Smith & Wesson MP 40

Hello All
I am looking at MP 40 range kit any feed back on quality issues and so forth would be appreciated
Thanks Dan

Hey Dan, welcome to CGN!

The M&P is a quality pistol. The range kits provide great value. Just out of curiosity why the 40 and not the 9?

I've owned two M&P's but sold them in favour of Glocks. Nothing wrong with the M&P I just prefer the tactile/audible feedback of a Glock trigger.
 
I've got one, put about 1250 rounds through it. It's a nice shooter if you do your part. Requires little to no maintenance. The only thing you need to worry about is over oiling it. it only needs 1 drop of oil on each of the 5 contact points outlined in the manual.

If you over oil it will gum up, and require a complete tear down and cleaning. I over oiled it after i got it home when i bought it, and only got through about 150 rounds of the dirty Western Ammunition bulk reloads i had bought before i had to assist the slide forward occasionally. Ever since then, it's a drop of oil on the barrel and the 4 slide contacts on the frame.

I'm also beginning to contemplate an apex trigger kit for it, but it's a $700 hole punch to me, a lot of fun, but I'd rather sink moneys into my rifles first.

Would i recommend it? yes, definitely. Because i HATE glocks.
 
I am also going to get the M&P in the 40. I have read many stories of how bad the triggers are. Does a person really need to spend that much money on the gun and then hundreds more to FIX the trigger ? That's the only issue that is bothering me about the purchase.
 
Aside from the trigger it's a nice piece. Definitely needs a little oil or the slide will rust. The .40 is a bit snappy but you'll learn to love it.
 
Cool thing about the MP40 is you can get a 9mm barrel and the mags are suppose to work with the conversion... I've heard mix reviews on reliability... but it's suppose to work...
 
I've got one. Good gun, fairly accurate and reliable. The trigger is crap, and I'm considering buying the APEX Trigger Kit. I'm actually more accurate with the Glock 22, which has a better trigger for sure.

Mags are available if you are patient, although the factory 10rd mags have a lot of plastic on them, and they're hideous.

Look into getting a replacement trigger, and you'll be much happier with the gun.
 
My thoughts:

Just to set the record straight I am a new shooter and don't have a lot of experience with different brands. What I have used (others) Glock, colt 1911, both in 9mm. I decided on the M&P because I wanted plastic, and the range kit was so much value it was hard to resist. I went with the 40 because a relative shoots 10mil and he reloads for me so it was a no brainer. I have put 1000rds through this in 8 months.

Likes:

It fits, simply go to a store and pick it up, you'll see.

Auto slide release after slamming a mag in= FAST reloads.

Four mags, holster, mag pouch, mag loading tool...........$649 at small town shop........need I say more????

Oh, did I say mag loader???? FOR ONE DAY I was the envy of the range while everyone oogled my mag loader lol!!

SUPER easy to strip/clean.

Changeable back straps, three included. Not one FTF, FTE, or similar in 1000 rds.

Dislikes:

Sights, I'm blind and I just couldn't see without night sights in low(er) light conditions. Could be me though.

Trigger sucks, no other way to put it. I was going to buy a kit this last weekend, but after doing some searches came up with Browells?? spelling?? Anyway it was a pdf file put together about the M&P trigger and the steps to improve it. I can lead you there if you pm me. I'm glad I seen this because mine has updated parts already from factory. Spent about two hours on it and made some improvements (for free).

Mags that won't take 10 rds. I had to disassemble the mags and shorten all the mag springs because even if I could get the tenth round in, the slide won't remove it from the mag. Free fix, just my time. Someone that I shoot IPSC with suggested that I do it after watching me only load 9 rds. Sure enough do search and it's right there.

Empty case ejection..........shooting 40 when everyone else shoots 9 is a major PIA. This thing spits brass in no particular place making retrieval almost impossible. Once in a while empty brass will come and hit me in the top rim of my safety glasses. DO NOT shoot this whithout eye protection.

Hope it helps, cheers.
 
... after doing some searches came up with Browells?? ...

...I had to disassemble the mags and shorten all the mag springs ...

...This thing spits brass in no particular place ...

Good points.

You're talking about the "Burwell M&P trigger job". Excellent mod to the pistol, and free (as long as you don't ruin any parts).

I think the mag capacity issue is better solved by trimming the legs of the followers. They're extra long to prevent more than ten rounds being loaded, and trimming them to allow 10.5 rounds to be loaded is perfectly legal. Reducing the spring length will reduce the overall spring weight and stroke, which is generally not desirable.

Ejection can be erratic on some M&Ps (same as the Glock issue). I found mine to be worse with low power loads. I solved the issue by stoning the running surfaces of the extractor and tuning the extractor hook a tiny bit. Another relatively easy and free fix. Some would just drop in the APEX extractor. Of course, the wear from many thousands of rounds being fired should eventually resolve it as well, but why suffer in the interim?
 
I'd add that the frame is really quite slippery, and it benefits from either grip tape (Talon Grips - I couldn't get DIY tape to stick) or stippling. You can always stipple just the removable backstrap if you're worried about reducing the value of your pistol.
 
I am also going to get the M&P in the 40. I have read many stories of how bad the triggers are. Does a person really need to spend that much money on the gun and then hundreds more to FIX the trigger ? That's the only issue that is bothering me about the purchase.
I've owned two (sold the first, missed it, then bought another) and both have similar triggers. I don't understand why many folks really don't like the trigger--it's a Glock-ish two-stage affair, with the first stage being a little gritty (I think it's the firing pin safety) but the second stage is fine. It's very similar to a Glock trigger pull with a bit more trigger movement and not quite as crisp. It's consistent and repeatable, though, and more importantly, you don't have to release the trigger all the way out--just back to the reset point.
 
I'll pile on and say tthat the M&P is a great gun that you only appreciate more and more with range time. It can't be beat for value when bought as a range kit. The trigger is a bit gritty but that actually works itself out for the most part as you use it. I put a trigger kit in mine because I wanted to do the work and evaluate the benefit myself. It is nicer but I can assure you that you can tune (fancy word for polish in most cases) the trigger assembly as it comes and end up with a 90% kit job for nothing but your time. There is a thread about this elsewhere.

Great gun, get one.
 
Back
Top Bottom