Why I chose the S&W M&P 40 full size handgun

People often ask me why I chose the M&P and why I chose it in 40cal? Here are my top 3 reasons.

1. I chose 40cal because my dept. gives me free ammo in 40cal only. If I want free ammo, its a no brainer what caliber gun I am going to choose. If I go with a 1911 in 45acp or some other gun in 9mm...I have to pay for my own ammo.

2. I chose 40cal for the usual 40cal reasons...bigger than a 9mm. Faster than a 45acp and can hold more capacity than 45acp. Add bonded jacketed hollow points in +P and the 40cal is a great performing round. If you dont agree that 40cal offers any real significance over 9mm or 45acp...oh well. I made my choice and I am comfortable with it. 

3. I chose the M&P platform because of its superior ergonomics. It feels better in my hand than my Glocks and pretty much any other polymer handgun I ever held. Plus the Crimson Trace Laser grips fit the M&P better than any other gun I have ever seen them on.

Here are the basic features and specs that also sold me.

Gunstore price $550  (website shows $719 msrp)

40 cal

Single action only, striker fired

15+1 capacity

Weight – 24.25 ounces

Width – 1.2”

4.25” barrel length

Trigger pull – 6.5 pounds

Low bore axis. Compared to the Springfield XDm which has a higher bore axis. The lower the bore axis, the lower the recoil will be. (in theory anyway)

Front and rear sights are steel and dovetailed in. Rear sights have a cocking shoulder design. Very good for one handed reloads and clearing one handed malfunctions. My Glocks sights are plastic and have broken off under heavy use during one handed drills.

Snake scale style, slanted slide serrations. Reminds me of custom guns. These things grip extremely well under wet conditions.

Extended beaver tail that prevents slide bite. My Glocks have bit my fat hands before but it wasn't a problem over all.Just pointing out that M&P cant bite you.

Loaded chamber indicator (a simple but effective hole in the top of the chamber)

Melonite finish - 68 Rockwell hardness scale  (hardened steel tools are often HRC 62)

Changeable back straps (small, medium, large) These grips are legendary by now. I would argue to say they are the best grips on a polymer gun right now. Yes they are that good in my opinion.

Frame tool – built into frame. After a few months I learned that I dont even need to use the tool to field strip the gun. Here is the video to prove it.

Reversible steel mag release button, with stippling

Ambidextrous slide lock lever, slightly raised. Again my Glocks dont have ambi slide lock levers.

I chose the model with No mag disconnect, No thumb safety, No internal gun lock. I have my reasons and here is the video that explains why in detail.

Sear deactivation lever allows field stripping without the need to pull the trigger (this is a huge selling point for me)

True 1913 picatinny rail on the dust cover. If you have ever owned a gun with a proprietary rail then you know how irritating it is to have to buy an adapter for a light. i.e. HKUSP and S&W Sigma to name a few.

Easy rotating take down lever. very SIG like.

Backed by S&W’s lifetime service policy

Made in the USA. That still means something to me as far as guns go.