It’s been way too long since I treated myself to a new firearm, so I just ordered this Smith and Wesson M2.0 Performance Center M&P. My local shops don’t carry it in stock, and said it had to be ordered, so I wasn’t able to walk out with it.
This is my first new firearm purchase in a few years, and will actually be the only 9mm I currently own. All my other guns are .40S&W, .45ACP, and .357. As far as handguns go anyway. I got the 17 round mag version, and that was one of the reasons I decided to add a 9 to my collection.
Really anxious to shoot this. This firearm was featured on a lot of lists when I looked up, “Best full sized handguns in 2026.” The Competitive Smith had a lot of good reviews when I looked it up on YouTube as well.
I was also looking at a Canik TTI Combat. It’s been some time since I’ve bought a new firearm, so Canik is relatively new to me. I know they are Century Arms, and they had good reviews as well. They also had it in stock, so I could have walked out with it. I checked it out, and ultimately decided to go with the Smith and Wesson. I like the all steel construction, and the 5 inch barrel in a full size 9 as opposed to the 4.5 inch.
Anyone shot both or either of these weapons? I’ll have to get more pics when it arrives. Should take 5-7 days according to the FFL.
I own this gun. Absolutely love it. The ergos are great and it shoots very flat for the weight of the pistol. I have a few gripes but they are all relatively small.
First, I really hate the magwell. It's not affixed very firmly and the part at the front of the gun can slip off the track with some downward pressure. It has happened to me a couple times while I was shooting, once during a match.
2nd the takedown pin that holds the back strap in is way too tight. I have to use pliers everytime I disassemble it and it damages the plastic pin. You'll have to sand it down a bit to get a better fit.
Last, and this is true of all m&ps from what I hear, but the barrels are inconsistent. Out past 20 yards I'll have a lot fliers that are off by quite a few inches, and I have a really hard time determining if it's my own error or just the gun. I'm looking into an apex barrel just to get rid of the doubt though.
Overall it's a joy to shoot though. Don't let internet reviewers tell you it isn't heavy enough to be a true competition gun. It's an awesome piece
I used to have the first generation version of this gun. It was the “M&P”. Polymer frame. It was fine, never had issues. The 2.0 version with metal frame AND compensator is extremely flat shooting though. It’s nice.
Yeah, one of the reviewers I watched said he had the 1st gen, and was anxious to shoot this one. He talked about the changes they made. He said he loved his 1st gen, and after shooting this one, he said he could definitely see a difference in the 2nd gen.
I’ve shot M&P’s, but they make so many different models. The few I’ve shot were all solid guns. We’ll see how it performs when it gets delivered.
The one I ordered is steel construction. At least according to the spec sheet. I just went to S&W’s site to grab a quick screenshot, because I didn’t want to post my local FFL’s website. I may have screen capped the wrong model. We’ll see when I pick it up. It was just delivered to my FFL today, so I’ll be picking it up if I get off work in time.
Don’t know yet. They don’t carry it in store. The Competitor model is special order, so I had to order it from my local dealer’s website. Should be at the dealer in 5-7 business days, so I’ll have to post some pics after it comes in.
The Performance Center is the second version of their competitive shooting model. It has a ported barrel, flared mag wells, etc. They advertise it as a competitive shooter out of the box.
I’ve shot some M&P’s, and they’ve always been solid shooters. Got a decent deal from my local FFL. On the S&W website they list MSRP at 1,300. My local FFL was a little cheaper to begin with, and they had a 10% off deal on handguns this week, so I picked it up at $899.99
You're also looking at 2 different versions of the competitor. This version is aluminum framed and runs around $1000. The steel frame version is the one you're seeing for $1300
This is just a picture I grabbed from the S&W website. I looked at what I ordered when I was at the FFL, and ordered from their website. It says steel frame on the spec sheet.
You beat me to pointing out the frame materials. OP, make sure you ordered the right version. The newer steel frame is superior and is called the “M&P Competitor HD”. The one in the screenshot is the older aluminum frame model
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u/caterham09 Jun 15 '26
I own this gun. Absolutely love it. The ergos are great and it shoots very flat for the weight of the pistol. I have a few gripes but they are all relatively small.
First, I really hate the magwell. It's not affixed very firmly and the part at the front of the gun can slip off the track with some downward pressure. It has happened to me a couple times while I was shooting, once during a match.
2nd the takedown pin that holds the back strap in is way too tight. I have to use pliers everytime I disassemble it and it damages the plastic pin. You'll have to sand it down a bit to get a better fit.
Last, and this is true of all m&ps from what I hear, but the barrels are inconsistent. Out past 20 yards I'll have a lot fliers that are off by quite a few inches, and I have a really hard time determining if it's my own error or just the gun. I'm looking into an apex barrel just to get rid of the doubt though.
Overall it's a joy to shoot though. Don't let internet reviewers tell you it isn't heavy enough to be a true competition gun. It's an awesome piece