Smith & Wesson first introduced their new gun MP 9 Para, and then, satisfied by its performance, they decided to offer it in other calibers, beside the original 9×19, so they made versions in .40 S&W and .357 SIG caliber, and soon after, even the compact version S&W 9 mm Compact, which all had a lot in common with the original gun. However, they didn’t stop there, but they also made a somewhat larger and changed version in .45 ACP caliber. These new modern guns of the IV generation that come in two types (personal and service) with an enhanced capacity of 10+1 (with standard magazines) and 14+1 bullets of .45 ACP caliber (with the extended magazine) immediately attracted a lot of attention with a number of details that make them a great choice for just about any type of exploitation. What’s interesting is that this gun came in three different sizes (full size, medium and compact) and in two versions (personal, with a black frame, and service, with a frame in a dark brown shade of green).
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Let us look back at how this model came to be. The story begins with Smith & Wesson recognizing the genius behind the construction of than new and unique Glock 17, and almost completely copying that design in their Sigma model. They decided to do this because, even though they have been more than successful with their revolvers, their guns were never as well designed, even though they made numerous attempts. After the lawsuit by Glock, they have taken their Sigma model off the market. With a completely new production setup S&W was just waiting for a new opportunity, and as soon the dust was has settled over the Sigma incident, they came out with a new model MP, named so after their most famous revolver 38 S&W Special Military & Police (which has been in the production ever since 1899 up to this very day). They have only changed the design as much as they had to, but the main construction is still pretty much the same.
Because of that construction, the first thing that you notice with S&W MP .45 ACP is its ergonomic shape, with the ideal angle between the barrel and the comfortable and rather thin grip, which provides for the perfect balance. Still, unlike stern and straight lines of Glock, this gun has a lot of details with both curvy and straight lines, which make this gun quite characteristic. At its size, this gun can’t be considered neither small nor large, with the total length of 205 mm, height of 158 mm, 35 mm of width, this gun conforms to all standards of a quality combat weapon.
M&P45 has a 114 mm long barrel and weighs 840 grams (with an empty magazine). One of the most interesting facts about this gun, that even though its frame is made of plastic, it is not made of polymer, but a somewhat different and harder material known as Zytel (DuPont) which allowed for somewhat larger and more massive steel slide guides. Despite the expectations that the engineers have had, this didn’t do too much for the accuracy, or the overall durability of the gun. The idea behind this was to strengthen the frame construction, which with polymer made guns in .45 ACP caliber is not all that reliable. This is why the life expectancy for these guns is no greater than 10,000 to 12,000 fired bullets. The steel parts are made of corrosion resistant material, with a surface hardening of up to 68 HRc and have a black melonite protection. Apart from the difference in material, the frame is pretty much the same as on the older models. The frame has a Picatinny rail (on the service version), meant for the flashlights and laser sights, adjustable and exchangeable grip and the beavertail for the protection of the hand.
This gun lies great in the hand, thanks to the exchangeable palm swell grips, that can help you adjust the grip to your hand, by fixing them in place with a long steel axis with a sling swivel on its end. The other purpose of this swivel is to act as a tool for the disassembly of the weapon. The other parts are not as interesting in themselves, except for the manual safety of the Colt type, with a catch at the usual location but available on both sides of the weapon. The slide brake is also available on both sides and it had been melted into the frame, so it can’t be accidentally activated. The magazine release can’t be found on both sides, but it can be placed on the left side, so that the gun can be used by left-handed people.
Another innovation on the M&P45 model is found in the round opening on the end of the barrel which allows you to see whether you have a bullet in the barrel, which is an interesting, safe and original solution. The upper side of the slide is slightly curved, and is checkered both at the front and at the back. The gun has great Novak sights, marked with white spots for the conditions of lower visibility. Along with manageable recoil, this makes the gun quite accurate. MP .45 is a striker fired gun, with the trigger pull of 3,500 daN and the trigger travel of 8 mm. At tests, the gun grouped shots in 48 to 92 mm at the distance of 25 meters, which helps make this gun an excellent combat and personal safety weapon, with one of the greatest of its flaws being an overly complicated disassembly process.