I’m not going to lie, when I first received the S&W M&P 2.0 in 10mm I was a bit hesitant to review it. That might have something to do with the fact that the only other 10mm pistol I had ever shot was the G20, or what I have affectionately dubbed “the wrist breaker.” But reviewing the S&W was a stark reminder that no two guns, even if they have similar appearances and shoot the same caliber, are made the same. 

So far, through the first couple hundred rounds of this gun, I have been absolutely loving it. Not only is it not as snappy as the G20 but it boasts a plethora of other enhanced features that are sure to please. Let’s dig in and see why I’m loving this gun so much.

 

Table of Contents

What is the M&P M2.0 10mm?
The Power Factor
Initial Range Thoughts
Reliability
Video Update
Range Testing: Running Up the Round Count
Adding an Optic & Increasing Accuracy 
Carrying the M&P M2.0 10mm
Cleaning & Disassembly
Where It Fits In

Pros and Cons
Conclusion

What is the M&P M2.0 10mm?

The Smith & Wesson M&P 2.0 in 10mm debuted in November, 2021 to much fanfare and seemingly kicked off a resurgence in polymer, striker-fired handguns chambered in 10mm. We’re now seeing other companies, such as Springfield with their new XD-M, jumping on the 10mm bandwagon in order woo potential customers. In a nutshell, this is an upgraded version of the M&P 2.0 lineup that S&W unveiled a couple years back but with a couple distinguishing features.
 

The grip texture pattern is the same as other pistols in the 2.0 lineup, but the texture itself on the 10mm version is much more aggressive, something that is very much appreciated. (Photo: Seth Rodgers/Guns.com)


The first feature I noticed that was an immediate difference in the grip texture. I have a Shield Plus on hand, along with an M&P 2.0, so it’s very easy to tell the difference between the two different styles of grip texture. The pattern of the grip texture remains the same between all three guns, but the texture itself is much more aggressive on the 10mm variant. To be honest, I’m a sucker for aggressive grip texture and would actually prefer the variation that is on the 10mm version to be on all the guns in the M&P 2.0 lineup.
 

The sights took a little getting used to but are designed to co-witness with an MRD. Once dialed in, I found them rather enjoyable, they picked up quickly. (Photo: Seth Rodgers/Guns.com)

The second and big noticeable difference in this hand cannon is the sights. The M&P 2.0 10mm comes cut for optics out of the box, though I’ve yet to put a dot on top of it. However, in a nice touch, S&W did include sights with this gun that are raised and meant to co-witness with whatever dot you decide to mount. I plan on eventually mounting an MRD on top for further testing but for now, all the rounds have gone through using standard sights. 

Finally, the last and biggest difference is the caliber itself. It’s clear that once you pick up one of the magazines that this is not your dad's S&W carry gun. This beast is something different, but why choose 10mm anyway? 

The Power Factor


There is no denying that 10mm is exponentially more potent and powerful than its more ubiquitous smaller brother, the 9mm. But if you don’t shoot anything other than 9mm most of the time its hard to understand how much more powerful it is. Could that extra 1mm really make that much of a difference? 

The answer is, undoubtedly, yes. There is a reason you see guys hunting bear with 10mm, yet have never seen a 9mm doing the same duty. In gel tests you’ll see that not only is 10mm causing a larger wound channel, it’s also delivering a lot more velocity downrange adding more to the almighty “stopping power.”
 

Magazine of S&W M&P 2.0 10mm
There's no doubt that the 10mm caliber is delivering a lot of heat downrange, and with a 15+1 capacity, the M&P 2.0 in 10mm is a powerhouse not to be messed with. The gun comes with two of the 15-round windowed magazines. (Photo: Seth Rodgers/Guns.com)


While that extra bit of firepower certainly gives an advantage in terms of velocity it may have certain drawbacks as well. There was really only one way to find out, take it to the range and start stretching its legs. 
 

Initial Range Thoughts

 

Trigger on M&P 2.0 10mm
There was some initial grit to the trigger that it took a little bit to get through, but once I was through it, I was loving this trigger. (Photo: Seth Rodgers/Guns.com)


I wish I could have gotten a picture of my face after firing the first magazine through this gun because I’m sure I would have been smiling like a fat kid with a ho-ho. Having been a fat kid who loved ho-hos at one point in my life I can tell you that the experience was more enjoyable sending 10mm freedom pellets downrange than packing on extra calories.

The gun is surprisingly soft shooting for a 10mm. Granted there is still a lot more snap to it than your standard full-size 9mm pistol but compared to the aforementioned G20, this is a dream. None of the same “wrist breaker” tendencies were there with this gun as they were with G20. Unlike the G20, this S&W provides a ton of grip texture which really lets the gun weld to the hand nicely. I never felt like the gun was going to pop out of my hand, even during strings of rapid-fire.
 

rapid fire of M&P 2.0 10mm
Even though the 10mm is a snappy round, the M&P 2.0 made it an enjoyable shooter, even during rapid fire. (Photo: Seth Rogers/Guns.com)


The other big noticeable difference in terms of shooting was the raised sights. Since I’m not someone who regularly shoots on raised sights it took a bit of getting used to. But after a few mags through the gun, I felt like I was getting a hang of it and my groups started to tighten up. I have no doubt that adding an MRD on top of the pistol would further enhance accuracy.
 

M&P 2.0 10mm at the range
The best mag from 25 feet out of the first box of ammo of S&B. (Photo: Seth Rodgers/Guns.com)


The last thing I’ll say about the initial range visits is that the trigger out of the box leaves a little something to be desired. To be clear, I try not to be a trigger snob and compare across brands but there are some distinguishing features about triggers that either make you smile or frown. That said, out of the box the trigger on the M&P 2.0 was a bit gritty feeling. Especially at the front of the pull, there was some serious grit. 

I wouldn’t say that this negatively affected my shooting at first, but it certainly didn’t help either. I will say that after a couple of hundred rounds through the gun this grittiness has substantially gone away and made for a much more enjoyable shooting experience. 
 

Reliability


I’ve been a fan of S&W firearms since I first started carrying with a Shield 9 back in 2009. To be clear, there were a lot of improvements I wish that Shield had but the one thing it always had going for it was reliability. I’ve put thousands of rounds through that gun at this point and I can’t recall a single malfunction.

While my round count hasn’t climbed nearly that high with the new M&P 2.0 10mm, I can say that through a few hundred rounds it hasn’t skipped a beat. I’ve put a combination of Magtech, Sellier & Bellot, and Blazer through this firearm and it’s eaten it all up and spit it all out without a hiccup. Accuracy seems to have been best with the Blazer but then again that was the most recent stuff I’ve been shooting, so it could just be that I’m more used to the gun at this point. Either way, it’s been the rock-solid workhorse that I’ve come to expect from S&W.
 

S&W guns at the range
Like the Shield Plus Performance Center, which I previously reviewed, the M&P 2.0 10mm has been nothing short of unstoppable. No reported malfunctions through the first couple hundred rounds. (Photo: Seth Rodgers/Guns.com)

 

Video Update

 


 

Range Testing: Running Up the Round Count


I’m now over 500 rounds through this pistol, probably closing in on the 700-round mark, and I can say that the initial reliability with the gun hasn’t diminished. I have a total of zero failures with this gun, which – again – isn’t surprising given S&W’s reputation for making reliable guns. The pistol continues to be an enjoyable shooter for me, and I’d go so far as to say it’s now one of my favorite guns to take to the range.
 

Adding the Holosun red dot not only made this gun more accurate for me but a lot more fun to shoot, too. (Photo: Seth Rodgers/Guns.com)


In fact, the gun isn’t just reliable and fun to shoot, but it’s plenty accurate, too. I don’t claim to be a skilled marksman, but this is one of the most accurate handguns I’ve ever shot. It had good accuracy out of the box, and things really started to tighten up once I added an optic.
 

Adding an Optic and Increasing Accuracy


It was a no-brainer to add an optic to this gun given the raised sights and ability to do so. I decided to go with a Holosun 507K for the optic to sit on top of this pistol. I chose Holosun because I had heard a lot of really great things about their optics. Not only are they affordable but the quality construction and advanced options make it a no-brainer for a lot of people.
 

The 507K from Holosun has proven itself a winner for me. (Photo: Seth Rodgers/Guns.com)


There are two features, aside from the quality 7075 T6 aluminum construction, that really set the 507K apart for me. The first one is the “shake awake” feature, which will disable until the optic until the next time you pick it up. I feel like I’ve shot with a lot of other optics recently that burned through batteries. 

This feature, along with what Holosun calls their “Super LED” saves batteries with the company promising up 50,000 hours of battery life. There are 10 different brightness adjustments on the 507K, along with two night-vision-compatible modes, giving the end user a lot of variety in how they want to use it. I used this in the bright midday sun and had zero issues picking up the dot, and that wasn’t even on the highest setting.
 

Certainly, there are better shooters out there than me, but I have to say that this is one of the best groups I've ever shot. Compared to the range photo from my initial range thoughts, you can see how much the Holosun has helped to tighten up the groups on an already accurate gun. I've found these results to be easily repeatable when shooting Blazer 185 grain. This target was shot at 25 feet. (Photo: Seth Rodgers/Guns.com)


I also really enjoy the different reticle options you get with the Holosun, which for the price point is a big step up from a lot of the competition out there. You have the choice of shooting with just the 2-MOA dot or the dot and a 32-MOA circle around it. This is something I’ve seen other companies now emulating and for good reason. I feel like the circle really helps focus the eye more on the dot and it paid off in big dividends for me.
 

I've never shot with a reticle quite like this on a red dot before, and I found that it really helped keep my focus on the center dot better. (Photo: Seth Rodgers/Guns.com)


I’ve shot a lot of pistols, and really started shooting optics on top in the last few years. I really feel like this combo of Holosun and M&P has given me my best groups I’ve ever had. I know there are plenty of people who can shoot much better than me, but I’m quite proud of the results I’ve been able to achieve with this combo.
 

Carrying the M&P M2.0 in 10mm


I became so smitten with the gun that I even decided I should try carrying it, despite it being quite a bit larger than my current carry gun, the P365X. Now, I will note that I only carried it once, and that was enough for me. I reached out to Vedder Holsters, and they provided me with one of their IWB choices. I decided to carry it as a backup to my primary at the 4 o’clock position. 

While I love aggressive grip texture for range trips, and this gun does have some of the most aggressive grip texture on the market, it didn’t pan out that well for me when I went to carry the gun. I spent about 45 minutes carrying the gun on approximately a mile walk with my daughter to go get some ice cream. By the time I got home, my skin was chaffed and sore from rubbing on that grip texture that I like so much at the range. 
 

While the irritation on the right doesn't seem too bad, it happened in about 45 minutes, and I can confidently say I wouldn't want to carry the same way with the same setup again. (Photo: Seth Rodgers/Guns.com)


I reached out to Vedder Holsters to see if there was some other holster they made that would solve this issue for me. The reply they gave was “not really” and that it was a common complaint about the M&P M2.0 series that they can be tough to carry due to the nature of the grip texture. I supposed I could wear an undershirt and carry the gun, but I was trying to carry it in late summer when a tank top and flip-flops are my usual attire, so that wasn’t really in the cards at the time.

Perhaps one of those N8 Tactical holsters with the giant leather pad would do the trick, but those also come with their own set of issues. For the time being, I’m going to say that this isn’t going to be a viable carry option for me until I can figure out a different holster or carry position option.
 

Cleaning and Disassembly


Disassembling this gun for a cleaning is very easy and just like every other S&W M&P M2.0 and Shield pistol. To start, simply lock the slide to the rear, rotate the takedown lever 90 degrees, send the slide home, pull the trigger, and you have a field-stripped pistol. 
 

Like most M&P pistols, this one breaks down in a very straightforward manner and is easy to clean. (Photo: Seth Rodgers/Guns.com)


One thing I noticed about this gun before field stripping it was that I thought there was some rust forming on the recoil spring. Once I had the gun broken down, I could see that it was just the orange paint from the recoil spring, most of which is gone at this point. Just something to note if you pop off a couple of hundred rounds and then notice the recoil assembly looking like it has rust on it. It’s most likely that it is just the paint on the recoil spring.
 

Where It Fits In


The S&W M&P M2.0 in 10mm is a versatile gun that can be used in many different applications. I think it has certainly earned enough of my respect that I would have no issue keeping it next to the bed as a home defense pistol. If I could work out the right holster option, it could also be a very good carry piece. It’s a bit on the hefty side for me, but the capacity mixed with the potency of the round makes it something to think about. 

I started hunting a few years back. Since dropping my first deer, I’ve had aspirations of going bear hunting, which I hope to do one day in the future. While I personally wouldn’t use this handgun as my primary hunting gun, it’s nice to know that I would have 15+1 rounds of bear or wolf deterrent should anything go sideways. 

Of course, if you fancied yourself a good enough shot, there is no reason you couldn’t use this as a primary hunting gun for anything from varmint to bear. I don’t consider myself that experienced of a hunter yet, so I’ll stick to my Remington 700 for now, but it’s nice to know that the option is there.
 

Pros and Cons

 

Pros:

  • Very accurate gun that tames recoil of 10mm well
  • Very aggressive grip texture welds to the hand easily on hot days
  • 15+1 capacity is a nice round count for concealed carry or home defense
  • Raised sights allow for an easy co-witness with the red dot
  • Can double as a hunting handgun or backup hunting gun if needed
  • 10mm delivers major power factor upgrades

Cons:

  • Aggressive grip texture, while allowing a good weld to the hand, can make it difficult to carry
  • Trigger seems a bit gritty right out of the box
  • Took me a little while to re-learn the raised sights

 

Conclusion


If you couldn’t tell already, I’m going to be keeping this gun. This has easily become one of my favorite guns to shoot, and it totally changed how I think about 10mm now. It’s still a hot round that’s going to produce some kick, but this M&P M2.0 eats it well and delivers fantastic results. I encourage anyone looking for a new pistol or caliber (assuming you haven’t shot a 10mm before) to check out the S&W M&P M2.0 in 10mm, you won’t be disappointed. 

revolver barrel loading graphic

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