Smith & Wesson M&P

The Smith & Wesson M&P (Military and Police) is a polymer-framed, short recoil operated, locked breech semi-automatic pistol introduced in the summer of 2005 by the American company Smith & Wesson. It uses a Browning-type locking system. While targeted at law enforcement agencies, the M&P is also available on the commercial market.

History
The M&P is a direct evolution of the Smith & Wesson Sigma design but does not share parts compatibility with the Sigma. The M&P design has an improved trigger, enhanced ergonomics that allow for end user customization. An industry standard picatinny rail and a higher grip has been afforded with an improved grip and beavertail. Many of the ergonomic study elements that had been incorporated into the Sigma and the Smith & Wesson SW99 were brought over to the M&P. The improved trigger weight and feel and the unique takedown method (not requiring a dry-fire pull of the trigger) were meant to set the M&P apart from both the Sigma and the popular Glock pistols.

Design details
The M&P is a striker fired semi-automatic pistol. This trigger system prevents the firearm from discharging unless the trigger is fully depressed, even if the pistol is dropped. An internal lock and/or magazine disconnect are available as options and an optional external thumb safety became available in 2009.

The pistol frame is made out of Zytel polymer reinforced with a stainless steel chassis. The slide and barrel are made out of stainless steel that after through hardening is treated with a proprietary nitriding process called Melonite. The Melonite process produces a matte gray non-glare surface with a 68 Rockwell C surface hardness rating. The pistol has a very low slide profile which holds the barrel axis close to the shooter's hand and makes the M&P more comfortable to shoot by reducing muzzle rise and allowing for faster aim recovery in rapid shooting sequence. The slide has four contact points with the frame. This was done to make the rail system self cleaning, by leaving room for any dirt or small foreign objects to fall out of the weapon.

As the slide of the pistol enters battery, the striker engages the sear. At this point, the sear is held back in a partially cocked condition. When the trigger of the M&P is pulled, the trigger bar first engages the firing pin safety plunger, lifting it upward, and releasing firing pin safety. At the rearward extreme of the trigger bar's travel, it engages the sear. The sear is rotated downward by the trigger bar, fully cocking, then releasing the striker. The striker makes contact with the primer of the chambered round, which in turn ignites the gunpowder and propels the bullet forward. According to renowned M&P gunsmith Dan Burwell, the angle on the rear face of the sear creates a camming action against the striker. This camming action moves the striker to the rear very slightly during the trigger pull, thus finishing the "cocking". This system is similar to the partially tensioned striker found in the Glock series of pistols. When the pistol cycles for the next shot, the striker will be automatically pre-set in a 98% cocked position. Because the striker is only 98% cocked prior to the trigger being pulled, Smith and Wesson classifies the M&P's action as "striker fired (double action only)".

The M&P factory trigger is of the jointed type and has a trigger travel of 7.6 mm (0.3 in) and is rated at 29 N. The M&P45c models have a slightly higher rated trigger pull of 31 N. The competition oriented M&P40 Pro Series have a reduced trigger pull of 20 N due to the installation of a Smith and Wesson performance center sear. Massachusetts (MA) approved models have a trigger pull of 45 N.

Several safety features are prominent on the M&P. A sear deactivation lever permits the shooter to disassemble the pistol without having to pull the trigger to accomplish disassembly. The pistol also has a loaded chamber indicator viewing opening on top of the slide.

Ergonomics were a key focus in the design of the firearm, and as a result, three interchangeable palm swell grips are included (small, medium and large). The trigger guard is designed to accommodate gloves. The frame of the M&P has a slide release lever on each side. The magazine drops free when the magazine release is pressed. The firearm features an ambidextrous slide stop and reversible magazine release for either right or left hand operation.

The pistols are delivered with 2 magazines.

The standard iron sights are of the three dot type and made of steel. Both the front and rear sights are dove-tailed into the slide, and can be horizontally drifted to adjust for windage correction.

An integrated Picatinny rail can be found underneath the slide on the front of the frame for attaching tactical lights, lasers and other accessories.

Accessories
Additionally, there are 10-round magazine versions available of each pistol for the California, Massachusetts, New York, Australian, and Canadian markets. Novak tritium night sights are also an available option for both the full-sized and compact versions. Another optional accessory is the stainless steel lanyard pin. The new pin replaces the original solid plastic pin with one that has a stainless steel ring embedded for use with a lanyard.

Variants
The M&P is available in 9mm, .357 SIG, .40 S&W, and .45 ACP, with barrel lengths in 5.0", 4.5", 4.25", 4.1" 4.0", 3.5", and 3.1".

The M&P Pro Series is available in 9mm Parabellum and .40 S&W with 4.25" and 5" barrels. The M&P9 Pro Series 5" and M&P40 Pro Series 5" pistols feature a Novak fiber optic green front sight and Novak reduced glare rear sights, instead of the night sights found on the 4.25" models, since the 5" models are aimed at competition.

The M&P9 JG is a standard size Julie Goloski-Golob Champion series variant that is fitted with a Warren Tactical rear sight and a fibre optic front sight. Besides the 3 standard black grip inserts it comes with 2 small and medium sized pink grip inserts. A portion of the proceeds will go to a breast cancer awareness charity.

In 2007 the full-size .45 ACP version of the M&P was introduced sporting a 114 mm (4.5 in) barrel. This model also won Handgun of the Year in 2007.

In 2008, Smith and Wesson introduced new versions of the M&P: the M&P45 Mid-size, the M&P45 Compact, the M&P9L, and the M&P Pro Series. The M&P45 Mid-size sports a 102 mm (4 in) barrel and a full-sized grip, and the M&P45 Compact targets the concealed carry market with its 4" barrel and shorter grip (with 8 or 10-round capacity).

In 2011, Smith and Wesson released the M&P22, a cosmetically similar handgun chambered in .22 Long Rifle. The operation of this rimfire cartridge version is the same as other M&P versions but it differs both internal and external from the center fire cartridge variants. The internal operation and construction is completely different from the center fire variants. The action of the M&P22 is of the blowback type that utilizes a fixed barrel design in which the slide during firing is kept in its forward position by a combination of the force exerted by the recoil spring and the inertial weight of the slide assembly at the moment of firing. After firing, due to the generated bolt thrust during firing, the slide recoils to the rear permitting the extraction and ejection of the spent cartridge case. Upon return of the slide to its forward position by the recoil spring, a fresh cartridge is picked up from the magazine and loaded into the barrel chamber. Due to the low bolt thrust generated by the .22 Long Rifle chambering the M&P22 features a lightweight slide to keep the (inertial) weight of the slide assembly down. Further the M&P22 features an internally hammer fired, and has a magazine safety and a fixed barrel.The backstrap is not removable as in other versions and is only available in one width. The barrel is threaded to accept a suppressor and has a thread protector for normal use. Externally there is additional thumb-break safety similar to that found on the Colt M1911 and a somewhat different set of sights. Rather than the 3 dot sights found on other models the M&P22 has a single dot on the front sight and notch rear that is adjustable for elevation and windage. The M&P22 is made in Germany by Walther arms and imported by Smith and Wesson.

In 2012, Smith and Wesson introduced the M&P Shield in 9mm and .40 S&W. The Shield is a subcompact single-stacked magazine variant of the M&P line. The Shield has roughly the same silhouette as the M&P Compact but is considerably thinner at less than 1-inch in width. The Shield is the first M&P to incorporate an improved trigger with positive reset.

Users

 * 🇦🇺 Australia: South Australia Police (M&P40 – replaced Smith & Wesson .357 revolvers). Victoria Police (M&P40 – replaced S&W .38 Model 10 revolvers).
 * 🇧🇪 Belgium: 20,000 M&P9 pistols were purchased by the Federal Police in 2011, replacing the Browning Hi-Power.
 * 🇨🇦 Canada: Halton Regional Police Service, Peel Regional Police, St. Thomas Police Service, and the Gatineau Police Department.
 * 🇨🇴 Colombia: M&P9 used by DAS agents.
 * 🇫🇷 France: M&P9 used by the Radioprotection and Nuclear Safety Institute.
 * 🇮🇳 India: M&P9 used by Mumbai Police.
 * 🇮🇶 Iraq: Used by the Iraqi Police and by the Iraqi Military.
 * 🇲🇾 Malaysia: M&P9s as Malaysian Prison Department sidearm.
 * 🇵🇰 Pakistan: Used by the Sindh Police Agency.
 * 🇵🇷 Puerto Rico: M&P40 was adopted by the Puerto Rico Police Department in 2009.
 * 🇹🇼 Taiwan: 4,200 M&P9 Compact pistols will be purchased by National Police Agency of Taiwan in September 2011, replacing the currently aging S&W 5904 and 6903 models. According to Central News Agency and BCC News Network, this decision was made to level the playing field between police officers and criminals, who usually have better firepower compared to the former. The procurement of the pistols will be prioritized for female officers and detectives.
 * 🇹🇹 Trinidad and Tobago: Used by the Trinidad and Tobago Police Service.
 * 🇺🇸 United States: Drug Enforcement Administration. Also used by over 276 U.S. police departments. The Wyoming Highway Patrol recently selected the M&P40 pistol, ordering 237 pistols, to replace the previously-issued Glock 22 .40 caliber pistol.