04/30/2023 – I have owned some fast cars and I have owned some pretty cars, but none have served as well as a 2005 Ford Escape. A couple hundred thousand miles on its odometer, it does not leak or burn oil, or dribble coolant. All wheel drive, it has braved Maine winters and the steep grade of the road at the end of our driveway that leads to town essentials.
Participating in our local rites of spring, it hauled 600 lbs of mulch from two towns over without complaint and ended up smelling like pine scented air fresheners. Unfortunately, Maine clearly has an agreement with auto manufacturers on planned obsolescence, as their persistence in using salt and sand on the roads throughout the winter months assure that rust will be its undoing. But a couple of decades is a pretty good run.
Other reliable things, that will last even longer…
A while back we reviewed the Performance Center™ M&P®9 M2.0™ Competitor™. A very nicely done pistol, it is one of the nicest strikers. However, not being a competitor, it is a little large and a little too competition featured for my applications. The M&P®9 M2.0 Metal, for concealed carry, trail gun service and as a house gun, appears to be just about right.
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Smith & Wesson M&P®9 M2.0® Metal |
|
| SKU | 13194 |
| Manufacturer | Smith & Wesson |
| Point of Origin | Springfield, MA |
| Type | Enhanced Sear Striker |
| Caliber | 9mm Luger (+P) |
| Magazine Capacity | 17 |
| Barrel | 4.25″ |
| Rifling | 1:10″ |
| Overall Length | 7.4″ |
| Overall Height | 5.50″ |
| Width | 1.30″ |
| Weight Oz. | 30.0 Oz. |
| Sight Radius | 6.75″ |
| Trigger Pull – Actual | 4 Lbs 3 Oz. |
| Sights – Rear |
Black, Serrated – 2 White Dots |
| Sights – Front |
1 White Dot |
| Optical Sight |
Slide Cut For Optics |
| Slide Material | Stainless Steel – Armornite® & Cerakote® Finish |
| Grip Frame |
7075-T6 Aluminum |
| Grip Backstraps Included |
S, M, ML, L |
| Thumb Safety | No |
| Key Lock | No |
| Chamber View Port | Yes |
| Magazine Disconnect | No |
| MSRP | $899.00 |
A comfortable handful…
With a magazine full of ammo, the M&P®9 M2.0® Metal has relatively neutral balance. For those who speak Colt 1911, not surprising considering the barrel length and aluminum frame, the M&P®9 M2.0® Metal in size and weight about the same as a Colt lightweight Commander. That’s a good thing.
The M2.0® Metal is supplied with an extra magazine, 4 interchangeable palm swells and a handful of adapters to mount virtually any micro red dot sight. The slide is cut for an optical sight, the mount location protected with a dust cover when a sight is not installed.
Optical sight mount covered, the M2.0® Metal has a clean top side with three dot sight system. The rear sight is adjustable for windage. The small port in the barrel tang permits chamber checking with the slide in battery. No, not a a safety check for empty that requires removing the magazine, opening the slide and visually checking for an empty chamber, but it is a way to spot for a chambered cartridge.
Live fire check out…
The 9mm Luger cartridge, AKA 9×19mm Parabellum for those who like answering the burning question, “What does Parabellum mean?”, has been with us since 1901. Using the current SAAMI standard, the cartridge is listed as 9mm Luger (35kpsi MAP) and 9mm Luger +P (38.5 kpsi MAP). The M2.0® Metal digests both.
The same three types of rounds fired during the Competition version assessment were also shot here. Pictured left to right above, just one 115 grain and one 124 grain defensive ammo types and one 124 grain FMJ as might be used in volume consuming ammo competition.
| Cartridge | Bullet Type |
Bullet Weight Grains |
Rated Muzzle FPS |
Recorded Muzzle FPS |
| IMI Systems | JHP | 115 | 1150 | 1184 |
| Grizzly | JHP | 124 | 1200 | 1106 |
| Remington UMC | FMJ | 124 | 1100 | 1041 |
Looking at the M&P®9 M2.0® Metal as a carry pistol for routine use, I did not shoot 25 yard groups. I did, however, shoot 10 yard, 5 shot groups and had no problem keeping all on standard playing cards with a little sand bag hand support.
The Smith & Wesson M&P®9 M2.0® Metal has a relatively narrow grip. I remember the old double stack nines that felt like holding a brick. Despite the 17 round capacity, the longish grip allows capacity without undo bulk. Between the customizable palm swells and heavily stippled grip surfaces, the pistol is very controllable and felt recoil is moderate.
The polymer version of the M&P pistol weighs only 2 oz less, but this aluminum frame version feels more… substantial. Trigger pull is light for a striker and crisp. Yes, I did say crisp. OK, let’s make that “It has a clean break” and the the flat faced trigger aids in trigger control.
Metal… the material of the future?
I may be old, but I am not close minded. I purchased my first polymer rifle in 1959, a Nylon 66 22 LR rifle. A tough little gun I still own. Still, I came into polymer grip frame pistols and rifle stocks reluctantly. Now that their use has become routine, the products are reliable and accurate, why bother with metal?
The truth is, I am still partial to metal framed handguns. I do buy polymer grip frame guns, but only because they are mostly the only handguns offered in combinations and configurations that suit my needs. The Smith & Wesson M&P®9 M2.0® Metal offers a combination that suits many applications and it is all metal. Nice pistol.
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