New M&P40 & Attachments

[Bogustime]

I recently purchased a full size M&P40 for home defense and occasional range time. What would be the first thing you'd change or add to it?

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[cemeb4dk]

I put on a set of tru glo tfo night sights. Then I added the apex dcaek trigger upgrade.

 

[Rastoff]

What would be the first thing you'd change or add to it?

A little note telling me not to change anything until I got a bunch of rounds through it.

 

[Robotech]

What Rastoff said, though the TFO sights are on my "definitely want" list.

On mine, the trigger upgrade is a "maybe", if I can't get it smoothed out with simple use or polishing, but this goes back to putting a bunch of rounds through it and testing. Other trigger upgrades are on hold depending on the results.

It comes down to two main issues to start: Does it "feel good" to you, and can you hit what you're aiming at?

After that, other tweaks and tuning will depend mostly on how you intend to use it.

 

[texdavidson]

I had very bad luck with the truglo tfo's had two front tubes crack and almost fall out after a few months. I though maybe the shop I had put the front on did them incorrect so I sent my slide to truglo since it was still under warranty, after I got the slide back it only took a few months for the front to crack again and almost fall out. Once the second sight cracked and I did some more looking online it wasn't just me there's a lot of people that have had problems with them so I decided to change. I'm not trying to bash the sights and tell you not to get them just giving you the other side of the product. As for the trigger I have the apex comp and RAM in my gun and going to be putting the dcaek and RAM in my wife's m&p. I highly recommend there products very reliable and a excellent upgrade. Triggers are a personal thing so it's hard to go by others on this but IMO the RAM is the most important part, stock reset in my gun and my wife's was almost non exsistaint. One upgrade I did that made a huge difference was stippling the gun, I would start with just the blackstrap to see if you like it because if you don't its only a few bucks to get a new blackstrap.

 

[SMMAssociates]

S&W is apparently slipstreaming an improved trigger and trigger reset into the M&P line. If you're lucky, you'll get one of those.

In any case, put a couple hundred rounds through it. If you don't like the trigger, talk to the gang at Apex Tactical. If you have the older version, the DCAEK and RAM kits are a very good idea.

(The RAM kit won't fit on some models. If you have a Hilary Lock, it goes in the hole in the sear block for that lock. If you have a thumb safety, you don't have the hole at all. Apex may have a RAM kit for those guns, though. I haven't looked for a long time .)

If you're going to do both kits, do them at the same time. The RAM kit and the sear upgrade in the DCAEK kit require essentially the same stripdown. Might as well fight with both at the same time ....

I have three M&P's. All three are a few years old now, and have the DCAEK kits. One has a thumb safety, but the other two have RAM kits in them, too. Definite improvement for me.... (M&P40FS, 40C, 9C.)

I also have a couple ancient S&W wheelguns. At the time these guns were made - around 1968 - S&W's revolvers had about the nicest factory triggers you could find before doing any trigger work on one. The M&P's with the Apex kits in them have a very similar feel. They weren't too terrible before, but I found it a definite improvement.

(I don't think the RAM kit helps much for me, but it adds a measure of reliability. If the trigger spring breaks, the trigger bar won't reset. But the RAM can step in and keep the gun functional without any action on your part. I expect you'll notice, though. Apparently the spring can break. How? Got me ....)

Regards,

 

[jajo]

Ammo and range time. Instruction if you are a new owner. A way to keep it safe if there are children in the house.


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[Duster340]

Ammo and range time. Instruction if you are a new owner. A way to keep it safe if there are children in the house.
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X2 Well put..

And Congrats on your new purchase Bogustime. Think you're gonna really love it.

 

[Bogustime]

Thanks for all the input. My priority is to definitely put a few rounds through it and establish a better feel for the gun. I was on the fence between the Glock 23 and the M&P40, but after firing both there were no questions which one I'd purchase. As far as for home defense, tac light or night sights?

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[Maximumbob54]

Reloading gear.

 

[Lost Lake]

I put night sights on my 40FS and like them so much I buy all new M&P's with them from the factory. I got mine on Amazon for somewhere around $68. These are very much like factory night sights.

Amazon.com : Truglo Tritium Handgun Sight Set - S&W M&P, Tritium : Airsoft Gun Sights : Sports & Outdoors@@AMEPARAM@@http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41tcYa4BV2L.@@AMEPARAM@@41tcYa4BV2L

These sights glow in the dark so you can see your sights. They require no light as they produce their own light.

The next thing I put on my 40FS was a Streamlight TLR1s. I went with this model for several reasons, it has the newer C4 bulb, it is brighter than most, it has a lifetime warranty, and Bud's Police had them on sale for $80.

Streamlight 69210 TLR-1s LED Rail Mounted Flashlight with Strobe Function and Rail Locating Keys - Basic Handheld Flashlights - Amazon.com@@AMEPARAM@@http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41RnpGy4BHL.@@AMEPARAM@@41RnpGy4BHL

I like a weapon mounted light because it leaves me with one free hand to work with. The downside to a weapon mounted light is wherever your light points, your weapon points also.

I bought a small safe to keep the gun in my nightstand as we had younger children in the house. Now all my kids shoot very well and know the safe combination. You really have to drill it into their heads though that they can't be showing the guns off to their friends... The temptation is probably pretty high... I tell them if they want to show their friends either I must be present or we can take their friends out shooting... So far so good...

 

[Rastoff]

Don't get my wrong. I'm an incurable tinkerer and I've made many changes to guns throughout my ownership of them. I've even made changes to my M&P 45.

I've just learned the hard way that most of the guns, especially the M&P, are well designed and made by the factory. My only complaint about the M&P was a heavy trigger and that wasn't that bad considering it's a defensive gun.

I don't want to stop you from making changes, far from it. I just want you to decide on your own what you really want. Our telling you what we did doesn't help you at all. If we were at the range with you, and could watch you shoot, we might be able to make some suggestions.

Other than that, just go shoot. Have some fun at the range. Resist making changes until you really know what you need.

 

[lightsluvr]

A little note telling me not to change anything until I got a bunch of rounds through it.

+1

I figured that S&W knew best about how to engineer a handgun... I have shot several hundred rounds though mine, and have no problem with the trigger or the sights... maybe later.

LL

 

[Robotech]

"I figured that S&W knew best about how to engineer a handgun..."

Yes, but any time you are manufacturing for a mass-market, there will be compromises to keep down manufacturing costs and complexity.

As long as the product meets the needs and expectations of most of your customers "out of the box", that can be your standard product. Further expense would be largely wasted, and the associated increase in selling price would impact total sales.

Not everyone needs a tricked-out and tuned competition gun. That's not to say you can't have a premium version for those who want these features. But since the requirements and ideas all come down to the individual shooter, it's really best to supply a good base-platform that they can easily customize to meet their personal needs. That's what S&W has done.

Now, they've evidently paid attention to their customers' feedback and made a change to improve the feel of the trigger reset. I may have a simple solution to the "gritty trigger" problem that they haven't tried yet, but it would add one more (relatively new) batch manufacturing process step and a little more cost, so they would have to do a cost/benefit analysis on it. Maybe in the future...

 

[Rastoff]

Yes, but any time you are manufacturing for a mass-market, there will be compromises to keep down manufacturing costs and complexity.

Absolutely! Like I said, just wait to be sure you change the right things.

Still, the M&P is a fantastically well designed gun. The ability to customize the grip by changing out the back strap was brilliant. Also, the ergonomics are perfect. The slide stop is perfectly positioned and making it ambidextrous is pure genius.

I think the manual thumb safety is the one weak point in the design. It was clearly an afterthought.