Stopped by the local gun store yesterday and checked out a few M&P 45s and 9s. The triggers were terrible! They were the worst triggers I have ever felt on an M&P. Has the line gotten so popular quality is suffering?
The newest guns (just got some in today) have the best trigger yet (as S&W has upgraded the trigger bar to give a positive reset).
So my guess is that you looked at older guns.
Keep in mind that with a LITTLE polish work (or several thousand rounds), everything cleans up very well. So I wouldn’t put too much thought into it.
C4
I agree 100%. I have a full size .45, and he compact, along with the full size .40 I carry on duty. None of he triggers are what I would call match quality, but in the real world of what these guns are intended for it does not matter one bit. They are fighting weapons, not target guns. That being said, aside from the fact that the reset is not “Glock like,” they are fine triggers and the guns hit what you aim at.
my two 2012 m&ps have much improved triggers over my 2009 fs m&p. The take up in the beginning is “gritty” but that doesn’t bother me at all. The break is crisp and there is very little creep. The reset it “tactile” but doesn’t click like a glock
my generation 3 glock 19s have similar triggers but with an audible reset and no “grit.” my generation 4 glock 19s (both 2012, one fde) have much more creep than I’m used to in a glock trigger.
The store I was at was one of the highest volume dealers in Washington state so they wouldn’t have been sitting in the case long. I can’t speak for the distributor though.
I have an M&P 9 full size and compact. My full size came with the Apex kit installed (thanks Grant!) but my compact, which is a few years old, came stock. These were all much worse than the compact. The worst was a full size 45 that had to have been at least 8 or 10 pounds and very squishy. If you’ve messed around with the M&P .380 it reminded me of that. With all of the talk of improvements I was surprised.
My M&P40 full size isn’t bad at all. Trigger is pretty good all things considered for a down and dirty combat pistol.
Plus, it has been 100% dead reliable and accurate, 2 things that are probably important.
I would second what Grant said, even if you get one with the older gritty trigger, it definitely smooths up with use. My compact 9 still has the original factory trigger, and it was downright crunchy at first. Now after about 1500 rounds that thing is pretty smooth and I may never bother to put an Apex kit in it.
Also, I’ve noticed that if you practice, even the gritty factory triggers really don’t limit your accuracy potential. They’re just not quite as fun to shoot as an Apex trigger. 
They take a thousand rounds to break in, then they’re better. If you don’t have another use for those thousand rounds (training, practice, etc.) then the Apex kit is cheaper, and you get a better trigger straight out of the box. The real issue with Apex kits is the same as Giessele triggers - might as well pony up for them across each one you own.
I guess the point I’m trying to make is that Smith has supposedly been improving the M&P since it came out and the 45s are supposed to be the best ones. Given the trigger pull on these examples - and I’m talking the weight of the pull too, not just the grittiness, they still have a long way to go in getting a fully QC’d finished product out the door. A decent pistol shouldn’t need 1,000 rounds, Apex parts, or cleanup to reach its out of the box potential.
Agreed in theory, but once you get there, they are a fine product.
I honestly don’t think it does need a break in period. The QC on the 4 I own have been great, and the gun has improved since the first one I bought in 2009.
maybe the samples you tried have been sitting in the display case a long time?
I honestly don’t understand the hate for the stock m&p trigger. A clean break is the most important thing to me, and the m&p (recent ones at least) has the best break of a polymer striker fired gun besides the PPQ (my opinion). There is also very little creep
the grittiness before the break is inconsequential to me, I don’t get how that affects shoot-ability. The reset isn’t audible, but i can still “feel” it and it doesn’t slap back against my finger like others do.
The trigger is shaped better than others (doesn’t come to a point due to trigger safety) and is comfortable for extended shooting sessions.
no quality issues here. awesome guns:cool:
To my knowledge, about the only gun that doesn’t need a break in period, polishing or ANY factory or aftermarket parts is probably the Walther PPQ.
IMHO, asking for a $400 dollar gun to be accurate, reliable and have a great trigger right out of the box is asking a bit much. With just 5-10 minutes of polishing the factory parts, the gun is an outstanding firearm.
C4
I didnt realize there was a perfect pistol out there.
These guns had crap triggers and the 9s were. . . Yeah.
Glocks cant eject, have horrible sights and need a grip reduction.
FNS is a new gun
Ditto for caracal, plus that weird rear sight.
Xds. … . Lol.
Hks are overpriced and ditto for mags.
Etc etc etc but when these new smith 9s get out that are all accurate and have a decent trigger, they will still be my choice over glock.
sent from mah gun,using my sights
Had no idea. Yay, my one gripe with the trigger has been fixed.
Pretty much any trigger related gripes can be solved with Apex parts. The Apex FFS, for example.
I’ve never seen M&P triggers as all that problematic, if its the pistol system you’ve dedicated yourself to, then just deal with it! Perfect you relationship with the firearm, and the trigger will work itself out for you.
M&P’s, like Glock’s, are fine guns…
maybe
But I think that Glock and others have also gotten “too popular” and that is a reason why these two platforms have seen a shift in QC as of lately.
With the M&P…many new time pistol buyers will NEVER notice or be bothered by the things that bother us like the inaccuracy of the 9mm M&P or their lack of trigger re-set.
With the Glock 9mms…same thing. Many G19 buyers never reach the number of rounds to see the erratic ejection that many of us notice and are bothered by. They will think these quirks are normal because their scope of gun experience is small.
Most M&P 9mm full-size and Glock 17/19 buyers buy the gun brand new…take it out maybe 1-2 times a year and run a box or two through the things and that is it. The rest of the year…the things sit in their case or under someone’s bed or back of dresser drawer.
The large gun makers are catering to the mass buyers and are not concerned with us picky and more experienced shooters. They probably figure people like us are going to totally mod their guns out anyways so why bother with fixing triggers, ejection problems or slight accuracy problems?
The gun makers that CATER to pickier shooters, like Wilson, Les Baer, HK and Nighthawk DO care about QC and offer only expensive guns that DO run very well right off the bat. They do not offer any lower prices mass-audience guns and don’t care for that segment of the marketplace.
The larger gun makers USED to have this philosophy in their QC depts…but today…forget it…its crank them out and get them out the door fast. Their reputation is already built from their older guns and they are resting on this reputation. They are also racing to crank out guns before Obama’ second term because that might spell the end of their hey days that are going on right now.
This is just a theory…but I bet there is some truth in there somewhere.
-brickboy240
Have you tried a Caracal?
I have not. Since this company is virtually an unknown, we need to see about 50 guns shot to at least 5000rds (each) before recommending them (as a hard use tool).
C4