S&W Aims for Military, Police Market with .40-Cal. Pistol
by John C. Krull
Gun Week Production Manager
In this country we used to have traditions, beliefs and standards that we were all held to, were expected to abide by, and held them to be true. Some were enforced as rules or laws. Others were just things you did because it was right or morally correct.
One of those standards or traditions was that our police officers and our military carried a sidearm produced in this country. At one time, many police forces and law enforcement agencies, including the one I used to work for, only allowed their personnel to carry either a Colt or Smith & Wesson (S&W) handgun. Later Sturm, Ruger was added to that mix.
Then somewhere, that tradition was lost. The idea that you carried a sidearm designed and manufactured in our country went down the tubes.
Now, don’t get me wrong. I’m not saying the guns now carried by our law enforcement officers and federal agents or by the military are bad. Many of them are perfectly good firearms and do what they are meant to do. They are the SIGs, the Glocks and the Berettas. But, we have lost that tradition that most Gun Week readers will remember—of the cop on the beat who carried his Colt, S&W or Ruger. Of course, we all are familiar with the government model 1911 Colt .45 ACP pistol that so many of us carried during the time we served our country in the military.
So, it is with great joy that through this article I get to announce to you that S&W (2100 Roosevelt Ave., Dept. GWK, Springfield, MA 01102; phone: 800-331-0852; on-line: www.smith-wesson.com) is making a valiant effort at taking back both the police/law enforcement and the military handgun market with a totally new pistol design called the Military and Police (M&P)—a name that harks back to the Model 10 revolver.
Back in November 2005 I received a press release on a new handgun that Smith was introducing. I don’t usually get too excited over a new gun because so many of them are just the same old thing with a new barrel length or a new finish. But, this was something to get excited about!
Factory Visit
I placed a call looking for more information and to see about getting a sample for test and evaluation. I had made the call at just the right time and was invited to Springfield, MA, for a writer’s seminar to be held in early December devoted exclusively to a presentation on Smith’s new introduction into the market. So after checking with Joe Tartaro on the Gun Week print schedule and hoping I still had enough vacation time left to use, I was booked to attend.
There were 13 writers at this seminar. Some I already knew. Others I was glad to meet, and some of whom I have spent considerable time with since. We all arrived on a Wednesday night and met for dinner. The real meat of the seminar started the next morning at the S&W Shooting Sports Center. This is a real state-of-the-art shooting facility. They have classrooms, ranges and even a complete S&W store. The other writers and I did get to visit the store during lunch. To gun writers a gun store is often like a candy store to a child.
The morning was spent in going over the research and development that S&W had put into the design of the M&P. This was presented by Joe Bergeron, the S&W handgun product manager. From the information imparted to us about the M&P, it is and has been a well thought-out project from the beginning with input from numerous sources—law enforcement, military and civilian.
The testing that has been done far exceeds any testing that I could hope to do with my sample. The S&W staff shot thousands of rounds during evaluation. Several types of both Federal and Winchester ammunition were fired during testing.
Range Time
After lunch we were issued our individual samples of the M&P. We were going to shoot the sample M&P pistols on the range that day, and they would later be shipped to us for further test and evaluation on our home ranges.
We were allowed sufficient time and ammo to shoot up several hundred rounds each from almost any yardage that we desired. While I have always been prejudiced in favor of almost any 1911-style .45, both for its natural feel and superb caliber, the M&P rivals the 1911. The M&P certainly feels right. It points right and is a natural for coming back on target after recoil.
That day I did shoot in excess of 200 rounds at Smith’s range. I not only enjoyed every shot, but I also wasn’t worn out or tired after the shooting session.
We had to end our time on the range in order to get to the Springfield Armory Museum, which is located not far from Smith’s range. We got a fantastic behind-the-scenes tour of guns on public display and, better yet, the guns not on display. It was hard to comprehend the historical context of what they have stored in this building or to even calculate the value of the firearms and their accoutrements. This made a great day even better, if that is possible.
Specifications
The M&P has a polymer (Zytel) frame with an embedded stainless steel rigid chassis system. This chassis system helps reduce torque, thus reducing felt recoil.
The stainless steel slide and barrel are through-hardened. They have a black Melonite finish that yields a surface hardness of 68 HRc.
There is no manual safety, but rather a sear deactivation lever which also aids in safe disassembly without having to press the trigger. The trigger operation is double-action-only (DAO) and has a consistent pull of about 6 pounds. This took some getting used to. After training for years with all autos that have a safety that has to be deactivated before firing, it does take a bit of retraining to get used to the idea that you don’t have to take the safety off.
The M&P is 7.5 inches from front to back. From the bottom of the inserted magazine to the top of the Novak sights it measures 5.5 inches. The width of the M&P will vary depending on which of the 3 palmswell grips you have installed at the time, from 1.168-inch with the smallest grip to 1.393-inch with the largest. All three palmswell grips are included with each M&P pistol. These grips can be exchanged easily without any tools and make the M&P fit shooters with large or small hands. The weight of the M&P is 24.25 ounces empty, but then who carries an empty gun? With a loaded magazine (15 rounds), you have to add another 11.6 ounces, depending on the bullet weight—for a total of 35.85 ounces.
The M&P has an ambidextrous slide stop. This, along with the versatility of being able to switch the magazine release from left to right, makes this firearm well adapted for left or right-handed shooters.
As Joe Tartaro and others will tell you, I have never personally seen any reason for the development of the .40 S&W caliber ammunition. I’ve heard the stories and the rationale. I just don’t accept them. At present, the M&P is chambered only in .40 S&W, with 9mm and .357 Sig following soon. The magazine capacity is 15 rounds for both the .40 caliber and the .357 Sig and 17 rounds for the 9mm, plus one in the chamber in all three cases. For those of us average citizens who live in the states of New York, New Jersey, California, Massachusetts, and any other anti-gun Gestapo states, 10-round magazines are shipped with the pistols.
Sights
The stock sights that come on the M&P are a front steel ramp in a dovetail mount. The rear sight is a steel Novak Lo-Mount Carry sight. These have white dots for easy sight alignment. As a substitute, Trijicon Tritium sights are an option. These are the sights I requested be installed on my M&P sample and I have been quite happy with their performance.
A feature of tritium sights that no one ever seems to realize is that they can be used to locate a gun in the dark. I have done this for years now with my backup gun, an NAA Guardian that has tritium sights and sets on top of my dresser every night. I first noticed this one night when going to the bathroom in the middle of the night in the dark. So, these Trijicon sights can be useful for more than just for aiming.
To end the day at Smith & Wesson we were treated to an elaborate dinner at the Basketball Hall of Fame in the evening.
Factory Tour
Before we had to catch our planes back to our homes, on that December Friday we were driven to the factory for a tour. It had been my dream years ago to retire at 40 years of age and just spend the rest of my days going around the county doing things like factory tours. Well, I’ve made it to a few factories, but still haven’t been able to retire.
At the factory, we got to see many different phases of production on barrels, cylinders and frames. I don’t know if Smith gives private tours or not. But, if you ever get the chance to tour their facility, go for it.
I was especially amazed by the new machines that take in a rod of steel, (and that is all it can be called), and aided by computer turn out a finished revolver cylinder. While technology is great and possibly more accurate, the machines have caused a reduction in force of the employees needed at the 153-year-old firearms manufacturer.
Range Time
Here in the Buffalo, NY, area we don’t have any clubs that have ranges that can handle any thing other than target loads with lead bullets. This wasn’t exactly the type of shooting we needed to do. So, we had to drive the 43 miles out to my outdoor range at Erie County Conservation Society. The day seemed fine until the snow started. Now, we have had an unusual winter in Buffalo this year with little or no measurable snowfall. So this day, a little snow decided to become a blizzard. As you will see from the photos, we were bundled and gloved up for warmth. While it is hard or impossible to load the magazines for the M&P with gloved hands, it is no problem at all to shoot the M&P while wearing gloves.
I also wanted to see how easy it was for a novice to become familiar with the use of the M&P. My friend, Claudia Garrigues, had come with me this day and did end up doing more shooting than I did. Claudia has only been shooting for the last couple of months, but has quickly become a pretty good shot. She had a good instructor. From her performance with the M&P it shows that it is a gun that can quickly be learned by a new shooter, and it is also very welcome in the hands of an experienced shooter. (See Claudia’s squirrel target photo.)
Ammunition
We used ammo from three manufacturers. Like at the factory, we tested the gun with variants from Federal and Winchester, but we also used a large quantity of Black Hills ammo. I did ask at the factory why they only used Federal and Winchester and not anything from Black Hills, which is a major player in the ammo field. I didn’t really get a satisfactory answer, but they said they would consider it.
One test, other than accuracy, was to load a magazine with a complete mixture of ammo from all manufacturers with all different bullet weights and powder charges. There were no malfunctions at all. The M&P seems to like everything that you feed it.
It was a toss-up between the Federal 180-grain Hydra-Shok and the Winchester 180-grain SXT ammo as to which I will carry in it. Both printed about the same on the target and so could be interchanged in use.
One very important feature that I have left out until now is the integrated equipment rail on the lower front part of the frame. This rail is molded as part of the frame. It can be used to mount illumination or a laser sighting device, and actually I believe that there is at least one that does both. This may give you a problem or limit your selection of holster, but then there is also available a carrying case for a light unit that goes on your belt.
The factory did provide us with an M3 Tactical Illuminator by Insight (3 Technology Dr., Dept. GWK, Londonderry, NH 03053; phone: 877-744-4802; on-line: www.insightlights.com) for us to try on our samples. This light simply slides onto the rail and locks into position. It has a rocker-type switch that can be activated either by your trigger finger for momentary or constant on, or you can use your support hand to turn it on. Boy, things have sure come a long ways since I wore a uniform. I carried a 5 “C” cell MagLight with me to see in the dark. The M3 uses two of the 3-volt lithium batteries. Be sure to carry extras.
About the only thing left to discuss is how to carry this bad boy. We have two options at hand. The first that I thought about was the typical everyday fanny pack holster, with the hook-and-loop breakaway front for fast acquisition. I have a really nice leather fanny pack of this type and wear it when I am dressed in such a way or am attending such an event that no one would ever know that I am carrying a gun. The fanny pack does distribute the weight well and also allows for the carry of several additional magazines and even has room for the M3 light attachment. I don’t know who made it or even where I got it, but probably at a gun show several years ago.
The second option for carrying the M&P is a holster from BlackHawk Products Group (4850 Brookside Court, Dept. GWK, Norfolk, VA 23502; phone: 800-694-5263; on-line: www.cqcholsters.com). The CQC (Close Quarters Concealment) holster is a carbon fiber holster that is molded for a specific gun. In this case the holster was actually made to accommodate a Glock Model 20, but it fits the M&P like a glove.
The holster incorporates the Serpa active retention system. The gun locks into the holster and a release must be pressed on the side of the holster for the gun to be drawn. At first I wasn’t too sure about this. The day that the holster arrived at my door I decided to wear it around the house that night. It was very comfortable and with several practice draws during the evening I found the Serpa technology had become second nature in no time at all.
Another important feature of the BlackHawk holster was that with it being a molded holster it doesn’t close up when you draw your firearm, so re-holstering is no problem at all. It can be done with one hand the way it should be.
So I will assume that any holster that will hold a Glock 20 will also work for the M&P.
So by now you should be pretty much able to figure that I do like the new M&P and hope that many more police agencies adopt it as their regulation duty gun as one department already has. It would be great to see the military carrying an American-made pistol again. I still think the 1911 is the best pistol ever produced, but will accept the M&P as number two. The M&P will also make a good self-defense firearm on the hip of any civilian.
Remember when you are talking with any of these manufacturers to tell them that John at Gun Week sent you.
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