S&W Performance Center Slide Kit
So, what do you do when you’ve already bought an M&P pistol, but then you see a really cool ported and optics-ready version of the same gun from the Performance Center? Start saving up your pennies to buy a whole new pistol? This is the situation I faced and thought I was going to have to do just that. But, Smith & Wesson came to my rescue with its Performance Center Ported Slide Kits.
Let’s start with a little backstory. I researched the M&P9 as a CCW gun as I liked its overall design and the fact I could buy one with a frame-mounted safety. But, I also wanted to try my hand at some competitive shooting and had been eyeing the Performance Center Ported M&P9L pistol. This one has a longer 5″ barrel, porting, suppressor-height sights and the ability to mount red dot optics through an interchangeable plate system. What it did not have was the option of the manual safety. So, I bit the bullet and went with the standard M&P with thumb safety as my carry gun and skipped the Performance Center option.
You can imagine how happy I was when I spotted the Performance Center Ported Slide Kits. Available in 9mm and .40 versions and in both 5″ and 4.25″ barrel lengths, this was the answer to my dilemma. The slides come standard with porting as well as the C.O.R.E. (Competition Optics Ready Equipment) system with adapters for the Trijicon RMR, Leupold Delta Point, Jpoint, Doctor, C-More STS and Insight MRDS. It also comes with three of the Performance Center’s enhanced, textured palmswell grip inserts.
I selected the 5″ 9mm version with an MSRP of $419. Considering the M&P9L from the Performance Center is priced at a cool MSRP of $1,092, this was clearly a great deal. Was it hard to install? Know how to take down your M&P for cleaning? Then you know how to put this on your gun. And the great thing is, I now have one frame and two wildly different guns. A win/win situation if I’ve ever heard of one! For more info: https://americanhandgunner.com/company/smith-wesson, Ph: (800) 331-0852
