S&W M&P 9mm trigger

[gunnut57]

I' know this has probably been discussed over an over again but here goes. I just purchased a slightly used (between 3 and 400 rounds)Smith & Wesson M&P 9mm full size. Up until that I had never so much as held one of these pistols. I have shot older model Sigma's on the range and frankly, while not the greatest trigger it was far from the worst and I did quite well with it. I had read endless articles about the triggers on S&W M&P's and had never heard anything good. Heavy, rough with a mushy reset. I was convinced I would be investing in an Apex tactical trigger kit. So I pick the gun up and since have only had an opportunity to dry fire it. Expecting the worst I was surprised. No I'm not an expert, per se, but I've been shooting handguns for 40 years so I'm not a novice either. I just do not get it! It was fine to me. Better than many including some Glocks I've shot. I don't have a way of measuring the weight of the pull on this gun but it was just not what I expected given what I've read and heard. Combine that with the ergonomics of the grip, the fit and finish and a few other things I'm pretty darn happy. Maybe I won't be as happy once I actually get it on the range but I don't see that happening either. I'm just trying to figure out if I'm ignorant or if people have exaggerated the trigger problems. I compared it to the pull of my Springfield XD tactical an I'm as happy with one as I am with the other. What gives?

 

[Rastoff]

What gives is the ease with which misinformation cam be spread these days. Welcome to the internet!

Some complain about the gritty feel of the trigger. Some complain about the long pull. Both of those complaints are related to the slack or take up and not related to the actual releasing of the sear.

1. Proper trigger control includes taking up the slack prior to shooting.
2. Finger on trigger, enough pressure to take the slack out,
3. Align the sights,
4. Obtain proper sight picture,
5. Hard focus on front sight,
6. Build pressure on the trigger by pressing straight back until the gun fires,
7. Trap the trigger back until the sights are back on target,
8. Release the trigger until it resets,
9. Repeat from step one until you're done shooting or out of ammo.

The M&P has a good trigger considering the price point. Yes, there are better triggers out there. Yes, the M&P has a lot of slack. Yes, the M&P is heavy. Yes, the M&P has too much over-travel. Even so, I find the actual let off to be crisp. Not quite the glass break a 1911 is, but still pretty good.

 

[Johnmuratore]

I've found the exact thing to be true.
My first M&P was a .40c and I expected the trigger to be horrible based on what I had heard from friends. After lots of dry-firing and many rounds downrange, I'm still waiting to find something I don't like about it.
Just as Ras indicated, I take up the slack, get the sights on the target and squeeze; never cared about feeling the reset unless it wasn't ready to fire next time I pulled the trigger.

 

[Bkreutz]

Most (if not all) of the complaints of a gritty trigger is caused by the stamped out trigger bar rubbing on the striker block, this gets smoothed out relatively quickly after starting to shoot it (or polish it off with a stone). Maybe the first owner performed this for you (either manually or by shooting). I have a stock triggers in my 9c that I carry and in another FS that I shoot in Production/Stock classes. I shoot my 9L Core in Open so there's not much that's stock in that (but that's kind of the point of that class).

 

[gunnut57]

Okay so then I'm not crazy or ignorant. It sounds like this gun is going to shoot really well. Good to hear. Glad to hear it because I like this gun. I just tore it down and the take down was a little different than what I'm use to but once you get it it's easy. The gun was a argin because it came with 7 17 round factory magazines.

 

[shawn mccarver]

If you want to see how well it will shoot, run over to pistol-training.com and read about their long term test of the M&P 9 Full Size, which they stopped at around 63,000 rounds or so. You can read each weekly report in the "M&P Monday" section of the site, on the home page, right hand side, under Topics, Range Reports.

 

[steve462x0]

I never found the factory triggers exactly terrible, but they weren't the best. They work and the guns shoot well, I have fired guns with worse triggers, I don't even like AR15 triggers, so I use a Giessele SSA-E trigger in it. I have even changed parts in my Glocks to make them more to my liking.

 

[Rastoff]

I never found the factory triggers exactly terrible, but they weren't the best.

I think this is an accurate statement.

We all need to remember that this is a sub $600 gun. Many can be had for less than $500. So, the trigger is fine considering the price point. Complaining about this trigger is like complaining about the service at McDonalds.

 

[ivanwi11iams]

As always, I'm curious. Why would manufactures not make the triggers on guns better the first time round? Why do the likes of other companies like Apex have to make better triggers? Surely not just down to cost savings, right?

Sent from my Z10 using Tapatalk

 

[Rastoff]

Why would manufactures not make the triggers on guns better the first time round?

Surely not just down to cost savings, right?

I guess you didn't read what I posted earlier. Yes, it's all about cost. All of the Apex parts require more machining and fitting. Even when you install them in your gun, the trigger bar loop may need to be adjusted.

S&W could make a better trigger. In fact, they have listened and have improved the M&P trigger since its inception. Even so, there's only so much they can do and still keep the price where it is.

There's a reason a $2K pistol costs that much.

 

[Bkreutz]

As always, I'm curious. Why would manufactures not make the triggers on guns better the first time round? Why do the likes of other companies like Apex have to make better triggers? Surely not just down to cost savings, right?

Sent from my Z10 using Tapatalk

Mostly it is a cost thing. You have to remember that a certain cost at the manufacturers level is multiplied several times before it gets to the retail sale. The M&P is designed as a service/duty pistol and in that usage the stock trigger is adequate. Additionally, everyone has a different idea what the "ideal" trigger is, which one should the manufacturer pick? I have both stock, slightly modified, and highly modified triggers on my M&P's, all are used for different purposes.

 

[M29since14]

...Complaining about this trigger is like complaining about the service at McDonalds.

Well, maybe so. On the other hand, you have to remember you are hearing from people (like me!) who grew up shooting S&W revolvers. They were not really deluxe grade guns, either, but they had excellent triggers.

I think manufacturers are of the opinion that most shooters these days do not value a good trigger - and they may not even know one when they come across it. (That comment not directed at the OP.) They may be right. Why devote the effort/expense to it? I also believe they understand that providing a target-quality trigger can present some possibility for liability in our present litigation-happy society, which we all acknowledge, whether we like it or not. Lastly, S&W probably also considers the argument that a target-quality trigger is not really appropriate - maybe even undesirable - on an M&P.

But, I stand by my contention that I have fired and owned more M&Ps with terrible triggers than I have with good, usable triggers.

 

[Johnmuratore]

I don't pretend to have any inside info but the name itself implies that these are not target grade pistols, right?
In the consumer market, you typically select a price point and design and engineer the product to meet that target.
I don't have a problem with the trigger, but to each his own.

 

[Rastoff]

Well, maybe so. On the other hand, you have to remember you are hearing from people (like me!) who grew up shooting S&W revolvers.

No, that's the problem. People expect more than is reasonable. These are not the revolvers of yesteryear. These are not target guns yet, people continually expect a $2K trigger from a $500 gun. It's just not going to happen.

 

[hillmillenia]

And I thought it was a so called safety issue...like all heavy triggers, especially on a gun without a manual safety, keeps those AD's to a minimum and the legal issues that goes with it.

 

[jimjc]

Of coarse S&W knows how to make superb triggers I have them on my S&W Model 41 and 52...Those are the best triggers I've ever shot not counting my 1911`s...

As said...at the price point of the M&P's a great trigger would probably add another $150 to the price and out of competition with the guns it was built to compete with...

 

[redbrd]

I recently bought a 45c. It had in my opinion a terrible trigger. It had very long take up, was gritty, and at least 8 lbs of pull. That said I really liked the gun overall and I knew there was an aftermarket solution. The glock 30s was about 100 bucks more and the sights another 100 bucks. In the end the 45c was still a clear bargain even with the apex parts (80 for the aluminum trigger). Love it now, still a little gritty and a little heavy but way less take up. The break as others have said has always been crisp.

 

[gunnut57]

You grew up shooting S&W revolvers and you don't consider them a deluxe grade gun? What do you consider a deluxe grade gun?

 

[gunnut57]

"There's a reason a $2K pistol costs that much."
So if I spend a couple of hundred dollars on Apex parts will my M&P be worth $2K?

 

[Rastoff]

You grew up shooting S&W revolvers and you don't consider them a deluxe grade gun? What do you consider a deluxe grade gun?

You can't compare a revolver trigger with a striker fired gun. Completely different mechanisms. Simply can't get the same type of feel due to the way the gun works.

"There's a reason a $2K pistol costs that much."
So if I spend a couple of hundred dollars on Apex parts will my M&P be worth $2K?

Very funny, but no. Even if you put Apex parts in, even if you have it massaged by a gunsmith, it won't be as good.