Smith & Wesson’s M2.0 line of semi-auto pistols corrected the only real complaint most shooters had with the original M&P line…that trigger. The updated bangswitch is light years ahead of the original (see JWT’s review of the excellent M&P9 M2.0 Compact 9mm Luger here). Now, with an eye to .45 ammo fans, Smith has announced the new M&P45 M2.0 handgun. You can get one with a frame-mounted thumb safety or with no thumb safety. Specs for these concealed-carry handguns are listed below.
Here’s their press release:
M&P® M2.0™ Compact Pistol Series Expanded to Include .45 Auto
SPRINGFIELD, Mass., (September 10, 2018) – Smith & Wesson Corp. today announced that it has expanded its line of popular M&P semi-automatic polymer pistols to include a M&P M2.0 Compact pistol chambered in .45 Auto. Featuring a shorter, 4” barrel, a 10+1 round capacity, and the popular M2.0 feature set, the M&P45 M2.0 Compact is a popular size for law enforcement use and personal protection.
Jan Mladek, General Manager for Smith & Wesson® and M&P® brands, said, “The M&P45 pistol has been a popular choice for years with both law enforcement professionals and civilians looking for a .45 Auto pistol.With that in mind, we expanded the next-generation M2.0 platform to now include the M&P45 M2.0 Compact pistol with a shorter, 4” barrel and a full-size frame.”
Smith & Wesson’s new .45 ACP M2.0 handgun may be on a lot of wish lists, competing with similar handguns from Glock, SIG Sauer, and the company’s own M&P Shield handguns. The polymer frame covers a stainless-steel chassis, offering a high grip for the shooter. courtesy Smith & Wesson
Available with or without an ambidextrous thumb safety, the M&P M2.0 Compact pistol series includes the advanced M2.0 feature set, delivering an aggressively-textured grip for enhanced control, four interchangeable palmswell grip insert sizes for perfect hand fit, and a light, crisp M2.0 trigger with a tactile and audible reset. The M&P45 M2.0 Compact pistol is available with an MSRP starting at $569, and comes standard with a white-dot front sight and a white two-dot rear sight, two 10-round magazines, and an accessory rail.The Smith & Wesson M&P45 M2.0 Compact pistol is also offered with tritium night sights and three magazines for law enforcement.
For more information about the M&P M2.0 Compact family of pistols, including spec sheets and images, please click here.
Below are detailed specifications for both S&W M&P models, with and without a frame safety.
M&P®45 M2.0™ 4″ COMPACT SKU 12106
M&P®45 M2.0™ 4″ COMPACT THUMB SAFETY SKU 12105
OVERVIEW
The M&P M2.0 pistol, the newest innovation to the respected M&P polymer pistol line.Designed for personal, sporting, and professional use, the M&P M2.0 delivers an entirely new platform, introducing innovative features in nearly every aspect of the pistol, including trigger, grip, frame, and finish. Highlights of the M&P M2.0 pistol include an extended stainless-steel chassis and a low barrel bore axis for reduced muzzle rise and faster aim recovery. The M&P M2.0 pistol further improves performance with a fine-tuned, crisper trigger, lighter pull and a tactile and audible reset. The pistol, available in three calibers, includes an aggressively-textured grip and four interchangeable palmswell inserts for optimal hand-fit and trigger reach. The striker-fire, semi-automatic polymer pistol is available in matte black, and includes two magazines, a limited lifetime warranty and a lifetime service policy.
Yet, many actual reviews of 2.0 pistols say while the 2.0 pistol has a ‘better’ trigger, it still does not have a ‘good’ trigger, and the Apex is still a better trigger.
Only 2 more rounds than a 45Shield? And lots more money. How hard is it to have a 12round mag?!?
I would definitely like to test this pistol. I am favorably impressed with the New Plastic guns that I deplore. Ironicatbest I just cant give up my 1911. As of yet no plastic guns trigger,ergonomics or balance fits me better then a 1911 which compared to these modern pistols is archaic.
Is it available without the idiot printing on the side that says, “Caution: Capable of shooting if magazine is removed”? Let’s take the logic of including that a bit further and add:
– Caution, do not stand in front of weapon when firing.
– Caution, do not look into barrel when loaded.
– Caution, if you are an idiot, do not handle.
It boggles the mind…
you know that is because there are models both with and without a magazine safety, right?
All things considered, it’s fortunate that the gun only comes with warning labels. This IS American Outdoor Brands Corp.; It could just as easily have a hole in one side in which to insert the key controlling the on/off switch. . .
I wonder, why doesn’t Glock have any giant warning labels scrawled in big block letters on both sides of the slide? It can’t be for lack of space. Are their lawyers better than AOBC’s?
It boggles your mind because you are basing
Your conclusion on incomplete knowledge. Some police departments can request a magazine disconnect feature on their firearms. In the event an officer is in a fight for his weapon and loses control he can release the magazine and prevent the weapon from firing . This has saved quite a few officer lives.
Citation needed on “quite a few officer lives”. I’ve not read of any encounters where the “magazine safety” definitively saved a life. If they’re out there I’d honestly like to know about it.
I’m thinking, as someone who DID ‘lose’ a pistol in a fight and was then shot at with it (it happened, ah, rather ‘quickly’), that people in a life-or-death struggle to maintain control of a pistol are not going to have the wherewithal, or the sheer luck, to be able to successfully find and fully depress a magazine release and have said magazine conveniently drop freely from the gun, fortuitously rendering said gun harmless.
Of course, if the magazine DID drop enough to engage the disconnect safety, the person who now DOES have control of said gun can continue beating the original ‘owner’ until he/she is unconscious or otherwise unable to interfere with the removed original magazine being recovered and replaced in the gun, or the two-or-so magazines conveniently placed on the person’s belt (if they’re a uniformed officer) located and one put into the ’empty’ gun instead. . .
No, I don’t think so. Magazine-disconnect ‘safeties’ are a solution in search of a problem, and not to be relied upon to save a life. S&W put them on their first 39/59 guns to try for military contracts as replacements for the 1911–not because cops were begging for them–and they never really stopped throughout the metal-frame years. It became a habit–rather like keyholes and on/off switches on revolvers, maybe. Cops I worked with that carried S&W autos most often removed the little plungers for the ‘disconnect,’ feeling that it was better to have one round in the chamber to fire if the magazine fell out or during an emergency reload, than to have nothing more than a finely-machined and very small club at a vulnerable moment. I was asked to do this little job regularly.
If ‘magazine disconnecting’ was a valid idea, then revolver shooters of Old would’ve been taught to release the cylinder if they were in danger of losing control, thus making the gun harmless–until the cylinder got closed again, of course. All modern DA revolvers have a ‘magazine disconnect’ feature, and they will not fire unless the cylinder is fully closed/in battery and the retaining ‘bolt’ is clear of the internal bits. But, they weren’t taught that.
Ah, well.
you know what I really like that idea of safety cautions yhey may be sorta funny but it is truly real .
Nothing mind-boggling about. S&W isn’t the idiot. You are. McDonald’s has warning labels on their coffee cups. One would think the average person would know the hot coffee in their cup is hot. But someone got burned and sued successfully. If it’s between having a gun with a warning label, and not having a gun at all, from fear of lawsuits, I’ll take the label.
I would definitely buy if it were higher capacity
Walther PPQ 45. Nice gun, great trigger, 12 rounds
Tradeoff is the ppq is lighter And extremely flippy.
The m&p has better grip texture, is heavier and flatter shooting which translates into better accuracy.
Glock 30 – 10 to 40 round mags – done! 😉
Where are the 40 round 45acp glock mags?
The g30 in any configuration is a brick.
But still no 10rd 9mm…
Brian, as a ny resident i am pissed smith hasnt put out 10 round mags for the 2.0 compact. No more money for them until they step up…..
I sold my 4 inch 9mm 2.0 M&P a few weeks after getting it.
Nice gun if you like sandpaper grips. And a 15 round grip you cant conceal well with a IWB holster and a tucked in t-shirt.
Now as for a compact barrel or even with the 4 inch thats all fine and nice. A 12 round mag would have made it a perfect CCW.
Settled for a PPQ-SC
I always found it curious that Smith and Wesson’s M&P pistols are not rated for +P or +P+ ammo which is most widely used by Military and Police.
Most guns are not rated for, nor does the manufacturer recommend using it in their guns. Look at your owners manual, more than likely it states not to use it.
I’ve never seen the reason to use +P anyway. Why do you need it. Seems regular .45 or 9mm hollow points work just fine ballistics wise. More of a bragging rights thing maybe?
The reason for the +p+ and +P is traditionally it produces a more devastating wound track and “stopping power” than the subsonics. Modern day wound tracks from subsonic HST and RAnger T are pretty impressive. This was not always the case. In the past poor stopping power was from the subsonic 9mm and their poor designs. However according to massad Ayoob, you see the macerated flesh effect around the wounds with +p+ and +p bullets that you don’t see with subsonics. By macerated flesh, I mean the wounds look like chopped up burrito meat. Also traditionally if a police department has an issue with a 9mm its usually a subsonic design. HST and ranger T being the exceptions. All of this information can be verified by looking u Massad Ayoob, he is someone who dedicates his data based on real life feedback from cops and no forums wherever people talk alot of shit but don’t know shit.
Also I Forgot to add that with +p+ and +p rounds you are more likely to get a hydrostatic shock effect. Such as with the indiana state police load the 9BPLE +p+ 115 grain loads that were proven to cause brain hemorraging in perperps who were hit by it, and tearing arties that were not directly hit. All of this confirmed by coroners reports eeven though the interweb will say its “impossible”. I greatly encourage you to get knowledge from Massad Ayoob and real sources rather than internet forums wI also challenge you to do the research and don’t take my word for it. for all you know i’m just another dumbass talking shit. Do you research, find sources that can back up what they are saying and dont fall into the trap or repeating shit just because other people keep saying it.
Here is a study that I would like to get everyone’s opinion on. This study found that the failure and success rate for most popular defensive rounds in actual shootings is almost identical rendering the caliber debate useless. Unless you are talking about the mouse rounds like .22 .25 .32. The mythical .45 acp actually did a little worse than other popular calibers but not enough to really make a difference. I attribute this to the fact that some people have too much confidence in the .45 and might not choose the best ammo. Below is a link about the Greg Ellifritz 10 year study on actual shootings. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nycYxb-zNwc
How’s the recoil on this sucker compared to a 1911 which weighs about 10-20 ounces more?
Well you figure it out. My Sig Sauer Commander size with a 4.25 barrel weighs 34 oz empty. Although I Don’t own one of these I can only assume it weighs about as much as my Springfield XDS Mod 2 with a 3.3 inch barrel in .45 cal which weighs in at 21.5 oz empty. Maybe a couple oz’s more because it has a little longer barrel.
S&W autos some of the finest paperweights ever produce by our great nation.
I have an M&P 2.0 in .40 and it is 100% reliable. I like it better than my P320, PPQ, Beretta, and Glock. It shoots flatter and is more accurate as well as more reliable. If this is a paperweight, then give me more paperweights! The only handgun I like better is my CZ SP01 Tactical.
Mike what you say is 100% true.I own a subcompact shield 2.0 .45acp and it shoots better and is more accurate than my glocks.I sold my glocks after that.It feed every type of ammo from cheap Russian stuff to Remington golden sabers and not even a single failure to feed.I have poor eyesight and at 7yds I could easily tear out the center of the target not to mention headshots without no problems.The proof is in the pudding!!!
I recently bought a Springfield XDS Mod 2 in .45 cal. Came with four 7 round mags. Got it for $20 less than this. I wish they made an Apex drop in trigger but according to Apex it is in the works. Not that the Springfield trigger isn’t good, but this pistol crys out for great. Other than the trigger I’m totally pleased with the pistol. Really East to conceal either IWB or OWB with a cross draw holster. Bought a Wright Leather Works cross draw holster for it. Surprisingly little kick for a 21.5 oz gun shooting .45 cal.
You guys can cry about your triggers all you want. I have no complaints with my original S&W M&P 45ACP. Also, you can keep your Compact version. I wear the full size concealed and have no trouble doing so.
Amen to that! I really like the trigger on the original .45 m&p and I’ve found the weapon to be insanely accurate especially with top notch self defense ammo. What holster are you using to conceal it? And what carry style, appendix etc?
I have a Smith and Wesson sheld 9 and I love this gun , I also have a Glock 19 gen 4 and the Smith and Wesson sheld 9 is better than the Glock 19 gen 4. I’m selling my Glock 19 gen 4 and going to buy the s&w compact 45 2.0 . The trigger isn’t bad as the Glock . I’ve tested the 45 and it’s just as good as my sheeld. It has a noticeable trigger pull and once you get used to it the trigger is just fine. It has the same muzzle velocity as my sheeld. I a emergency situation any gun is better than nothing . Know your wepon and limitations. Some guns fit people differently.
The only reason they put the warning on the gun is because some people are idiots. If you never shot a gun in your life I suggest people get trained before you get a gun . I just bought a new Smith and Wesson compact 2.0 in 9mm . I haven’t had any malfunctions . Out of 150 rounds through it it shot flawlessly. Unlike my Glock 19. Witch I sold .
I would buy this weapon right now if it had a short grip height for better concealed carry and, to me, just an aestetic I like, if Glock can put 10 rounds into a sub-compact frame then either go up in rounds or come down in height.
The warning is basically a disclaimer for the manufacturer in case someone gets hurt or worse. Can you imagine what a lawyer could do without what I call a “C Y A “ clause.
Yet, many actual reviews of 2.0 pistols say while the 2.0 pistol has a ‘better’ trigger, it still does not have a ‘good’ trigger, and the Apex is still a better trigger.
Only 2 more rounds than a 45Shield? And lots more money. How hard is it to have a 12round mag?!?
I would definitely like to test this pistol. I am favorably impressed with the New Plastic guns that I deplore. Ironicatbest I just cant give up my 1911. As of yet no plastic guns trigger,ergonomics or balance fits me better then a 1911 which compared to these modern pistols is archaic.
Is it available without the idiot printing on the side that says, “Caution: Capable of shooting if magazine is removed”? Let’s take the logic of including that a bit further and add:
– Caution, do not stand in front of weapon when firing.
– Caution, do not look into barrel when loaded.
– Caution, if you are an idiot, do not handle.
It boggles the mind…
you know that is because there are models both with and without a magazine safety, right?
All things considered, it’s fortunate that the gun only comes with warning labels. This IS American Outdoor Brands Corp.; It could just as easily have a hole in one side in which to insert the key controlling the on/off switch. . .
I wonder, why doesn’t Glock have any giant warning labels scrawled in big block letters on both sides of the slide? It can’t be for lack of space. Are their lawyers better than AOBC’s?
It boggles your mind because you are basing
Your conclusion on incomplete knowledge. Some police departments can request a magazine disconnect feature on their firearms. In the event an officer is in a fight for his weapon and loses control he can release the magazine and prevent the weapon from firing . This has saved quite a few officer lives.
Citation needed on “quite a few officer lives”. I’ve not read of any encounters where the “magazine safety” definitively saved a life. If they’re out there I’d honestly like to know about it.
I’m thinking, as someone who DID ‘lose’ a pistol in a fight and was then shot at with it (it happened, ah, rather ‘quickly’), that people in a life-or-death struggle to maintain control of a pistol are not going to have the wherewithal, or the sheer luck, to be able to successfully find and fully depress a magazine release and have said magazine conveniently drop freely from the gun, fortuitously rendering said gun harmless.
Of course, if the magazine DID drop enough to engage the disconnect safety, the person who now DOES have control of said gun can continue beating the original ‘owner’ until he/she is unconscious or otherwise unable to interfere with the removed original magazine being recovered and replaced in the gun, or the two-or-so magazines conveniently placed on the person’s belt (if they’re a uniformed officer) located and one put into the ’empty’ gun instead. . .
No, I don’t think so. Magazine-disconnect ‘safeties’ are a solution in search of a problem, and not to be relied upon to save a life. S&W put them on their first 39/59 guns to try for military contracts as replacements for the 1911–not because cops were begging for them–and they never really stopped throughout the metal-frame years. It became a habit–rather like keyholes and on/off switches on revolvers, maybe. Cops I worked with that carried S&W autos most often removed the little plungers for the ‘disconnect,’ feeling that it was better to have one round in the chamber to fire if the magazine fell out or during an emergency reload, than to have nothing more than a finely-machined and very small club at a vulnerable moment. I was asked to do this little job regularly.
If ‘magazine disconnecting’ was a valid idea, then revolver shooters of Old would’ve been taught to release the cylinder if they were in danger of losing control, thus making the gun harmless–until the cylinder got closed again, of course. All modern DA revolvers have a ‘magazine disconnect’ feature, and they will not fire unless the cylinder is fully closed/in battery and the retaining ‘bolt’ is clear of the internal bits. But, they weren’t taught that.
Ah, well.
you know what I really like that idea of safety cautions yhey may be sorta funny but it is truly real .
Nothing mind-boggling about. S&W isn’t the idiot. You are. McDonald’s has warning labels on their coffee cups. One would think the average person would know the hot coffee in their cup is hot. But someone got burned and sued successfully. If it’s between having a gun with a warning label, and not having a gun at all, from fear of lawsuits, I’ll take the label.
I would definitely buy if it were higher capacity
Walther PPQ 45. Nice gun, great trigger, 12 rounds
Tradeoff is the ppq is lighter And extremely flippy.
The m&p has better grip texture, is heavier and flatter shooting which translates into better accuracy.
Glock 30 – 10 to 40 round mags – done! 😉
Where are the 40 round 45acp glock mags?
The g30 in any configuration is a brick.
But still no 10rd 9mm…
Brian, as a ny resident i am pissed smith hasnt put out 10 round mags for the 2.0 compact. No more money for them until they step up…..
I sold my 4 inch 9mm 2.0 M&P a few weeks after getting it.
Nice gun if you like sandpaper grips. And a 15 round grip you cant conceal well with a IWB holster and a tucked in t-shirt.
Now as for a compact barrel or even with the 4 inch thats all fine and nice. A 12 round mag would have made it a perfect CCW.
Settled for a PPQ-SC
I always found it curious that Smith and Wesson’s M&P pistols are not rated for +P or +P+ ammo which is most widely used by Military and Police.
Most guns are not rated for, nor does the manufacturer recommend using it in their guns. Look at your owners manual, more than likely it states not to use it.
I’ve never seen the reason to use +P anyway. Why do you need it. Seems regular .45 or 9mm hollow points work just fine ballistics wise. More of a bragging rights thing maybe?
The reason for the +p+ and +P is traditionally it produces a more devastating wound track and “stopping power” than the subsonics. Modern day wound tracks from subsonic HST and RAnger T are pretty impressive. This was not always the case. In the past poor stopping power was from the subsonic 9mm and their poor designs. However according to massad Ayoob, you see the macerated flesh effect around the wounds with +p+ and +p bullets that you don’t see with subsonics. By macerated flesh, I mean the wounds look like chopped up burrito meat. Also traditionally if a police department has an issue with a 9mm its usually a subsonic design. HST and ranger T being the exceptions. All of this information can be verified by looking u Massad Ayoob, he is someone who dedicates his data based on real life feedback from cops and no forums wherever people talk alot of shit but don’t know shit.
Also I Forgot to add that with +p+ and +p rounds you are more likely to get a hydrostatic shock effect. Such as with the indiana state police load the 9BPLE +p+ 115 grain loads that were proven to cause brain hemorraging in perperps who were hit by it, and tearing arties that were not directly hit. All of this confirmed by coroners reports eeven though the interweb will say its “impossible”. I greatly encourage you to get knowledge from Massad Ayoob and real sources rather than internet forums wI also challenge you to do the research and don’t take my word for it. for all you know i’m just another dumbass talking shit. Do you research, find sources that can back up what they are saying and dont fall into the trap or repeating shit just because other people keep saying it.
Here is a study that I would like to get everyone’s opinion on. This study found that the failure and success rate for most popular defensive rounds in actual shootings is almost identical rendering the caliber debate useless. Unless you are talking about the mouse rounds like .22 .25 .32. The mythical .45 acp actually did a little worse than other popular calibers but not enough to really make a difference. I attribute this to the fact that some people have too much confidence in the .45 and might not choose the best ammo. Below is a link about the Greg Ellifritz 10 year study on actual shootings.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nycYxb-zNwc
How’s the recoil on this sucker compared to a 1911 which weighs about 10-20 ounces more?
Well you figure it out. My Sig Sauer Commander size with a 4.25 barrel weighs 34 oz empty. Although I Don’t own one of these I can only assume it weighs about as much as my Springfield XDS Mod 2 with a 3.3 inch barrel in .45 cal which weighs in at 21.5 oz empty. Maybe a couple oz’s more because it has a little longer barrel.
S&W autos some of the finest paperweights ever produce by our great nation.
I have an M&P 2.0 in .40 and it is 100% reliable. I like it better than my P320, PPQ, Beretta, and Glock. It shoots flatter and is more accurate as well as more reliable. If this is a paperweight, then give me more paperweights! The only handgun I like better is my CZ SP01 Tactical.
Mike what you say is 100% true.I own a subcompact shield 2.0 .45acp and it shoots better and is more accurate than my glocks.I sold my glocks after that.It feed every type of ammo from cheap Russian stuff to Remington golden sabers and not even a single failure to feed.I have poor eyesight and at 7yds I could easily tear out the center of the target not to mention headshots without no problems.The proof is in the pudding!!!
I recently bought a Springfield XDS Mod 2 in .45 cal. Came with four 7 round mags. Got it for $20 less than this. I wish they made an Apex drop in trigger but according to Apex it is in the works. Not that the Springfield trigger isn’t good, but this pistol crys out for great. Other than the trigger I’m totally pleased with the pistol. Really East to conceal either IWB or OWB with a cross draw holster. Bought a Wright Leather Works cross draw holster for it. Surprisingly little kick for a 21.5 oz gun shooting .45 cal.
You guys can cry about your triggers all you want. I have no complaints with my original S&W M&P 45ACP. Also, you can keep your Compact version. I wear the full size concealed and have no trouble doing so.
Amen to that! I really like the trigger on the original .45 m&p and I’ve found the weapon to be insanely accurate especially with top notch self defense ammo. What holster are you using to conceal it? And what carry style, appendix etc?
I have a Smith and Wesson sheld 9 and I love this gun , I also have a Glock 19 gen 4 and the Smith and Wesson sheld 9 is better than the Glock 19 gen 4. I’m selling my Glock 19 gen 4 and going to buy the s&w compact 45 2.0 . The trigger isn’t bad as the Glock . I’ve tested the 45 and it’s just as good as my sheeld. It has a noticeable trigger pull and once you get used to it the trigger is just fine. It has the same muzzle velocity as my sheeld. I a emergency situation any gun is better than nothing . Know your wepon and limitations. Some guns fit people differently.
The only reason they put the warning on the gun is because some people are idiots. If you never shot a gun in your life I suggest people get trained before you get a gun . I just bought a new Smith and Wesson compact 2.0 in 9mm . I haven’t had any malfunctions . Out of 150 rounds through it it shot flawlessly. Unlike my Glock 19. Witch I sold .
I would buy this weapon right now if it had a short grip height for better concealed carry and, to me, just an aestetic I like, if Glock can put 10 rounds into a sub-compact frame then either go up in rounds or come down in height.
The warning is basically a disclaimer for the manufacturer in case someone gets hurt or worse. Can you imagine what a lawyer could do without what I call a “C Y A “ clause.
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