Our friends over at Guns America recently got some hands-on time with the new Smith and Wesson M&P M2.0 series of pistols. If you remember the TFB coverage of the apparent launch slip-up by Academy Sports a few weeks ago, the new guns sport some features that piqued everyone’s curiosity. The Guns America team got an advanced look at the upcoming production release.

Previous speculation of a modular frame setup seem largely unfounded. Instead, S&W has firmed and strengthened the frame with embedded metal inserts that also include the gun’s serial number and QR code. Also important to note is that version 2.0 is backwards compatible with previous magazines, holsters and accessories.

Credit: Guns America

The 2.0 version now has a steel skeleton that extends the length of the frame, underneath the polymer. The frame is much more rigid now, and recoil is noticeably lessened. I am not an engineer, but I am assuming this acts like rebar in concrete. Whatever the magic, it is working. The new frame is a huge step forward. It is easy to identify the new M2.0, since the steel frame is visible via windows on either side of the dust cover near the rails. In fact, that is now where the serial number is located.

Credit: Guns America

Smith and Wesson did a real solid to the consumer on this one. Unlike future generation pistols we have seen from other manufacturers, all prior accessories from the M&P line still work. Yes, it is backward compatible. I tested this myself on magazines and holsters. Magazines still function flawlessly, and visually are indistinguishable from the 1.0. My Safariland retention holster holds the new guns just as secure as the old one, no problems. It is really nice to be able to buy a new gun without needing to invest in a pile of adds-ons, when you already spent the money once.

Read the full Guns America M2.0 Blog Post here.