S&W M&P 9 Pro Series
Tech Specs:
Model: M&P Pro Series
Caliber: 9mm
Capacity: 17+1 Rounds
Action: Striker Fire Action
Barrel Length: 5″
Front Sight: Fixed
Rear Sight: Dovetail Fiber Optic Green
Weight: 26 oz.
Overall Length: 8.5″
Used for:
USPSA Production
Steel Challenge Limited
Any other Production gun style match
Advantanges of the M&P over other polymer handguns:
Better trigger pulls
Better factory sights
Better Ergonomics
Quickly adaptable to shooters of all sizes.
What really stood out to me when the M&P series first came out was the flexibilty of the platform, even more so when I was able to start working on them some. Pretty much the most important aspect of a gun that I start to evaluate is the trigger, sights can be changed, grips can be changed or re-shaped, but the trigger system can make or break a gun faster than anything else. The M&P trigger system is extremely flexible in how you choose to set it up, since I shot the 1911 design for so long, I like my triggers to be as close to that as I can make, because thats what I’m used to. The M&P allows me to set my trigger to feel like a 1911, which is not something any other polymer pistol does, it also allows my good friend and teammate Jerry Miculek to set his triggers to feel like a good revolver trigger pull, since that’s what he is used to.
Now with the M&P Pro Series in 9mm, anybody can buy the gun straight out of the box and go compete, as it comes with a competition trigger job and target sights, all for a street price of about $700. It should be noted that I won the 2009 US Steel Challenge Nationals Limited Division using a Pro Series with only a minor modifcation to the trigger. That’s it, no aftermarket sights, barrels, guide rods, etc.
18 Comments »
Leave a reply to bjnorris Cancel reply
2009 US Steel Challenge Nationals
-
Archives
- December 2012 (2)
- October 2011 (1)
- August 2011 (2)
- February 2011 (1)
- January 2011 (3)
- November 2010 (2)
- June 2010 (1)
- May 2010 (3)
- April 2010 (7)
- March 2010 (11)
- February 2010 (4)
- October 2009 (1)
-
Categories
-
RSS
Entries RSS
Comments RSS
BJ Norris' Blog 
“It should be noted that I won the 2009 US Steel Challenge Nationals Limited Division using a Pro Series with only a minor modifcation to the trigger. That’s it, no aftermarket sights, barrels, guide rods, etc.”
Well, that and a small truckload of practice ammo. 🙂
To be honest, I didn’t really notice the trigger similarity until you pointed it out to me. For me, the several other minor differences between your M&P and my Commander (mostly having to do with grip contour and weight distribution – especially during recoil) tended to overwhelm the similarities between the two guns. If I was willing to add another caliber to my range bag, I’d probably go with an M&P myself based upon having shot yours. It’s a very good gun, but I think your frame of reference is slightly different from the rest of us “merely human” shooters. 🙂
Just a quick question on the M&P trigger. You say that you can set up the trigger as close as you want it. I know that compared to my current Glock trigger, the pre-travel on the the M&P Pro-Series is really really long. I’ve seen some gunsmiths advertise that they can shorten the travel and trigger pull but there should be a way I can do it myself. Also, the trigger reset (which is short) just isn’t crisp and difficult to “feel” so I tend to let out the trigger to far. I’m sure a lot of that could be fixed with practice but I would like to shorten the overall pull if possible. FYI, it’s not actually my M$P but belongs to my Dad though I’d like to play with it and see how it performs.
Christopher,
To be honest, I never really pay a whole lot of attention to pre-travel, as long as it’s pretty light and I can pull through it quickly to get to the real engagement. This allows me to go ahead and get on the trigger and be working on my prep as I present the gun to the target, instead of having to wait until I’m on target before touching the trigger. I’ve found that getting on the trigger when you’re already on target leads to poor trigger control, as you will see the sights on target and go “pull the trigger… NOW!”. I even have my 1911’s set up with more pre-travel than most, just for that reason.
On the trigger reset, there are a couple things you can work on to make the reset more positive, changing the angle of the sear and/or trigger bar is one of them. You must be very careful when doing so though, as M&P’s can go full-auto with a poor trigger job, just like 1911’s. For a true custom trigger job, I suggest you contact Dan Burwell, who doe’s very nice work on M&P’s. Personally, as long as the reset is short, being able to feel it doesn’t make a lot of difference to me, as I tend to be a trigger slapper as opposed to using a trigger reset technique. It takes more practice, but overall it is faster and more consistent for me.
Hope this helped!
[…] The Pro Series is a little better than the normal M&P (better trigger, better sights… shows you what really matters in terms of equipment modifications), but still… production gun and look how Julie did. BJ Norris won the 2009 US Steel Challenge Nationals Limited Division using a Pro Series with only a …. […]
I like the angle you have chosen on this one, keep it up!
I just picked up a M&P Pro 9mm and am trying to make the transition from a Glock 34 with 3.5 lb connector which I’ve shot reasonably well. I really like the way the M&P feels but I’m not quite shooting it as well due to the heavier trigger. You mentioned a slight modification to your trigger, can you tell me spefically what you did? I’d be interested in getting the length of the trigger pull shortened and the break a touch lighter (it is hovering around 5lbs currently).
Thanks,
Craig R.
Hey Craig,
Check out the drop-in kits from Apex Tactical, they are all that I use in my M&P’s now. For about $100, and the ability to just drop the parts in with little to no prep work or fitting, it’s almost impossible to beat them.
Is there a way I can send my m&p back to S&W have them make the modifications to my standard trigger. I have many 1911’s and chose a m&p for the ergos and thumb safety so it acts like a 1911. All I need now is the feel of a 1911 trigger.
Justin,
I believe the PC does offer some action job services, however the best triggers I’ve found come from Apex Tactical. And the best part is that it’s a drop-in kit!
Craig, You seem to indicate that the Pro Series comes with the same barrel as the standard M&P’s. Are they match grade barrel’s? Secondly, will the better trigger and sights on the Pro Models help even a non-competitor and somewhat inexperienced shooter with semi-auto’s?
R Humble,
The Pro Series guns do not come with a match-grade barrel, as far as I know they are the same as the production line guns.
The better sights and better trigger will help everybody, especially those who are inexperienced.
My 9mm pro series (factory sights) shoots low consistently. I have a friend with the same problem. Suggestions?
I am having the same problem with mine shooting low. How can I solve this???
elevation adjustment – almost every gun out of the box prints high for me; easy fix, just take a file to the rear sight until you have it where you want it. To correct one that prints low, you can take a file to the front sight. Unfortunately with fiber optic or tritium front sights, this is not an option. You can get higher impact by using heavier bullets. Maybe this is a good option for you, maybe not. But guaranteed, a 124 or 147 grain bullet will print higher than a 115 in 9mm. There are still folks who argue that, but try it yourself. Off hand shooing – I believe it is called ‘dwell time’ or the time after the hammer falls until the bullet leaves the muzzle. Heavier bullets take longer to get out, so the muzzle rises a little more during recoil (print higher) before the bullet is on it’s way. If you reload, you can dink around some and come up with a load that hits where the sights say so……good luck.
Would I be better off buying a standard M&P 9 and then adding the Apex kit over buying the pro series?
I needed to thank you for this good read!! I definitely loved every little
bit of it. I’ve got you bookmarked to check out new things you post…
Do you have a spam issue on this blog; I also am a blogger, and I was
wondering your situation; we have developed some nice practices and we are looking to trade solutions with other folks, please shoot me an e-mail if
interested.
Hi there it’s me, I am also visiting this web page regularly, this
web page is in fact fastidious and the users are actually sharing fastidious thoughts.