We’re nearing the finish line in our 2,000 round testing of the Smith & Wesson M&P M2.0 Compact, and wanted to re-test after our first ammunition-related malfunction in the last outing. At round 1,054, we had a single failure-to-fire with Browning’s 147-grain BPT ammo. Given the appearance of the primer on that round, it did not appear to be a light primer strike, so we put an additional 100 rounds of the same ammunition through the M&P with no failures. Additionally, in excess of 1,000 rounds have been fired through the Smith & Wesson M&P M2.0 Compact since the rear sight was readjusted, with no further deviation on point-of-aim. It looks like a little Loctite did the trick.
In addition to the Browning ammo, we put an additional 100 rounds of Aguila’s 115-grain FMJ fodder through the Smith & Wesson M&P M2.0 Compact with zero failures. This is a good representative of standard, FMJ practice ammo, and we have not experienced any malfunctions using this or other common FMJ rounds. For a defensive round, we used SIG Sauer 147-grain V-Crown, and did not experience any problems for 50 rounds.
As a side note, another Shooting Illustrated editor attended this range session and fired a few magazines through the Smith & Wesson M&P M2.0 Compact to gain a different perspective on it. Again, no failures were observed with a second shooter, and it was noted that the bone-stock Smith & Wesson M&P M2.0 Compact exhibited accuracy on par with or better than a number of pistols with aftermarket upgrades (sights, barrels, triggers, etc.).
We can see the end to testing in sight, with over 1,500 rounds through the Smith & Wesson M&P M2.0 Compact. We have experienced one direct problem with the pistol in the form of the rear sight coming loose, easily corrected with a hex wrench and Loctite, and one suspected ammunition-related failure, with a failure to fire at round 1,054. All of this is in a firearm that has received zero cleaning or lubrication since we took it out of the box we received from the manufacturer.
To recap this session:
SIG Sauer 147-grain V-Crown: 50 rounds, no failures
Aguila 115-grain FMJ: 100 rounds, no failures
Browning 147-grain BTP: 100 rounds, no failures
Total round count in the torture test stands at 1,506, with a single ammunition-related failure. Stay tuned for more updates as we work our way through the last quarter of testing.
