M&P Barrel Upgrade Questions

[mmc45414]

2.0 trigger ain't bad and gets better with break-in.
I have multiple guns with both APEX and stock triggers and I'm gonna go ahead and say that the APEX is not that big of an improvement on the 2.0 guns.

I agree. I have four of them (2.0), three 5" and a Compact 4".
The first 5" gun I decided to just shoot as is, changing nothing but the sights (Dawson). I shot it weekly for a couple of years, and was not held back by the pistol. Then I started shooting three gun matches at a local club, and the guys that setup the matches are all shooting more racy guns, so I decided to get the flat trigger, and decided to start fresh with another pistol, and WTH, I might as well go ahead and get the barrel, in for a penny, in for a pound! Then I looked around and realized those same guys most all have RDO, so I bought a third pistol, had it direct milled for a SRO, and added the flat trigger and have the barrel on backorder. I figure If I am going to spend $500 on an optic that requires $150 in milling, I might as well do the trigger and barrel. But I agree, the unmodified gun is a damn nice pistol.

But the flat trigger is tasty. They publish a matrix of the spring combinations, and I have been very happy with this setup:

[Danko]

As someone suggested earlier, shoot the pistol for groups off of a steady surface such as a bench. If you don't have a shooting bag to shoot off of, I've used my range bag stuffed with a jacket after removing everything from the side pockets. You want something at a comfortable height that kind of 'forms a little bit to your hands as you rest them on the support. Take the time to get as comfortable as possible. Don't pay attention to where your rounds are hitting - maintain the same point of aim for all the shots. You are looking for group size, not whther the pistol shoots poa-poi.

Additionally, have a known good shooter fire some rounds for group out of the pistol.

IMO, if your pistol can shoot four-inch groups from the rest at 25 yards, as a newer shooter you are probably good barrel-wise for a while. If that is the case, as time goes by, you might think about re-barreling when you can shoot that four-inch group unsupported. At that point you would be shooting to the potential of your barrel and a fitted barrel would help you advance.

OTOH, a more accurate pistol certainly won't hinder you at this point in your journey.

JMO

[Danko]

The outdoor range I shoot at is maximum of about 50 feet and has no type of rests. The best I could do is park my truck at 50 feet and shoot off of the hood. I may try that for the heck of it.

[mmc45414]

The outdoor range I shoot at is maximum of about 50 feet and has no type of rests. The best I could do is park my truck at 50 feet and shoot off of the hood. I may try that for the heck of it.

I have been planning to try a step ladder, I am short so a 4ft one might work.

[gunner1976]

I think the 2.0 guns have a noticeable accuracy improvement over the 1.0 guns. I'm not a high class pistol shooter but shooting while standing I can easily shoot 3" groups at 15yds with my 2.0 guns, the 1.0s are usually around 4.5-5".