M & P

[dab102999]

I was in a shop the oyher day and saw a used M & P 40 for under $300 with a couple of mags. Gun does not look like it has ever been shot. Very clean. I have a couple of older S&W's (3919, 5909, and 3919 lady smith) but the trigger on that M&P has me a little baffled. Is that the only safty on that gun???. How do these shoot and how reliable r they? I thought the price sounded real good. Expessially after looking at the new ones they had there.

Thanks.
Doug

[zincwarrior]

Other than to say look at Gunbroker.com to get a feel for the range of used prices I'll let others discuss the purchase part.

The M&P you're referring to can be found either with or without a thumb safety. It sounds like that one is the type without (and more popular). yes, absent the trigger safety there are no other triggers.

Shooting, they shoot fine for their barrel length. Mine is not as accurate as my Beretta and likely won't be as accurate as you revolvers which probably have longer barrels. Dissassembly is not bad. Again it dissassembles less easily than a SIG 226 or Beretta 92 but its not difficult.

Postive not easily noticed. The slide is actually stainless steel. I think (but am not sure at all) that the barrel is as well.

[Zhillsauditor]

the trigger on that M&P has me a little baffled. Is that the only safty on that gun???
Welcome to the 1990s. Seriously, Glock has been using the same safety since 1984.

What the trigger safety allows is for the trigger pull to be about 5-6lbs or so, much less than a revolver, which relies upon weighty DA trigger pulls as a safety. As with a revolver, if you don't want the gun to fire, don't pull the trigger.

[dean1818]

Id say buy it

Dry fire it first to make sure it functions, maybe even take the slide off if the LGS will allow it


I love my M&P

[ET.]

I own an M&P 40 Pro Series (5" barrel). It has quickly become my favorite polymer gun. I added a 9mm & a 357sig barrel. I don't burn as much money at the range with the 9mm ammo and also can load it with my favorite round...357sig, if I want to. It is a fine polymer weapon, although the 1911 platform is still my favorite. As to the safety question, my M&P doesn't have the thumb safety either, but I own & carrry Glocks that have that same setup so it isn't an issue with me. These guns are just as safe as any other gun as long as you keep your finger off the trigger.

A M&P40 for under $300 that is in like new shape is a deal I couldn't pass up, even though I already own one. Go for it.

[zincwarrior]

Remember, like a revolver, a good holster rig is very important for actual trigger safety as well as mental well being on worrying about the trigger issue.

[Mrgunsngear]

Is that the only safty on that gun???.

There's a drop safety/firing pin safety on the M&Ps along with the trigger safety.

For under $300, it'd be an awesome gun.

[dab102999]

Ya price wise I already figured that so I called and told him I would be by afterwork to get it....good thing momma got the last gun so this will be a little easier to sneak in the safe....

[carguychris]

[The M&P] likely won't be as accurate as you revolvers which probably have longer barrels.
The guns the OP talked about are 3rd-gen S&W "Traditional Double Action" (TDA) automatics. At least that's my assumption; S&W never produced a TDA model with a "9" as the last digit. This is probably a typo and the OP's guns are probably 3913s or 3914s, and a 5903, 5904, or 5906.

In my experience, an average M&P is more or less equally accurate as an average standard-production TDA, although the TDA will be slightly easier to shoot slow-fire due to the short and crisp SA trigger. Also, S&W has offered several highly accurized special TDA models which should easily outshoot an M&P. That said, where the M&P shines is rapid fire; the gun's very low bore axis, low felt recoil, and grip shape IMHO make it extremely easy to control. The only TDA models that equal it in this regard are the much heavier all-steel variants.
Dissassembly is not bad. Again it dissassembles less easily than a SIG 226 or Beretta 92 but its not difficult.
IMHO the M&P field-strips far more easily than a S&W TDA because you don't have to hold the slide partway back while removing and reinserting a takedown pin, the recoil spring is captive (i.e. held in place by retainers on the guide rod so it can't go flying), and there are no levers to depress during reassembly.

The only trick to disassembling the M&P is that you must deactivate the sear after rotating the takedown lever and before moving the slide forward off the frame. One way to do this is to pull the trigger, a la Glock. The other way is to rotate the little wire sear deactivation lever inside the ejection port using a tool; the manual recommends using the backstrap retaining pin, but various common household objects will suffice, and I usually use a cheap ballpoint pen. This only takes 5-10 seconds and is extremely simple; there are no other tricks. The sear deactivation lever is automatically reset upon insertion of a magazine after the pistol is back together. :cool:

[zincwarrior]

Yep I use an allen wrench (usually sitting by me as I am stripping buckmark's at the same time), a screwdriver, or just about anything actually, besides the grip retaining pin suggested by S&W.

[TunnelRat]

As with a revolver, if you don't want the gun to fire, don't pull the trigger.

Wait, what?! That's what I've been doing wrong all these years!! :D:D:D

[tahunua001]

Welcome to the 1990s. Seriously, Glock has been using the same safety since 1984.
welcome to 2012, a little later than the 90s but it is understandable how some people still get mixed up after an entire decade:D

glock may have been using this particular safety style on their guns since they opened up shop but S&W autos have not.

[carguychris]

glock may have been using this particular safety style on their guns since they opened up shop but S&W autos have not.
FWIW S&W TDA pistols have had a firing pin safety system somewhat similar to the Glock system ever since the introduction of the 2nd-gen TDAs in 1981. The M&P incorporates a nearly identical mechanism, although it acts upon the striker.

[9mm]

under $300???? I saw a used one for $650 with like 8 magazines.

[TunnelRat]

FWIW S&W TDA pistols have had a firing pin safety system somewhat similar to the Glock system ever since the introduction of the 2nd-gen TDAs in 1981. The M&P incorporates a nearly identical mechanism, although it acts upon the striker.

I believe they're referring to the trigger safety.

[carguychris]

under $300????
Yeah, I didn't mean to parrot the other posters, but IMHO under $300 is an absolutely killer smokin' deal. :D FWIW the cheapest I've ever seen a used M&P was $349, although the pawn shop offering it usually knocks off 10-15% if you offer cash. I didn't buy it because I already had one, it had the unpopular and uncommon mag disconnect, and it only came with a single mag.

FWIW extra mags for the M&P are a bigger deal than with some other pistols because there aren't very many unwanted spares on the secondary market and the aftermarket isn't selling them cheaply yet. In most places, the only option is to pay $35-$45 for factory mags, although some sellers are now offering them for ~$30ish if you can live without a package. (S&W sells them cheaper in bulk, but the bulk mags are apparently packed loose in a big box rather than in individual plastic retail packages.)
I believe they're referring to the trigger safety.
Same here, but the post implied that previous S&W pistols had no safeties other than the thumb safety. I felt it would be helpful to point out that this is incorrect. :)

[dab102999]

Sorry for the typo and good catch...yea 3913's. First one I bought new (first hand new handgun in 91') and the lady smith I just picked up a couple weeks ago for the wife. It was a package deal with the 590??. (I thought it was a 5909 but it might be a 5903) Looks exactly like my 3913...so as stated even though I have some revolvers these are not...and as far as the price I haven't seen one for this price either. Once I get it home I will try and post a pick. What really got me besides the bore looks so good the outside of the barrel still looks "new" blue. Not a scratch on it..And I would assume it don't take to many rounds thru it to start rubbing off some of the blue.

[Don P]

Is that the only safty on that gun???.

Don't forget the safety between your ears:eek:

[dab102999]

So i get to the lgs after work to look at it one more time. While looking at the tag I realised it was $390 not $300. The center 0 also looked like a 9. So i asked and he said ya $390. I said i had mis read the tag the other day and dont think i can do that. He tells me $350 is best he can do. Long story short i say yea what the heck. Its got a couple mags with it. He tells me to buy better glasses. It has 3-15 round mags, 1-10 round mag, a belt holster. And a hard case. So needless to say i think i did pretty good..so first part of week i go down and buy another purchase permit and pick it up at the end of the week. First gun in a long time that I cant wait to get in my hands again.

[TacticalDefense1911]

I think you will be happy with the M&P. I have started to switch over to the M&P platform after shooting and carrying the 1911 platform for a long time. I've found them to be quite accurate, even though the accuracy issues with the 9mm M&P are well documented (your .40 will be just fine). If you have a good gunsmith locally these guns respond well to a trigger job which will vastly improve its feel over the stock trigger. An Apex trigger kit would be another option if you don't have a gunsmith local and are slightly mechanically inclined. Reliability has been good as to be expected with a modern striker fire gun. Other than the complaints about the stock trigger and a few reports of weak ejection there are not too many gripes about the M&P across the board and I've found them to be a good gun for the money.

[LordTio3]

Don't forget the safety between your ears:eek:


That's where I tend to prefer my safeties to be. My M&P 9 has a magazine disconnect safety that I abhor.

An M&P 40 for under $300 that still comes with a barrel is a screaming deal.

~LT

[Mrgunsngear]

My M&P 9 has a magazine disconnect safety that I abhor.

Just take it out :D

Here's a how to video I did of how to do it:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MgVOn1jogEY&feature=g-upl

I apologize for fiddling with that stupid spring for about 5 mins :o

[LordTio3]

Just take it out ...

Yah... but's my carry weapon... legal troubles... Ayoob... liability... starfish... etc...

It's a whole thing. I'm in the market to trade it for an M&P9c with no active safeties at all.

Here's hoping.

~LT

[carguychris]

I'm in the market to trade it for an M&P9c with no active safeties at all.
Have you considered calling S&W and seeing how much they would charge to swap the entire sear module for one without the mag disconnect?

The part is only ~$30, but they'll only sell it to factory-approved armorers, and I don't know how much labor would be.

[LordTio3]

The part is only ~$30, but they'll only sell it to factory-approved armorers, and I don't know how much labor would be.

It should be about $10 or less. I can get the piece isolated and extracted in about 60 seconds at my leisure. I believe anything more would be a "Rip".

~LT

[RC20]

Welcome to the 1990s. Seriously, Glock has been using the same safety since 1984.

What the trigger safety allows is for the trigger pull to be about 5-6lbs or so, much less than a revolver, which relies upon weighty DA trigger pulls as a safety. As with a revolver, if you don't want the gun to fire, don't pull the trigger.

In actuality, the terminology has gotten badly abused if not just downright wrong (we can thank glock and the its PR machine for starting it but we should be policing this ourselves and not perpetrating it)

A safety is lever or other mechanisms YOU actually turn ON and OFF that is supposed to stop a gun from firing

In the case of glock and a non safety equipped M&P (as well as most other strikers) there is NO safety (and there is none on a DA revolver or the DA/SA semi auto either.

So, my Sig DA/SA does not have a safety, period. Safer yes, safety, no (the anti drop/gun firing in SA mode is not a safety but an interlock in it was well)

It has features that make it safer (as does the M&P sans a safety) as well as glock, XDS and the like strikers that have features that are actually INTERLOCKS.

Depending on the model, they are gone when you grip the gun and pull he trigger. They are all an attempt to keep the gun from going off before you do so. So, again, they are interlocks, not safeties.

Others are the same, interlocks to keep a striker or a DA/SA from going kaboom if you drop it.

So, the only ones that have a true safety are the 1911s and the TDAs that have the safety incorporated into the De-cocker (PPK and the older Smith Semi autos).

The strikers are less safe because they take a lot less pressure to trip the trigger (XD goes the longest way in interlocks to avoid that). a DA/SA is more safe because it takes a lot more pressure to fire it in DA. Its still not a safety, just more safe.

Safest guns used right would be the TDAs.

Unsafest is any gun with a person who is not trained (there is no free lunch, pr aside, you need to be well trained to safely operate any gun.