Has the S&W M&P handgun become less popular?

[teddy12b]

I want to love the M&P, but I'm so deeply invested in glock mags it's tough for me to switch teams. I know glock owns the affordable, accurate, reliable 10mm market and I could see M&P coming out with an option in that realm that would really put a hurt on glocks strong hold. The glock 10mm's are definitely on the too big and too blocky side of things and I think the ergo's on an M&P could really put them over the top especially if they came out with a 5" hunting model with adjustable sights.

 

[WanderingSol07]

My next carry gun will be a Smith and Wesson M&P9 Shield 2.0 with night sights and no safety. I would like to rent and shoot the same in .45 ACP before buying the 9mm though.

 

[WebSnyper]

I want to love the M&P, but I'm so deeply invested in glock mags it's tough for me to switch teams. I know glock owns the affordable, accurate, reliable 10mm market and I could see M&P coming out with an option in that realm that would really put a hurt on glocks strong hold. The glock 10mm's are definitely on the too big and too blocky side of things and I think the ergo's on an M&P could really put them over the top especially if they came out with a 5" hunting model with adjustable sights.

Get an AR9 that takes Glock mags (I picked one up not that long ago)... helps ease the sting when needing to buy M&P mags.


Glocks are great guns, and in the current market, I'm not looking to offload mine yet, but I just seem to shoot the M&P 2.0 better than my Glocks, so I went with it.

The M&P is cheap enough to be able to experiment with it and see if you like it. I too am fairly heavily invested in Glock mags, but sometimes change is needed.

 

[gregkl]

I have come full circle since 7 years ago when I bought a FS M&P 9. Since then I have owned just about everything else it seems with the exception of Glocks. I have shot them and they aren't my cup of tea.

Now I am back to M&P with a recently purchased 2.0 Compact in 4". I'm replacing my CZ P10C as my "do everything" pistol.

Looking forward to getting some practice with it and then some training this fall.

I still have my Shield which I bought as a complement to my FS years ago, so I'm back to having 2 similar guns.

I did order 5 more mags today and ended up paying about $21 each including the shipping.

 

[DeadeyeChrista'sdad]

I've never had one. I think they're great products, but they just dont fit my hands.

 

[Dean C.]

Larry Vickers mentioned that red dots on pistols are going to be pretty common place very soon. He is forecasting this as not just a fad but eventually will be the new normal.

.

This right here, I just looked through Smiths website and only one M&P was milled for a red dot from the factory. I think now that people can get pistols RDS capable from the factory is a big deal right now as it eliminates a lot of the cost previously associated with having to send a gun off for milling and refinishing.

Hell I don't even really like Glocks but I have been looking really hard at a Glock 45 MOS to put an RMR on.

 

[NHT3]

Coach still sports a couple of M&Ps, maybe he's trying to corner the market.. I see a lot of them at the range and a friend just picked up a new one last week so I don't think an obit it necessary quite yet. I've owned several in the past and rate them with a Glock where reliability is concerned. Ergonomics are probably a little better on the Smiths but I've shot a Glock 19C for so long that I'm spoiled by the lack of recoil and they point naturally for me so that's what I carry and use in the Carry gun matches. PWD stipple also makes the grip much more friendly to my hand.

 

[Disposable Heart]

In terms of sales, the M&P really shined with the Shield, but the full size (and this is coming as a HUGE M&P fan myself and what I carry) never really blew up in LE or private markets.

Before everyone trying to transition back to 9mm, it provided a decent competitor to Glock, but Glock really flooded the LE market with lots of options, free parts, free holsters, free armorer training, etc... From what I've seen, Smith really didn't push as hard as they should have, given their extensive LE history. They were THE go to revolver (not Colt, not Ruger, but Smith) for LE, but they phoned it in with the M&P release to LE. When everyone was running to 9mm, they sold the Glocks and M&Ps cheap to the private market, but Glock pushed the 4th gen hard and won more than Smith.

When it comes to the civvie markets, Smith was slow to adapt to changes that the market wanted. Because the market is innundated with guns right now, people don't buy unless there is a massive technology shift (polymer pistols flooding the market when people were used to steel/alloy frames, high capacity mags in a low cap world, etc...) or a feature that is heavily plugged. Smith was slow to add factory red dot milling, Glock raced and got that quickly and really made it a common place item. While Smith was great with the interchangeable backstraps, most new buyers who were split between the M&P and Glock went Glock because of less expensive mags, more holster options and more aftermarket support. Smith knocked it out of the park with the Shield and Glock has spent LOTS of capital and R&D to develop the 42, 43, 48, 43X, etc... to catch up, but the huge drops in pricing for the Shield show that distributors want to lower inventory of the Smith guns that have been sitting on shelves now because of the new Glock line up being introduced.

Springfield is in a similar, but different boat: They have little to no LE contracts now with the XD (Detroit dropped the XD40 like a hot potato after striker retaining pin failures left and right, and departments that did buy bought in weird calibers like .45 GAP and .357 Sig, which they transitioned away from almost instantly), but the private market really liked the gun, despite detractors online. It's not a terrible private service arm, but not an ideal fleet service arm. The ergonomics, decent capacity, good accuracy made it a winner initially, but when they transitioned to the XDm and XD Mod 2, they jumped the shark. Their firm believed that if we add features that the market kinda likes, they'll keep buying XD. They didn't. The XDm sold well initially, then dropped HARD, the changes they made to the design were halfhearted (the dismal "adaptable grip plate" was a joke, the size increased and the "grip zone" was a marketing joke that I still cannot believe they released). The XDs was a mediocre competitor to the Shield, in terms of aftermaket support, holsters, performance and even price.

Sig has a bright future as they are working hard to compete with Glock. They have no competition, in my analysis, from Smith, who has seemed to just rest on laurels, make Performance Center versions of their guns that should have had the PC triggers made as standard production, etc... Sig has adapted quickly, their modularity system is really outstanding and offers police departments ALOT in terms of having flexibility in their armory and on the street. You can easily swap out a grip module and upper on your full size service arm to have a compact pistol for off duty or plainclothes carry, swap again and you have a subcompact for deep carry or for the "on the go" chief. They adapted to optic plates quickly and even offered a TON of their own accessories, such as red dots. But, they had their "red herring" with the early gens of the P250 as well, so they had their teething issues, but really cornered the new gun market aggressively with hard marketing, free stuff for departments (I have not heard anything on their armorer's courses, but then again, it's modularity allows you to just send in the failed part module and replace with another).

Smith knew, KNEW, their triggers compared to other striker guns wasn't 100% "there". But they continued, only with the marginal improvement with the 2.0 guns. You should not have to spend $100 extra dollars on your pistol for aftermarket parts to have the trigger of a competing design. I did the Burwell trigger job and its been 100% reliable and VERY nice, compared to even tuned striker triggers and didn't cost me anything other than some jewelers rouge and file time.

 

[SAILORGOLF46]

Well written thanks for taking the time.

 

[KWIndy]

I've had FS M&P 9, and 45 - Both have been very good shooters. I still have the 45 and have no plans to get rid of it, super soft to shoot. I also have a Shield that I shoot well.

 

[venenoindy]

M&P are fantastic handguns for the current price, if I wasn't committed so much to Glock I would be rocking multiple M&P's. The M&P compact is $200.00 less currently than a G19 gen 5 that alone is a steal not to mention you can buy a 5 inch 2.0 for $405.00 and in my opinion is one of the softest full size 9mm polymer handguns.

 

[Brad69]

I carry a 2.0 Compact with the 17 round magazine my version of a 19X and a Shield for lightweight carry much nicer than a Glock. I do have apex triggers in them seem to work great.

During classes that call for a full size pistol I use a Walther PPX because that’s the only full size auto I own. I am going to buy a Walther PPQ Q5 match with one of the RDS just to learn how to use a RDS.

 

[SmileDocHill]

I carry a 2.0 Compact with the 17 round magazine my version of a 19X and a Shield for lightweight carry much nicer than a Glock. I do have apex triggers in them seem to work great.

During classes that call for a full size pistol I use a Walther PPX because that’s the only full size auto I own. I am going to buy a Walther PPQ Q5 match with one of the RDS just to learn how to use a RDS.

Wait, I thought the main advantage of the 2.0 was not having to upgrade the trigger? I've never fondled one, are they "better but still not great"?

 

[gregkl]

Wait, I thought the main advantage of the 2.0 was not having to upgrade the trigger? I've never fondled one, are they "better but still not great"?

I have only one range session so far on my 2.0 Compact. At this point, I don't see the need to upgrade but I need a little more time before I make my final decision.

I do know that it is every bit as good as my CZ P10C is with or without the HBI trigger.

Some have issues with the hinged trigger. I'm going to run mine for awhile and see how it does.

I will probably put the Apex USB in though, especially if I decide to change the sights.

 

[Brad69]

I think the 2.0 trigger is a great improvement much better than a 1.0 or a Glock IMO. I do not like the reset on the hinged trigger and the apex kit makes it a unbelievable trigger for a little bit of cash.

 

[sloughfoot]

The M&P is popular in my household. First model with no mods. They work Everytime..

 

[justacog]

I really liked the M&P Pro CORE and have both .40 and 9mm, but they seem to have discontinued it for some reason. Suppressor height sights that co-witness and mounting plates with screws that actually work out of the box was a good first experience with RDS use over the Glock MOS. I'm hoping they are furiously working on a 3.0 product line to up their game, but I just hope they don't go down some proprietary route.
All that being said, my next carry gun will probably be the P365 if I don't hear any rumors of new SW products soon.

 

[deerslayer512]

It definetly seems like they have. XDs and glock slimlines have stole their thunder in the carry segment and sigs and long slide glocks have become a lot more popular in the competition gun segment. Hopefully i will find a deal on one, they feel great and the performance centers are just as smooth as any gun double the price

 

[Liberty Sanders]

​My S&W M&P's are all sixguns.

 

[SmileDocHill]

​My S&W M&P's are all sixguns.

We are mostly referring to the ones designed for Military and Police, sounds like yours are for Marshals and Pioneers.