Smith and Wesson has always been a mainstay in the police sidearm market. Smith and Wesson’s latest pistol series, the Military and Police (M&P), has become wildly popular with officers and citizens alike. To date, more than 330 police departments have issued the M&P pistol as the standard handgun in 9mm, .40 S&W, or .45 ACP. The newest department to adopt the M&P is the Worcester, MA Police Department.
Smith & Wesson announced that it has shipped an order for 500 of the company’s M&P45 pistols to the Worcester, Massachusetts Police Department (PD). The M&P45 will be issued to each officer in the department to replace non-Smith & Wesson pistols that previously served as Worcester PD’s primary duty firearm.
Officials at the Worcester PD indicated that they selected the M&P45 because of its unique design features, modularity and reliability during testing. After a standard testing and evaluation period, Worcester PD officials noted the accuracy of the M&P45 pistol and the ability of each officer to select the grip size of his or her preference.
Gary J. Gemme, Chief of Police for the Worcester PD, said, “During our selection process, we tested a variety of firearms from numerous manufacturers. From the beginning, it was decided that a pistol chambered in .45ACP was the preferred choice. The M&P45 supplied our officers with the best combination of features to suit our duty needs while being chambered in the more powerful .45ACP cartridge. The pistol performed well throughout the testing process in both accuracy and reliability and the pistol’s interchangeable grip sizes allowed for a custom fit to each officer’s hand size. Through our relationship with Smith & Wesson, we are able to provide our officers with the tools necessary to complete their jobs while working to enhance the safety of our police force and community.”
Worcester PD joins a growing list of police agencies near Smith & Wesson headquarters that have selected firearms from the M&P Series for duty use. Other agencies in the Massachusetts area that have converted to the M&P pistol include the Brookline Police Department; West Springfield Police Department; Agawam Police Department; Swampscott Police Department; Winthrop Police Department; Sharon Police Department; Palmer Police Department and the Hampden County Sheriff’s Office. In addition to these local law enforcement agencies, the M&P pistol has been previously selected as a primary duty firearm in the Waterbury, Connecticut Police Department along with the Hartford, Connecticut Police Department.
Leland Nichols, President and Chief Operating Officer of Smith & Wesson Corp., a wholly owned subsidiary of Smith & Wesson Holding Corporation, said, “Smith & Wesson is committed to serving police departments and security agencies around the globe, including those that are in our own local communities. By providing these professionals with the most current and highly specialized equipment available, we are helping them to complete their jobs in the most efficient manner while continuing to deliver on our reputation for safety and security. We look forward to working with the men and women of the Worcester PD along with all of the other law enforcement agencies that have selected firearms from the M&P line for duty use.”
The M&P pistol features a polymer frame reinforced with a rigid stainless steel chassis and a through-hardened black Melonite(R) finished stainless steel barrel and slide for durability; a passive trigger safety to prevent the pistol from firing if dropped; and a sear release lever that eliminates the need to press the trigger in order to disassemble the firearm. A loaded chamber indicator is located on top of the slide. The firearm also features an ambidextrous slide stop and a reversible magazine release, as well as an enlarged trigger guard designed to accommodate gloves. Each M&P pistol is equipped with three interchangeable grip sizes that allow the user the custom fit the gun to their preference. The M&P45 has a 10+1 capacity and the Smith & Wesson lifetime service policy is standard with each pistol. The M&P pistol series is available in 9mm, .40S&W, .357SIG, and .45ACP calibers. Compact versions of the M&P pistol are also available for concealed carry and back-up use.
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I’m not a LEO, just a citizen with a concealed carry permit. I must say I love the M&P9 full size, its my daily carry weapon. I’m from Cleveland, OH and have noticed several large Ohio agencies have adopted the M&P as well. Columbus and Cincinnati to name a few.
It’s about time you posted something new!
No way would I ever willingly carry a S&W auto. While the M&P MAY be a decent gun, their past auto’s have been crap. I wouldn’t want to stake my life on a S&W auto, so I’ll stick with my Glock.
More than likely these dept’s are switching because of hefty discounts by S&W, not because they’re great weapons.
I was wondering if anyone was noticing my temporary MIA status. Don’t worry; I’m back to a semi-normal routine…
I can’t fault your decision to carry a Glock. I can honestly say that the M&P is a better pistol than any of the prior semi-autos Smith has produced. I find it to be on par, or better, than any of the other polymer guns on the market today.
I personally feel the Sigma and Walther’s that S&W was selling were dogs. The M&P is a whole different breed.
I’ve got a Glock 19 that is my primary off-duty gun. I have also purchased a M&P 9 that has passed my personal function testing with flying colors. The M&P is more accurate than the Glock and fits my hand better. As soon as I find the “right” holster for the M&P, it will become my primary off-duty carry gun.
I love my G19, the I really like the M&P 9 too…
TheBronze,
I respect your loyalty to Glock and it’s well deserved, but as a former Glock shooter I can say without hesitation that this M&P pistol has raised the bar with polymer pistols.
Glock may have started the whole thing and it’s been a solid design, but it was only a matter of time before someone came along and made it better.
As corny as it sounds it gives me just a little burst of pride seeing “Made in USA” on the side as well.
Our department just switched over to the M&P.40! After years of the Glock 22 that proved itself time and time again. At first several of us were against the change but after one mandatory range day the whole department saw the difference. And yes the made in the USA does look nice. OUR DEPARTMENT GETS THE SAME DISCOUNT THAT WE RECIEVED FROM GLOCK…
To riceshooting,
I am a Glockaholic just like most cops. Our dept. also switched over but we had officers that continued to wear the Glock. After it became an order we all cried and on the rangeday we had 3 officers that were suspended for not showing up! That’s how bad we love our Glocks. But after the shoot all of us and I do mean all of us GLOCKAHOLICS were sold, this M&P is nothing like the crap S&W sigma was. It is a new breed of auto. I still have my Glock but my duty service is the M&P. I stake my life on it.
Sorry thebronze times change. More dept. are going to the M&P or the Berretta 90 two, check the stats.
the M&P is an excellent pistol,im a Glock convert myself.still love my Glocks,but i now prefer the M&P.
Great design & better in some ways than the Glock & after testing/firing 1 I bought two 5″ M&Ps. Only problem? One jammed after EVERY shot and the other twice within 100 rounds. (I tried both Remmington & Blazer FMJ ammo w/same results) Yes, I sent both guns back for work but don’t know that I will ever trust either as a primary carry gun.
Richard –
Sorry to hear about the problems with your pistols. The most frequent cause of an autoloader malfunction is the magazine. I don’t know if you tried different magazines in each of the pistols, or not, but that may have been the cause.
I know that my M&P had a few hiccups in the first couple-hundred rounds with the cheap ammo (Rem green box, Winchester white box, etc), but was flawless with the quality stuff. After a few hundred rounds, it has been flawless with everything. Like a lot of machines, guns often benefit from a break in period. You work through that and they run perfectly.
Good luck!
–Richard
The bronz states that the previous sw auto were junk? I carried my 5904 on duty for twelve years with not one failure to fire or feed with thousands of rounds of personal and dept. qualifying.
And my favorite in the old time was the SW 5944 double action only. It was double action only and an incredible tack driver but only had it a year and a half. But I do have a problem with my MP 9 compact. If I don’t rack the slide very agressively the slide will stay back and not go forward. You then have to tap the slide forward or wiggle the magazine. I sent it back and it is doing the same thing. I took the same ammo and it functioned in my other semi autos. Solid points were less of a problem. It fires fine, just has to be agressively racked to put a round in the chamer. Compared to my Glock I like the serrated slide and the rounded off trigger guard. Guys a work were sending their glocks in to get the trigger guard rounded and serrations cut in the slide.
Jeff,
Thanks for stopping by and sharing your experiences. The first autopistol I ever shot was a second generation Smith in .45…I think the model # was 645? I really liked that gun.
You should not be having that problem with the M&P. Have you tried different magazines in it? I know when I was having a slide lock problem with a Sig P226, the problem wound up being the magazines. Seems Sig shipped two bad ones from the factory with my gun. A third magazine I bought separately worked fine. Go figure.
And…I’m with you about the M&P serrations and rounding. It makes for a very nice experience. I also like the slide finish better than the Glock’s.
–Richard
I’ve tried it with both magazines and two more magazines by buddy had with his compact. I may just send it in again and see what they do. Hollowpoints give me more problems than the round nose in this gun.
Jeff,
Yeah, it would seem that Smith needs to re-work the pistol. Smith has been good to me in the past, and the current owners seem committed to making things right with their customers. I’d definitely send it back and tell them to get it fixed. Let us know what the outcome is.
–Richard
Its a new pistol, its had some teething issues no doubt. Any new to market design will. All current production M&Ps should be good to go.
A couple hundred rounds of c-r-a-p-p-y Wolf ammo through my .40 with no problems at all! This thing loves the good stuff and doesn’t sweat the crap either! Feels great in the hand, fires every round flawlessly! Only one problem – I want to shoot it ALL THE TIME… then work gets in the way, etc. etc. I’m sure you guys can relate…
I have a MP45 for 6 months now and shot around 600 rounds with only 1 failed to fire. Around 400 of the rounds were reload done by the firing range. Not bad. The grouping was also impressive at 25 yards. The not so good news is we buy it here in Manila/Phils at approx US$1200 equivalent, a bit on the expensive side. And yes, if its a gun from US and Smith for that matter it can’t go wrong.
I am currently in the market for the Smith & Wesson M&P 45 for use as an all purpose / concealed carry gun. I am 6 ft tall and a mild build. I am trying to choose between the 4 1/2″ and 4″. Although there is not a huge difference between the two, I wanted to know if anyone had and suggestions or opinions as to which might be a better choice?
I would settle for the 4.5″. From reviews, 45ACP fps is slower than the 40caliber and 9mm. A difference of half inch will be a big factor in terms of accuracy for the 45s. For concealed carry, there are many techniques on how to conceal carry it without sacrificing gun quality and again a half inch won’t make much of a difference cause the frame and slide widths are probably the same (sorry haven’t seen the 4inch yet)
We’ve done a great deal of shooting and testing Military & Police pistols in 9mm and 45 acp calibers.
Just about all of our Glock shooters have enthusiastically made the switch to the M&P for bioh duty and off-duty use and are extremely pleased with the results. I’m carrying a full-size 45 M&P and it has performed flawlessly through many thousands of rounds so far.
Hello All
Just wanted to ask about the m&p 9mm, I just bought one for my wife to carry what type of carry should she use with this pistol?
Not really sure how she should do it when there’s no fingure saftey.
Her saftey is my concern.
I love my M&P 40 .
I have squeezed off 200 rounds with no problems! I have been loading Remington UMC 180 Gr.
The features on this pistol are tight! Drop the magazine and the chambered round will not fire.
I love the tight pattern I can lay on the target!
M&P 40 is a CAN OF WHOOP ASS!
I don’t know if any police departments up here in Canada are using this pistol, but at least one armoured car company (Brinks?) is adopting it, for its guards.
What is that articulated trigger like? I’m interested in this as a target pistol.
For Dan, who posted on Feb. 17 re: what load his wife should carry in 9mm. I carry the Hornady TAP FPD 124gr. It’s accurate, feeds beautifully and has very low muzzle flash (important if she’s shooting at an intruder at home at night). Your mileage may vary, of course, but I like the round.
I’d like to see proof that the PDs are going with the M&Ps strictly on price.
I love Glocks, think they are about the most reliable pistols out there, but they better start getting with it. Their grips suck and there is no adjustability to them. Seriously, what is with the massive hump on the rear of the subcompacts’ grips (26/27)? Why do you think grip reductions are popular?
First for you Glock guys, caring a Glock to me is about as safe as carrying a 1911 fully cocked with the safety off. If you guys are sticking that in your pants then you really are crazy. I know you are going say just keep your finger off the trigger great advice until you have to reholster after chasing some low life on a cold night while wearing gloves and heavy clothing. Glocks have shot just about as many cops as they have bad guys. If a weapon doesn’t have a safety that I can use to positively make my weapon safe during the most critical times such as re-holstering, loading and loading at home and the station but more importantly when I cam carrying concealed then I don’t have any use for it. The reason a lot of departments use Glocks is that they are relatively inexpensive and the rest is just smoke. The M&P 45 is a way better gun and for those that want to make an entire career without accidentally shooting someone it is a much safer gun.
The Charlotte-Mecklenburg (NC) Police Dept. has issued M&P .40 S&W models to their 1600+ members. I bought the M&P 9L and have never had a stock pistol out of the box shot so accurately. I was so impressed I bought the M&P40Compact and the mide size 45ACP models with factory night sights.
I recently got back to shooting after neighbor 5 houses down had door kicked in during the day fortunately no one was home.I am a responsible person with a conceal carry permit,I purchased a sigma 9mm, and after 300 rounds had a broken extractor got the run around from S&W for weeks ,customer service sucks confidence in pistol gone. Trying to decide between springfield xdm and M&P in 9mm,for conceal carry and pistol shooting matches.I’m a working guy that helps build this great country of ours not rich.What do you guys think,what about barrel length? 4 inch? God bless law enforcement. Thanks
Rene,
I am very glad to hear you are taking an active role in your own safety by carrying a firearm! I personally own a M&P that I like a lot. I don’t own an XDM, but hear good things about them. The compact versions may be easier to conceal, but make sure you like the way they shoot. Either should work very well for you. Make sure you carry a quality hollowpoint and practice frequently.
Stay safe!
Richard
Thanks Richard,I’m also a lefty so I need left hand controls.You’r right about hollow points FMJ has to many problems with over penetration. Fortunately Indiana has lifetime carry permits,there are some nice holsters out,I have a sherpa level 2 and crossbreed has nice stuff also.Good luck bro.
I just recently moved to an agency that issues the M&P 40. My previous agency utilized the Glock 22. I really miss the Glock! I think the M&P has many superior features but the trigger pull is inferior.
I had a S&W Model 59 given to me and I sold it about 2 years later. I could not get that heavy thing to group! I also have 4 Combat Masterpieces that are wonderful. I also own and shoot 2 Glocks; a 26 and a 19. I finally bought an M&P 9 from a guy and love every round I shoot through it. So much so that I bought 2 Fullsize .45s. I am very happy with reliability, accuracy and felt recoil. I still love my p220s and my BHPs though.
Glock set a new standard back in the 80s but the rest of the world has finally caught up. I don’t think that Glock, or Sig et al, for that matter, enjoy the unquestioned superiority over others that they used to have. My employer, Department of Criminal Justice, is switching over to the Smith & Wesson M&P .357 Sig. It won’t be a smooth transition because of the competence level of my coworkers, they aren’t really even capable of correctly and safely using the K-frame revolvers that are going the way of the Passenger Pigeon.
Hi Steve,
I think your agency will do well with the new M&P’s. Let us know how everyone likes them when they start making their way out to the troops.
Richard
Just got a new M&P 40 Pro Series. Out of the box. I am less than thrilled. Mainly concerned about how damned hard it is to release the slide with the slide stop lever. My Wife can’t even do it! Also, the pin-tool that holds the grip backstrap in place is also very hard to remove. I am hoping these two things improve with time. Can anyone who has owned one for some time tell me if this is common or an defect with my specific piece? Plan on getting out and firing it in a couple days. I Love my Glock 22 and am very effecient with it. This M&P is going to have some big boots to fill if I am going to keep it.
Hi RockyB,
I imagine the pin for the backstrap is designed to be tight, as it is a part not intended to be used often. I’m not a S&W engineer, but I would guess the thinking is you find the right size for you, and then you lock it in and leave it alone. By keeping it tight, maybe it stays tight throughout years of shooting. I’m just guessing though.
The slide stop issue you mention has never bothered me, as I was trained up on the Glock pistols years ago. As you prbably know, Glock specifically says the slide stop is not designed to release he slide, and you are to use your support hand to “rack” the slide. It is marginally faster to use the lever, but like I said, that is the way I have trained for years.
One other thing you may want to try with the slide stop. Put some dummy rounds (not live ammo) in the magazine, lock the slide back, and then operate the lever. You may fins this is a lot easier than trying it on an empty mag.
Check back with us after getting it to the range. I’d like to hear how it shoots for you.
FWIW, I really like the M&P pistols. I have a M&P9 in my safe. But, my off-duty piece is, an has been for almost 15 years, a Glock 19. The Glock ain’t perfect, but it does work!
–Richard
Hey all- Just bought a full sized M&P 9mm w / thumb safety a few days ago (as my first pistol), and put a hundred rounds through it incident free. The only reason my shot group started opening up is that I was so excited with how smooth it is. I’ve also been in the Army for 7 years, so coming off of an M9, anything feels great. I also test fired Glock 17s, 19s, and 23s, and I have to say that what sold me on the M&P was simply the way it felt in my hand. The only beef I have with the M&P is that it has kind of a splashy trigger reset. Thinking of possibly upgrading to a .40 w/out a safety. Thoughts?
What an awesome piece of art !!!!
I’m a civilian who is ready to protect his family if the situation ask for it.
the m&p 40 is my home defense gun. I put like 600 rounds on it with no ftf’s or fte’s at all, this is awesome ( i just use federal ). I can use either the small or medium strap because of my little hands.
The accuracy is really good ( and i am not a good shooter ) and compared to the glock, it feels really smooth on my hand. I found out about the field strip without using the tool….. so i can shut up my friend who owns a glock. Anyway, overall it is a well known reliable firearm an definitively I can trust my life on it with no hesitation.
I’m a permanent resident of this great country and i can say that i am very proud about this machine being made in America.
Ruger mark 3 ( 22 caliber ) for plinking. Made in america.
Kahr p380 for conceal. Made in america.
I have to make mention that Glock did not “Start it all”. HK actually made the first Poly gun called the VP70 that came around 20 years before the first Glocks! So, Glock’s Poly Claimto Fame, is a little confusing. Not to mention that Glock has never seen a need to upgrade their design, while others like SIG, HK, and S&W’s M&P line. The feel that as long as they say they were first, and have the same old Not-So Safe Action Trigger, that everyone will think they are best. Glock has good products, and at a great price, but I don’t think it is fair to say they are better than all other Poly Guns. Even my wife hits 5 out of 6 chest size steel targets 80 yards using my HK P30L!
Well, I’ve been using the M&P 40 for over a year now. All I can say is that, DAMN I MISS MY GLOCK!
Thanks for posting, Major. What do you like more about the Glock? I know some folks like the trigger better on the Glock.
First time gun owner, just yesterday purchased an MP9. have not shot it yet. Feels good in my hands I like the 3 grip option, although they all feel good I like the large grip due to large hands and it gives a tougher look. Have been researching for months and other than a few not so good reviews, the rest have been excellent. I have been watching how local shops have been selling them faster than they can get them in. Four season just got a huge shipment this month and it is already gone, Bobs in Webster received another shipment last week and when I got mine it was the last one there. Can’t wait to take it for a test drive…If anyone knows where I can get a nice CC holster for it I would appreciate the lead and brand of holster.
Thanks
The Rookie
[...] Smith and Wesson continues to sell significant numbers of M&P pistols and rifles to law enforcement. [...]
[...] reported on this site and on BlueSheepdog.com, the M&P has been selling well in the law enforcement market. While the Glock is still king, [...]
[...] major law enforcement sale for S&W with the M&P. Smith has sold the M&P pistols to hundreds of law enforcement agencies in the USA, law enforcement and military agencies around the world, and even to the US military for [...]