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Babaganoosh

S&W M&P Pro in 40 a quick review.

By Babaganoosh, in Handguns

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Babaganoosh    192

Babaganoosh
Posted

I wanted a gun that I would be using for USPSA and Steel matches. I wanted something versatile and able to shoot major ammo for USPSA as well as be able to load a little lighter for Steel and for Production division in USPSA. This gun is to be dedicated to these games and not used for a self defense role. I have shot a few Glocks and never liked how it felt my hand. I like the XD /XDm line but I didn't want to pin my mags since the .40 comes with a 16 round mag. After dropping mags in the pits at CJ and OB I have had to clean many mags so this was a deal breaker for the XDM. I held a few M&P's and really like how they felt so I did a forum price request and decided on Bullseye Tactical Supply in Woodbridge. New store so wanted to take a look. Anyway here goes.

 

Comes in a sturdy case. I appreciate a nice case for some reason. Even though the guns don't usually stay or travel in them it's a nice touch.

 

IMG_20120213_154703.jpg

 

The gun comes with 2 magazines, 3 back straps and a chamber flag.

 

IMG_20120213_154649.jpg

 

 

 

I picked up the gun from Bullseye Tactical on Friday. I'll give a review of that later but long story short a +1 to them. I took it home and as I do with everything I ever buy I had it in parts within minutes. It comes apart very easily. Has a captive guide rod and spring which is nice for not launching your recoil spring across the room. I gave it a nice cleaning, an oiling and dry fired it around the house approx 100 times. Then it got put away until today because I had a busy weekend. Figures right?

 

IMG_20120213_153705.jpg

 

Fast forward to today. I have 100 rounds on me. Federal Ammo. 180 grain flat point. 985 fps muzzle velocity which would translate to a 177 power factor for us USPSA guys.

 

I setup 2 of my target stands and staked them down, windy as hell today. My first 2 mags got shot at some steel plates. If I remember correctly I had a lot of hits on the plates.

 

This is the first 10 rounds on paper at 7 yards. Kinda close but hey, it's the first few rounds with a new gun.

 

IMG_20120213_153913.jpg

 

This is my last 10 rounds from approx 10- 12 yards. Really surprised at the double and the triple. I'm out of practice.

 

IMG_20120213_153954.jpg

 

In 100 rounds no problems. I really only have experience shooting 9mm and .45. The snap on the .40 really is a different feeling then shooting the 9mm or the 45. It's not bad, but I definitely noticed the difference. The 5 inch barrel helps a bit. By the end of my 100 rounds I hardly noticed it. For me the ergonomics are great. I put the large backstrap on it. It points very well for me. Better than the Glock and on par with my XD, It is the most comfortable of the 3 to hold.

 

The fit and finish is nice. In another thread I read something about slide to frame fit issues, but it's pretty tight. Not as tight as my 1911 or Beretta but definitely as tight or tighter then my XD. Will it remain so after a few thousand rounds? The slide serrations are aggressive and I like it. Easy to rack. The slide release is very tough though. I'm not liking that. Not sure if it will break in some, if it's normal, or if there is a problem. You really have to mash it. I did notice that is you aggressively slam a full mag into it when you have the gun in slidelock it will release the slide forward. Is that supposed to happen? If you insert the mag slowly it doesn't happen.

 

Trigger is ok. I've heard and read about the M&P's having gritty triggers. It's not bad, but not great. There is a little more take up then I would like, but the actual trigger break isn't gritty at all. I am sure it will get better after a few hundred rounds once everything gets a little smoother internally. I will probably replace a few parts with some Apex parts in the next few months. Nothing major. Probably the Apex kit that is Production legal, They offer a kit with an overtravel stop that isn't Production legal but at the moment I don't see much overtravel anyway.

 

The only thing I don't like is the sights. I don't really like fiber optic sights. Those will def be replaced at some point. I don't like covering my intended target with a sight. The included sight is accurate though. The point of aim and the point of impact are the same. If you like FO sights then the sights are ready to go right out of the box for you. I just like a standard sight because I think it is a little more precise. In this next pic I did a few quick shots from the low ready position on a standard USPSA target. You can see the hit in the head. That was from approx 15 yards and was not a quick shot like the others. Right in the A-zone. That's not a big area and I hit it twice with ease. One of the hits it taped but you can see it. So the gun is accurate, and so are the sights. Just not a fan of FO is all.

 

IMG_20120213_145709.jpg

 

 

I know it's only 100 rounds thru it but I can say that overall I am happy with my purchase. The gun feels and shoots great. We will see about reliability in the coming year. I expect to put at least 10k thru it by this time next year. So time will tell. If you are on the fence on this gun I say go for it.

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Maksim    1,504

Maksim
Posted

Good review.

 

Don't worry about the tough slide release, besides do you actually use it during a match? I never do.

Yes, many guns will have the ability to slam the mag and the slide will close up. My Tanfo would do that, many glocks will too. Nothing worry about.

 

The fiber optic sight is pretty big on the m&p and I recall seeing that I wanted to replace the ones on the pro with Dawson/Warren instead, for a smaller fiber filament.

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Babaganoosh    192

Babaganoosh
Posted

Sidenote, the m&p pro 40 Long slide is not Production legal. S&W is slow to send in paperwork on it iirc.

 

Yeah I know. That's what was holding me back on buying it. I pmed Vlad about that approx a month ago for his opinion. Then I read that it should be Production legal around March/April. So I went and bought it.

 

Yeah the FO is pretty big. Def going to replace it.

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Anselmo    87

Anselmo
Posted

I consider the slide racking on a magazine insert to be a feature.

 

I love this grip: http://www.hoguestore.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=666_691&products_id=7330

 

It's not just a sleeve but locks in place and takes the place of the palm insert. Makes the grip about a medium to large but feels great.

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hiker88    22

hiker88
Posted

I'm curious with your choice of caliber. Why a .40 and not a 9mm if you're shooting production or steel? A .40 has more recoil and has no advantage in the production division. It's also more expensive to reload or as a factory ammo.

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triplecrown    1

triplecrown
Posted

Nice pickup. I picked up the .40 pro 4.25" barrel about three months ago. Only other difference is I have tritium night sights, not FO. A bit under 500 rounds and not a hiccup so far. The slide release is real tough on mine as well but like Maks said I hardly ever use it. As for slamming the mag home and the slide releasing, it is a listed feature in the manual I believe. I was really interested in dabbling in production uspsa and found that it's not on the production list. I contacted S&W and they said they havent reached the sales numbers yet for approval of making the list but will send the paperwork in as soon as it happens. I was given a late first quarter/early second quarter time frame. So far though I am quite impressed by this handgun.

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Maksim    1,504

Maksim
Posted

I'm curious with your choice of caliber. Why a .40 and not a 9mm if you're shooting production or steel? A .40 has more recoil and has no advantage in the production division. It's also more expensive to reload or as a factory ammo.

 

you can load 40 down to a perfectly mild load.

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Babaganoosh    192

Babaganoosh
Posted

I'm curious with your choice of caliber. Why a .40 and not a 9mm if you're shooting production or steel? A .40 has more recoil and has no advantage in the production division. It's also more expensive to reload or as a factory ammo.

 

I didn't really want to go with a .40 but it is very versatile when it comes to USPSA. I can shoot it in Limited or Limited 10 with major loads or shoot steel and Production with some minor loads. I use a chrono so my minor loads will still be approx 130-135 power factor. Not looking to make make sub minor loads.

 

It will have a benefit to me in Production and steel because I will be using the same gun for everything. The more practice I get with the same gun, the better I will be. Reloading 40 isn't much more than 9mm. It's certainly better than .45.

 

Who knows, I could end up with a M&P pro in 9mm too

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Babaganoosh    192

Babaganoosh
Posted

Cool! I'm shooting a glock 34 for production right now but I'll be trying out other platforms later this year. I definitely like the ergonomics of the M&P over the xD.

 

If you are in the area and wanna try out the m&p lemme know. Especially after I work up some minor loads

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lunker    274

lunker
Posted

Nice review. I just picked up a 9mm M&P. Looking forward to using it for USPSA.

 

On a side note, f&** .40 cal!

 

Seriously? Such a sophomoric comment.

 

Which many of us completely agree with. IMO, 40S&W is a gun games competition caliber because it meets an arbitrary power requirement imposed by gun games organizations. It is indisputably harder to shoot well than self defense/full power 9mm or 45ACP ammo, and offers negligible real world advantage in bringing down bad guys to quality 9mm/45ACP ammo (I will dig out studies if people start making a stink about the truth of this). It was a compromise within a compromise, born of necessity by small handed FBI agents.

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blksheep    466

blksheep
Posted

Which many of us completely agree with. IMO, 40S&W is a gun games competition caliber because it meets an arbitrary power requirement imposed by gun games organizations. It is indisputably harder to shoot well than self defense/full power 9mm or 45ACP ammo, and offers negligible real world advantage in bringing down bad guys to quality 9mm/45ACP ammo (I will dig out studies if people start making a stink about the truth of this). It was a compromise within a compromise, born of necessity by small handed FBI agents.

 

I agree. While most LE agencies in the state have gone to .40 with a few execptions i.e. NJSP, the 9mm offers comparable knock down power while the .45 offers greater.

 

From Wikipedia:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/.40_S%26W

 

And for trivia: What company beat S&W to the market with a weapon designed for their own round and was approved by the F.B.I. for agent use?

 

Answer: ?

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Babaganoosh    192

Babaganoosh
Posted

I agree with the F .40 cal comment to a degree as well. Outside of the gun games arena I personally have no use for the .40 cal cartridge. If I want a high velocity round I have my 9mm. If I want a round with more mass and a slower velocity I have a .45. I'm not a cop so I dont need it to meet any dept requirements. The reason I got it was it's ability to make both major and minor power factors for gun games.

 

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blksheep    466

blksheep
Posted

I would bet the majority of off-duties in the state are .40cal. Which makes sense as I bet most depts carry the .40. I am a huge advocate of practice with what you either carry normally or are familiar with. Muscle memory in a stress situation can be all the difference. With that said I carry 9mm for the following reasons.

 

1. Cheaper to practice with since I dont reload.

2. Faster follow up shots due to less muzzle flip.

3. Comparable ballistics in the rounds that I carry.

4. I like to be a little different.

 

I love the comments from other guys, "You only carry a 9?"

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Juddster    3

Juddster
Posted

I agree. While most LE agencies in the state have gone to .40 with a few execptions i.e. NJSP, the 9mm offers comparable knock down power while the .45 offers greater.

 

From Wikipedia:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/.40_S%26W

 

And for trivia: What company beat S&W to the market with a weapon designed for their own round and was approved by the F.B.I. for agent use?

 

Answer: ? Sig?

 

 

 

Sig?

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