Smith & Wesson M&P

Smith & Wesson M&P (Military and Police) is a series of handguns named after the famous 20th century Smith & Wesson service revolvers.[1] They are designed mainly for military, police and personal defense use.[1] They are offered in calibers including: .22 LR, .380 ACP, 9×19mm Parabellum, .357 Magnum and .45 ACP.[2]

Smith & Wesson M&P 2005 in .40 S&W caliber

History

In 1852, gunsmiths Horace Smith and Daniel B. Wesson formed the partnership Smith & Wesson.[3] After having financial troubles, in 1854 they sold the company to a shirt manufacturer named Oliver Winchester.[3] In 1866, Winchester renamed the company Winchester Repeating Arms Company. That same year Smith and Wesson formed the second company called Smith & Wesson, which is still in operation.[3]

Early Smith & Wession M&P Victory model revolver

In 1899, the company produced their now-famous Military & Police pistol.[4] It was a double-action which set a standard for modern revolvers. It also introduced what has become a very popular caliber, the .38 S&W Special.[4] In 2005, the company introduced Smith & Wesson M&P model pistol.[5] It was the first polymer handgun for S&W.[5] It is available in 9mm and .40 S&W, and as of February 2016, in .45 ACP.[5] It is recoil-operated and uses the Browning-type locking system.[5]

In 2008 the name M&P expanded to became a series of handguns.[6] It includes polymer pistols, (alloy) revolvers and AR-type rifles.[6] The color, with a few exceptions, is usually black.[6]

The M&P line has expanded to include the "Pro-series", "Shield-series" and "Bodyguard-series" guns.

References
  1. Jim Supica; Richard Nahas, Standard Catalog of Smith & Wesson (Iola, WI: Gun Digest Books, an imprint of F+W Media, Inc., 2016), p. 391
  2. "Smith & Wesson M&P (Military and Police) Semi-Automatic Pistol (2005)". MilitaryFactory.com. Retrieved January 14, 2017.
  3. "History of Smith & Wesson". Smith & Wesson. Retrieved January 14, 2017.
  4. Paul Scarlata (January 3, 2011). "Smith & Wesson M&P: A Semiautomatic Pistol Worthy Of Its Name". Shooting Times Magazine. Outdoor Sportsman Group. Retrieved January 14, 2017.
  5. David Maccar (January 2, 2017). "Smith & Wesson M&P M.2.0 Gun Review". Range365. Field & Stream Network, Bonnier Corporation. Archived from the original on January 11, 2017. Retrieved January 14, 2017.
  6. Ken Ramage, Guns Illustrated 2009, 41st Edition (Iola, WI: Gun Digest Books, 2008), p. 31

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