I think I'm going to buy an M&P9 4.25" this weekend...

[DBP9]

I have been looking high and low, and haven't been able to find a local shop that can get their hands on a 4.25"n Pro Series, so I think I am going to pickup the standard version and then do the night sites and trigger work on my own. I've always been a Glock and Kahr guy, but have been admiring the M&P's from a far for quite some time now.
I'm still trying to decide on which night sights I want to go with, but know I don't want to go w/XS Big Dots for this gun (I already have them on my Kahr P9 and love them). I find that when I am doing basic range work (getting back to the basics: draw, trigger pull, breathing etc) I do better w/3 dot sights. I have Meps on my G19, and think that may be the dirrection I go...
Regarding the trigger work, do you folks thinks it's even worthwhile to make any changes from the stock trigger? I have been looking into the Apex DCAEK. Their website claims "The kit itself is engineered to be drop-in and should require NO further gunsmithing (however, armorer or gunsmith installation is recommended". I looked around, and there are plenty of videos on how to do it (some by Apex), but I am a little aprehensive about doing this myself. Has anybody done this job themselves? I am pretty handy and mechanically sensible, but I have absolutely no gunsmith training.
Any input you guys have regarding suggestions for sights, and the trigger work woruld be greatly appreciated.

[recoilguy]

I have a friend who is looking far and wide for the 5" Pro. It is literally driving him nuts that no one anywhere has one. He travels all over the country with his job and has yet to find a gun for sale in the 5" pro.

I have not done the APEX trigger drop in but I have a SR9 and bought a drop in trigger from Ghost. I watched a video on it and did it in a snap!!!! I am not that good with little parts (53 year old eyes) but it was very easy to follow the directions and it improved the trigger dramatically!!!


Good luck the M&P is a very fine weapon!

RCG

[LaP]

While it's on the opposite spectrum from the Pro series, my M&P9 compact is an excellent pistol. That short barrel still puts rounds where you aim them.... and with a pretty smooth standard trigger.

The M&Pc rotates with the Kahr CW9 in my daily carry routine. Obviously, I trust it.;)

Good luck with your purchase.

[getsome]

Hi DBP9, I shot my new M&P 40 full size last Sunday for the first time and the gun functioned perfectly but I was all over the place and couldn't hit the barn wall from inside...

My trigger is somewhat gritty and heavy which may have been the problem but I think my grip may have been the real problem because I was using a death grip and all shots were about a foot low and left...My son who is a pretty good shot tried it and couldn't hit much with it either...

Lots of folks over on the S&W forum swear by the Apex DCAEK trigger and I think I'm going to have them install the kit in my gun because I don't feel comfortable going that far into a pistol...

Now this is a coincidence, as I am typing this post the phone rings and it's Scott from Apex Tactical....I left them a voice mail last week wanting to find out more about what to ask for and prices... Scott was very nice and advised that I go with a DCAEK level 2 install that would lower the factory 7-8 lb trigger down to a 5.5 lb and get rid of the gritty feel in the take up...

The price for parts and labor to install is $150.00 and $20.00 to test fire and set for windage and not sure what the shipping is as it depends on your location...

I asked about night sights and they can do it for you and can get any style you desire and the price of course depends on what you want but they can do it...Right now my piggy bank is a little low so I'm just going to get the DCAEK installed and maybe do the sights later and if after the trigger job is done I still can't shoot it well then I will trade it for something else but I hope not because I really like the look and feel of this pistol...

One last thing I asked Scott was does the install void the S&W lifetime warranty and he said no and they return all the factory parts they replace...Give them a call, they seem like real nice folks...Good luck...

[DBP9]

Hi DBP9, I shot my new M&P 40 full size last Sunday for the first time and the gun functioned perfectly but I was all over the place and couldn't hit the barn wall from inside...

My trigger is somewhat gritty and heavy which may have been the problem but I think my grip may have been the real problem because I was using a death grip and all shots were about a foot low and left...My son who is a pretty good shot tried it and couldn't hit much with it either...

Lots of folks over on the S&W forum swear by the Apex DCAEK trigger and I think I'm going to have them install the kit in my gun because I don't feel comfortable going that far into a pistol...

Now this is a coincidence, as I am typing this post the phone rings and it's Scott from Apex Tactical....I left them a voice mail last week wanting to find out more about what to ask for and prices... Scott was very nice and advised that I go with a DCAEK level 2 install that would lower the factory 7-8 lb trigger down to a 5.5 lb and get rid of the gritty feel in the take up...

The price for parts and labor to install is $150.00 and $20.00 to test fire and set for windage and not sure what the shipping is as it depends on your location...

I asked about night sights and they can do it for you and can get any style you desire and the price of course depends on what you want but they can do it...Right now my piggy bank is a little low so I'm just going to get the DCAEK installed and maybe do the sights later and if after the trigger job is done I still can't shoot it well then I will trade it for something else but I hope not because I really like the look and feel of this pistol...

One last thing I asked Scott was does the install void the S&W lifetime warranty and he said no and they return all the factory parts they replace...Give them a call, they seem like real nice folks...Good luck...


That's great info! Thanks! Did Scott say how long it would take?

[O'Dell]

Hi DBP9, I shot my new M&P 40 full size last Sunday for the first time and the gun functioned perfectly but I was all over the place and couldn't hit the barn wall from inside...

My trigger is somewhat gritty and heavy which may have been the problem but I think my grip may have been the real problem because I was using a death grip and all shots were about a foot low and left...My son who is a pretty good shot tried it and couldn't hit much with it either...





I replaced my stolen M&P c 45 earlier this year with an M&P c 40 because of the much smaller size. I had only shot it once for about 200 rounds until last Thursday. I thought the trigger on the 45 was too hard, but the one on the 40 suits me just fine as-is.

Anyway, on the first range trip several months ago, I was impressed with the accuracy of the smaller pistol - it seemed about the same as the 45. However, last week I couldn't hit anything with it. It had to be me having a bad day, because it did well the first time I shot it. At least, that's how I'm looking at it. The good news is that the gun functioned perfectly, but that's what I've come to expect from an M&P. Now I'm going to have to take the P220 or a FS 1911 shooting to get my confidence back. Either that or start carrying my 45 carbine, which shoots very well, but is a bit more difficult to conceal. :rolleyes:

[Barth]

]Recommend getting some range experience with the gun prior to modification.

I almost ordered a Ghost Rocket 3.5 for my Glock G27 EXO before I even received the gun.
During my 200 round break in I found the trigger felt light, crisp, clean and PERFECT.
I shot like an ace and am not planning on changing a thing.

As for sights, although I love Big Dot 24/7 express,
my EXO came with Ameriglo I-Dot Pro's that for me are outstanding.
The optic orange front sight is like an Electronic Red Dot for fast target acquisition.
http://img201.imageshack.us/img201/7775/idotprosightpicture.jpg

If you're a three dot man, you may want to check out Trijicon HD Night Sights.
They seem to be the New Big Thing - LOL!
http://www.trijicon.com/na_en/products/product3.php?pid=SA137O
http://www.merchantfirearms.com/media/catalog/product/cache/1/image/9df78eab33525d08d6e5fb8d27136e95/h/d/hd_orange_site_1.jpg


Good luck with your new gun!
I love the smell of gunpowder in the morning

[getsome]

I like those!!!...I have Trijicon 3 dot night sights from Novaks on my S&W 4506 and they really stand out in the dark but in normal light I can't see the front sight as well as with standard white 3 dots for some reason the front night sight dot looks washed out but those HD sights with the bright orange might be the trick for my tired old eyes...

To answer DBP9, no I forgot to ask Scott from Apex what the turn around would be but they have a step by step video if you want to try it yourself...

Lots of folks over on the Smitty forum say its not hard but personally I would feel better letting them do it...

Some of those guys will go off on you for even thinking about working on a pistol until you have 2000 or more rounds down range and let the gun smooth out on its on and others say they had rather spend $200.00 and get the gun where they want it and then spend all that dough on ammo and practice with a better trigger...

I tend to be in the latter thinking crowd because it doesn't do ones confidence any good to shoot bad targets due to a crappy bad trigger... Now on the other hand with the M&P pistols it seems to be the luck of the draw as to getting a good crisp non gritty trigger or one like mine which feels like it's dragging on concrete unless you happen to purchase a MA compliant model with the 10 pound trigger which NOBODY can shoot good with....

[Rainman48314]

]Recommend getting some range experience with the gun prior to modification.

I almost ordered a Ghost Rocket 3.5 for my Glock G27 EXO before I even received the gun.
During my 200 round break in I found the trigger felt light, crisp, clean and PERFECT.
I shot like an ace and am not planning on changing a thing.

As for sights, although I love Big Dot 24/7 express,
my EXO came with Ameriglo I-Dot Pro's that for me are outstanding.
The optic orange front sight is like an Electronic Red Dot for fast target acquisition.
http://img201.imageshack.us/img201/7775/idotprosightpicture.jpg

If you're a three dot man, you may want to check out Trijicon HD Night Sights.
They seem to be the New Big Thing - LOL!
http://www.trijicon.com/na_en/products/product3.php?pid=SA137O
http://www.merchantfirearms.com/media/catalog/product/cache/1/image/9df78eab33525d08d6e5fb8d27136e95/h/d/hd_orange_site_1.jpg


Good luck with your new gun!
I love the smell of gunpowder in the morningNice pics of the Trijicon HDs I have on order. At $175 msrp, they aren't cheap. I have the full size M&P in 9 mm. This gun could easily earn a "To Hell and Back" or "No Compromises" rating. I have under 1,000 rounds on mine but it has been 100% flawless with all brands of FMJ factory loads, and 115 gr Federal Hydra-Shoks HP, Gold Dot 124 +P and standad pressure Gold Dots.

[Rainman48314]

I have been looking high and low, and haven't been able to find a local shop that can get their hands on a 4.25"n Pro Series, so I think I am going to pickup the standard version and then do the night sites and trigger work on my own. I've always been a Glock and Kahr guy, but have been admiring the M&P's from a far for quite some time now.
I'm still trying to decide on which night sights I want to go with, but know I don't want to go w/XS Big Dots for this gun (I already have them on my Kahr P9 and love them). I find that when I am doing basic range work (getting back to the basics: draw, trigger pull, breathing etc) I do better w/3 dot sights. I have Meps on my G19, and think that may be the dirrection I go...
Regarding the trigger work, do you folks thinks it's even worthwhile to make any changes from the stock trigger? I have been looking into the Apex DCAEK. Their website claims "The kit itself is engineered to be drop-in and should require NO further gunsmithing (however, armorer or gunsmith installation is recommended". I looked around, and there are plenty of videos on how to do it (some by Apex), but I am a little aprehensive about doing this myself. Has anybody done this job themselves? I am pretty handy and mechanically sensible, but I have absolutely no gunsmith training.
Any input you guys have regarding suggestions for sights, and the trigger work woruld be greatly appreciated.If you find one, check the trigger it ships with. My LGS says some folks just got a 8.5# trigger, some got a 5.5# (like me). Many PDs specify an 8.5 and these end up in the commercial supply chain too.

[oneoff]

I’ve installed a few Apex kits, and you really can do it yourself. I would recommend it; you can always send the pile of parts to Apex later! Just kiddin’, it’s really no big deal, and they really are there for you. Complete with videos. My favorite M&P is a .40 compact that I installed the Apex system in, and it didn’t work at all. I pulled it back out and put it in a full size and it worked great. I called Apex, and they immediately emailed me a prepaid shipping label, I sent them the gun and parts that afternoon, and had it all back in 4 days free of charge. Turns out that pistol wasn’t quite right, but they modified the sear to work, and it’s really nice. I tell that story only as an endorsement, these are the good guys!

I have my M&P 40’s set up with only the USB kit and sear, and prefer it that way. My triggers are around 4 pounds, and hailing from the 1911 world that’s just about right for me. If you want a stiffer trigger you’ll need to replace the spring too.

I do believe the trigger parts are worth it. I’ve gone well over the thousand-round mark prior to Apex parts, and it’s still a noticeable difference.
For sights, all of my M&P’s have the same, and I highly recommend Bowie Tactical’s Operators, that is, part # SW806 on this page:
http://www.bowietacticalconcepts.com/ameriglobowietacticalmandpSights.html

You may want to do the rear sight at the same time you change the Apex USB kit out, since the sight has to come off for that anyway. Don’t lose that little spring!

I find these sights to be the best for my “gettin’ old” eyes. I use Straight 8’s on my primary (a commander) and though they’re a close second, these operators are my all time favorite night sight.

Just a pile of opinions.
You have fun with your new toy!