#S&W

Both out on the range and on the 2018 SHOT Show floor, I was lucky enough to get some time to catch up with my friends at Gemtech Suppressors. After a dynamic 2017 – being bought by Springfield, Massachusetts based Smith & Wesson and losing their former CEO, the team seems to be on solid ground and virtually free of acquisition growing pains.

Samson has been developing upgrades for the S&W M&P Shield. You will notice it is sporting a compensator that they call the Pocket Comp. The comp is actually universal for any 1/2×28 threaded barrel but it is designed to match the contours of the Shield. The pocket comp has a unique mounting method. Rather than screw the comp onto the barrel and tighten a set screw onto the threads, it uses a thread protector. You screw on the included threaded protector and torque it down to 15 ftlbs. Using some sort of thread locker is recommended as well. Then the comp slides over the thread protector and the set screw tightens down onto it.

Smith & Wesson’s improved M&P also gets a threaded barrel. The M&P was already a great silencer host and now you don’t have to buy an aftermarket barrel.

Smith and Wesson make fantastic production revolvers but when they apply their Performance Center treatment, with custom features, a revolver becomes something even more special.

What’s the old saying? ‘A handgun’s only use is to fight your way back to your rifle.’ Obviously an over simplification – today’s modern handguns are perfectly capable of handling the majority of common defensive situations. Still, having a proper long gun available is always a good idea.

Product Release

Canton Ohio custom gunmaker Middlebranch Machine has released a teaser image of a new kind of suppressor, which they say is made of “carbon fiber composite” construction. Unlike previous efforts at making carbon fiber suppressors, Middlebranch Machine’s design does not seem to use a straight carbon-fiber tubing body, but appears to be 3D printed, instead. This is strongly suggested by the background of the image which shows a customized Glock with a unique looking suppressor in front of what is probably a Markforged Mark Two carbon fiber 3D printer. Mark Twos are some of the only carbon fiber 3D printing machines in the world.

We shoot Hornady .44spl 165gr FTX ammunition from a S&W Model 69 with a 4.25″ barrel into Clearballistics ballistic gel to measure velocity, penetration, expansion/fragmentation, and retained weight.

Bare gel:

Due to Smith & Wesson’s recent  acquisition of Crimson Trace it didn’t take a crystal ball to predict that we’d be seeing more Crimson Trace accessories bundled with Smith & Wesson products, and this example falls into that category.

Tyrant Designs recently began taking pre-orders on a magazine extension for the Smith & Wesson M&P Shield pistols. The extension is designed to work with the 7-round 9mm magazine and increases the capacity an additional two rounds.

The Lone Survivor Foundation is holding a raffle to raise funds for its charitable efforts. The prize? A custom Lone Star Texas Strong Smith & Wesson M&P M2.0 Compact pistol. The pistol is a donation from Brownells and Smith & Wesson.

The Smith & Wesson Performance Center turns out some great shooting revolvers. I’ve had the chance to shoot a few Performance Center guns, and I’ve been impressed by them. Smith & Wesson recently announced the Performance Center is now turning out two new guns: the 686 and 686 Plus.

The cavalcade of S&W M&P 2.0 news continues, with S&W announcing new sights available as of October 25th.  The new version uses TRUGLO’s excellent TFX (Tritium Fiber-Optic) sights.  For those of our readers who don’t know, the TFX series of sights are an excellent, constantly bright combination of snag-free CNC-machined steel fiber optic sights with Tritium for low/no light use.  This particular version of of the M&P 2.0 comes with a full-size grip and 4.25″ barrel in either 9mm or .40S&W.  They are also done exclusively in a flat dark earth finish as well.  Though the M&P 2.0 full size line does include a .45ACP version, a TFX-fitted .45 has not been announced as of yet.  Product numbers are 11767 for the 9mm and 11768 for the .40.  MSRP is reasonable at $699, which is $100 more than a plain full-size M&P 2.0.  This is a real value for the upgrade, being that TFX sights on their own retail for around $170.

One of my all time favorite rifles is the Smith and Wesson M&P 15-22, out of all the firearms in my safe it definitely has had the most range time. It’s a great trainer rifle, it’s light and accurate and it’s just plain fun to shoot. One of the great features of the M&P 15-22 is it can use many of the parts a real deal 5.56 AR-15 can. Over the years I’ve used a bunch of various sights, optics, stocks, and triggers on my M&P 15-22, all of which were parts from my real ARs that I was no longer using. The only downfall really was the plastic quad rails the original M&P 15-22 came with, it worked ok but it just felt cheap.