TGO David

They'll be wearing fur coats and driving sport utilities before this week is over!!!

No, I skipped the SK because the short grip just didn't feel right to me. I've had some sub-compacts in the past and they always ended up giving me blood blisters on the heel of my hand when I'd pinch it swapping mags. You should play the lottery. NOW. Before your uncanny ability to anticipate future events ceases!!!

Impossible! Liberal female college professors shooting guns?!?

So... you want one right, Dan?

One would certainly think. It's a shame that these avoidable quality control problems still plague the M&P. The platform is a really nice one. I wish Smith and Wesson would get it fixed.

Sorry, I didn't mean to imply that the fix was going to be immediate. I'm working on it though.

Just some new smilies for your amusement... Tough Guy Screwy Drama Queen Baseball Bat Whistling Tip of the Hat Slap Leaving... Enjoy them!

Who said that .40SW was the only caliber it will come in? Besides, there are quite a few people shooting Production with bunny-fart .40SW loads with just enough powder to meet minimum spec. The advantage being on the poppers and plates that sometimes 9mm shooters have difficulty knocking over. And there are other games besides USPSA. I can see where IDPA shooters will probably love this gun even more. In USPSA, I imagine that Limited-10 and Limited shooters will really love this one the most.

Supposedly it will be available this week or next. Springfield is unveiling it at the NRA National Conference this week and they wanted it in dealer / distributor hands before then so that it could go on sale immediately. We'll see if that is true or not.

From what I've heard, you are extremely fortunate that Judge Robinson was not present. She reportedly is very hard-nosed and doesn't favor the males who appear before her as much as she does the females. Take that for what it's worth; it may be utter crap but I've heard it from at least three different sources.

Yep. Not worth it.

I could make you a smoking deal on a P2000 .40SW V3 (DA/SA) right now if you wanted one. Offer expires midnight this Friday.

Interesting concept, obviously aimed at making the XD super competitive in shooting sport classes where modifications to the firearm are seriously restricted. Like USPSA Production. You can't modify (stipple) the grip in Production, but you wouldn't have to with this firearm. It also would appear that this will fit inside the Holy "Gun Box" at IDPA events where if the gun won't fit, you must quit. It's the ultimate gamer gun for production class events. I kinda like it.

Match Grade.

Here they are straight from Springfield. Caliber: .40S&W Magazines: 2 – 16 Round, Stainless Steel Barrel: 4.5" Steel, Melonite, Fully Supported Ramp Sights: Dovetail Front and Rear (Steel) 3-Dot Trigger Pull: 5.5 - 7.7lbs. Frame : Black Polymer Slide: Forged Steel, Melonite® Finish Height: 5.6" Weight w/ empty mag: 32 oz. *High Capacity Magazines may not be available in some states.

Sorry to hear that you were with HCA. Ever. I have friends who worked IT for HCA hospitals in the past and they said it was maddeningly difficult to get very much accomplished and everything pushed down from "on high" was counter intuitive to the direction that each Line Of Business was really taking. I'm still hoping that one of these days I'll get back into a larger environment where they are actually doing cool stuff with tech again. I had that when I worked for First American National Bank, but when they sold out to AmSouth I knew it was time to go. Their mantra was "A green screen on every desk".

He does circumcisions in the 'Hood until 10:30am. You could have caught him there.

What was their answer?

I see that Smith and Wesson is still having these problems. Sorry to hear this. Enough time has lapsed since the M&P was introduced that they should have gotten these kinks worked out by now. There's no longer any reason for me to give them the benefit of saying that they are just suffering typical Freshman Year problems. I really hope that they get it together soon, otherwise the M&P may be written off as Sigma Version 2.0

I have my attorney's number in my phone and in my organizer at home and work. Should I ever have to defend myself with deadly force, my course of action will be to: Be polite and professional with the LEO, but inform them that I will cooperate fully but only after I have spoken with my attorney. Contact my attorney. Instruct my attorney to contact John Harris' law office and bring him on as a consultant to the case. This is key and something that Mr. Harris actually recommended since his rates are likely higher than the rates of my own attorney, but his specific expertise will only be needed for a portion of the actual legal case. Obtain my backup gun from my safe and carry it while my primary gun is being held as evidence by the LE agency in question. That's pretty much the nuts and bolts of it. From what I've read and been told by "those who know" ... this is a solid, basic plan of action.

I thought the (M) stood for Money.

This is a very wise attitude. I'm glad that you had it and went into battle with a lawyer in hand. Congratulations on the win.

I hate cliques no matter what the particular focal point is. I've owned Mustangs for the past 10 years and recently got out of that habit. When I had them, I really never wanted to be part of a "Mustang Club" because of the rabid, foaming at the mouth way some of the owners championed them against every other car made. I hate hanging around 90% of the Information Technology people out there because there seems to be a driving urge among them to constantly measure each other's e-dicks with the unit of measure being how much you know about the latest bleeding edge tech that still has no applicable use in the business world. I've joking referred to the 1911 as being God's Chosen Firearm because John Moses Browning received the first ever from a burning bush, but frankly I get tired of the 1911 superiority claims from that camp as well. Yes they DO seriously ****ing rock, but 1911s aren't the end all, be all of the firearms world. Heresy? I think not. Even JMB went on to design more modern derivatives of it. Cliques suck. Pick the firearm that you like the best, shoot the best, and carry the most. Then shoot it and carry it religiously. THAT is the best firearm for YOU. But it really should say Glock on it. I keed, I keed.

The polymer guns that I'd look at were I in your shoes... 1. Glock 23 2. HK P2000 or P2000SK in DA/SA (V3) 3. Smith & Wesson M&P 40 and 40c 4. Springfield XD-40 and XD-40 SC Pretty much in that order. I put the XD at the bottom of the list primarily because I don't care for their ridiculous practice of requiring that you absolutely send your firearm to them for even replacement of the most insignificant parts. Parts for them are starting to surface through some suppliers, but it's still a headache. I really like the S&W M&P handguns and if enough people are having good experiences with them now, I'd probably bump it up to the #2 or even #1 position. I just saw too many silly problems out of them when I owned a few to feel 100% confident carrying one for self defense.

The perceived downsides are also the perceived strengths depending on who you talk to. 1. Lack of a manual safety. 2. Utilitarian design; not pretty to look at. 3. Chunky grip; odd grip angle. I prefer the lack of a manual safety. This isn't a ****ing toy; it's a gun. If your finger is on the trigger you should be ready for it to go BANG. If you're not wanting it to go BANG, then your ****ing finger shouldn't be on the ****ing trigger. Basic rule of gun safety! Utilitarian design? Sign me up! Look at what I drive; an F250 Diesel truck. Sure I think it's pretty but it's also a behemoth meant to go anywhere, anytime and over anyone in it's way. I like my carry guns the same way I like my trucks. Ugly, brutish beasts that you can abuse the hell out of and they still come back asking for more. Yeah, I have a sentimental soft spot for my Wilson Combat 1911 and I think it's a dead sexy beast, but if you want to see a grown man cry, be there if I ever accidentally drop it on concrete and scuff it up. The Glock's utilitarian design stems from it's simplicity. There's not much that can go wrong with them. I'm not looking to fire reloads or high pressure factory rounds through it so I don't anticipate it turning into a fragmentation grenade anytime soon. I do anticipate it working every time I pull the trigger unless there's a dud round in the chamber. Then it's time for a tap, rack, bang drill the same as it is with any gun. The chunky grip works well even for a small-handed shooter if they're shooting via the "modern method" with both hands on the grip, thumbs forward. People who complain about large grip circumference are trying to wrap their entire strong hand around the gun. The odd grip angle really doesn't phase me. Sure it's not the same as my 1911 but it does pre-load the wrist against the torque of the recoil operation. The more folks I see limp wristing guns, the more I think that Gaston may have been onto something when he went with the grip angle that he did. It forces you to lock your wrist. But again, those are also all cons depending on who you talk to. I haven't drank any Kool Aid in a long time, but my thoughts on what I need from a carry / fighting pistol have evolved slightly over the past two years.