Gun Of The Week: Smith & Wesson M&P 10mm M2.0

Before this latest introduction, if you wanted a Smith & Wesson 10 mm handgun, you had to hunt for one of Smith’s third-gen semi-automatics, like the 1006 or its variants. The S&W 1000 series of guns is most famous for being the gun the FBI chose to adopt in a short-lived attempt to move to the 10 mm Auto cartridge as a duty round. The FBI, infamously, ultimately chose the .40 S&W instead, but the S&W 1006 and its brethren live on as one of the strongest 10 mm semi-auto handguns ever built. Now, the Smith & Wesson 10 mm is back in the form of a beefed-up M&P. Watch the video above to see this latest M&P 10 mm in use on the NRA Tech Range.

Smith & Wesson didn’t have to go back to the drawing board entirely for its new M&P M2.0 10mm. The company already produced a powerful, hard-hitting, polymer-frame handgun in the form of its M&P45, and that’s largely what we’re seeing in this platform, which is the M&P45 with some necessary changes to accommodate the 10 mm Auto cartridge. At the core of the M2.0 10mm is a stainless-steel chassis embedded into the polymer frame, which gives the frame enough strength and rigidity to prevent excess flex and torque during firing.

Size-wise, the M&P 10mm is the same as the M&P45, but users will get an extra edge with the 10 mm version in a couple ways. First, naturally, because of the smaller diameter of 10 mm, magazine capacity is bumped up significantly. The M&P 10 mm holds 15 rounds in its flush-fit magazine compared to 10 rounds in the .45. Also, the 10 mm weighs slightly less than the .45, although not enough to make a noticeable difference in any practical sense.

Some of the biggest upgrades incorporated into M&P handguns over the last few years are also present on the M&P 10 mm. One of the most noticeable changes is to the trigger. Gone is the hinged trigger of yesteryear, replaced by a blade-in-shoe safety that’s more in line with what we see in other parts of the market. The trigger has a flatter face and breaks more cleanly with a shorter arc of travel than we’ve seen in past S&W triggers. Additionally, at the top of the slide, Smith & Wesson provides a mounting space for optics of the Trijicon RMR footprint. A polymer cover plate is installed from the factory. The steel, drift-adjustable sights are also taller to co-witness with a mounted optic.

When it comes to active use, Smith & Wesson’s classic 1006 may have been durable, but one spot where users paid for that durability was in weight. Unloaded, the steel-framed behemoth weighed in at more than 40 ozs, whereas the new M&P 10 mm weighs in at just over 29 ozs. It might seem like that’d make it a handful on the range, but thanks to the M2.0’s aggressive frame texturing and the comfortable 18-degree grip angle, this pistol was a great shooter on the range, despite its powerful chambering. We also appreciated the easily accessible thumb safety, though S&W does offer models without the safety.

Smith & Wesson M&P 10mm M2.0 Specifications
Manufacturer: Smith & Wesson, Inc.
Action Type: recoil-operated, semi-automatic, centerfire pistol
Chambering: 10 mm Auto
Barrel: 4.6" stainless steel, Armornite finish
Frame: black polymer
Slide: stainless steel, Armornite finish
Sights: raised, three-white-dot, drift-adjustable; square-notch rear, post front
Magazine: 15-round detachable box
Trigger: striker-fired; 4-lb., 4-oz. pull
Overall Length: 7.9"
Height: 5.6"
Width: 1.3"
Weight:
MSRP: $669