I’m thinking of selling a piece I own and may get an M&P9 to take its place. I need the skinny on how necessary the Apex upgrades are to the reliability and ‘shootability’ of this platform. Or put another way, is it necessary to order one with all the work done by Grant, or should I be good to go with one out of the box? I don’t care to pay a bit more for quality, but if I can do it with less I’d be happy. I just don’t have any tolerance for malfunctions.
And part two: If the Apex upgrades really are that necessary, which ones on the list of options through G&R Tactical are needed, or are they all?
I am no gun expert at all but reliability wise no. If you want a lighter trigger then Apex is a good choice. I am not a very good shooter, therefore a lighter trigger does make a difference for my confidence. When I shoot DCAEK vs. STOCK I don’t see that big of a difference on paper targets.
The benefit of the Apex kit isn’t really a reduced pull weight, it’s an overall improvement in the quality of the pull. M&Ps out of the box can have a sort of crunchy trigger pull that the Apex sear and particularly the striker block really rectify. In my opinion of course…
No, it’s not necessary. Reliability is best with the stock pistol. The larger sear plunger and sear spring help with reliability, especially if you have the Apex or PC sears. If you want smoother, use the APEX USB or smooth it yourself.
I don’t think you need to upgrade a M&P. I have a stock M&P and I have been very happy with the trigger. I find the pull to be very reasonable and it has a good reset. An apex upgrade may be nice but I think the stock trigger is still very capable of giving you very good accuracy and speed.
I dont think you have to upgrade anything. I still am shooting the crap out of mine, its just stock. Put a couple hundred or more rounds through one and then if you dont like it, upgrade it later on down the road. Might be a better option for you.
My biggest issue with the M&P stock triggers is the “did it or didn’t it” reset that they have. On the couple that i’ve shot as you’re letting out the trigger there are a couple spots where it feels like it’s reset but it really hasn’t yet. The gritty take-up (i’m assuming that’d be something that’d smooth out over time) isn’t pleasant but it doesn’t bother me as much as the false resets
If the Apex stuff gets rid of this (i’m assuming it does) then whatever part that’s responsible for doing that would be considered a must have item for me.
My friend sent his off to Burwell to get his trigger work so that’s how he solved the issue.
I would just go with the DCAEK and forget about it. It makes a WORLD of difference, and at $90, it is probably the best money I have spent on a handgun. If you want to remedy the crunchiness only, just go for the striker block kit. I believe the re-worked geometry of the sear and sear spring and the heavier trigger spring are what helps with improving the reset.
Because that requires enlarging the hole. Randy at Apex will mill your sear block and sell you the spring and plunger. Contact him directly if you want it done.
The only real modification that the M&P “needs” out of the box is a damned reprofile and polish of the striker block.
I dont know why in the world Smith designed the striker block to look like a square mushroom. It is the single biggest detractor to the S&W trigger. Once that block is rounded off the stock sears really arent that bad, especially in a service pistol.
For me, the Apex sear and RAM are essential. I’m a died-in-the-wool Glock man. I’d owned a couple of M&P’s in the past and couldn’t understand all the praise they receive. Nice guns, sure, but what a steaming pile of shit trigger in stock condition. Gritty and spongy, no discernible reset. The M&P was a no-go for me. Fast forward to recently, where I tried an Apex sear equipped M&P at the range. It was like what you see in the movies, with the beam of light shining down from the clouds while the chorus of angels singing. The improvement really is that good.
Now, I’ve got an M&P 9L with the Apex sear and RAM installed. Going to install the USB when I replace the sights. Best trigger I’ve felt in a striker-fired plastic gun. Very nearly the best trigger I’ve felt in a plastic gun at all (that title goes to the STI GP6). Reset is weaker and longer than a Glock, but still very respectable. However, the pull is smoother and the break much cleaner than with a Glock. I’m not the world’s greatest marksman by any stretch, but the first time out with this gun, at 10 yards I shot a couple of 17-round groups you could cover with a silver dollar, and several 5-round groups you could cover with a quarter (the downside is that these groups were way low, but I read that this is a common problem, and I’m hoping that 9L-specific sights will cure it). I almost look like a competent shooter with this thing. Don’t mean to get all gushy about it, but this really was a pleasant surprise for me that came out of left field. Many thanks to Apex for doing for the M&P what Smith and Wesson apparently could not.
Not really. My M&P9 is all stock and the trigger is fine to me. The false reset got me a couple of times my first time at the range. It seems to have smoothed out now. The upgrade, if I were to get it, would be more of a want, not a need. The gun is fine as is.
The M&P is quite shootable out of the box
I believe it is the best out of the box service pistol available
That said I like the Apex parts alot and they are in both my game and carry M&Ps
Reliability is just fine out of the box. If that is all you are worried about then you really do not need the APEX. Where the APEX shines is that it makes the trigger much better and your group sizes will go down accordingly.