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M&P at The Range

A Girl and Her Gun: M&P at The Range

Thursday, February 2, 2012

M&P at The Range

Tuesday morning I headed to the range with my son to shoot my new Smith & Wesson M&P 9mm.  I don't want to give to much away, but I AM CRAZY ABOUT THIS GUN! 

I bought Federal 9mm Luger bullets full metal jacket(FMJ)(in basic terms that just means the tip of the bullet is solid and rounded.  It isn't hallowed out)in 115 grain. The package also has RN after FMJ, but I have no idea what that means.  I have no idea if that is standard or what my other choices are in this caliber, but that is what the store sold, so that is what I bought.  I did buy some self defense ammo also.  Winchester 9mm Luger jacket hollow point(JHP), 147 grain.  Again, this was my one and only choice. 

Here is my first magazine...
 He is a little crooked.
 Not bad
Second magazine little further out


 My son shot her.  Did very well.  Nice tight groupings.


Rapid fire drill(me)




I don't know the exact distance, but this was pretty far down range.

I was aiming at the 7.  I thought my shots were low compared to where I had my sites.

 This was at about the 10 yard line.


This is with the self defense 135 grain ammo.  I didn't feel any difference from the 115 grain, but you can see my shots are not in much of a group.

Things I like...The trigger on this gun is awesome.  I like how my index finger fits on the trigger itself. I don't know if you can tell in this picture, but the bottom of the trigger kind of curls up and makes for a nice grip for me.  My son has much bigger fingers, so he prefers the straighter trigger of the Glock. I am not sure of all the correct terminology, but when I go from shot to shot(the reset), it is very smooth and quick.  I could feel that on dry fire(shooting the gun without any ammo), but I was surprised at how quickly I could do a double tap(two shots fired quickly back to back) I shot an entire magazine doing 3 rapid shots, then pause, then 3 more etc and it was flawless. I have never done that before and I don't know why I decided to shoot 3 and then pause, but I did. It was fun!  Between my son and I, we shot 217 rounds through the M&P and did not have a single malfunction. Of course, I like the bigger capacity magazine and the thinner grip. I have very long fingers and a bigger beefier grip is fine with me, but for concealing, I like the thinness of the M&P.

Things I didn't like...I have always been a pretty good shoot with my weak hand(that's the right for me), but with this gun, it felt odd.  I just couldn't get comfortable holding it.  My first few shots with my weak hand were all over the place, but I was able to get it under control.  I have no idea why, but that discouraged me a little.

I also don't like the take down of this gun(for cleaning).  It is not difficult , but for a lefty it  is awkward to hold down the release tab while pulling the trigger etc.  Not a big deal and I am sure I will get used to it, just saying. 

This didn't bother me exactly, but one thing that happened to me that has never happened with my Glock is that my hands were covered in black powder. I don't know if it is the gun, the brand of ammo, or what, but my gun was dirty inside and out and so was I.  I washed my hands 3 times.

All in all I love this gun.  Love it.  I think I am shooting well and it is just feels right. I think with more practice, I will be able to improve my accuracy, especially when I am on the move or drawing from the holster. 

I am not ready to carry it though.  My family keeps asking me if it's the gun by my bed at night. It isn't.  I have carried and shot my Glock a lot over the past 11 months and it feels weird not to have her with me. I trust that gun and I trust myself with that gun.  I know it well. I would, of course, grab any gun that was near by and use it in defense of myself or a loved one, but if I have a choice, I am reaching for the Glock .27, for now.

I am super excited to be going back to the range tomorrow to shoot with a friend and then Saturday I will do some holster work with John.  I think I must have been very bored before I found guns.  I am having a blast!!!!!!!








41 Comments:

At February 2, 2012 at 11:11 AM , Blogger JD said...

RN= Round Nose

 
At February 2, 2012 at 11:20 AM , Blogger LCB said...

It's the Federal ammo. I practice with it often and my gun get's pretty dirty, too.

 
At February 2, 2012 at 11:23 AM , Blogger JD said...

Cheaper Than Dirt has a decent "bullet glossary" for other abbreviations: http://www.cheaperthandirt.com/mediapages/ArticleDetail.aspx?mediaid=17

 
At February 2, 2012 at 11:28 AM , Anonymous Anonymous said...

Great shooting girl! Awesome group! im so happy for you!!!!

 
At February 2, 2012 at 11:31 AM , Blogger Sean D Sorrentino said...

I think your grip is wrong. You are using the wrong hand. (Hehehe)

Seriously, good job.

 
At February 2, 2012 at 12:00 PM , Blogger Keads said...

Nicely done! I carry an M&P. Great pistol. As for the disassemble, you don't have to pull the trigger. Lock the slide to the rear, and you can push down the disconnect with a small pointed instrument, then hit the diss lever.

 
At February 2, 2012 at 1:09 PM , Blogger Daddy Hawk said...

Someone already beat me to the round nose explanation; however, I should mention that you will also see FMJ RN referred to as "ball" ammo.

 
At February 2, 2012 at 1:11 PM , Blogger Jacked Up Glock Mom said...

I go between my M&P,Glock and Judge, only the Judge is a bit heavy, but my all time favorite is my Glock as well. All though its a hoot shredding watermelons with the Judge.

 
At February 2, 2012 at 1:15 PM , Blogger GunDiva said...

I'm a die-hard 1911 girl, but on the ocassions I have shot my husband's M&P, I've enjoyed it. Can't say I'm completely sold on it, but that's probably because it's not "my" gun. I switched to my hubby's gun mid-match one day, put a couple hundred rounds through it and never had a hiccup.

 
At February 2, 2012 at 2:15 PM , Blogger Tango Juliet said...

Looks to me like you and your M&P are going to make quite a team!

Good shootin'! Both of you!

 
At February 2, 2012 at 2:33 PM , Blogger Erin Palette said...

Federal is FILTHY ammo when compared to Winchester. The powder blows backward out of the chamber and into the receiver/ejection port area. A 30 minute cleaning job using Winchester rounds becomes a multi-hour ordeal with Federal.

Don't know how it is in your state, but I was at Wal-Mart this afternoon and picked up a 100 round box of Winchester 9mm FMJ RN 115gr for about $23 + tax... only about a buck more than Federal. Trust me, it's worth the extra dollar when you're cleaning.

 
At February 2, 2012 at 2:56 PM , Blogger Critter said...

RN= registered Nurse

 
At February 2, 2012 at 4:06 PM , Blogger Shy Wolf said...

LOL, Critter... now don't be misleading the Girl- she's doing good and let's keep it at that.
Besides, we all know RN stands for Real New. Sheesh. :\

 
At February 2, 2012 at 4:12 PM , Blogger Old NFO said...

Very well done, and good idea to get the son checked out on the pistol too! :-)

 
At February 2, 2012 at 4:19 PM , Blogger agirlandhergun said...

Thank you. I thought it had to be the ammo, but I wasn't sure.

 
At February 2, 2012 at 4:19 PM , Blogger agirlandhergun said...

Excellent. Thanks.

 
At February 2, 2012 at 4:20 PM , Blogger agirlandhergun said...

Ha. I actually shoot and write with my left hand, but do everything else with my right.

 
At February 2, 2012 at 4:21 PM , Blogger agirlandhergun said...

Perfect! Thank you for the info!!

 
At February 2, 2012 at 4:22 PM , Blogger agirlandhergun said...

Ok, that is interesting because now I realize my Winchester FMJ is actually flat at the tip. Very cool to learn.

 
At February 2, 2012 at 4:23 PM , Blogger agirlandhergun said...

Men, I want to shoot a watermelon so bad...lol. Only paper and steel so far:)

 
At February 2, 2012 at 4:24 PM , Blogger agirlandhergun said...

I have be fortunate enough to have shot the 1911 and I know they are great guns, but I do love my M&P. Glad to hear its reliable.

 
At February 2, 2012 at 4:26 PM , Blogger agirlandhergun said...

I will check it out thanks. I couldn't believe how long it took to clean my gun the other night. I kept thinking, where is all this coming from??

 
At February 2, 2012 at 4:26 PM , Blogger agirlandhergun said...

I actually have never shot a registered nurse, huh...

 
At February 2, 2012 at 4:27 PM , Blogger agirlandhergun said...

Only shoot real new bullets. I don't reload, so you can have the old ones:)

 
At February 2, 2012 at 4:27 PM , Blogger agirlandhergun said...

Thanks!! That means a lot to me.

 
At February 2, 2012 at 5:08 PM , Blogger Amy said...

This is an AWESOME gun review. I'm so glad you have a new gun to shoot around. I can't wait to get to the range and practice with mine. (Progress was interrupted this week by the birth of my first nephew. . .which had a few hiccups that have now been solved. After four days in the NICU, he's finally home today! I can't wait until I can take him to the range! Ha ha ha!) As always, thanks for sharing the info! xoxo

 
At February 2, 2012 at 6:03 PM , Blogger Unknown said...

Since I'm girly enough to wear my nails a bit long, I can use my fingernail to do this. No trigger pull needed!
The little thing that pulls out to change out the grip swell is perfect for this also.
Very nice shooting. That's what I like about the M&P. It just sits in my hand and hits where I aim it.

 
At February 2, 2012 at 6:04 PM , Blogger Unknown said...

Now I really wish you lived closer. We'd plan a melon and squash day at the farm

 
At February 2, 2012 at 7:04 PM , Blogger Lokidude said...

Very impressive shooting! Good to see you keep progressing as a gunnie.

 
At February 2, 2012 at 8:12 PM , Blogger 45er said...

Trust me on this, run down to Wal-Mart and grab a box of the green and white Remington jacketed hollow point and a bag of grapefruits and oranges. The hollow-point .40 will vaporize them and it is a blast. pun, ha.

 
At February 2, 2012 at 8:21 PM , Blogger 45er said...

Such a great story. A friend told me that she was getting an M&P today and I thought of you. I'm excited for you both. You're doing so well. That's awesome. One thing I will mention is you said you were frustrated on your weak hand shooting. That's a tough thing. Something that really made a light come on for me during a training session was being told to focus very hard on the trigger reset and press. That will really tighten up your groups. Try not to focus on the fact that your hand feels like someone else is shooting your gun and think of that trigger reset and press. Take it slow. We're all so proud of you.

 
At February 2, 2012 at 8:22 PM , Blogger 45er said...

Oops. I meant for your Glock. We did that this last weekend and were literally laughing it was so much fun. We didn't use any 9mm JHP, but it would probably do a good job, too.

 
At February 3, 2012 at 3:43 AM , Blogger agirlandhergun said...

Jennifer, someday I am coming there for a little shooting and that bacon pie!

45er- do you think my indoor range would freak out if I walked in there with my gun and a bag of fruit:)

 
At February 3, 2012 at 3:45 AM , Blogger agirlandhergun said...

Ok, thanks. I will try that. Thanks for the support!!

 
At February 3, 2012 at 3:53 AM , Anonymous Anonymous said...

Impressive shooting!

 
At February 3, 2012 at 8:31 AM , Blogger Erin Palette said...

I know, right? It gets everywhere and just cakes on. Eventually I just gave up, got my can of Gunk-Out (practically an industrial solvent, DON'T let it touch anything that isn't metal) and sprayed the insides of my Sub-2000. That loosened the crud, no fear. :)

 
At February 3, 2012 at 6:07 PM , Blogger 45er said...

Ugh, that's me always forgetting about "rules". I'm sorry, I'm so spoiled when it comes to ranges. I still think you should ask. :-)

 
At February 4, 2012 at 6:34 AM , Blogger Critter said...

HP= Hewlett-Packard

 
At February 4, 2012 at 6:35 AM , Blogger Critter said...

TMJ= too many jellybeans

 
At February 4, 2012 at 6:37 AM , Blogger Critter said...

Spitzer= either a pointed nose rifle bullet or a small pointed nosed fluffy dog with a curly tail.

 
At February 15, 2012 at 3:39 PM , Blogger John said...

I was going to say the same thing as Kelly. Been shooting my M&P for almost a year now and love it. I've shot in about 8-10 IDPA matches and really enjoy it. As you said, weak hand is a bit odd, but it gets better as you become more familiar with the gun. As to dirty, as others have said, it's the ammo. I shoot some ammo that is really dirty, and some that is relatively clean, just matters what's the cheapest and processes the best with low to no problems.

 

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