Smith and Wesson M&P9 M2.0 METAL

Whether it’s the alluring shine of metals or simple nostalgia, the fact is: there’s something about metal pistols that commands our attention. Just in case any of us had forgotten that fact, Smith & Wesson served up a great reminder with the latest addition to their M&P9 M2.0 lineup – the M&P9 M2.0 METAL. Naturally, there is a lot of buzz surrounding the new pistol and the triggers, sights, magazine releases, magwells, and other accessories that will surely accompany it; so that’s exactly what we’re going to talk about.

Features of this Smith and Wesson Pistol

Before we dive into the accessories, we need to establish a few unique features of the M&P9 M2.0 METAL pistol to serve as context for the remainder of the article. First, this is an aluminum frame constructed from 7075-T6, not stainless steel. Relative to the standard M&P9 M2.0, this is really the only major difference we’ve observed— 7075-T6 aluminum construction vs. polymer construction. As simple as it sounds, there are a few caveats. First, the tolerances with an aluminum frame will be a bit tighter than those of the polymer frame due to the difference in manufacturing processes. What that amounts to are some particular features of the METAL frame being designed to take advantage of the tighter tolerance – namely the trigger guard. This new M&P pistol features a polymer plug, which is screwed into the interior wall of the trigger guard behind the trigger. This prevents overtravel with the factory trigger. Since our triggers have this preventative feature built-in, all that is required for our flat face TAC Trigger Kit to work is the removal of the polymer plug inside the rear of the trigger guard of the M&P9 M2.0 METAL. We will be offering a small screw in future kits to fill that hole after the OEM part has been removed, although it is merely for cosmetic purposes and not required. Some other key features include forward slide serrations, a reversible magazine release, a textured polymer front strap that makes for a firm and comfortable grip, and four interchangeable palmswell grip inserts for optimal hand fit and trigger reach. Additionally, it is the first full-size M&P pistol in an all metal configuration.

Compatibility with our Aftermarket Gun Parts

Luckily, the engineers at Smith & Wesson designed this to be backward compatible in virtually every other way, so the rest of our product offerings for the M&P9 M2.0 also work with the new METAL striker-fired pistol. The Smith and Wesson M&P METAL variant even accepts all full size M&P9 M2.0 17-round magazines, so our Compact Basepads, NP3’ed Striker Blocks, and NP3’ed Carry and Competition Sears all work perfectly with the new METAL frame. With our aftermarket Smith & Wesson gun parts, it is possible to have a crisper trigger break, faster aim recovery, smoother trigger pull, and overall improved trigger performance. After a brief albeit entirely unscientific function test, the METAL frame also seems to be compatible with other M&P9 M2.0 slides to include those from earlier generations, but for legal reasons, we will not encourage nor condone any attempt to do this. The only slightly unfortunate news is that our FALX Trigger Kit for M&P9 M2.0 is not currently compatible with the new S&W METAL variant, though we are already working to change that with a simple geometry change to the safety. So if you’ve been eyeing the new M&P9 M2.0 METAL, be sure to check out our line of compatible products and head over to our IG and FB pages where we’ve shared some photos and videos of the new pistol.