So, I read jljones thread on his M2.0 a while ago and was intrigued. I had already ventured into M&P’s for a while now and have been happy with them (M&P9 & Shield). However, I have found Nirvana in a M&P9 M2.0 Compact.

I didn’t really know what M&P “Compact” meant until I did a little more research; P228 3.9” bbl, P226 3.9” bbl, G19 4.0” bbl, M&P9 M2.0 Compact 4.0” bbl, etc...Last week I pulled the trigger on one with dry-fly and could not be happier.

The M&P9 M2.0 Compact is the PERFECT “full size” gun for me. Anything larger is a range gun for me here in the suburbs. Car/truck, larger “carry” gun since I generally carry a 3.5"...it seems very versatile.

All that said, I went and shot it today and WOW!

1)Like jlj said, the trigger is leaps and bounds ahead of its’ predecessors. For a stock setup I would put it up against any. In fact, I ran it with my PPQ (who’s trigger I love) and it was equal to the task or better. I put 250 rounds on it right out of the box and it was tactile and responsive. I had added an APEX trigger kit to my original M&P, but I am perfectly happy with the much crisper trigger on the 2.0 for now. If it gets better than this with more rounds, count me in!

2) The grips are far more aggressive than the original and I like that. I pressed the gun pretty hard today on steel (250 rounds) and it responded well, allowing me to get back to the target pretty quickly without a lot of play in my hands.

3) The sights on mine are three dot contrast and since I am not particularly sight sensitive I am OK with that. The gun was accurate on steel plates with rapid shots at 10-15 yds and I felt that more of a 600P hold was needed for me. Since I shot no bullseye/paper, I did not dial it in to determine if that was real or just my enthusiasm requiring that sight picture. Now I have to determine what role it will play and think through what type of sights I’d like to add. Can’t just leave it stock can I?

Needless to elaborate further, I REALLY LIKED IT!

Looks (and sounds) like a winner to me

Nice!! I want one!!

I handled one at the lgs, along with the G19 G5. The aggressive texturing on the Smith took me by suprise - it is very aggressive. Great trigger, and I disliked the G19 cut out - it pinched my pinky. I would pick the Smith. Thanks for the review.

I have the full size 4.25" version 2.0. The sandpaper grip is agressive for sure. Perfect for a night stand gun, or a police style duty holster. I would NOT want to conceal that thing against the skin.

This compact version competes with a G19. I can assure you that you would much rather have a gen 3 G19 concealed against the skin, than this compact 2.0.

If they intend the compact 2.0 to be a perfect conceal carry gun (like the G19), then they will need to redesign this aggressive grip texture. My opinion.

I picked up this gun on Thursday and am absolutely in love with it. It's fantastic.

As to the aggressiveness of the grip texture, I really appreciate it. Yes, it is too aggressive out of the box, but it's easier to tame an aggressive grip than to mess with stippling and create more aggressive texture. I have spent the weekend working in my grip and it is now right where I want it, just a touch more aggressive than the P320 grip texture. I used a combination of sandpaper, a short bristled bronze brush, and a heavy duty work glove and a course sand/gravel mix from my back yard to work over the grip. Visually, it looks virtually identical to the how it looked out of the box, but it's not nearly as sharp and still locks into the hand very well.

I'm going to put a bunch of rounds through this thing, but fully expect it to start getting more carry time than either my G19 or P320 Compact.

I've talked to Apex(they're local to me) and they are getting close to having the FSS kits ready for the M2.0 as well. Testing out what should be final prototypes now.

I'm working out the best way to get rid of the tool sticking out of the grip... I really like the way it looks and feels with it totally removed... more similar to the G19 that way. So I was considering just gluing the grip insert in place, because I don't plan to change it... but I figured maybe I'll just get a secondary tool and cut the end off and use some needle nose pliers to insert and lock it into place. I'd rather dink up a cheap replaceable part than the frame, in case I ever decide to sell it - even though I don't see that happening.

At any rate, I think they did great with this one. There's no more need for the 4.25... I want this and the 5.0 model... and maybe if they do drop an M2.0 version of the old compact - or a subcompact variant... that might be in the cards, too.

There’s nothing to the texture a few swipes with some mild grit sandpaper won’t fix IMO. It’s easier to do that than have to send your gun out to get stippled.

Edit.. we posted at the same time Malice. Good idea

How does the grip compare to the E2 grips from Sig as far as roughness goes?

I need to see how much the mags are. I'm so invested in the Glock it's hard for me to justify any other gun. This does sound like a good one!!

quote:

Originally posted by Veeper:
How does the grip compare to the E2 grips from Sig as far as roughness goes?

These are more aggressive than E2's. I really think S&W was seeing how many folks were stippling their M&P grips and decided to go the other way.

A little light sand paper might be right for some, but I'm good with more aggressive feel.