General Facts
- TYPE
Pistol - ORIGIN
United States - NICKNAMES
Military & Police (abbriviated as M&P) - DESIGNED
Early 2000's - DESIGNER
Smith & Wesson - PRODUCTION
2005 - present - PRODUCERS United States - Smith & Wesson
- QUANTITY
Unknown - UNIT COST
$ 569 for M&P in 2013
$ 569 for M&P Compactin 2013
$ 449 for M&P Shield in 2013 - CHARACTERISTICS
Good ergonomics
Limited size and weight
Various models and calibers available
Limited production costs
Introduction
The M&P is a modern pistol of US origin. It was developed by Smith & Wesson for law enforcement and civilian use. It is based on the earlier Sigma pistol which had only limited success. The limited production costs make it a better competitor to the ubiquitous Glock than designs from SIG and H&K.
Design
The M&P has many features in common with the Glock. It is a striker fired, short recoil operated, locked breech design with metal slide and polymer reinforced frame. Compared to the older Sigma the M&P has an improved trigger and better ergonomics. An accessory rail is mounted in front of the trigger guard. The M&P is available in various calibers and various frame sizes have been introduced.
Firepower
The M&P is a semi-automatic pistol that is available in various calibers. In 9x19mm Parabellum it has a 17 round magazine, in .40 S&W and .357 SIG a 15 round magazine is used and the large .45 ACP results in a 10 round magazine capacity.
Users
In the United States the M&P is adopted in growing numbers by law enforcement agencies. It is also widely sold on the civilian market. The M&P has been exported to various nations and is mostly used with police agencies. Iraq is the only known military user of the M&P.
M&P
The M&P is a modern striker fired pistol with metal slide and polymer frame.
M&P9: Standard full size model chambered in 9x19mm Parabellum.
M&P40: Standard full size model chambered in .40 S&W.
M&P357: Standard full size model chambered in .357 SIG.
M&P45: Standard full size model chambered in .45 ACP. This model has somewhat larger dimensions in order to facilitate the larger caliber.
| Type | Pistol |
|---|---|
| Caliber | 9x19mm Parabellum |
| Magazine | 17 rounds |
| Operation | Short recoil, locked breech, striker fired |
| Fire selector | 0-1 |
| Rate of fire | Semi-automatic |
| Barrel length | 108 mm |
|---|---|
| Rifling | ? |
| Muzzle velocity | ? |
| Stock | - |
| Length | 194 mm |
| Width | 30 mm frame |
| Height | 139 mm |
|---|---|
| Weight | 0.68 kg empty |
| Sights | Iron sights, blade front and notch rear, 163 mm sight radius |
| Remarks | - |
| Type | Pistol |
|---|---|
| Caliber | .40 Smith & Wesson |
| Magazine | 15 rounds |
| Operation | Short recoil, locked breech, striker fired |
| Fire selector | 0-1 |
| Rate of fire | Semi-automatic |
| Barrel length | 108 mm |
|---|---|
| Rifling | ? |
| Muzzle velocity | ? |
| Stock | - |
| Length | 194 mm |
| Width | 30 mm frame |
| Height | 139 mm |
|---|---|
| Weight | 0.68 kg empty |
| Sights | Iron sights, blade front and notch rear, 163 mm sight radius |
| Remarks | - |
| Type | Pistol |
|---|---|
| Caliber | .357 SIG |
| Magazine | 15 rounds |
| Operation | Short recoil, locked breech, striker fired |
| Fire selector | 0-1 |
| Rate of fire | Semi-automatic |
| Barrel length | 108 mm |
|---|---|
| Rifling | ? |
| Muzzle velocity | ? |
| Stock | - |
| Length | 194 mm |
| Width | 30 mm frame |
| Height | 139 mm |
|---|---|
| Weight | 0.72 kg empty |
| Sights | Iron sights, blade front and notch rear, 163 mm sight radius |
| Remarks | - |
| Type | Pistol |
|---|---|
| Caliber | .45 ACP |
| Magazine | 10 rounds |
| Operation | Short recoil, locked breech, striker fired |
| Fire selector | 0-1 |
| Rate of fire | Semi-automatic |
| Barrel length | 114 mm |
|---|---|
| Rifling | ? |
| Muzzle velocity | ? |
| Stock | - |
| Length | 204 mm |
| Width | 30 mm frame |
| Height | 139 mm |
|---|---|
| Weight | 0.84 kg empty |
| Sights | Iron sights, blade front and notch rear, 173 mm sight radius |
| Remarks | - |
M&P Compact
The M&P Compact is a more compact version of the M&P. It has a shorter barrel and slide and is less tall due to a shorter grip and the use of shorter magazines.
M&P9C: Compact model chambered in 9x19mm Parabellum.
M&P40C: Compact model chambered in .40 S&W.
M&P357C: Compact model chambered in .357 SIG.
M&P45C: Compact model chambered in .45 ACP. This model is slightly larger than the other calibers.
- Specifications:
- M&P9 Compact
- M&P40 Compact
- M&P357 Compact
- M&P45 Compact
| Type | Pistol |
|---|---|
| Caliber | 9x19mm Parabellum |
| Magazine | 12 rounds |
| Operation | Short recoil, locked breech, striker fired |
| Fire selector | 0-1 |
| Rate of fire | Semi-automatic |
| Barrel length | 89 mm |
|---|---|
| Rifling | ? |
| Muzzle velocity | ? |
| Stock | - |
| Length | 170 mm |
| Width | 30 mm frame |
| Height | 110 mm |
|---|---|
| Weight | 0.62 kg empty |
| Sights | Iron sights, blade front and notch rear, 146 mm sight radius |
| Remarks | - |
| Type | Pistol |
|---|---|
| Caliber | .40 Smith & Wesson |
| Magazine | 10 rounds |
| Operation | Short recoil, locked breech, striker fired |
| Fire selector | 0-1 |
| Rate of fire | Semi-automatic |
| Barrel length | 89 mm |
|---|---|
| Rifling | ? |
| Muzzle velocity | ? |
| Stock | - |
| Length | 170 mm |
| Width | 30 mm frame |
| Height | 110 mm |
|---|---|
| Weight | 0.62 kg empty |
| Sights | Iron sights, blade front and notch rear, 146 mm sight radius |
| Remarks | - |
| Type | Pistol |
|---|---|
| Caliber | .357 SIG |
| Magazine | 10 rounds |
| Operation | Short recoil, locked breech, striker fired |
| Fire selector | 0-1 |
| Rate of fire | Semi-automatic |
| Barrel length | 89 mm |
|---|---|
| Rifling | ? |
| Muzzle velocity | ? |
| Stock | - |
| Length | 170 mm |
| Width | 30 mm frame |
| Height | 110 mm |
|---|---|
| Weight | 0.63 kg empty |
| Sights | Iron sights, blade front and notch rear, 146 mm sight radius |
| Remarks | - |
| Type | Pistol |
|---|---|
| Caliber | .45 ACP |
| Magazine | 8 rounds |
| Operation | Short recoil, locked breech, striker fired |
| Fire selector | 0-1 |
| Rate of fire | Semi-automatic |
| Barrel length | 102 mm |
|---|---|
| Rifling | ? |
| Muzzle velocity | ? |
| Stock | - |
| Length | 192 mm |
| Width | 30 mm frame |
| Height | 122 mm |
|---|---|
| Weight | 0.74 kg empty, 1.01 kg with full magazine |
| Sights | Iron sights, blade front and notch rear, 160 mm sight radius |
| Remarks | - |
M&P Shield
The M&P Shield is the subcompact version of the M&P. It has roughly similar dimensions as the M&P Compact, but is much slimmer since it uses a single stack magazine.
M&P9 Shield: Subcompact model chambered in 9x19mm Parabellum.
M&P40 Shield: Subcompact model chambered in .40 S&W.
- Specifications:
- M&P9 Shield
- M&P40 Shield
| Type | Pistol |
|---|---|
| Caliber | 9x19mm Parabellum |
| Magazine | 7, 8 rounds |
| Operation | Short recoil, locked breech, striker fired |
| Fire selector | 0-1 |
| Rate of fire | Semi-automatic |
| Barrel length | 79 mm |
|---|---|
| Rifling | ? |
| Muzzle velocity | ? |
| Stock | - |
| Length | 155 mm |
| Width | 24 mm frame |
| Height | 117 mm |
|---|---|
| Weight | 0.54 kg empty |
| Sights | Iron sights, blade front and notch rear, 133 mm sight radius |
| Remarks | - |
| Type | Pistol |
|---|---|
| Caliber | .40 Smith & Wesson |
| Magazine | 6, 7 rounds |
| Operation | Short recoil, locked breech, striker fired |
| Fire selector | 0-1 |
| Rate of fire | Semi-automatic |
| Barrel length | 79 mm |
|---|---|
| Rifling | ? |
| Muzzle velocity | ? |
| Stock | - |
| Length | 155 mm |
| Width | 24 mm frame |
| Height | 117 mm |
|---|---|
| Weight | 0.54 kg empty |
| Sights | Iron sights, blade front and notch rear, 133 mm sight radius |
| Remarks | - |
Glock
The Austrian Glock is a direct competitor to the M&P since both weapons share a lot of features and target the law enforcement market.
S&W M10 Military & Police
The name M&P is carried over from the very successful range of revolvers that Smith & Wesson produced for over a 100 years.