoot was the .22, I was already sold on it through research but when I shot it, I knew I loved it. It's a bonus I used to live near the S&W Factory in Springfield

 

[McNick]

Rastoff, Very good points I hadn't considered. I.E, shirt's getting caught without a thumb safety and about the mag disconnect. Thank you

 

[shield]

McNick:

...The Shield's thumb safety is easy to remove, too. The problem with it is that it's a bear to switch on or off. If you decide to just leave it off, you have to pray that it'll stay that way. ...

Yes, there's a youtube video on how to remove it. However, it is a permanent change unless you buy a new part to restore it.

I disagree that it's difficult to switch on/off. It may be so at first with a new one, but I can easily swipe mine off/on with my thumb. It would also be very unlikely to engage on it's own - I don't have to pray that it stays off .

That said, my FS 9 does not have a safety or mag disconnect.

 

[jajo]

I think the safety features needed for a pistol vary by your application.




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