S&W revealed the new Performance Center Shield 45 at this year’s SHOT. The PC 45 Shield shares the same rough grip texture as the standard model, and features factory ported barrel and slide, and high visibility sights like the earlier 9 and 40 shield PC models. The PC 45 Shield is being offered both with and without a thumb safety.
The 45 Shield PC is also being offered with tritium night sights in lieu of the high visibility contrast sights. Both models come with 1 extended 7-round magazine, and one flush fit 6-round magazine.
6.5 Creedmoor is an increasingly popular hunting and target cartridge, out-performing the established .308 Winchester, while being able to utilize the same action, bolt, and magazine as the .308, with only a barrel change. As a result, there’s been plenty of bolt-actions and semi-automatic rifles being released with 6.5 Creedmoor chambering, and S&W has followed suit with the introduction of a 6.5 Creedmoor Performance Center variant of their M&P-10 rifle.
Like other M&P-10 variants, the 6.5 M&P-10 features an ambidextrous lower receiver with two-stage match trigger, along with a Magpul MOE+ grip and MOE Rifle stock. The 20″ barrel, made of carbon steel, features a 1:8 RH twist with 5R rifling, and the aluminum handguard is free-floating with a top 1913 rail and M-LOK slots at the 3, 6, and 9 o’clock positions.
Here’s the release of the S&W M&P M2.0 we first mentioned last Summer.
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 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.
If you do a search on the United States Patent and Trademark Office website for Smith & Wesson, you’ll notice a series of trademark filings from this year for something called M2.0 (featuring the above logo) for various goods and services, including gun cases, airsoft, and apparel, all with ‘Published for Opposition’ dates throughout this month. Now, you may be wondering, why is this of any interest?
With the recent reveal of the Glock 17M and the subsequent rumors of the Glock GEN 5, it should come as no surprise that other firearm companies are looking at releasing updated models to their pistol lines. It looks like this is the case with Smith & Wesson, who it seems is planning on releasing their own upgraded M&P model pistol.
A source who wishes to remain anonymous told us the new pistol line is to be dubbed M2.0. M2.0 is a response to criticisms of the original M&P series pistols, and is designed with a host of features that will allow the M&P series to better compete with stock Glocks. Our source cited changes to the design, including an improved trigger and full-length guide rails, intended to increase overall functionality, reliability, and out-the-box accuracy.
We feel it’s only fair to note that although we do trust our source this is a second-hand account, and until any official news/documentation comes out this info should be treated as speculation and rumor. That being the case, in all likelihood we’ll hear more about M2.0 as SHOT 2017 draws nearer, so stay tuned for more info as it becomes available.
