Smith and Wesson M&P Line Now Features Thumb Safeties

Smith and Wesson is now producing all of the M&P pistols with optional thumb safety.

The ambidextrous manual safety is now available on the full-sized and compact 9mm, .40 S&W, and .357 Sig.  The manual safety was originally developed by S&W for the M&P 45, which was developed for the U.S. armed forces trials that never happened.  Now the safety has been carried over to the rest of the M&P line as an option.

All specs on the M&P pistols with the thumb safety remain the same as the pistols without the manual safety.  The thumb safeties are large and easy to manipulate.  They are designed to mimic the 1911-style safeties but are easier to operate.

While the 1911 was an amazing military gun for its time, if the military is serious about upgrading sidearms, they need to abandon the 1911 concept and go after what works.  Frankly, the most reliable handguns on the market today are the polymer-framed, striker-fired handguns that do not have a bunch of switches, safeties and doo-dads.  The Glock line of handguns and the M&P (sans safety) help prove that point.

I’m not suggesting the 1911 is not a fine firearm because it is.  I’ve got a Colt 1911A1 in my safe right now.  But it is in my safe.  The gun on my hip right now is a Glock 19.  Why?  Because the G19 is just more reliable.  And in a violent encounter, I’m not looking for style points, I want a pistol that will reliably put holes in the target and stop the threat.

MSRP runs $719 for the full-sized and compact pistols, with the exception of the .357 Sig models, which list at $727.

2009 SHOT Show Update

At the SHOT Show, I got to see the new guns.  I worked with several different M&P pistols and found the safeties worked very well.  I wasn’t sure I would like them, but they were easy to manipulate, clicked smartly into place, and did not interfere with my grip.  I don’t know that I would order an M&P with a thumb safety, but I certainly would consider it.