What I do to my M&P's and why... (Stolen from vmi-mo)

[Savage Hands]

Better sights: I don't like the Novak style sights and replaced them with Heinie Ledge's with tritium front only for my FS9 and Ameriglo Pro-Glo sights on my 9c.

Trigger: IMO, the M&P's trigger is mediocre with a weak reset so I had Apex Tactical Specialties install/tune and polish their DCAEK and RAM on both guns. This turned my triggers into a smooth ~5 1/2 pounds with a clean break and a shortened but more noticeable reset. I have the upgraded large sear plunger on my compact to minimize the chances of having the sear float aka dead trigger and will have it done to my FS9 in the future.

Newest striker: The older strikers were known to break by dry firing, the newer ones are supposedly much stronger and have a longer striker spring with a modified geometry to minimize light strikes. I had two light strikes with RWS ammo with my FS9 before replacing the striker and it has not happened for over 1,500 rounds since.

Stippling My FS9 had a slippery grip compared to my old Glocks so I had Ray of Broken Arrow Tactical perform a mixture of fine and medium texturing on my FS9. This will be performed on my compact eventually.

Extractor: My FS9 has Apex's extractor which is designed for the 9mm model out of the box instead of borrowing the .40 extractor like a factory gun. My 9c will get this beast of an extractor as I forgot to add it to my order last time.


Future: More trigger time, compact or 10-8 base plates, and maybe a mid-size .45.

I've tried many platforms and have not been as happy as I am with the M&P series :cool:

http://i941.photobucket.com/albums/ad251/SShenaniguns/667b35e9-1.jpg

[David B.]

S&W M&P 9mm:

*Smith and Wesson performance center trigger job. (polished feed ramp, performance center sear, beveled and mirror polished safety plunger, polished striker face) ~5.5lb trigger pull.
*Apex RAM
*Apex sear block modification (larger sear spring/plunger)
*Latest generation/revision striker
* Warren Tactical 2-dot night sights (installed by me).
*Stippling (done by me).

God Bless,
David

http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a183/Apostolos/finished1.jpg
http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a183/Apostolos/finished6.jpg
http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a183/Apostolos/finished4.jpg
http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a183/Apostolos/finished5.jpg

[45R]

I have a M&P9:
Installed Apex DCAEK and RAM parts
Installed Warren Rear and Dawson FO front sight (It a fun gun)
Stippled the rear back strap as well as the front...It has just enough grip that its too too brutal.

This gun is coming one of my favorite fun guns :)

[Jamesa]

I have an M&P 40 Pro:
Apex Sear and Sear Spring
Apex USB
10-8 Black Serrated Rear
AmeriGlo Pro Glo Front
Stipled front strap in a large round pattern myself.

[MechEng]

M&P9: Just installed an Apex DCAEK kit, polished some of the internals a little bit and gave it some Heinie Straight Eight sights.

[texag]

My M&P9 had to be sold to buy glocks for use at work. I miss it, as it was easily the best pistol I've found for my needs.

-Stippled frame
-Apex DCAEK with some polishing
-Warren plain rear/tritium front(not pictured)
-Compact baseplates

http://i785.photobucket.com/albums/yy138/TexAg10/Firearms/P1010374.jpg

[Savage Hands]

I forgot to add that my 9c has one of the experimental Ultimate Striker Blocks in Hard Chrome.

http://i941.photobucket.com/albums/ad251/SShenaniguns/3f40a5ba.jpg


Some info on the HC or melonited Apex parts:


Originally Posted By Flork805:
Thanks for the comments guys.

As one of the other posts mentioned, the Apex Sear is machines from bar stock as opposed to the MIM processing that the factory uses to make their stock Sear. The PC Sear is machined as well, but I don't know the material specs or hardness they go to. Ours are made from A-2 Tool Steel and heat treated in a vacuum to produce the best possible results.

I've been experimenting with different finishes on our Sears just for my own personal entertainment recently. I have a handful of Hard Sears and Ultimate Striker Blocks that have been Melonited and I have a few of each out at my Chrome shop that I expect to see back within a week or so. I'll post pics when I have them all on hand. I gotta say, Melonite is a sexy finish...deep dark black with a super hard "Candy Shell" at 75RC (for those of you who don't know what RC is, it's a hardness rating....75 can only be cut with Diamond impregnated tooling.

Scott @ Apex


Originally Posted By Flork805:
The parts that are going for Melonite are our production parts, so they will not be modified in any way prior to being treated.

I've had the same experience with Melonite, it tends to roughen things up a bit, but once you knock the burrs down, you get a glass smooth finish that's hard as diamond. The STI 2011 we recently delivered to Dave Hearth of Hearthco Moonclips was rough when it came back from Melonite, but the slide to frame fit wore in after a couple hundred rounds and the slide now runs like glass on glass.

The Hard Chrome and Melonite are really just experiments to see what difference it would make if we treated the Hard Sears and Striker Blocks in different manors. For example, if you're in a supremely harsh environment and you have to worry about rust, what will happen to your high carbon tool steel Sea?.....it will rust if you don't keep oil on it. Since most people don't know how to properly care for a gun and prevent rust, we're experimenting with the idea of using Hard Chrome because of it's corrosion resistant properties to make a Worry Free Sear.

Our goal is to provide the best possible parts available for the M&P and all other platforms we're breaching into, which means the continued evolution of our products as time goes on. If I had 10 years and unlimited time and ammo to prototype and test each product we make, I could put out one thing and call it good, but we do the best we can and make minor tweaks to the design to optimize their performance as we go. The Surface Treatments are just another step in our quest to perfect our product line.

Scott @ Apex

[DocGKR]

The M&P ambi safety models I use have the following done:

-- Apex Duty Kit

-- 10-8 magazine base plates

-- Stipple frame and backstrap

-- Re-shaped and stippled Costa Catalyst mag release on M&P9/M&P40; stippled OEM mag release on M&P45

-- If I have to use iron sights I don't mind the stock ones, although these days I now prefer an RMR02 RDS with suppressor height BIS.

[JDM]

http://184.72.239.143/mu/a6cd0875-84c5-b15a.jpg

That's it.

[jslaker]

I've got a RAM en route for my newly acquired M&P9.

Production date on my copy is 30 Nov 2010. Trigger is smooth, with a crisp break that feels in the 6-7 pound range, so I don't really see a need for the DCAEK for my usage. The reset is pretty miserable, and just dry firing the gun, I'm short stroking it as often as not, so for a $20 outlay, it seemed silly not to order a RAM.

Need to decide on a set of night sights for it, but, beyond that, I don't see myself doing all that much to this gun beyond finding an ample supply of 9x19 to feed it.

[karmapolice]

So far I have only a full sized M&P 9 (owned a 45 but sold it off for the 9), I will be getting a fs 40 issued for me and will probably buy another at least of each and a compact. So far I have made the following modifications (the round count on the gun is 2kish).

- Home Stipple job to increase grip with some grip tape on the slide and front trigger guard

- Trijicon HD night sights ( I love these sights, had some ameriglo plain/serrated rear lumvivo front originally)

- I run a surefire x300 on it a decent amount of the time and am waiting for a secret city y-12 light holster for it so I can carry it iwb with the light. I also would like an appendix carry rig for it.

- as for as internals it is stock and was a later production version that came with magazines with the newer square button magazine pads.

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2639/5794928365_24fb92b2b2_b.jpg

[ranburr]

I had too many issues with my pistol to ever trust this platform.

[JDM]

I had too many issues with my pistol to ever trust this platform.

Like what?

[ranburr]

Like what?

Three broken strikers.

[JV_]

Three broken strikers.The striker problems have been fixed for a while now, well over a year. That silver colored ones are considerably more durable.

[Savage Hands]

Did you break any of the newest generation silver colored strikers?

[DocGKR]

Gee--I've fired a lot of rounds through M&P's, primarily .40 and .45, and gotten to witness many tens of thousands of rounds go downrange out of M&P's. I still have not broken a silver striker or seen one break. In fact to date, we have seen many more broken parts and malfunctions with 4th gen Glocks than M&P's. With M&P's, there is at least a reasonable chance the factory will fix a problem and Apex is available for many parts if desired. I think I'll keep trusting my M&P:

http://www.tridentconcepts.com/alumni/Portals/0/NTForums_Attach/142745811358.jpg

[jslaker]

I've got a RAM en route for my newly acquired M&P9.

The RAM finally showed up today and I got it in the gun. Works exactly as advertised and far better than you'd expect from a $20 drop-in part. The weak, indistinguishable reset of the factory trigger is now forceful, tactile, and distinct. Definitely fixed my single biggest complaint about the gun. I'm a happy camper.

[ranburr]

Did you break any of the newest generation silver colored strikers?


I have no idea.

[jlw]

I have a M&P 45 that I got for the sole purpose of shooting CDP in IDPA. If IDPA would allow .45 GAP in CDP, the M&P would be gone as quickly as possible. The ACP Glocks are just too big for my hands.

As far as modifications, it is sporting a set of Ameriglo "Hack" sights, which I like very much. I also installed an Apex sear. I will install a RAM when they are released for the .45 models.

I may end up putting on a magwell and switching the baseplates.

[mtdawg169]

I recently picked up another M&P. The factory sights were junk and the front sight paint disentegrated the first or second time I function checked the gun. Here's how I set mine up:

*Trijicon HD night sights - orange
*Apex DCAEK - MA sear spring installed by factory, plunger polished by Apex
*rear backstrap stippled by Aziator on MP forums
*RAM to be added as soon as safety compatible version is available

My new 9FS came with the safety sear block housing and MA sear spring. My 9c is set up similarly with a DCAEK, HD sights, RAM, stippled backstrap and the sear block modified by Apex to add the MA sear spring.