GlockTalk.Com is in a tizzy right now

North Carolina Highway Patrol converts force to S&W MP pistols and M&P-15 rifles.

The North Carolina Highway Patrol has purchased 1,840 Smith & Wesson M&P357 polymer pistols chambered in .357 SIG. The new duty sidearm will replace non-Smith & Wesson pistols that were previously issued by the department. The M&P pistol’s reliability, ambidextrous operating controls and three interchangeable palm swell grip sizes were noted by officials within the agency as key reasons for the selection of the new duty sidearm. The North Carolina Highway Patrol added that the polymer pistol’s accuracy, reliability during testing and ability to disassemble the firearm without pressing the trigger were all primary factors in their decision-making process.

That part in bold is emphasis mine, because it’s rare that I laugh when I’m reading a press release. But that made me laugh out loud, because it’s a direct shot at the previous pistols issued to the NC HP, which were Glocks. Not that there’s anything wrong with Glocks per se, but I do like that you can take down an M&P or an XD without having to pull the trigger.

22 Comments

  1. This is incorrect. NCHP’s current duty sidearm is a SIG 229 in 357 SIG. Prior to that, it was a Beretta Cougar in 357 SIG.

    It is definitely a swipe at Glock, which was certainly in the running.

  2. I’m wondering if Glock will ever consider in the future adding some of the features of the M&P to their guns. Don’t get me wrong, I love my Glock and shoot it better than my other guns. But, for female officers, the various palm swells alone make the M&P a bit more attractive than the bulky grip of the Glock.

    My two cents…

  3. Color me confused. I mean, I know I have to pull the trigger for disassembly. So I do a chamber check first, and immediately beforehand. Which I ought to have done for any firearm before breaking it down. I am a lot more worried when I pull the trigger to decock when I put it away after a day at the range.

  4. Ian, the trigger pull shouldn’t be an issue to anybody following the 4 rules. It’s totally not an issue when looking at a single shooter.

    Looking at an entire department of guys who may or may not give two shits about guns, and may not grasp the finer points of gun safety, or may not think all the rules apply all the time.

    Then you have a very real liability.

    As for the chambering, .357 Sig??? WTF?

    Why not just grab the M&P9, load it with +p ammo, and get to keep a few more pills in the mag, and maybe save the tax payers a few clams on departmental ammo costs in the depths of a recession.

  5. pdb is correct – NCHP currently uses Sigs.

    As for chambering, several departments in NC use the .357 Sig round. One sheriff said (third-hand knowledge) that since they switched to it they have had one-shot stops with regularity.

    On the other hand, setting off a high-velocity round inside a cruiser would be a significant emotional event. However, this is a concern with 9mm +P ammo as well as with the .357 Sig round. Ballpark bullet weight and velocity equivalence means the same hearing damage and the same laundry bill.

  6. For the specific case, I can see.

    But the generalized distaste for it puzzles me. For any mechanically-fired weapon, there will be a time when you have to transition between hammer/striker arme and hammer/striker unarmed without setting off an energetic reaction in the chamber. I understand this is basically impossible with a Glock that has a round chambered. But I have some doubts about the wisdom of dropping the hammer on a live round via thumb control or depending on a safety mechanism either.

    OTOH I wear a seatbelt as well as driving defensively…

  7. Caleb,
    You still have to pull the trigger during the XD disassembly. Only the XDm models allow disassembly without pulling the trigger. Yet another reason I love my “M”.

  8. And here I was thinking that the market would have a flood of some great 2nd hand Glocks…

    Yes, Glocks are terrible! Send them to me…

    😉

  9. I couldn’t let you take all the danger of a disasterous glock buildup. You can split them with me 🙂

  10. S&W seems to be taking alot of Law Enforcement business, with their M&P handguns and carbines.
    As a diehard Glocker, I’m proud our local law enforcement merely upgraded to the new 4th gen. Glock.

    But I think Atlashrugg is right… every girl I’ve let shoot my 19, with the exception of one, couldn’t hit the broad side of the barn with it.

  11. Detroit PD is currently in the process of changing from Glock .40’s to M&P .40’s. They are getting the M&P 15 rifles as well…

  12. Isn’t is now known that Glock is going to come out with the swappable backstrap now?

    I got to shoot an M&P this past weekend and I did like it a lot… The trigger is different, but as I’ve said before, the metal magazines are a nice touch…

  13. Less, I could be wrong or it may be just rumor, but I’ve been reading that they are introducing an adjustable backstrap on the next generation Glocks. I’ve read they’re introducing them at the next SHOTSHOW. However, I cannot find verification from Glock on that and I haven’t found if it’s on all models or just a few select ones.

    If they come out with a Glock 19/23 or even the 17 with an adjustable backstrap, I’ll buy one immediately!!

  14. “You still have to pull the trigger during the XD disassembly. Only the XDm models allow disassembly without pulling the trigger.”

    However, if you do it right, the XD takedown is perfectly safe. Think about it. The gun won’t come apart unless first the slide is racked and latched (to rotate the take down lever), which ejects any chambered round. The magazine has to be removed, else the slide isn’t coming off. That removes the only place new rounds are going to come from.

    Oh, I imagine someone could muck it up. The world is full of fools.

    Just got my first Glock, and I can’t say I’m a rabid fanboy yet. It’s an interesting design.

  15. I have never understood the “big deal” with properly clearing a firearm prior to disassembling. We’re talking gun safety 101 here. Pressing the trigger to disassemble is a non issue.

  16. Pressing the trigger to disassemble is a non issue.

    I’m on the fence – I really like my Glocks and don’t disagree. However, there are plenty of idiots who shoot themselves in the hand or leg or etc trying to get a Glock apart. For those people, I guess it is a big deal.

  17. Familiarity breeds piercing damage, I guess.

    My first (and so far only) is a Glock. It’s one way to teach chamber check, I suppose. It didn’t really occur to be that having to pull the trigger would be disturbing – if I haven’t checked the chamber since I picked it up, I do so. Hope to make it a habit.

  18. “Pressing the trigger to disassemble is a non issue.”

    Technically, that is true. But that doesn’t change the fact that part of me just hates having to pull that trigger before breaking down my gun. I’m anal retentive enough that I always cycle any firearm three times after removing the magazine, and stare at the empty chamber for at least 5 seconds to make sure I’m not being complacent. But that doesn’t do much to dampen my awareness of the people out there with far more experience that have had NDs when field stripping their guns.

  19. I like my trigger to be the bang switch and *only* a bang switch. That said, I have gun that use the trigger as a bang switch and decocker/disassembly lever. It works, but it just doesn’t seem right.

  20. @Weer’d Beard, the Sig .357 round seems to be gaining ground as a round for LE agencies. I think some of that may be related to the Secret Service using it.

  21. I doubt that Glock would have won the contract if they had a new model that could be field stripped w/o pulling the trigger. The Glock is an older design that suffers when compared to M&Ps and XDMs. What they need is a new 9mm design with backstraps of different sizes. They could even offer a backstrap shape to mimic a 1911 grip angle.

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