A Solid Foundation
What does the 2.0 bring to the party? Enhancements both inside and out. Internally, the 2.0 has a stiffened polymer frame through an extended stainless steel chassis as well as a redesigned trigger for a crisper and cleaner pull, with a tangible reset. Externally, the pistol’s texturing was made more “aggressive” — and by this, I mean it’s reaching the level of 220-grit sandpaper. Seriously, this gun is not going to move in your hand. In addition, the pistol comes with four interchangeable palmswell inserts to fit hands ranging from petite to bear paw sized.
The new M2.0 Compact also brought something notable to the M&P line — a completely new size. While the original M&P line had an M&PC compact variant — yep, I have one of these as well — it was more of a subcompact-sized pistol. As a result, you had pretty much the full-size and a much smaller compact from which to choose. To all of the Goldilocks out there, the new M2.0 Compact is a “just right” addition to the line. With its 4" barrel — although a shorter 3.6" barrel version is also available — and 15-round magazine in 9mm, the new Compact fits right in the middle of the older M&P offerings.
For someone like me who prefers guns closer to the full-size range for EDC, the new Compact was just about perfect. Small enough to carry, but big enough to be a “real” gun. While it’s also offered in .40 and .45, I selected the M&P M2.0 Compact in 9mm. I also like the variant with the ambi manual safety.