Tag Archives: M&P

The Apex Tactical M&P Barrel: First Look

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jones-apex

Several weeks ago, Apex Tactical owner Randy Lee and I were talking on the phone and our discussion turned to new products  coming down the line from Apex.  One of the major items of interest to me was the “Apex Grade” 9mm barrel for the Smith and Wesson M&P. My association with Randy goes back a bunch of years.  I still have the early 2006 M&P that we used for the prototyping of the original Apex Hard Sear that started it all. Well, he prototyped, and I was the ape that attempted to break it.  As the conversation evolved, some hints might have been dropped, and a semi-drop in barrel arrived at my door about three weeks ago. Continue reading →

A Week with the M&P Shield

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Ok, in reality it has been a few weeks with the M&P Shield, including a couple range days. I am generally a proponent of carrying as close to a full size service pistol as possible, even for off-duty/plain clothes work. But I also understand that there is reality, and sometimes it is just too impractical to attempt to conceal a Glock 19 and still be appropriately dressed. In this role, and that of a second gun, the M&P Shield is certainly a viable choice. Continue reading →

Glock 17 vs. M&P 9?

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Glock 17 RTF vs. S&W M&P 9
A couple days ago, the Vuurwapenblog responded to GunNuts Media blogger Shelley Sargent’s question: Why the M&P?. Shelley eloquently highlights some of the advantages of the M&P over the Glock, including truly ambidextrous controls, interchangeable backstraps to accommodate different sized hands, and location of manufacture.
I own both, and having put many rounds through multiple copies of both models (and with all due respect to Shelley, whom we at 10-8 hold in high regard,) I have to side with the Vuurwapen blogger on this one, mainly due to the accuracy issues of the M&P 9mm. With nearly any box stock Glock 17, I can hold better than three inches at 25 yards using factory ammunition. With most M&Ps, my groups at the same distance using the same ammunition is around eight inches.
To add insult to injury, most M&Ps come with nearly unusably bad triggers out of the box. The end user must either send the pistol back to the S&W Performance Center for a sear upgrade, or purchase the excellent Apex Tactical Hard Sear to have a pistol with a decent trigger. Glocks consistently come with workable triggers right out of the box.