Apex Technology

Well, a short report.

All of you know about Apex I presume. They make the slick improvements to S&W M&P's. For quite a while they didn't have anything pertaining to the Shield. But they have gotten off their couch and come up with a whole kit and I believe a partial one. Of course, I sprang for the whole kit.

I bought it from my local gun store, who got it through Brownell's. I presume they got a discount, since they installed the kit for free. Apex wants $45 to do the slide part, plus something like $15 shipping (and you have to get it there). I paid, including tax, $171 + change.

The installation took maybe an hour. I suspect it was somewhat easier because I had already done the heavy lifting when I took off the stock rear sight and installed a 10-8 rear with the 0.156 opening. Incidentally, I would STRONGLY recommend that if this is a fighting gun (like carry).

The kit consists of new springs, a new plunger that goes in the slide, a new sear, and a new trigger, which replaces the stock one that comes with the weapon. I gather that things went in easily. About the only things the gunsmith did was some test shooting to set the sights correctly. One little item - I had him leave the original sear spring in rather than replace it with the one from Apex. It makes the trigger pull lighter. Or so it seems. You definitely get a heavier pull with the new spring, as the smith had put a kit into another gun earlier in the week.

The guns shoots really nicely! The trigger itself is more ergonomic, so it feels better. The trigger pull measures with the gauge at 6.5 lbs, but I swear it is no where near that. I would say it is 4-4.25 lbs. Furthermore, there is the expected take-up but no creep. Just pressure and the round goes off. Furthermore, the reset is shorter, or so it seems.

I put about 40 rounds through it, mostly rapid fire at 21'. Nice function, easy sight picture, and easy to set off the round when the sight picture fits. And that white dot front sight in that wider black 10-8 rear sight is just the nads.

So all in all, I would highly recommend this. If my daughter takes this one, I am getting another and doing this all over. AND I may even go for a full-sized M&P - in .357 Sig if I can find that.

Thanks for the report, Dev!

I'm looking at a Apex kit for the wife's M&P 9C. And now for the Shield when I get out of Cali.

If I had an M&P, I would absolutely have this change made.

Just to cement this, I have a friend from the Marine Corps who is a retired Chicago cop. He carries. Always. He has been carrying a G19, but is not quite happy with it because of the size (my wife picked up the print in church during the funeral of another friend's wife).

A couple months ago I was at the range with him and let him shoot my Shield. He liked it enough to sell his G19 and buy a Shield. He has no safety and green glow sights. So we talked about the Apex stuff, and I bought it and after picking it up, let him play with it in a parking lot after a Marine luncheon. He was pleased enough to order the kit through my store. I dropped the weapon off and he picked it up when it was done.

He is SO pleased! He raves about how it shoots now. Remember, he's an old-time cop, so wheel guns are what he's most familiar and comfortable with. But the Shield does everything his 5-shot snubbie did, with a couple extra rounds. And he thinks the trigger is just PERFECT. (He shot on the bullseye team with me back in the day, so he knows triggers.)

One more accolade.

PS: I have another friend who just bought an M&P in .45, 4" barrel. I will be convincing him to go APEX, so I will report on that result when it comes in.

Wish you lived closer so I could try it out. I might have to do something for my wife's shield--the trigger seems pretty stiff.

Wish I lived closer too. I'd LOVE to shoot some of your suppressed stuff.