M&P and Red Dot Optics

[JediSkipdogg]

Ok, I am stuck in a circle in my head. I have an M&P Pro that I love (I think someone here may remember it and will probably give me his thoughts). I however want to add a red dot to it after I do some more reviews on the differences between models. Thinking either an Trijicon RMR, EOTech MRDS, or Leopold DeltaPoint. So I have three thoughts on the matter....


1) Sell the firearm and then purchase the M&P Pro CORE. This gives me the slide already cut along with the raised front and rear sights to co-witness with the red dot.

2) Cut the slide of my current M&P Pro at the cost of around $150-175. I would lose the current rear sight unless I pay another $50 to have a rear sight cut in it. However, the current sights are not high enough to co-witness so I'd probably end up spending another $75 on new sights.

3) Lose the rear sight and buy the mounting plate that goes in the rear sight slot. Plate is around $50. This however raises the sight about another 3/16-1/4 of an inch above cutting the slide. At that point I can either just remember it's always going to shoot low or realize at different distances it may be slightly off. If I go this route then I'd probably just replace the front sight with a higher sight and modify the red dot to have a single line down the middle of the back of it to give me the idea of standard sight alignment in the even the red dot fails.

I'm leaning towards #3 because I like the gun. Trigger is well broken in and very smooth and it's the cheapest method of them all but probably not the most ideal. Although they sell the adapters for it, so it must be a widely accepted method.

Thoughts? Anyone have a red dot they want to sell cheap?

[Brian D.]

I don't like your #3 option because the whole reason for going to a red dot is for a quick, dead-on certain sight picture. And the same known accuracy with the back up irons. Why cobble something together that would be a compromise of the above?

Personally I'd sell the current gun and pick up a Pro CORE. If its trigger isn't quite as good as what you're using now, a little 'smithing and some time will take care of that.

[CCIman]

You can buy mine:

M&P Pro CORE with suppressor sights, mounted Trijicon RMR sight, Trigger= APEX DAEK, APEX reset helper, Apex Polymer match trigger
NEW never fired.
I'd have to figure out how much I put into it, sell at cost.

PM me. I live in Cincy.

[TJW815]

How about ordering a slide for a M&P C.O.R.E.?

[JediSkipdogg]

How about ordering a slide for a M&P C.O.R.E.?

I thought about that but am not sure if the two are interchageable or not. When I search anything for M&P Core and Pro interchangeable I get people asking all sorts of questions since it's really the M&P Pro Core. Most ask if they can swap internals and not really on swapping the slide.

[TJW815]

I am 99% sure they are interchangeable

Eta:
http://mp-pistol.com/mp-full-size-pisto ... slide.html

[JediSkipdogg]

I am 99% sure they are interchangeable

Eta:
http://mp-pistol.com/mp-full-size-pisto ... slide.html

I started looking more and it appears they may be interchangeable. People have done it with the M&P and the M&P pro. It appears as long as it's an M&P and the slide length is the same, it's interchangeable.

Unfortunately, S&W doesn't sell slides only from what I'm reading online.

[Brian D.]

I am 99% sure they are interchangeable

Eta:
http://mp-pistol.com/mp-full-size-pisto ... slide.html

I started looking more and it appears they may be interchangeable. People have done it with the M&P and the M&P pro. It appears as long as it's an M&P and the slide length is the same, it's interchangeable.

Unfortunately, S&W doesn't sell slides only from what I'm reading online.

Places like Novak's or David Bowie's shop may be able to get such parts in for you. Sure they'd also like to do the fitting up work rather than just ordering in a slide but it's worth asking about.

[JediSkipdogg]

I am 99% sure they are interchangeable

Eta:
http://mp-pistol.com/mp-full-size-pisto ... slide.html

I started looking more and it appears they may be interchangeable. People have done it with the M&P and the M&P pro. It appears as long as it's an M&P and the slide length is the same, it's interchangeable.

Unfortunately, S&W doesn't sell slides only from what I'm reading online.

Places like Novak's or David Bowie's shop may be able to get such parts in for you. Sure they'd also like to do the fitting up work rather than just ordering in a slide but it's worth asking about.

Never thought of that and email sent to Bowie.

[CCIman]

Depending on how long you have been shooting with regular sights, shooting with a red dot is not as natural nor intuitive as it would first seem, nor cracked up to be the perfect answer. You do have to train with it to get fast. Like using a laser, you can affect how you normally shoot with regular sights-- because you end up changing your grip and where you look..

Unlike a long gun, there is no reference point for your head position (cheek weld) on a pistol. That floating red dot is not always easy to find-- it can take longer than lining up the front/rear sights. You really have to train your gun presentation (hand, head, eye) to be consistent, if you change stance or position, you can be way off and slow. You may also need to modify the grip to point lower, there is a tendency to point higher with a red dot.