mbz300sdl_GF
Active Member
So it needs a new trigger that's not to big of a deal I've shot a few guns that had shitty triggers but once replaced it made a swesome difference and Zane can do a trigger job for me
Smith and Wesson M&P 9 is it a good gun??
- Thread starter mbz300sdl_GF
- Start date
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- Aug 17, 2011
- 26,172
The Apex parts make a world of a difference.
Goes from to ho-hum to hot damn in less than an hour.
Goes from to ho-hum to hot damn in less than an hour.
TxAggie
Ultimate Member
It was my first handgun as well, and I second that I love it. I will say that in addition to the trigger, I'm not overly crazy about the mag release, but that is because I have relatively small hands.
As far as shooting goes, when I was testing 9mm, it was a close second to the P226 as far as accuracy (for me) but I didn't have the budget at the time for the Sig.
As mentioned: test fire several before you buy. Which ever one is the most accurate and comfortable within you budget will be YOUR best bet.
As far as shooting goes, when I was testing 9mm, it was a close second to the P226 as far as accuracy (for me) but I didn't have the budget at the time for the Sig.
As mentioned: test fire several before you buy. Which ever one is the most accurate and comfortable within you budget will be YOUR best bet.
mbz300sdl_GF
Active Member
Thanks for the advice
I was thinking of shooting a few before buying one I just gotta find a friend who has one in 9 mm cause a 40 is to much for my hand cause of a injury I had years ago to my thumb and wrist
mbz300sdl_GF
Active Member
That's what I've heard
pasayan73
Active Member
i suggest get the M&P pro series. you'll love it. put in the apex trigger kit. you're set. i use mine for gun matches. i had a sig 226 but sold it. sig is not friendly to a left handed shooter.
leavnalegacy
Member
- Mar 24, 2013
- 68
Apex kit for sure! Makes the pull so smooth.
CrawfishStu
Creeper
I've got a nice collection of them. .45, 9C, 9L, .40L Pro Series CORE.
You can get a long way with the self done trigger job. I did it on the 9L. Then I wanted more so I did the comp Apex kit in the 9L and the Duty Apex kit in the .45. Stuck with the self done one in the 9C. The Pro Series is new, so I want to shoot it some first before deciding.
Working on the plunger requires you to remove the rear sight. I would recommend you upgrade sights at that time if you plan to and just go ahead and get whatever trigger you ultimately want. Do it in one shot. Taking it apart and resighting it in over and over is a pain.
The CORE can be worked on without removing the sight. It has the worst trigger by far of any of them that I own. I hear it smooths out a lot after shooting some, which is why I'm not just dumping the apex kit in right away. I'll probably regret it.
You can get a long way with the self done trigger job. I did it on the 9L. Then I wanted more so I did the comp Apex kit in the 9L and the Duty Apex kit in the .45. Stuck with the self done one in the 9C. The Pro Series is new, so I want to shoot it some first before deciding.
Working on the plunger requires you to remove the rear sight. I would recommend you upgrade sights at that time if you plan to and just go ahead and get whatever trigger you ultimately want. Do it in one shot. Taking it apart and resighting it in over and over is a pain.
The CORE can be worked on without removing the sight. It has the worst trigger by far of any of them that I own. I hear it smooths out a lot after shooting some, which is why I'm not just dumping the apex kit in right away. I'll probably regret it.
alucard0822
For great Justice
I have a couple, shoot matches with a 5" 9mm pro, and carried a 9c for years. As others have said, great pistol, crappy trigger. The grip is probably the most comfortable there is on a polymer pistol, bore axis is low, the shape is snag-free and organic, sights are good, controls are good, capacity for the 9/40 models are decent, the 45 is a bit too slim to get a nice efficient doublestack, and are a 3 rounds short of the competition. It is an easy pistol to shoot fast, and recoil is relatively light with little muzzle flip. The trigger out of the box is a long gritty takeup, short but mushy break with some overtravel followed by a vague to non-existant reset feel. The grit is primarily from the rough stamped contact area of the trigger bar rubbing on the edge of the similarly rough striker safety plunger, flattening the rough area of the bar with a stone or file, and radiusing/polishing the plunger or replacing it with the Apex unit makes a huge difference, smooths it and makes the takeup a bit more predictable and lighter.
The mushy 6# break is made a bit lighter, but crisper and smoother with a reshaped sear, pro-shop sear or Apex unit, all pretty much accomplish the same thing. The reset is due to a light trigger spring at a weak angle pulling the trigger bar back into alignment with the sear more than 2" away from the spring, where the XD/XDM uses the spring to push the bar up with better mechanical advantage, GLOCK is the king of trigger reset with the connector itself acting as a leaf spring to snap back in front of the trigger bar. The only way to help make the M&Ps reset better is with an Apex RAM unit, a small plunger and spring that mounts in the empty internal safety hole to put pressure on the bar directly near the sear face, makes it better, but still far short of GLOCK's system. The optional safeties work, but can be annoying, the mag safety requires you to use a tool with the lever to disassemble instead of simply pulling the trigger, the internal lock won't let you use a RAM to improve reset, and the thumb safety has a soft detent while being unnecessary due to the design.
Quality is also inconsistent, my early model 9c came perfect, shoots perfect, reset is as good as newer models with a RAM, although the finish wore easily and I got a little pitting on the slide. My 9pro came with a better finish, upgraded trigger that had a better break but had way more grit and a softer reset than my compact, also hit way low with the stock sights, and the barrel was horribly finished, rough chattered rifling, and deep tool marks on the outside of the breech. My brothers newer compact was fine, his newer 45 has pretty much 0 reset feel. My sister's standard 9mm has an average grit to the trigger, although it felt heavier than normal, and the slide felt a bit tight. I like the M&P, it won me a couple matched, carries well and is easy to shoot(my wife carries the 9c now), I do have plenty other pistols to compare it to, but personally prefer the SF GLOCKs with a bit of polishing and a heavier trigger assist spring, as time goes on, I just shoot them better, and find them a bit wider, but just as comfortable.
The mushy 6# break is made a bit lighter, but crisper and smoother with a reshaped sear, pro-shop sear or Apex unit, all pretty much accomplish the same thing. The reset is due to a light trigger spring at a weak angle pulling the trigger bar back into alignment with the sear more than 2" away from the spring, where the XD/XDM uses the spring to push the bar up with better mechanical advantage, GLOCK is the king of trigger reset with the connector itself acting as a leaf spring to snap back in front of the trigger bar. The only way to help make the M&Ps reset better is with an Apex RAM unit, a small plunger and spring that mounts in the empty internal safety hole to put pressure on the bar directly near the sear face, makes it better, but still far short of GLOCK's system. The optional safeties work, but can be annoying, the mag safety requires you to use a tool with the lever to disassemble instead of simply pulling the trigger, the internal lock won't let you use a RAM to improve reset, and the thumb safety has a soft detent while being unnecessary due to the design.
Quality is also inconsistent, my early model 9c came perfect, shoots perfect, reset is as good as newer models with a RAM, although the finish wore easily and I got a little pitting on the slide. My 9pro came with a better finish, upgraded trigger that had a better break but had way more grit and a softer reset than my compact, also hit way low with the stock sights, and the barrel was horribly finished, rough chattered rifling, and deep tool marks on the outside of the breech. My brothers newer compact was fine, his newer 45 has pretty much 0 reset feel. My sister's standard 9mm has an average grit to the trigger, although it felt heavier than normal, and the slide felt a bit tight. I like the M&P, it won me a couple matched, carries well and is easy to shoot(my wife carries the 9c now), I do have plenty other pistols to compare it to, but personally prefer the SF GLOCKs with a bit of polishing and a heavier trigger assist spring, as time goes on, I just shoot them better, and find them a bit wider, but just as comfortable.
I think I'm one of the bigger M&P whores on this board, with 6 of them (9TB, 9c, 9CORE, 40, 40c, 45TB), so take what I say with a grain of salt, but I think they are certainly one of the nicer polymer-framed guns on the market now... The gun is very comfortable to shoot, a natural pointer, and the easiest of my (non .22LR) handguns to shoot fast.
The biggest downside IMO is the trigger, though I think that issue is overblown by many. It is acceptable for 90% of shooters out of the box. If you make only one change, it should be to add an APEX RAM to define better the trigger reset point. Second on my list of changes is polishing the striker block safety... that takes most of the grit out of the trigger. You can also buy a polished one from APEX, but it's so damned easy to do yourself, I'm not sure it's worth paying for the part.
An APEX sear is also nice, though not really needed and probably not recommended for beginners or those who do not shoot often. I say that because the much shortened reset increases the chance of accidental shooter-induced doubling (yes, I've seen it happen). That said, all of mine have APEX sears, or sears I cut myself. The M&P Pro Series guns have a pretty nice sear out of the box... cut like the APEX hard sear for overtravel/reset, but has a higher pull weight.
If you have any specific questions, please feel free to ask... there's tons of collective experience with these guns on this board.
The biggest downside IMO is the trigger, though I think that issue is overblown by many. It is acceptable for 90% of shooters out of the box. If you make only one change, it should be to add an APEX RAM to define better the trigger reset point. Second on my list of changes is polishing the striker block safety... that takes most of the grit out of the trigger. You can also buy a polished one from APEX, but it's so damned easy to do yourself, I'm not sure it's worth paying for the part.
An APEX sear is also nice, though not really needed and probably not recommended for beginners or those who do not shoot often. I say that because the much shortened reset increases the chance of accidental shooter-induced doubling (yes, I've seen it happen). That said, all of mine have APEX sears, or sears I cut myself. The M&P Pro Series guns have a pretty nice sear out of the box... cut like the APEX hard sear for overtravel/reset, but has a higher pull weight.
If you have any specific questions, please feel free to ask... there's tons of collective experience with these guns on this board.
True, but have you shot a G21? The grip is HUGE to the point of being uncomfortable... and I have very big hands. I got rid of mine, in part, because of that.
The M&P45 strikes a nice balance IMO, and if you want higher capacity, the factory extended 14 round mags are readily available. Granted, extended mags are not the greatest solution if you are carrying, but it works well for a nightstand gun.
If you are talking about swapping parts, it is very easy to do yourself. APEX has some youtube videos walking you through the process. If you are talking about cutting your sear, then take it to a pro.
- Aug 17, 2011
- 26,172
X2
I've done both of my M&P's myself at home. The .45 has a verified 3.5# pull weight. The 357SIG hasn't been verified, but it's safely in the 4-4.5# range.
The Apex videos are simple to follow and readily available on YT.
TomisinMd
Ultimate Member
I shot a friends and it felt very nice. Trigger wasn't much of an issue for me as I'm not a competition shooter. I did shoot it at 50 ft and was consistently putting it in 8" or less. I'd say rent a few of them and see how it feels to you before doing anything.
i got a mp40 with the apex duty/carry sear kit. i'm thinking most should be able to install themselves as i was able to just by watching apex's video instructions. this drastically improved trigger feel, but i plan to change this out to the forward set trigger kit now. i got the 40 so i can also shoot 9s with a barrel/mag change which works flawlessly. i like this gun, but my only gripe is with the ambi slide lock. as a lefty, it just flexes without releasing. doesn't really matter however since i just release it like a glock with my index finger or slam a full mag in there & it releases by itself.
I'm (honestly) curious as to why you drew that conclusion. I'm a lefty and frankly a little finicky about it - I have a bit of work done to 1911s to make them more functional for a southpaw, and the fact that I can't reverse the Glock Gen 3 mag release sticks in my craw - but my 220, 229, and 239 never gave me any problems from that standpoint. Just curious about your experience.
In my opinion it is one of the best service sized handguns on the market today. I use the S&W M&P 22lr to train new shooters. Once they have learned the fundamentals I move them up to the 9mm.
The interchangeable back straps make the 9mm easy to fit to most shooters. The trigger is easy to customize if you prefer a service grade trigger vs. a target/competition trigger.
If it fits your needs by all means buy one, I will suggest that you look for the range kit. It comes with 3 magazines, a Blade Tech holster, Blade Tech double mag pouch, and a MagLula Up LuLa mag loader.
