[Pander]

So I thought I got a decent deal on an unfired (new) Atlanta Police FS40. Test fire date 3/21/2012. Naturally it has N/S and I didn't realize it had the magazine disconnect. I researched that and then removed it as I'm in TN and I can't come up with a reason for me to have one and I thought it was preventing the candy cane from fully engaging the sear. After removal (using a spring from a pen to replace) it didn't make much difference so I added a little bend on the trigger bar and it helped but very little. I stripped my Shield 9 down and noticed it had a slightly left-leaning candy cane and I applied a little lean to the FS40 as well. It's almost fully under the sear now. I polished the candy cane and the trigger bar ear (or whatever the striker block contact point is called) and am pretty satisfied with the trigger now that it has a slightly perceivable reset where it was almost nonexistent out of the box.

Then I took it to the range and tried some Speer Lawman 155gr. ~80 rounds downrange personally and 15 by my g/f. I could occasionally hit close to where I intended but wasn't very consistent and seemed to be shooting low-right. I'm no marksman and have little experience with shooting .40 but I want to put some blame on the gun. That said I don't really like the snappy .40 for the sake of follow-up shots.

Fast forward to now where I realize that has the old slide lock without the pressure pad to give better reset and has NO dimples on the barrel. Not sure about the trigger bar, however. It does have the plug for the frame lock so I thought the Apex RAM to be a possible option but not necessary.

I'd like to bring it up to current gen feel/accuracy and was wondering how I should approach that as Midway/Brownells most likely have old parts and it would be nice not to have to spend money on factory parts that could go towards ammo. That and would I have to replace the mag disconnect to send it back to S&W?

As to the caliber, I'm thinking about a 9mm conversion but would like to shoot IDPA... If I bought a black one it wouldn't be so obvious and I don't think the local guys would care. Suggestions? Also, thanks in advance!

 

[DougM]

I've got a 40fs made around the same date as yours and I don't believe the barrels for the 40 have changed. Someone more knowledgable than I am should step in here if that is wrong. The issue with the dimples was with the 9mm versions - not the 40.

Are you by any chance left-handed? I initially had issues with mine shooting low-left (I'm right-handed) and with guidance from this board discovered it was me jerking the trigger. The M&Ps seem to take some getting used to and many of us have commented on that. Once I began really concentrating on finger placement and trigger pull, the pistol rewarded me with pretty good accuracy. It'll group within less than 2 1/2" at 25 yards off a sandbag rest. While it isn't bullseye level of accuracy, I just wish my ability could take advantage of that performance. Even so, if I do my part, I can still get 3" groupings (unsupported) at 15 yards right around POA and no barrel changes were necessary.

The net of my comments is to suggest you spend a little time with the pistol focusing hard on trigger control before deciding on changing anything. If you're like most of us, you'll find your technique may be more at fault than the pistol. Also, you may want to try going to a heavier projectile (I use 180 gn) to help with recoil.

Above all, enjoy the M&P. While I dearly love my 1911, the M&P is my home defense and carry pistol.

 

[Pander]

Thanks for the reply and yes, my falterings are due to my technique, sure. I'm right-handed, though, so it could have more to do with my finger position. I struggled with the low-left POI with the Shield and have since been doing dry-fire drills with it and some with the FS40. I was curious about the projectile weight differences and recoil even knowing the .40 is generally snappy. I seem to shoot my XD Tactical .45 reasonably well so I thought I wouldn't have any issue with the .40.

I think, especially for IDPA (being as I've only done it once, I can't say with 100% certainty), 9mm would be beneficial I just hate to get rid of the .40 since I got a good deal on it and it is a "little" special.

As to the barrel, I couldn't find any sources to dimples on .40 barrels, just the 9mm as you have so I wasn't sure about that. A 9mm conversion barrel still sounds appealing to me I just wish the factory 9 barrel was 100% correct fit, it's a shame S&W didn't use the same slide...

 

[Keeter1911]

I just bought my 12th M&P for use as an IDPA pistol in the Stock Service Pistol (SSP) division. I bought a 5 inch Pro Series 9 mm. I also have a Couple of M&P 40 Full Size pistols and own a Storm Lake 40 to 9 conversion barrel. The conversion barrels are nice and shoot well, but, I personally prefer to keep my 40's as 40's an my 9's as 9's. I prefer 9 mm for competition as there is less recopil an follow up shots are generally quicker as a result. For carry and Self Defense, I use a 40. I carry a 40 Shield prabably 80% of the time and cary an M&P Full Size the rest of the time.

 

[ArLEOret]

The low left or low right POI is caused by the fingers of the shooting hand closing as the trigger finger is pulled to the rear. Keep constant pressure on the shooting hand fingers so they don't close as the trigger finger is moved. Practice just flexing the trigger finger with out moving the other fingers on the hand.

 

[Bill in Tx]

The low left or low right POI is caused by the fingers of the shooting hand closing as the trigger finger is pulled to the rear. Keep constant pressure on the shooting hand fingers so they don't close as the trigger finger is moved. Practice just flexing the trigger finger with out moving the other fingers on the hand.

This may be your answer. I know it was part of my trouble with low left at one time.

I don't believe the .40 caliber barrels have changed, at least since I got mine in 2012. Hope this helps!