MikeyCNY
6.5 Creedmoor
Picked up the new generation M&P today in this lovely weather. Took it to the range for a quick (~30 mins) session. The gun does fit in a holster designed for Gen 1, and the magazines are also the same.
What makes it 'new'? The big 3 changes/improvements are -
1) Beefier 'rails' for the slide to attach to the frame, and supposedly longer steel skeleton to prevent flexing under the barrel
2) Better trigger
3) More aggressive grip (also a 4th grip size option)
I can't attest to if #1 is an improvement, but I can talk about the other two items.
The trigger IS a slight improvement, but it's still a bit 'mushy'. Reset is not bad. I have an Apex kit in my Shield, but I think I'll leave the M&P stock for now.
The grip.... other reviews have mentioned just how aggressive the grip; one person referring to it as sandpaper. They weren't exaggerating. I was mostly shooting with gloves because the range was cold, but I did shoot a few rounds glove-less. The nice thing is the gun won't slip out of your hand. The same reviewer who referred to it as sandpaper indicated that carrying IWB without a t-shirt could be uncomfortable. I could definitely see that being a problem. Perhaps with time the roughness would wear a bit.
Accuracy seems very good, but I was mainly shooting to check function. I fired 121 rounds (had an uneven number of rounds in a box, MY OCD); on round # 81 the slide failed to lock back on an empty mag. I was wearing gloves, so it is quite possible my thumb was riding the slide stop/release. I was also rapid-firing, but I doubt that was an issue. I tried 4 different companies in 115, 124 and 147 grain. All functioned flawlessly.
Very happy with it!
What makes it 'new'? The big 3 changes/improvements are -
1) Beefier 'rails' for the slide to attach to the frame, and supposedly longer steel skeleton to prevent flexing under the barrel
2) Better trigger
3) More aggressive grip (also a 4th grip size option)
I can't attest to if #1 is an improvement, but I can talk about the other two items.
The trigger IS a slight improvement, but it's still a bit 'mushy'. Reset is not bad. I have an Apex kit in my Shield, but I think I'll leave the M&P stock for now.
The grip.... other reviews have mentioned just how aggressive the grip; one person referring to it as sandpaper. They weren't exaggerating. I was mostly shooting with gloves because the range was cold, but I did shoot a few rounds glove-less. The nice thing is the gun won't slip out of your hand. The same reviewer who referred to it as sandpaper indicated that carrying IWB without a t-shirt could be uncomfortable. I could definitely see that being a problem. Perhaps with time the roughness would wear a bit.
Accuracy seems very good, but I was mainly shooting to check function. I fired 121 rounds (had an uneven number of rounds in a box, MY OCD); on round # 81 the slide failed to lock back on an empty mag. I was wearing gloves, so it is quite possible my thumb was riding the slide stop/release. I was also rapid-firing, but I doubt that was an issue. I tried 4 different companies in 115, 124 and 147 grain. All functioned flawlessly.
Very happy with it!
