We’re at the 500-round mark with the Smith & Wesson M&P M2.0 Compact, and have interesting news on its performance for this update.
We’re a quarter of the way through the 2,000-round testing of the Smith & Wesson M&P M2.0 Compact. So far, we’ve put 250 rounds of FMJ and JHP ammo through it already, and we have another, similar session on which to report. For this latest update, we have 100 rounds of Federal Premium’s new Train & Protect 115-grain VHP (Versatile Hollowpoint), 100 rounds of Sellier & Bellot’s 115-grain FMJ ammo and another 50 rounds of Browning’s 147-grain BXP ammunition.
On the ammunition side of things, the testing is getting, well, boring. Everything works. Load the magazine, chamber a round, all feed, fire and eject without incident. The accuracy of the pistol is very good (certainly better than I can lay claim to…); reliability is superlative; basically, it’s done everything we want of it and more. Now, granted, we’re only 500 rounds in, but all indications are good. I’m not aware of any pistol whose manufacturer requires in excess of 500 rounds as a “break-in” period, so I think we can safely declare the Smith & Wesson M&P M2.0 Compact to be “broken in.”
There was one interesting observation made in this round of testing:
The rear sight has worked itself slightly off-center. I noticed this in the second or third target of this last range session—while the first range session was more of a straight-on function test, I wanted to see how accurate the Smith & Wesson M&P M2.0 Compact could be. Focusing on trigger press and follow-through, it was observed that a lovely silver-dollar-sized group was created on target—about an inch left of the center. A quick look at the rear of the slide explained why.
While it was a little out-of-the-ordinary to see the rear sight loose, it’s hardly unique. I’ve had the target sight on my Colt Gold Cup come loose, seen fiber-optic sights on shotguns start turning and experienced similar instances in other firearms. It’s a very quick and easy fix. Loosen the setscrew, tap back into place with a punch, non-marring mallet or sight pusher, tighten back up. This would be a great time, would someone be so inclined, to upgrade the sights if desired (we tested the Trijicon XD HR night sights and XS Sights FR8 sights recently). If simply re-aligning the sights, however, adding a drop of Loctite is a smart move here.
Anything that’s secured with a screw should be checked periodically; double-so if it’s on your defensive handgun. Screws work loose—that’s why Loctite was invented, after all—and should be checked periodically. This is true if it’s your defensive handgun, a mounted riflescope or home-assembled furniture of Swedish origin. Check your gear often and pay attention to signs at the range that something is amiss. While any deviation in point-of-impact is of concern, catching it early and remedying it immediately is both easy and quick.
Stay tuned for more testing of the Smith & Wesson M&P M2.0 Compact here on Shooting Illustrated!
