M&P reveals new compact version to compete with G19

[carguychris]

I'm surprised and a bit disappointed that it's larger than the "1.0" Compact.

While I understand the marketing reasons behind the 15rd magazine, the pistol would have been more versatile had S&W maintained the shorter grip length and accommodated the extra rounds with a small grip sleeve.

 

[Fishbed77]

I personally am not bothered at all by the hinged trigger. I read about more people who hate the trigger blade safety on the Glock, PPQ, VP9, XD, etc. SIG tried to please everyone with the P320 trigger and we know how that ended up.

I still don't understand why more manufacturers (even Walther with the PPQ) don't use the the trigger design of the Walther P99AS. Rather than a blade or lower part of the trigger, the whole face of the trigger is hinged, so you are left with a normal-feeling trigger face. The fact that you are manipulating a trigger safety is completely imperceptible when firing.

It serves the same role as the bladed or hinged trigger - to prevent inertia (or some other force that is not a finger squeezing the trigger) from moving the trigger and causing a discharge. And it obviously works, as the P99 has been using this design for 20 years now.

 

[zincwarrior]

There may be IP issues for one. Me personally, I could see an S&W with hinged trigger, but just with a less severe curve.

 

[wild cat mccane]

Fish is on the to something. The P99 trigger doesn't have the dingus because the part that does the same thing on the opposite side of the trigger face.

The dingus/P99 is required, but I really doubt the dingus stops an accident because clothes, holsters, fingers just barely missed depressing the dingus.

The hinged trigger is on the FN? Yeah. Their pistol could be good (they aren't the best), but it's a pretty obscure pistol and it isn't good because the hinged trigger.

Final thoughts, M&Ps are cheap. I wouldn't spend PPQ/Glock/VP9 prices for one. Ever.

 

[TunnelRat]

I really doubt the dingus stops an accident because clothes, holsters, fingers just barely missed depressing the dingus.

The primary purpose of the tabs on those triggers is to function as a drop safety, not to stop an inadvertent press. The idea is that the dingus itself can never achieve the momentum required to drive itself to the rear from a drop alone and if the dingus doesn't depress the trigger cannot travel to the rear and discharge the firearm. Some companies have gotten around this, i.e. Walther with the P99, and some have tried to get around this without the best results, i.e. SIG with the P320 and the first Ruger SR pistols.

The hinged trigger is on the FN? Yeah. Their pistol could be good (they aren't the best), but it's a pretty obscure pistol and it isn't good because the hinged trigger.

Never said it was good because of the hinge nor did I say the FN was the best. I merely pointed out S&W isn't the only company using that design.

 

[OhioGuy]

Shaving 1/4 inch off the barrel and maybe 1/2 inch off the grip and voila! A whole new gun! I honestly thought the previous compact was a much better size and sufficiently different from a full-sized Model to warrant owning a second gun. This (and the G19) are hardly small guns. Looks like they are clearly targeting the G19 here, so I wonder if they will have a Subcompact competitor to the G26 when the Gen 5 version is released?

I also have a hard time imagining carrying that 2.0 coarse grit sandpaper texture against my skin...

Still I'm a fan of the 2.0 and would seriously look at one if a Subcompact were to be released.

 

[Spats McGee]

Very cool but I still think the G19 G5 is a more refined gun.

Now there's a sentence I never expected to read.

Seriously, though. I'm kind of excited about this. I'm not in the market for another mid-sized polymer pistol right now, but this one could be a serious contender if I ever am. When I was last looking, the G19 was just a better balance of features than the M&Ps. That may not be the case with this one.

 

[RUT]

>>I have been reading conflicting reports on the accuracy of the 2.0. Some are accurate, others shoot a few hundred rounds and become wildly inaccurate.<<

Hopefully Hickock45 will be doing a review soon, then we'll know.

 

[OhioGuy]

I'm curious, does anyone carry the current 2.0 IWB?

I carry an XD Mod.2, whose texturing is pronounced but not aggressive, and after a time can start to irritate my skin unless I have an undershirt behind it.

The grip on an M&P 2.0 leaves hash marks on my palms after shooting it--has anyone experienced carrying this grip up against their skin? I think I could coat my hands in Vaseline and still shoot the 2.0, but that doesn't necessarily mean it's good for carrying

 

[Uncle Malice]

Hopefully Hickock45 will be doing a review soon, then we'll know.

He did back in like... January or February. It's good to go.

 

[gglass]

>>I have been reading conflicting reports on the accuracy of the 2.0. Some are accurate, others shoot a few hundred rounds and become wildly inaccurate.<<

Hopefully Hickock45 will be doing a review soon, then we'll know.

I've owned just about every version, caliber and flavor of the M&P family, and even a couple of the m2.0 versions.

I can say with all sincerity that I have no clue what rumor you are repeating. I have seen nothing like what you are describing in any of my M&P's or the dozens that I've worked on for others.

Maybe this rumor started on the GlockTalk forums?

 

[zincwarrior]

Pistol forums has several threads on potential 2.0 issues when they first came out.

 

[carguychris]

I honestly thought the previous compact was a much better size and sufficiently different from a full-sized Model to warrant owning a second gun... I wonder if they will have a Subcompact competitor to the G26...?

After my previous post, I began to wonder the same thing.

In AWB states, the previous M&P9c "1.0" required a special 10rd magazine since the its normal capacity was 12 rounds, while the M&P40c and M&P357c were right at the 10rd limit. However, it's no secret that sales of .40 S&W and .357 SIG pistols have faltered recently, while 9mm sales have burgeoned (case in point: the M&P357 line was completely dropped from the S&W retail catalog several years ago).

A smaller M&P 2.0 Subcompact tailored precisely to 10 rounds of 9mm probably makes more marketing sense than a slightly larger pistol tailored to 10 rounds of .40 S&W; it would be more attractive to buyers in restrictive states, and S&W would not need to manufacture 2 styles of 9mm magazine for the same pistol.

The M&P 2.0 Subcompact may cannibalize some sales from the Shield, but the Shield is such a runaway bestseller that S&W may find this to be no great loss in the big picture. Likewise, competing head-to-head with Glock isn't necessarily a bad thing.

On a related note, the new 2.0 9mm Compact is likely to make buyers in Colorado happy; due to that state's 15rd limit, M&P 9mm buyers were reportedly upset at having to choose between the 12rd M&P9c and having to use 10rd AWB magazines in the full-size.

 

[TunnelRat]

A smaller M&P 2.0 Subcompact tailored precisely to 10 rounds of 9mm probably makes more marketing sense than a slightly larger pistol tailored to 10 rounds of .40 S&W; it would be more attractive to buyers in restrictive states, and S&W would not need to manufacture 2 styles of 9mm magazine for the same pistol.

I wonder how much AWB states figure in to overall product development.

On a related note, the new 2.0 9mm Compact is likely to make buyers in Colorado happy; due to that state's 15rd limit, M&P 9mm buyers were reportedly upset at having to choose between the 12rd M&P9c and having to use 10rd AWB magazines in the full-size.

S&W makes 15 rd magazines for the M&P fullsize. I know friends in Jersey that have them. I don't think they're overly available, however.

 

[Brownstone322]

I honestly thought the previous compact was a much better size and sufficiently different from a full-sized Model to warrant owning a second gun. This (and the G19) are hardly small guns. Looks like they are clearly targeting the G19 here, so I wonder if they will have a Subcompact competitor to the G26 when the Gen 5 version is released?

Oddly, I always felt the opposite. I've always thought the G17/19/26 defined the three basic sizes and that S&W missed the mark: The full-size barrel was a little short (more like a 1911 Commander), and the compact was too short in both axes (I needed the pinky-extender mag to hold it comfortably). To me, the 1.0 compact was a 'tweener (neither compact nor subcompact), and I got a Glock 19 instead. Glock just gets this right.

So I've always wondered why S&W didn't just follow the Glock size templates, as the M&Ps are sufficiently different in other respects. (SIG understood this and did exactly that with the P320 line.) So, again, to me, the new M&P compact is the size it ought to have been from the first day. If S&W follows through with a subcompact as you suggest, then they'll be offering the sizes I would have originally mandated had I been in charge (and I oughtta be, 'course ).

 

[carguychris]

I wonder how much AWB states figure in to overall product development.

Same here, but I think it makes sense for gunmakers to be taking it into consideration at some level.

Recent marketing trends suggest that buyers like smaller pistols, which provides gunmakers with a reason to make pistols no larger than they need to be, and various legal limits on round counts make convenient cutoff points.

S&W makes 15 rd magazines for the M&P fullsize. I know friends in Jersey that have them. I don't think they're overly available, however.

I think the problem was that S&W didn't catalog an M&P9 FS with 15rd mags at the time, so CO big-box sporting goods retailers only stocked the 10rd version, and shooters resented being stuck with 10rd mags they didn't want.

From what I see on the S&W website, S&W still doesn't catalog an M&P 2.0 9mm with 15-round mags; they just sell the 15-rounders separately in their online store.

 

[OhioGuy]

After my previous post, I began to wonder the same thing.

In AWB states, the previous M&P9c "1.0" required a special 10rd magazine since the its normal capacity was 12 rounds, while the M&P40c and M&P357c were right at the 10rd limit. However, it's no secret that sales of .40 S&W and .357 SIG pistols have faltered recently, while 9mm sales have burgeoned (case in point: the M&P357 line was completely dropped from the S&W retail catalog several years ago).

A smaller M&P 2.0 Subcompact tailored precisely to 10 rounds of 9mm probably makes more marketing sense than a slightly larger pistol tailored to 10 rounds of .40 S&W; it would be more attractive to buyers in restrictive states, and S&W would not need to manufacture 2 styles of 9mm magazine for the same pistol.

The M&P 2.0 Subcompact may cannibalize some sales from the Shield, but the Shield is such a runaway bestseller that S&W may find this to be no great loss in the big picture. Likewise, competing head-to-head with Glock isn't necessarily a bad thing.

On a related note, the new 2.0 9mm Compact is likely to make buyers in Colorado happy; due to that state's 15rd limit, M&P 9mm buyers were reportedly upset at having to choose between the 12rd M&P9c and having to use 10rd AWB magazines in the full-size.

I actually find the Glock 26 to be a very flexible platform. It isn't my favorite gun, as I've preferred the ergonomics of most other brands--entirely a personal preference. But the barrel and sight radius are plenty long for defensive use, and the stubby grip actually allows a lot of flexibility in how you carry. Need to hide it under a snugger shirt, or tucked-in work clothes? The 10-rd magazine brings you a hair over 4" total height and it's easy to hide. Wearing more? Stuff that sucker with a G19 mag and grip extension. Now you're packing a G19 with a slightly shorter barrel.

I think a competing platform from S&W would actually be very appealing. As long as they're stealing Glock's specs, they may as well keep up the trend Would I swap my Mod.2 subcompact for an M&P 2.0 with the specs of a G26? I really think I would!

And I hadn't thought about the marketing aspects of designing one platform that suits multiple states. (And thank goodness that enlightened states limit round counts...I feel far safer knowing that)

 

[Nakanokalronin]

I've read countless posts over the years that are something like "I wish they'd make a G19 sized M&P." I'm sure this will sell well.

 

[Brownstone322]

I've read countless posts over the years that are something like "I wish they'd make a G19 sized M&P." I'm sure this will sell well.

I think you're correct. As I said a few posts up, I don't think the original M&P compact was ever the right size, and now it is.

 

[Sharkbite]

None at any of the distributors i called today. I guess I'll have to wait a cpl weeks to get my hands on one.