First things first – the YouTube review…
I picked this pistol up from Buds Gun Shop online. I was just looking for a new gun and did not know what I wanted so I was just flipping through the list of pistols, then I saw the “police trade in“ section and the price was too good to pass up. It came with the original case, night sights, 3 mags, and all the different grip size pieces. The kicker was it had “DETROIT PD” engraved on the side of the slide. I hit the order button and a few days later my FFL called me to tell me it was in. He was excited to see it and mentioned that the vast majority of the police trade-ins that came through his shop all looked like they had rarely been fired. This one was no exception, I had to do some small maintenance to it as it was very dry but other than some oil and a quick strip down and reassembly it was in perfect shape. There was not even much holster wear, surprising since I would believe it spent the vast majority of the time riding in one.
The Stats.
Type Semi-Automatic Action Striker Fire Action
Caliber 40 S&W
Barrel Length 4.25″
Capacity 15 + 1
Safety No Manual Safety
Grips Black Adjustable
Sights Night Sights
Weight 24.25 oz
The M&P 40 comes with different grip sizes allowing a larger range of people to shoot the same framed weapon, with three sizes it fits most peoples hands. The switch out it very easy, twist the bottom tab shown below
Remove the take down tool shows here.
Pop off the size you don’t want and then pop the one you do want on.
Twist the takedown tool back in and your good to go. This is where I found a ton of lint and dirt. I figure once someone finds the grip they like they don’t take it off again and the accumulated lint under the grip builds and builds. I hit it with the air compressor and blew all the crud out and it was good as new. I feel like that area will always accumulate dirt, but it has no impact on function so its not an issue.
The same piece that holds the grips is also used for the takedown and slide removal. With the slide locked back there is a small piece of “L” shaped metal on the back of the mag well that gets flipped forward.
Once that is done the slide can be removed and broken down for cleaning. Putting the gun back together means the slide goes back on and that tab has to be flipped back up. Make sure to replace the tool when you’re done.
The trigger is hinged and acts as the safety, a downside to this is that it does cause the trigger to seem sloppy. I am not a huge fan of the take-up and squishy feel of the stock trigger and will be replacing it with an APEX kit eventually. It’s good enough for plinking and having fun with I just don’t like it as a long term option.
The gun is accurate, very accurate. I think with the upgraded trigger the accuracy will increase slightly but as it stands now it will eat any ammo I feed it and it will be on target. I have found that Xtream bullets are very accurate in mid-range hand loads and make it much cheaper to plink that box ammo from the store. I was going to ladder the reloads from low to almost max but at the midrange load the groups tightened up to one ragged hole so I do not see any need to continue load experiments.
I also like that when the slide is locked back I can slam a full mag into the mag well and it automatically releases the slide and chambers a round making it hot and ready to fire again. I think this function needs to be on more hand guns. It’s a great feature and is one less action to worry about during reloading.
The night sights that came with it are dim, this is most likely due to age more than anything else. The half-life of tritium sights always seems to kill sights faster than you would expect. I will replace them in the future to get some better, brighter and adjustable but for right now they are fine. It also helps that there is an accessory rail so I can augment the weakened night sights with a light. For home defense, I believe light is invaluable. Knowing exactly what or who your shooting at is imperative in a home situation. Especially if you have a family.
The mags that came with the M&P40 all function great and are easy to find looking both online and in stores. I have not had a problem sourcing new ones or parts for them and I would like to get some better bottom plates to allow the mags to drop free easier and faster – but it’s not needed that is just want at the moment.
I love this gun, it almost always makes it into my range bag and I carry it when hiking or camping sometimes because it is reliable and I trust it. The gun industry supports it with aftermarket parts, holsters, and sights. It’s accurate and easy to shoot, although the trigger needs work. I am sold on the M&P series of weapons and plan to pick up one or two more. My only regret is that I did not buy two – I should have bought one that I could turn into a competition gun – maybe with a Florida Police departments name engraved on it. There is always later to buy one and then go to town on it with a lightened slide, red dot, match barrel, and APEX trigger. If you are looking for a used gun at a good price or a new gun I highly recommend picking on of these up. You will not be disappointed.
