To each their own. I tested this firearm at my range a few times and we all know the abuse range rentals take. I had zero issues even with a lose rear sight - I tightened it and was still driving tacks at 15 and 20 yards. Finish and Fit were spot on. I will purchase it. As far as the trigger - it is excellent. No issues there, in fact I was running it and running my Staccato XC the same day back to back. Combined, I went through 400 rounds. Maybe this is neither here nor there, but the only issues that day I had was with my Wife’s Prodigy and it’s temperamental habit of which hollow points it likes on any given day.
If you can get your hands on one a Canik SFX Rival-S is a much better firearm for similar money. Better trigger, better slide to frame fit, better fit and finish, metal optics mounting plates and softer shooting. I will post a comparison of the two soon.
@@TheFullNeilson I’ve shot both, the CANIK is extremely ugly compared to the 2.0 competitor, both shoot identical or close too it, I’m taking the smith all day long.
I for one really appreciate this review. I love the M&P 2.0 line and wanted a metal gun for a variety of reasons and was cross shopping this vs the standard metal 2.0. My issue with the Canik rival are 2 things: 1. Their bore axis is higher than the M&P's, which has kept me away from getting one. Second, the width on the Rival series is a bit much at 1.4". I love the slimmer grip straps that make the polymer version of the M&P 2.0 go down to 1.1". I"m not sure if these metal framed versions can be made as thin or they're a thicker than their polymer counterpart
Good video! Pull weight is 4.0lbs on the trigger. Stinks you had a few manufacturing issues. I just got mine and only put 100 round through it so far. I saw another video where they had a bad spring and the slide would not stay kicked back right out the box. I have no issues with mine so far. Fingers crossed.
I have about 1,000 rounds through my Competitor. The front panel is still as tight as the day I got it????? I would contact S & W about this and see if they can correct it. MSgt David R. Smyth, USAF, Ret.
Front grip was easy fix. Used shoe goo. If you want it to co-witness with stock sights, going as low as possible on the red dot, go Holosun SCS. M&P is originally designed for duty, hence, military and police. It is a duty pistol first so reliability is essential and that's the reason why the loose tolerance. This wasn't made to be a target pistol.There are several reports here on RUclips of the Canik Rival S being unreliable so there's trade offs on the tolerance issue. For a beginner competiton pistol that doubles as a carry, home protection, or duty pistol, there's nothing wrong with this platform. If purely for competition, I would go CZ Shadow 2 or go to my favorite 1911 style trigger in a double stack configuration.
Personally I don’t see how anyone could have seen plastic plates fail “time and time again” with as few manufacturers use that option. You’re allowed to have your opinion without throwing out fake known issues.
It's not an "opinion" or a "fake" issue it's an observable fact. One which I have first hand experience with. I just swapped a plastic optic mounting plate out on one of my handguns A few weeks ago because it failed exactly as I described in this video. That's not the first time I have experienced that. A guy has already commented on this video that he had his plastic optic plate fail. People like you who justify and defend this kind of bull crap are why the rest of us have to put up with plastic throw away mounting plates on a $900 firearm. Just because you have not experienced it does not mean that others haven't. You can learn things in life the easy way or the hard way. The easy way is from the collective experience of others. The hard way is to go find out for yourself. Use that plastic piece of junk and find out for yourself. Sooner or later it will fail and when it does I hope you will come back and tell us all about it.
@@TheFullNeilson I have close to 2k rounds threw my competitor and my front grip is still tight as the day I got it, as far as the slide mine is not nearly as sloppy as yours, so you probably got one from a one off bad batch.. optic plate and trigger, if you dont like it then buy your own and replace them, I replaced my trigger with a timney and I dont use an optic so..., no gun manufacturer is going to design a fun yo appease one specific customer
@@TheFullNeilsontbh, I don't like the idea of plastic plates. My core model has metal plates and I don't understand why sw decided to use plastic all of a sudden
Our local gun shop had a half dozen of these pistols in stock, all but one had a sloppy lose slide. Hard to believe Smith & Wesson sent it back to you without fixing the issues, worse that it went to market in that condition, maybe that's why there were so many in their case.
The slide to frame fit you mention is fine. I checked all my striker fired guns and every single one of them the slide slightly shifts when the trigger breaks dry firing.
I bought the M2.0 Metal 4.25”barrel yesterday. Haven’t shot it yet. Need the check if my pistol has the same issues you experienced. Thank you for sharing your thoughts and experience! Keep posting. Thanks!
Just checked the slide on my Metal, it wiggles side to side just like yours. My other M&P do not wiggle when pulling trigger. Crap! Please keep up to date on if Smith will fix this or not.
@Vegas Yo it's normal. I have a 5in core model that does it really bad... it's accurate af when you actually shoot it. When I dry fire the dot moves to the left after the trigger breaks. No biggie man.
I really liked the detail of your review. The metal 2.0 is still going to be my next purchase -- maybe not the competition version -- but I appreciate the info you provided here.
Ed Brown has the ultimate M&P 2.0 9's. I have a SIG P226 9mm and it's always been the cat's ass in my book. 50 yard shots on a 12" circle is no problem. Single action trigger breaks at 3.5 lbs. with very little creep.
I bought a shield 2.0 45 and its been nothing but problems, started with my front site was way off. Visually you could see it but shooting it it was way off, so i got that straightened out but the gun shoots way low. After about 100 rounds my trigger got super crunchy, my trigger bar is like riding against the rail that cycles ammo before it presses the plunger. Messages smith and nothing, no reply. Just got a mo 5.7 from them and im hoping i have better luck with that. Should be shooting it this weekend. This was my next purchase so im so glad i seen this video. Also, love my caniks, i have a mete sft mc9 and a rival and they have all been flawless!
I wonder if the Competitor version you got, just had some issues with it. Maybe in the machining process at the factory the specs where off. Hopefully that Smith&Wesson If the is a problem with your competitor, can fix it. Even my M&P 2.0 metal 4.25 barrel doesn't have that play with the slide rails
Great review, just picked one up and my front strap suffers same annoying issue after one day of zeroing and dry fire. My reset has no audible sound, fitment is same as yours….i would define as super sloppy. Love the pistol minus these issues
I think you got a lemon... Every other review ive seen seems to not have had rhese issues. I have personally handled about 6-7 competitors and not seen the issues you're experiencing. I would absolutely use the competitor out of the box for competition. That said, i am a practical/ defensive shooter, not a competition shooter.
I used plastic spacer when I first purchased , so far it’s sheared 4 screws . I switched to c&h plate and haven’t had a problem yet . Not what I expected either for competition model .
Thank you for this video because from looks standpoint it's nice but your cons are a catastrophic no for me when it comes to purchasing... its only a matter time till those grips fall off and wiggling slide makes me uncomfortable...
I have not used a p320 max so I cannot speak to that. I also do not compete so I cannot speak to that either. With that said I do spend some time following those in the know. My understanding is the new Canik Rival Steel frame which retails for $800-$950 is the one to beat for the money. I have one on order. It will be my first Canik. I have shot the p320 legion but not the 320 max. I did not care for the trigger or how snappy the 320 legion was. The 320 max has a steel frame which is really going to help. I would suggest you at least handle a Canik Rival standard or steel model. The triggers are extraordinary and the value for money is superb. Humble Marksmen and honest outlaw are RUclips channels for the firearm info you are seeking.
Damn that sucks and I almost got this gun but down a couple rows was the new fn 509 cc edge glad I got it instead! Good luck with yours I hope they fix it.
The M&P 2.0 polymer frame is heavier than the competitor in competition shooting you want a very well balanced gun. This girl is not if you remove the slide from the frame to frame feels like air. There’s no wait in the mag well any competition Gun I own I am a competitive shooter. My mag wheels are heavy mag wheels. That balance is the vacuum for recoil. My front load has titanium guide rod to put Wait in the front in this Gun has too much muscle rise to shoot in the pro class for a beginner, competitive shooter I would recommend this guy but at the levels I shoot and three gun and higher levels and IPSC n IDPA my STI an my Bull armory and my atlas Gun work are the best fit it per pro series and don’t forget predator tactical. They are the best guns overall in competitive shooting not a Smith & Wesson.
I have the 4.25” metal…the front grip has the same issue…it just snaps on to a smooth panel built into the frame…there’s no other retention…so changing out it for a new one won’t solve anything…i JP welded mine to the frame…on a +$200 2.0 that’s unacceptable
To each their own. I tested this firearm at my range a few times and we all know the abuse range rentals take. I had zero issues even with a lose rear sight - I tightened it and was still driving tacks at 15 and 20 yards. Finish and Fit were spot on. I will purchase it. As far as the trigger - it is excellent. No issues there, in fact I was running it and running my Staccato XC the same day back to back. Combined, I went through 400 rounds. Maybe this is neither here nor there, but the only issues that day I had was with my Wife’s Prodigy and it’s temperamental habit of which hollow points it likes on any given day.
If you can get your hands on one a Canik SFX Rival-S is a much better firearm for similar money. Better trigger, better slide to frame fit, better fit and finish, metal optics mounting plates and softer shooting. I will post a comparison of the two soon.
@@TheFullNeilson I’ve shot both, the CANIK is extremely ugly compared to the 2.0 competitor, both shoot identical or close too it, I’m taking the smith all day long.
I for one really appreciate this review. I love the M&P 2.0 line and wanted a metal gun for a variety of reasons and was cross shopping this vs the standard metal 2.0. My issue with the Canik rival are 2 things: 1. Their bore axis is higher than the M&P's, which has kept me away from getting one. Second, the width on the Rival series is a bit much at 1.4". I love the slimmer grip straps that make the polymer version of the M&P 2.0 go down to 1.1". I"m not sure if these metal framed versions can be made as thin or they're a thicker than their polymer counterpart
Good video! Pull weight is 4.0lbs on the trigger. Stinks you had a few manufacturing issues. I just got mine and only put 100 round through it so far. I saw another video where they had a bad spring and the slide would not stay kicked back right out the box. I have no issues with mine so far. Fingers crossed.
A real review. I love the attention you put to all those details that nobody mentions. Very informative, well done and helpful review.
I bought mine 3 months ago and put over 800 rounds through it. I find the gun to be extremely accurate with zero issues.
I have about 1,000 rounds through my Competitor. The front panel is still as tight as the day I got it????? I would contact S & W about this and see if they can correct it. MSgt David R. Smyth, USAF, Ret.
Hey Man, that was an Awesome review! One of the most thorough I've seen on RUclips of any Gun!
Thank you......
Front grip was easy fix. Used shoe goo. If you want it to co-witness with stock sights, going as low as possible on the red dot, go Holosun SCS. M&P is originally designed for duty, hence, military and police. It is a duty pistol first so reliability is essential and that's the reason why the loose tolerance. This wasn't made to be a target pistol.There are several reports here on RUclips of the Canik Rival S being unreliable so there's trade offs on the tolerance issue. For a beginner competiton pistol that doubles as a carry, home protection, or duty pistol, there's nothing wrong with this platform. If purely for competition, I would go CZ Shadow 2 or go to my favorite 1911 style trigger in a double stack configuration.
Even the SCS doesn't co-witness at all
Personally I don’t see how anyone could have seen plastic plates fail “time and time again” with as few manufacturers use that option. You’re allowed to have your opinion without throwing out fake known issues.
It's not an "opinion" or a "fake" issue it's an observable fact. One which I have first hand experience with. I just swapped a plastic optic mounting plate out on one of my handguns A few weeks ago because it failed exactly as I described in this video. That's not the first time I have experienced that. A guy has already commented on this video that he had his plastic optic plate fail. People like you who justify and defend this kind of bull crap are why the rest of us have to put up with plastic throw away mounting plates on a $900 firearm. Just because you have not experienced it does not mean that others haven't. You can learn things in life the easy way or the hard way. The easy way is from the collective experience of others. The hard way is to go find out for yourself. Use that plastic piece of junk and find out for yourself. Sooner or later it will fail and when it does I hope you will come back and tell us all about it.
@@TheFullNeilson I have close to 2k rounds threw my competitor and my front grip is still tight as the day I got it, as far as the slide mine is not nearly as sloppy as yours, so you probably got one from a one off bad batch.. optic plate and trigger, if you dont like it then buy your own and replace them, I replaced my trigger with a timney and I dont use an optic so..., no gun manufacturer is going to design a fun yo appease one specific customer
@@TheFullNeilsontbh, I don't like the idea of plastic plates. My core model has metal plates and I don't understand why sw decided to use plastic all of a sudden
Our local gun shop had a half dozen of these pistols in stock, all but one had a sloppy lose slide. Hard to believe Smith & Wesson sent it back to you without fixing the issues, worse that it went to market in that condition, maybe that's why there were so many in their case.
The slide to frame fit you mention is fine. I checked all my striker fired guns and every single one of them the slide slightly shifts when the trigger breaks dry firing.
My experience has been the opposite. I have owned 30-40 striker fired handguns and none of them shift like this one when dry firing.
Mine all shift as well.
@@Mitten_Plinking yeah they all do it despite what one might say.
I bought the M2.0 Metal 4.25”barrel yesterday. Haven’t shot it yet. Need the check if my pistol has the same issues you experienced.
Thank you for sharing your thoughts and experience! Keep posting. Thanks!
Just checked the slide on my Metal, it wiggles side to side just like yours. My other M&P do not wiggle when pulling trigger. Crap! Please keep up to date on if Smith will fix this or not.
@Vegas Yo it's normal. I have a 5in core model that does it really bad... it's accurate af when you actually shoot it. When I dry fire the dot moves to the left after the trigger breaks. No biggie man.
I really liked the detail of your review. The metal 2.0 is still going to be my next purchase -- maybe not the competition version -- but I appreciate the info you provided here.
Vortex Defender Red Dot will work great with this and co-witness.
Your talk on trigger travel really resonated with me. Thanks for the great review.
Talking about the trigger, you’re absolutely right
Ed Brown has the ultimate M&P 2.0 9's. I have a SIG P226 9mm and it's always been the cat's ass in my book. 50 yard shots on a 12" circle is no problem. Single action trigger breaks at 3.5 lbs. with very little creep.
I bought a shield 2.0 45 and its been nothing but problems, started with my front site was way off. Visually you could see it but shooting it it was way off, so i got that straightened out but the gun shoots way low. After about 100 rounds my trigger got super crunchy, my trigger bar is like riding against the rail that cycles ammo before it presses the plunger. Messages smith and nothing, no reply. Just got a mo 5.7 from them and im hoping i have better luck with that. Should be shooting it this weekend. This was my next purchase so im so glad i seen this video. Also, love my caniks, i have a mete sft mc9 and a rival and they have all been flawless!
I wonder if the Competitor version you got, just had some issues with it. Maybe in the machining process at the factory the specs where off. Hopefully that Smith&Wesson If the is a problem with your competitor, can fix it. Even my M&P 2.0 metal 4.25 barrel doesn't have that play with the slide rails
Best thing I liked about the Optic plates was doing the research ahead of time and just purchase the optic that fits the slide as is.
Another reviewer noted that the front panel snugged up when a magazine was inserted.
A Walther PDP is a rattle machine and it's one of the more accurate guns ever designed. That rattle means nothing.
It does when you can physically see the sites move when the striker falls.
I have been shooting M&P"s way back with the 1.0's i chose the polmer 2.0 5 " over the metal frame & never looked back!
My competitor has all the same issues that you just mentioned in your review. I called Smith & Wesson and they said that was normal for this pistol.
I thought they might say that. They can have it back then. I don't want a half finished firearm.
Did you end up keeping it?
@@erickdiaz661 nope it's gone
Great review, just picked one up and my front strap suffers same annoying issue after one day of zeroing and dry fire. My reset has no audible sound, fitment is same as yours….i would define as super sloppy. Love the pistol minus these issues
I think you got a lemon... Every other review ive seen seems to not have had rhese issues. I have personally handled about 6-7 competitors and not seen the issues you're experiencing. I would absolutely use the competitor out of the box for competition. That said, i am a practical/ defensive shooter, not a competition shooter.
I used plastic spacer when I first purchased , so far it’s sheared 4 screws . I switched to c&h plate and haven’t had a problem yet . Not what I expected either for competition model .
I WOULD LIKE TO THE BARREL PORTED FOR RECOIL
There is a model out called the Spec ops that has an attached port for the barrel.
Was wondering what the 2 tone would look like, I think I love it better than the whole aluminum grey finish one. 😍😍
i wonder if the Performance Center version is better
Thank you for this video because from looks standpoint it's nice but your cons are a catastrophic no for me when it comes to purchasing... its only a matter time till those grips fall off and wiggling slide makes me uncomfortable...
Thanks for your insights. Do you think the Sig P320 Max is a better pistol for entry level competition given the $600 increase in cost?
I have not used a p320 max so I cannot speak to that. I also do not compete so I cannot speak to that either. With that said I do spend some time following those in the know. My understanding is the new Canik Rival Steel frame which retails for $800-$950 is the one to beat for the money. I have one on order. It will be my first Canik. I have shot the p320 legion but not the 320 max. I did not care for the trigger or how snappy the 320 legion was. The 320 max has a steel frame which is really going to help. I would suggest you at least handle a Canik Rival standard or steel model. The triggers are extraordinary and the value for money is superb. Humble Marksmen and honest outlaw are RUclips channels for the firearm info you are seeking.
Even the SCS doesn't co-witness at all so it's not possible really
ok...i was going to get this one...what do i buy now...
Canik Rival Steel frame
@@TheFullNeilson I mean honestly yeah, that thing is a sexy firearm.
@@samnangith19 how about you get a Canik Rival Steel frame and then come back and tell me how awesome it is?
I bought one and it's awesome I think..makes me feel like a good shooter
Damn that sucks and I almost got this gun but down a couple rows was the new fn 509 cc edge glad I got it instead! Good luck with yours I hope they fix it.
Any updates did you get it back from s&w yet?
Out of the Box was it that sloppy .or was it something that happened after shooting it a couple 100 rounds
Out of the box
Was going to buy one until I watch your video now I need to find something else
For all these reasons you discovered, I would not buy this.
I think it's the result of over engineering
The M&P 2.0 polymer frame is heavier than the competitor in competition shooting you want a very well balanced gun. This girl is not if you remove the slide from the frame to frame feels like air. There’s no wait in the mag well any competition Gun I own I am a competitive shooter. My mag wheels are heavy mag wheels. That balance is the vacuum for recoil. My front load has titanium guide rod to put Wait in the front in this Gun has too much muscle rise to shoot in the pro class for a beginner, competitive shooter I would recommend this guy but at the levels I shoot and three gun and higher levels and IPSC n IDPA my STI an my Bull armory and my atlas Gun work are the best fit it per pro series and don’t forget predator tactical. They are the best guns overall in competitive shooting not a Smith & Wesson.
It’s either this or the pdp match. I can’t decide
I have the 4.25” metal…the front grip has the same issue…it just snaps on to a smooth panel built into the frame…there’s no other retention…so changing out it for a new one won’t solve anything…i JP welded mine to the frame…on a +$200 2.0 that’s unacceptable
I cant believe they released that gun with standard sights good luck finding good sights smith and Wesson aint glocks that for shore.
Looks like a nice gun but unless the price is good,not gonna buy one.i would rather get the fn herstal 509 tactical.