Smith and Wesson M&P45 Gaining Ground

[waynesan]

SPRINGFIELD, Mass., Aug. 1 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ --- Smith & Wesson Holding Corporation (Nasdaq: SWHC - News), parent company of Smith & Wesson Corp., the legendary 155-year old company in the global business of safety, security, protection and sport, announced today that it has received an order for the company's M&P45 pistol from the Hartford, Connecticut Police Department (PD). The order calls for a total of 500 M&P45 pistols chambered in .45 ACP. An M&P45 will be issued to each officer in the department to replace early-model Smith & Wesson pistols that previously served as Hartford PD's primary duty firearm.

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Officials at the Hartford PD indicated that they selected the M&P45 because of its unique features including enhanced ergonomics, ambidextrous controls and consistent reliability. Daryl K. Roberts, Chief of the Hartford PD, said, "In our selection process we tested a number of firearms from various manufacturers. The M&P45 provided us with the best combination of features that are important to our officers in the line of duty. Among the most notable were the external thumb safety and the magazine disconnect safety. These options, combined with the pistol's shootability, interchangeable grip sizes, accuracy, and standard design features, made our final selection easy."

While among the first agencies to place an order for the M&P45, Hartford Police Department joins a growing list of police agencies that have selected firearms from the M&P Series for duty use. Recent additions include the Iowa State Patrol; Harris County Sheriff's Office in Texas; Charles County Police Department in Maryland; New Castle Police Department in Delaware; Berkeley Police Department in California; Kenner Police Department in Louisiana; Rocky Mount Police Department in North Carolina; Brookline Police Department in Massachusetts; Hampden County Sheriff's Office in Massachusetts; and the Jefferson County Sheriff's Office in Wisconsin.

"We are pleased to add the Hartford PD to our growing list of law enforcement agencies that have purchased the M&P Series of polymer pistols for their duty firearms," said Leland Nichols, President and Chief Operating Officer of Smith & Wesson Corp., a wholly owned subsidiary of Smith & Wesson Holding Corporation. "We commenced shipping the newest model, the .45 caliber M&P45 just two months ago, and with its addition to the M&P Series we now provide a broad portfolio of high-performance, polymer pistols to military organizations, law enforcement agencies, sports shooters and consumers desiring personal protection. Today, the M&P Series is used or approved for carry in a total of 223 law enforcement agencies, which represent more than 60,000 officers across the United States. We are honored to be supporting these men and women in the line of duty."

The M&P45 is manufactured with a traditional black or dark earth brown frame and is available with or without a frame-mounted ambidextrous thumb safety. With an empty weight of 29.6 ounces, the polymer pistol features a 4.5-inch barrel with an overall length of 8.05 inches. Providing one of the smallest grip sizes available on any .45 ACP pistol, the M&P45 comes standard with three interchangeable grips, allowing the user to customize the pistol to their preferred hand size. The M&P45 utilizes a steel dovetail mount front sight and a steel Novak® Lo-Mount carry rear sight. Tritium sights are available for low light conditions and a universal Picatinny-style equipment rail allows for tactical lights and lasers. The new frame-mounted ambidextrous thumb safety acts as a passive safety device allowing the slide to be pulled toward the rear, clearing the firearm without disengaging the safety. Another feature available on the M&P45 is the specially designed lanyard attachment.

[Marswolf]

While I'm not normally a fan of magazine disconnects, in the case of striker fired handguns that must be dry fired, or some other procedure accomplished, to field strip, I think the mag disconnect is a very good idea.

I still think duty weapons with hammers are a better idea, but if I was going to choose a "public friendly" hammerless model, I'd probably go with the M&P.

[DaveTN]

S&W did a remarkable job with the M&P. Options aren’t even an issue; get it however you want it.

Most people don’t seem to care, but every piece of the M&P including the magazine is made in America; that was important to me.

[molonlabetn]

Their lineup will be complete when they finally bring the .357sig model to market, and incorperate the optional manual safety in the 9mm/.357/.40 frames... also, they need a compact .45...

Fine weapons. Perhaps not worth replacing my XDs with, but competetive, nonetheless.

[Guest Len]

And, of course, they need a 10mm...

Their lineup will be complete when they finally bring the .357sig model to market, and incorperate the optional manual safety in the 9mm/.357/.40 frames... also, they need a compact .45...

Fine weapons. Perhaps not worth replacing my XDs with, but competetive, nonetheless.

[molonlabetn]

And, of course, they need a 10mm...

Now you've done it...

[dcloudy777]

The M&P is the best of the polymer breed to date, particularly from an agency-issue standpoint, since it can literally be fitted (at the user-level), to fit practically any officer's hand, and can be disassembled without pulling the trigger. If Glock didn't have a 20 year head start in LE, and had to compete on a level playing field with the XD, M&P, and even the Taurus 24/7, they'd be an also-ran... that just happens to make the coolest e-tool ever.

DanO

[TGO David]

I'd really like to own an M&P 45 but I am waiting to see if Smith releases a smaller form factor. Preferably a mid-size sort of like Springfield did with the XD45C.

I really like my M&P 40 and 40c and think my wife's 9c is pretty cool too. As soon as they start producing the .357SIG barrels, I'll buy one to swap into my 40c.

[Guest Len]

I do love my Glock e-tool!

If Glock didn't have a 20 year head start in LE, and had to compete on a level playing field with the XD, M&P, and even the Taurus 24/7, they'd be an also-ran... that just happens to make the coolest e-tool ever.

DanO

[Guest EasilyObsessed]

I picked up my M&P 45 a couple weeks ago, and I absolutely love it. When/if they release a smaller version, I will definitely pick one up for daily carry to replace my Glock 27.

Ill be moving back to Nashville in about a week and half, and if anyone want to meet me at the range, you are welcome to take it for a test drive.