S&W M&P40 Buy or Not

[CALSHOOTER]

I've been looking at the S&W M&P picture threads from its beginning to the latest thread. From what I've been reading it would seem that S&W M&P had haters at the start to big fans as the thread progressed, did S&W make changes to stop any malfunction such as feed, jams, etc. Can any M&P person give me some pros or cons. I'm thinking about buying the M&P40 and get a 9mm conversion for cheaper target practice at the range and maybe competition use.:confused:

[packinaglock]

I have the M&P 9c, .40c, & .40fs no issues with any of the three. I did get a 9mm fs barrel & 9mm fs mags from Midway. I'm supposed to be going to the range this coming Thursday to try out the 9mm parts in the .40fs

[Hogsgunwild]

I have the Shield 9MM, 9 FS, 9 C, 45 C and 45 midsize.

The Shield and 45s are awesome (for me). Very accurate and reliable.

The 9MM FS and compact will need aftermarket barrels before they do what I want but then they should be fine.

I rented the FS .40 S&W M&P twice. It happened to be the VTAC model. I was extremely surprised by how much I did not like it! I did not shoot it well at all. It seemed like a fight to get it to do what I wanted. I have owned a bunch of .40 cals and I did not expect it to be much different from my 45 M&Ps. There was a huge difference.

In all fairness to the .40 M&P, I am sure that if I were to give the gun some time and acclimate to it, I would shoot it well but I am just done fighting with guns that do not give me a good impression after a couple of range sessions. I fought with various models of Glocks (some worked better than others for me) for twenty years before I realized they were the wrong tool for me.

For whatever reason, I shoot the H&Ks and PPQ in .40 S&W very well.

Sounds like the .40 S&W M&P is a reliable platform but you should really try one out before you buy one.

[5cary]

We made a switch from Sigs to M&P .40's at my agency. After the 3 day transition training and a couple of range days I was completely sold. I now own a .40 FS and a .40c in addition to my agency issue weapon. I've been through two week long classes with the FS and close to 10k rounds total.

My personal FS has an Apex Duty kit. That's it. Never looked back. For me it just fits and works.

[cheapsandwich]

I also have the .40FS and compact. Not a lick of problem. My compact is fairly new but the FS has plenty through it.

[Adam556]

I've had mag related problems and my slide is starting to rust but mine is an older model. The rust problems were fixed. If you shoot it well pick it up. I'm looking for another because its a great pistol for me.

[5566]

I've had the full size .40 for two years and am happy with it. I also have the Storm Lake 9mm conversion and a few 9mm magazines and they work great.

[dwhitehorne]

I've got one of the first full size 40's. I haven't shot it much. Maybe 700 rounds of 40 and nearing 1000 of 9mm. Got a factory 9mm barrel a last year and it works fine. I replaced the factory rear night sight with a Heine plain black and put in a apex sear and was shocked at how my 25 yard groups tightened up. It is nice to be able to shoot 9 or 40 depending on what I have more of on hand.

I had a full size 9mm and go rid of it after I bought the 9mm barrel for the 40. I never really noticed any accuracy issues with the 9 or 40 at 25 yards. I probably can't shoot good enough to notice it though. If I can cover my groups with my hand at 25 yards, I feel pretty good. David

[shooterfpga]

i dont recall any issues with the m&p. theyve always functioned fine from my experiance and even better with the apex kits.

[gsxr-fan]

Have about 2000 – 2500 rounds through my S&W 40 FS. No issues. Buy with confidence

Be sure to factor in the cost of ammo before you make your decision; unless you reload, the 9mm is cheaper to feed over the long haul.

[Magic_Salad0892]

M&P is a good bet.

In .40 HK, and Walther are pretty much sure bets too. Glock too once the extractor thing gets settled completely.

Buy the Smith with confidence. I know a dude who has one, and has probably around 6 or 7k with it, and no malfs.

Actually he had a bad mag once, but I don't attribute that to the gun.

[RogerinTPA]

I have own the 9, 9c, 40, and 45, for 4 or so years now. I've been fortunate enough to not have any complaints that have been posted in the M&P Thread. The 9 has 18K+ rounds fired, the 9c has around 15K and most of those were trouble free rounds. The few exceptions was the striker channel was filled with red gooey primer residue when shooting Wolf ammo, causing light primer strikes. That's a hit on me for ammo selection (inexpensive training fodder), and never cleaning them, just added lube. After cleaning all that out, the gun was back in business. The 40 has over 10K, the 45 has around 7K. I love them all, but the the 40 is my favorite, followed by the 45. Unfortunately, with the cost of training and keeping proficient, the 9s get shot the most. I recently purchased another 9c, to use as my carry gun, and use the other one strictly for training. The triggers weren't too bad out of the box, but when Randy and Apex came along, I added their Hard Sear and striker block to all but the 45. Since adding these components, the guns shoot like Butter.

[DocGKR]

RogerinTPA speaks the truth. M&P's, especially in .40 and .45, work very well and have had few problems. I was involved with an LE agency M&P40 trial--the pistols ran extremely well and did not demonstrate any problems in the course of round counts in excess of 7,000 each for four pistols, all fired in under a week without any maintenance other than simple wipe down and lube after shooting each day. Up to this point, we have not seen any major problems yet with M&P40 & M&P45's--they just keep steadily improving. The Apex duty kits offer an improvement to the M&P trigger, but the stock triggers work OK out of the box and smooth up over 1000 shots or so. The M&P40 is the only .40 pistol I like--soft shooting, good ergonomics, easy to perform maintenance, works with a light attached, does not blow-up. Currently I am qualified on an M&P45, but an M&P40 w/ambi safety and Apex duty kit will be the service pistol I'll use if I ever go back to uniformed patrol duties again.

[jeep4life]

I say buy it

[Beat Trash]

My agency has been issuing the 9mm M&P since the first pre-production prototypes were sent out as T&E guns, along with non-disclosure agreements.

No issues. I personally own a couple of fs 9mm's, a 9c and a Shield.

I'm hearing that S&W has made changes to the 9mm FS barrels that address some of the accuracy issues that some newer produced guns have had.

I have no need for a 40 cal. But with that said, if I were to buy a .40 cal pistol, it'd be a M&P40.

OP, buy it....

[CALSHOOTER]

Thanks for all your posts on the M&P9/40. Time to test fire both at the indoor range, as it so happens they have new M&P's 9mm/40 on the rent racks and I have my name on the next 40 that comes in at the local shop. Thanks to all.:D

[gunrunner505]

I have an M&P 40 FS and it is an awesome piece. Accurate, excellent ergonomics, and dead nuts reliable. I've had zero malfunctions of any kind with mine.

Pick one up, you won't regret it.

[QuackXP]

The 40 FS is my primary HD firearm. Main reason I got it over it's primary competitors of Glock and XD was fit and felt recoil.

I also like that the M&P can be had in different configurations of manual safety, magazine disconnect, etc, etc.

It's not going to win any competitions in stock form. But It's going to be better than most shooters and will easily get the job done for it's intended purpose.

[The Dumb Gun Collector]

Mine has been excellent. It is the only .40 I care to own.

[arcticlightfighter]

Mine has been excellent. It is the only .40 I care to own.

Same here. I just bought (ordered) one. 8k rds of 180 gr. available so it seemed like a good idea.

[TCB]

I have a .40 and am running it with the 9mm barrel and mags. Nice to have options.... The APEX stuff makes these really shine. I shoot a 1911 in USPSA and would have no issues using the M&P in that or any other role.

[shootist1970]

I had a .40 sold it now have a M&P 45, both impressed the hell out of me, i'd take them both over ANY of the Glocks i've had.

S&W jamming rumors were with old Sigma's, the M&P is long strides ahead of those Sigma P.O.S.!!!

Both my M&P's have functioned flawlessly with any ammo i tried in them.

I like the fact i can grip their polymer handle tight and the handle doesn't squish around and fleax like on the Glocks i've had.

[RepeatDefender]

Mine has been excellent. It is the only .40 I care to own.

+1

I got mine because I love my other M&P's so much and for the fact that I can ALWAYS find 40cal even when I can't find ANY 9 or 45

[zimm17]

Love my M&P 40 and Shield .40. The Glocks are safe queens now. I'd get a M&P 22 for practice rather than a 9mm barrel and mags.

[LoneStarM1A]

I have 5 M&P 40's. I've only had to send one back for repair, but it was bad right out of the box, nothing insidious (trigger wouldn't reset about half the time on a 40 pro, sent it back and it has been 100% since).

The guns are as close to 100% reliable as you can get, in my opinion. The factory trigger is OK for duty but of course there are aftermarket options available who desire a different trigger. I've put about 10,000 rounds downrange through my various M&P .40's and have been very pleased in accuracy, reliability, speed, and ergonomics.

[Glock30]

I ditched my Glock30 for the M&P40 full size and I'm glad I did. Awesome gun. Feels great, very accurate and nice to look at.


I hate the fact that the mags are hard to find, at least locally. It comes with 2, but I've been on the hunt for at least 2-3 more. Hell, I'm on the hunt for the mid size MP45 (10+1) as we speak.

[kisskaren]

M&P40? shoot like a 9mm, buy it!

Here is my M&P45+ Apex + Talon Grip

[kisskaren]

Glock too once the extractor thing gets settled completely.

.

Recently I wanna purchase a G19 Gen4. Could someone tell me after "what date" Glock has replace the MIM extractor,so it is good to go.

[Dos Cylindros]

I carry the FS 40 every day at work. I love it, and actually prefer it to the G22 I spent the last 12 years carrying on duty. It fits my hand much better, and I like the grip angle better than Glock.

[majorleaguekennels]

I recently picked up a shield in .40, after 3 range trips and approx 500-600ish rounds through it, I have completely feel in love with this gun. I have been considering trying to get my hands on a .40 full size M&P. I currently own one in 9mm. I do not think you could go wrong with any of the M&P pistols no matter what frame size/caliber you choose. The ergonomics of the pistol sold me first on them, now the reliability of them has sold me second. The more i shoot them the better they shoot. I would say its a GO on the 40

[Singlestack Wonder]

If one examines the history of the M&P line on this site as well as others, as long as one is willing to install 3rd party manufacturer's parts, the M&P can be made to run in an acceptable manner.