So I am always enthused to hear about new guns coming to market, after all, more guns on the market means more variety and more things for me to shoot. I like excuses to go shoot. In a rather long press release, the Performance Center released their plans for 2017, among them was the new Performance Center Shield .45 that we leaked a while back. What we didn’t know was coming was the slide kits.

OK, so I know you are sitting there thinking, “Patrick, slides are lame. Get over it.” You couldn’t be more wrong friend. The fact that you can now upgrade that tired old police trade-in gun with a ready made kit from Smith is nothing short of outstanding. It leaves me wondering if it will be possible to pick up one of those ultra cheap Gen 1 M&P .40 guns that flooded the market when police departments all over the US dumped them and fit the new slide kit (one chambered in a respectable caliber like 9mm) and changed the ejector out for the appropriate part.

I guess that is a question that I will need to ask the folks at the Smith booth once I swing by. Think of the possibilities!

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New Performance Center M&P Pistols

Since 2006, the Performance Center has gained a reputation for taking standard M&P pistols and adding the Performance Center touch.  The new Performance Center M&P45 Shield™ pistol (sku: 11629) follows in this tradition.  Consumers will quickly notice the factory ported barrels and slides. The factory porting helps keep muzzle flip down which assists the shooter to get the pistol back on target faster.  The Performance Center M&P45 Shield pistol can be purchased with either adjustable HI-VIZ® fiber optic sights or Tritium Night Sights (sku: 11727.)
Consumers will want to see the new ported M&P pistols in the Performance Center catalog.  Available in multiple configurations, the full-size pistols can be purchased in the standard 4.25” barrel or the 5” long slide.  Both barrel lengths can be available in two of the most popular pistol calibers, 9mm and .40S&W.  Shooters will appreciate the fast acquisition with the HI-VIZ sights and they will be quickly back on target with the reduced-recoil from the factory ported slides and barrels.  A Performance Center sear and an adjustable trigger stop provide a smooth shot with reduced over-travel.

 

New Performance Center M&P Slide Kits

For the first time in 2017, customers can “hot rod” their M&P pistol with the new Performance Center C.O.R.E .™ slide Kit (multiple skus).  Each slide kit comes with a ported barrel and slide.  The slide is cut to accept five different optic mounting plates.  The white-dot front sight and drift-adjustable rear sight allow for easy target acquisition.  Also included are three C.O.R.E. style palmswells.  The patented interchangeable palmswell system allows the user to customize the grip and feel of their M&P, enhancing the pistol’s natural 18 degree grip angle.  Slide kits are available for a number of different pistol configurations.