Late last month Academy leaked the details of Smith & Wesson’s updated M&P pistol series dubbed the M&P M2.0. Now Smith has officially made the announcement of the improved line just ahead of the SHOT Show. The original M&P in all its iterations was clearly one of the better and more successful striker fired handgun lines, but like anything, it had its flaws. S&W thinks they’ve ironed those out.

So what exactly is new? Here’s the word from their press release:

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 gun is available both with and without a manual safety for roughly the same price as the original version.

The real question is whether these improvements will put the M2.0 ahead of the competition, which has gotten significantly stiffer since the M&P’s original release. Firearms such as the FNS-9 PPQ and P320 among others are out there now giving the M&P a run for its money. We’ll get our hands on it at SHOT Show this year and report back. Here’s Smith’s full press release.

SPRINGFIELD, Mass., January 3, 2017 – Smith & Wesson Corp. today announced the debut of the M&P M2.0 pistol, the latest innovation from the iconic firearms company. Designed for personal, sporting, and professional use, the M&P M2.0 pistol delivers an entirely new platform, introducing innovative features in nearly every aspect of the pistol, including the trigger, grip, frame, and finish.

James Debney, President and CEO of American Outdoor Brands Corporation, the parent company of Smith & Wesson Corp., said, “When we launched the first M&P polymer pistols over 10 years ago, they were a game changer for the company. Since that time, we have clearly established M&P as a leading firearm brand and built an incredibly strong family of products around it, including the market leading M&P Shield® pistols. Now, with a decade of experience under our belts, we are very excited and proud to reveal our next generation M&P pistol – the M&P M2.0. We expect this completely new product platform to clearly differentiate us from the competition and take significant share in the handgun market. Today, we are launching the 9mm, 40S&W and .45 Auto versions of our full-size design, but stay tuned for multiple new product additions and line extensions in 2017 that will establish a completely new family based on this platform. This is a key strategic milestone in achieving our vision for the Firearms Division, which is ‘To be the leading firearms manufacturer’.”

Matt Buckingham, President of the Firearms Division, said, “Our goal is to continually strengthen and grow our leadership position in firearms by meeting and then exceeding the needs, wants, and desires of the consumer. With this goal always in our minds, the new product development team at Smith & Wesson tapped into more than a decade of M&P experience, performance data, and candid feedback from professional users when designing the M&P M2.0 Pistol – and it shows. When you pick up this pistol, the first thing you’ll notice is an extraordinary grip that feels great in the hand – and that’s just the beginning. From the grip, to the new aggressive texture, to the crisp trigger and audible reset, this pistol feels and fires like a next-generation model should – and more. This is clearly one of the most advanced production pistols on the market today, and we believe it is the pistol that consumers have been waiting for. The M&P M2.0 in 9mm and 40 caliber versions is in stock at our distributor partners and is shipping today.”

Highlights of the M&P M2.0 pistol include an extended stainless-steel chassis and high grip to barrel bore axis ratio 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 M&P M2.0 is an ideal pistol for all shooters in all conditions.

M&P M2.0 pistol Advanced by Design™
Superior Ergonomic Design
• M&P pistol’s optimal 18-degree grip angle, providing a natural point of aim
• M&P pistol high grip-to-barrel bore axis – more comfortable to shoot, faster aim recovery
• Four interchangeable dimensional palmswell grips for best-in-class fit: S,M,ML,L
• New aggressive M2.0 textured grip for enhanced control
• New front cocking serrations

Superior Performance
• New M2.0 crisp trigger with lighter trigger pull
• Tactile and audible trigger reset
• Accurate 1 in 10” twist 9mm and 40S&W, and 1 in 15” twist .45 Auto M&P M2.0 barrels
• Extended rigid embedded stainless steel chassis to reduce flex and torque when firing
• Tactical white 3-dot steel sights for quick target acquisition

Superior Controls
• Ambidextrous slide stop, reversible magazine release, and optional ambidextrous thumb safety
• Simple M&P take-down lever, for easy disassembly and maintenance
• M&P pistol sear deactivation lever – safe take-down without having to pull the trigger

Superior Finish
• Armornite® – hardened nitride durable corrosion resistant finish on barrel and slide
• Cerakote® FDE finish over Armornite® on Flat Dark Earth M2.0 slides

The M&P M2.0 pistol base model is priced within reach, at an MSRP of $599. It is available in the three most popular pistol calibers: 9mm, 40S&W and .45 Auto. The striker-fire, semi-automatic polymer pistol is available in matte black or FDE – Flat Dark Earth – finishes and includes two magazines, a limited lifetime warranty, and a lifetime service policy.

To see the M&P M2.0 pistol in action, please visit https://www.smith-wesson.com/brands/mp
For more information on Smith & Wesson’s M&P family of products, including the new M&P M2.0 pistols, please visit www.smith-wesson.com.

About American Outdoor Brands Corporation
American Outdoor Brands Corporation (NASDAQ Global Select: AOBC) is a provider of quality products for shooting, hunting, and rugged outdoor enthusiasts in the global consumer and professional markets. The Company reports two segments: Firearms and Outdoor Products & Accessories. Firearms manufactures handgun and long gun products sold under the Smith & Wesson®, M&P®, and Thompson/Center Arms™ brands as well as provides forging, machining, and precision plastic injection molding services. Outdoor Products & Accessories provides shooting, hunting, and outdoor accessories, including reloading, gunsmithing, and gun cleaning supplies, tree saws, vault accessories, knives, laser sighting systems, tactical lighting products, and survival and camping equipment. Brands in Outdoor Products & Accessories include Smith & Wesson®, M&P®, Thompson/Center Arms™, Crimson Trace®, Caldwell® Shooting Supplies, Wheeler® Engineering, Tipton® Gun Cleaning Supplies, Frankford Arsenal® Reloading Tools, Lockdown® Vault Accessories, Hooyman® Premium Tree Saws, BOG POD®, Golden Rod® Moisture Control, Schrade®, Old Timer®, Uncle Henry®, UST™, and Imperial™. For more information on American Outdoor Brands Corporation, call (844) 363-5386 or log on to www.aob.com.

About Smith & Wesson
Smith & Wesson Corp. is a provider of quality firearms for personnel protection, target shooting, and hunting in the global consumer and professional markets. Smith & Wesson is world famous for its handguns and long guns sold under the Smith & Wesson®, M&P®, and Thompson/Center Arms™ brands. Through its Manufacturing Services Division, Smith & Wesson Corp. also provides forging, machining, and precision plastic injection molding services to a wide variety of consumer goods companies. For more information on Smith & Wesson, call (800) 331-0852 or log on to www.smith-wesson.com.

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36 COMMENTS

  1. “The M&P M2.0 is an ideal pistol for all shooters in all conditions.” – This is the point where someone in marketing said “to hell with credibility!”

    • “This is the point where someone in marketing said “to hell with credibility!”. Management also has said “to hell with quality control” Scrap & Worthless can keep their crap, I don’t want any of it.

  2. It appears that the top dog Glock might have to step up their game if they want to maintain their market share. Does anyone even remember what a Maglite is any more?

    • I do. Still a great value.

      They even have models available with irritating switch functions so you can switch to strobe when you’re working on your car (gotta love it).

  3. If the M&P 2.0 is that much better than the first edition; it needs to have a better fitting barrel. I’ve owned a few (one was a 5 inch Pro, new last year) and at 25 yards, off a rest, the best groups were 4-6 inches, no matter what weight ammunition was used. According to the various gun forums, this seems to be a common problem. They unlock prematurely, because of a sloppy fit. I had to fit and install a $200 Apex barrel, to get acceptable groups from it. I just bought a Walther Q5 Match, that will shoot 1.5 inch groups and less, all day long. I also bought a Walther PPS M2, that shoots 2.5-3 inch groups. No more M&P’s for me.

    • There were a run of M&Ps that had barrels that would unlock prematurely. IIRC S&W offered to replace them if contacted.

      The M&P9 I owned a while back was certainly capable of >4″ @ 25y, but I never shot it from a bench rest, just off-hand, but I could get tight groups at 15y that would reflect something better at 25y for sure, and again, it was off-hand.

    • I applaud S&W for seeing areas that need change and changing them.

      I have owned 3 M&P’s in the flavors of full-sized 9mm, full-sized 40S&W, and a compact 9mm about the size of a Glock 19. I found them to be more ergonomic than the Glocks with no ill-fitting (to MY hands) finger grooves. The .40 had a trigger that rivaled a police officer friend’s professionally installed Apex trigger. The 9’s, although not as well-tuned, had serviceable triggers. Although I will not claim 1.5″ groups at 25 yards out of ANY of my handguns, I found no problems blowing the X out of the target at the “textbook” 7 yard line. I had too much money already tied up in other guns along with their magazines, and more importantly, HOLSTERS, so I sold the M&Ps. Given the chance to go back AND have more choices, I would probably opt for the M&P again.

      I do not judge a company by one bad example of a firearm. If I were to do so I daresay there is not one company with which I would do business. Having worked in various gun ranges over the years as an instructor, I have seen just about every brand on the free market fail to feed, fail to eject, jam, misfire, hangfire, have parts fall off, blow up, or just have accuracy issues. Where I judge a company is in overall quality and their willingness to address these issues. I’m curious as to what options were offered by Smith to fix the issue with the ill-fitting barrel, or were they offered the chance? I wouldn’t have dropped $200.00 into an after-market barrel, but that’s ME.

      Why did it take “so long” for Smith to “fix” their triggers? Perhaps the same reason Glock has never “fixed” theirs. 1) Cost 2) They work “fine” the way they are. They are spongy, sproingy, mushy, and ill-suited to sniping, but they work.

      The “old” 3rd gen Smiths are, in my opinion, some of the best sidearms ever built, but it took them 40 years to get there from the 1st gen guns. To me, It seems that Smith is on the right path again with their changes. Let’s hope they iron it out before the 40 year mark.

      • I use mine for Steel Challenge, IDPA and some USPSA. I found both my M&P Pro9mm and my M&P Compact 9mm, to be lacking in what I considered acceptable accuracy. After spending $300 total, to fix the accuracy problem, I still was not crazy about the ergonomics or the position of the magazine release. I sold both of them, for half of what I had into them, just to be rid of them.
        The two Walthers that I now have, fit my hand far better, the magazine release much easier to access, the trigger much better and the groups far better, right out of the box, than any M&P I’ve tried, including fellow shooters. They have both been 100% malfunction free too, which wasn’t to be with the M&P’s, which had extraction problems, until I replaced the extractors. Your mileage may vary.

          • Not a chance. Go back and read my original posting. My Walther Q 5 Match shoots 1.5 inch and less groups, bench-rested at 25 yards. I happen to be a rather good shot, slow fire and a lot of people I compete against, can vouch for that.

      • Joel,

        Not sure if you are aware, but S&W made many changes to the M&P triggers back in the ’12-13 timeframe, after the Shield was released. Trigger bar, Sear, parts of the slidelock/frame, and springs were changed.

        Current M&P 1.0 with the most up to date parts has, IMO, a better trigger pull and reset than Glock or Sig P320. Can’t compare to PPQ/VP9, as I haven’t tried them.

  4. I hope it is better. However, I have gone all out on the P320 as my defensive carry/bug-out platform and I am invested past the point of no return…at least for a few years anyway.

  6. “The M&P M2.0 pistol further improves performance with a fine-tuned, crisper trigger, lighter pull and a tactile and audible reset.”

    In other words it comes stock from the factory with an Apex trigger kit. Got it.

    Why did it take 10 years to ship them with much improved stock triggers? The manufacturing costs of the improved triggers have to be identical. Perhaps Smith and Wesson simply did not want to eat $40,000 in tooling costs to switch production over to the improved triggers?

    • Perhaps they wanted to sell guns for ten years and then sell a bunch more too? They weren’t having trouble selling them even with a poor trigger.

      • Their horrible trigger was at the forefront of my not choosing SW, but not the only thing (ie. no quality control).

    • uncommon,

      M&Ps have been shipping with improved triggers for 3-4 years, already. S&W changed many parts, including the trigger bar, sear, and parts of the slidelock/frame back in 2012-2013.

      Search for “M&P H trigger bar”, and the performace center sear.

    • According to the promo video on their site, yes, they say that M2.0 mags are compatible with “M1.0” and vice-versa.

      Seeing as how current M&P magazines have cut-outs on either side for the mag release it seems S&W foresaw themselves making the M&P ambi at some point. So I would wager that if you utilize the new reversible mag release feature on the M2.0 series that old mags will still work.

    • hahahahahahaha. Nope. No new Semi-autos for California ever, unless the microstamping requirement goes away.

      • The Leo’s buy them and sell them for double the price on various CA online marketplaces. Of course for every law CA passes there are police cut outs. That is an area that needs to be challenged. It’s said that behind every great strength lays a weakness. In this case it’s the unions who go along with the unconstitutional laws that get passed here as long as it doesn’t apply to them.

        • And get busted for it sometimes. I had a great FFL in Sacramento who got hosed along with a couple dipshit deputies for this exact thing. In the end it doesn’t matter, California will ban all semi autos (handgun and long gun) within 5 years or so.

  9. Sure I guess. I won’t be getting one(except maybe used in the fu ture). I don’t get crappy triggers either. Have your shite together 10 years ago…

    • Audible reset because of M&P fanboys who like a tactile and audible trigger reset.

      Coming from an M&P fanboy who carries an M&P everyday and spent about $100 for an Apex trigger upgrade that provides … wait for it … an audible and tactile trigger reset.

      • Yeah but . . . “audible” reset?

        When are you going to hear it? At the ranger with your ear pro on? After a DGU (where you haven’t had time to put your ear pro on)?

        Cool that the reset is tactile and all but I wouldn’t make a thing out of the audible part. Might make it cooler during a function check after cleaning, though.

    • pin and reset isn’t really a thing. It’s a good justification for a trigger mechanism but it’s not a legit tactic when shooting rapidly or precisely.

  11. I like the looks better than the old one.

    If the texture is the same as on the 45 Shield then it will be nice.

    Just have to get one in my hand to see for sure. And try the trigger to see if it really is better than the abomination on the original guns.

  12. Timing could be very fortuitous, considering simultaneous platform switches due to FBI now recommending dumping other calibers for the 9, the general capitulation of the last bastions of holdouts against striker guns, and an incoming El Jefe who likes to tweet about the virtues of buying nominally “American.”

  13. New slide design is good, reminiscent of the SP-01 Phantom reboot CZ announced at the end of the year.

    Lighter reciprocating mass – good

    Enhanced grip texture / forward cocking serrations – good

    Tapered slide – good

    Appears the trigger reach can be even smaller than it was previously with the addition of another back strap.

    More rigid frame – arguably a good thing.

    Backwards compatibility with gen 1 M&P gear – good thing.

    Immediately available in 5″ – good.

    Reported better trigger – Great thing. Black eye of the M&P series.

    A lot to like here. Glock probably needs to up their game given what CZ, Sig and now S&W are doing.

  14. I carry a Glock 23 but one day at the range a fellow shooter borrowed me his M&P 9 to shoot. I was able to knock down multiple steel plates at 13 yards quickly with almost no effort.. the gun is amazingly accurate: no misses at all as I ran a full mag. I didn’t even have to use the sights.. the gun practically points itself as if by feel. This new S&W has me excited!

  15. Any idea if MP1.0 parts will be interchangeable with the 2.0? For example I’ve got a MP PRO series 5″ ported 1.0 model & a 5″ pro series C.O.R.E 1.0 model. I love the attempt at stippling on the pro series frames but these 2.0 frames would be even better imho. Will I be able to drop a whole 1.0 slide on a 2.0 frame or vice versa? Will 1.0 mags still work with 9mm 2.0 guns? Just curious because I’m heavily invested in the smith 1.0 platform already..

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