My new M&P Pro9L Core compared to my STI. Am I expecting too much?

Trevor300wsm · Dec 22, 2015

Hello,
I picked up a new M&P Pro 9L CORE today. I wanted another long slide 9mm and I'm not a Glock fan and I have a couple of XDM's already. The M&P fits my hand better than Glocks also. I already knew the trigger was lacking in this pistol so last week I ordered an Apex Flat Faced FSS complete kit and had it here ready to put in. I put a little over 100 rounds through the pistol today in its stock configuration just to see how it shot. It's not a bad pistol. However, I compare everyting to my STI Tactical. Now I know this is not a apples to apples comparison. A $600 pistol versus a $1800 pistol that I've put about 2500 rounds through already. The two things that I was disappointed in with the M&P are accuracy and failure to feed/eject. Out of the 100+ rounds I fired, it jammed up 6 times. Now this is just cheap Red River ammo, but I've shot over 2000+ rounds of it thru my STI without a single issue. Make a note that i did strip, clean, and oil the M&P very well before I shot it today. The second thing is the accuracy. It's just not even close to my STI. Is this normal? Is there that much difference in the barrels? At 50 yards I can stay on a 10" plate about 18 out of 20 shots fairly easy with my STI. With the M&P, I was hitting it about every 3rd or 4th shot and I could see the misses and they looked wild (way off). Is this me and my lack of time with this pistol? I don't think so, but I'm not ruling it out.

So, what do I do? Move this pistol on down the line to a new home? Buy a new match grade barrel for it and have close to $1000 in a plastic pistol that will only get used sometimes? If I don't have confidence in it, I'll never take it to a match. This is huge with me on my match rifles. Keep it, install the apex kit and just accept that it's not going to be as accurate as my STI? Just looking for some opinions and ideas.

As a side note, I am wanting to start shooting some local (OKC) pistol matches. I love to shoot pistol and there is not much of it that goes on in the PRS rifle matches that I shoot. In the PRS matches, the targets are usually very large, close, and usually less than 10-15 rounds total. I was thinking the M&P would be a good pistol for those matches and save the wear and tear on my STI.

Any advice?

drmitchgibson · Dec 22, 2015

Switching to totally different guns isn't like flipping a switch. It could be you. That said, a pro shooter named Brian Nelson mentioned getting an M&P off a prize table several months ago, and it grouped 10" at 20 yards. That is bigger than the A zone on a USPSA target.

Shoot your STI until it needs a new barrel, and then have another barrel fit.

Squid · Dec 23, 2015

You need to try some different ammo.

Robusto · Dec 23, 2015

Cyrwus would not talk to me until I had 500 to 1K down the pipe on my M&P pro.

drmitchgibson · Dec 23, 2015

Are you saying your M&P gained accuracy as time went by? Or that you got better at shooting?

Matt1911 · Dec 23, 2015

It's about getting better with what you have instead of chasing that magical unicorn that you think will give you match wins because it's expensive.

Trevor300wsm · Dec 23, 2015

Matt Rigsby said:
It's about getting better with what you have instead of chasing that magical unicorn that you think will give you match wins because it's expensive.

If that was advice for me, I'm not chasing anything. Hell, I've never even shot an actual pistol match. However I do know a few things about accuracy. If it's not there from the start, chasing it with 1000 rounds isn't going to make it any better. I'll do some testing with the pistol off a rest to rule out any influence I may be putting on it. As far as the jamming up, I have a couple of other brands of ammo, but it's still all just cheap practice ammo. Speer, PMC, and white box. It's ran fine in my STI and my XDM's.

Thanks for the replies.

Matt1911 · Dec 23, 2015

No, not at you.
Sorry, I should have copied this quote before I replied

Mitch Gibson said:
Are you saying your M&P gained accuracy as time went by? Or that you got better at shooting?

Matt1911 · Dec 23, 2015

mattmiller (Robusto) said:
Cyrwus would not talk to me until I had 500 to 1K down the pipe on my M&P pro.

And this one.

Tech · Dec 23, 2015

I have never shot an STI, so can't compare there. I do know that the apex trigger will make the gun WAY better, and practice with it more than likely will make you way better with the gun. I haven't noticed any major accuracy issues with my M&P's.

hunter_dmw12 · Dec 23, 2015

put an apex in it and shoot with the rest of us poor people that cant afford an STI. I love my M&Ps, the more trigger time you get the more accurate you will be. My 9mm likes the 124 gr Xtream.

Trevor300wsm · Dec 23, 2015

Thanks for all the info guys.

Feegee · Dec 23, 2015

Every time I switched guns I had a hard time with it, and got frustrated, and wanted to sell it, but the more I shot it the better it got. Then I learned this magic thing called dry fire and it went from 2 months to get the hang of the new gun to two weeks. I could not believe the difference. Once you rule out if it is just a bad batch of that particular gun or not dry fire the **** out of it!! If I get a new one now days I have it in my hand all the time. While watching TV, (shooting people and aiming) walking around the house with it, etc. if you dry fire at least 15 min every day when you come shoot a pistol match you will do a **** ton better.

Matt1911 · Dec 23, 2015

Feegee Matlock said:
Every time I switched guns I had a hard time with it, and got frustrated, and wanted to sell it, but the more I shot it the better it got. Then I learned this magic thing called dry fire and it went from 2 months to get the hang of the new gun to two weeks. I could not believe the difference. Once you rule out if it is just a bad batch of that particular gun or not dry fire the **** out of it!! If I get a new one now days I have it in my hand all the time. While watching TV, (shooting people and aiming) walking around the house with it, etc. if you dry fire at least 15 min every day when you come shoot a pistol match you will do a **** ton better.

Something I don't do enough of.

drmitchgibson · Dec 24, 2015

I think a built in part of switching back and forth is the frustration of needing to practice a lot, depending on what you consider a lot, to come to the same skill level as you were at. Like the hours and hours of dryfire you need just to put mag changes back on par, and the 1 to 2 thousand rounds you need to get timing and accuracy back. I find that I am now more of a proponent of trying different divisions just to find the one that is most appealing, and then sticking with it for a good long time.

Feegee · Dec 24, 2015

Mitch Gibson said:
I think a built in part of switching back and forth is the frustration of needing to practice a lot, depending on what you consider a lot, to come to the same skill level as you were at. Like the hours and hours of dryfire you need just to put mag changes back on par, and the 1 to 2 thousand rounds you need to get timing and accuracy back. I find that I am now more of a proponent of trying different divisions just to find the one that is most appealing, and then sticking with it for a good long time.

Open! Do it you know you want to. Once you go to the Darkside you will never go back.

Matt1911 · Dec 24, 2015

I shoot open for steel challenge.

mike cyrwus · Dec 24, 2015

My stock M&P9 will hold 2-3" groups offhand at 25yds.

Wild Bill1 · Dec 24, 2015

Unless they have been worked over by accurate iron. Then they practically shoot themselves.

jtischauser · Dec 27, 2015

Red river Ammo and a stick trigger are likely to blame IMHO. I can't shoot a polymer gun half as accurately as I can my SVI. A better Trigger makes it just that much easier to be accurate especially when you get sloppy.