Whether you’re new to competition shooting or a seasoned competitor, you’re aware you need the right gun to excel at matches. That often means a custom firearm, but that doesn’t always have to be the case. The Smith & Wesson Performance Center M&P9 M2.0 Competitor is made to perform impressively right out of the box, giving shooters an edge without waiting on a custom gun. It has a slew of features designed to make it ideal for competition, and of course, it’s also great for target practice and general use.
The Competitor is a 9mm handgun with a five-inch barrel, which is a good length for improved balance and accuracy. It also has an enhanced sear, giving shooters a beautifully crisp trigger, and a flared magazine well for rapid reloads. The flare helps guide the magazine and helps the shooter avoid slipping in the middle of inserting the mag.
The gun also has aggressive lightning cuts strategically placed on the top and sides of the slide. This reduces weight in front of the chamber, improving overall balance with less felt recoil. The slide is cut for optics, making it easy to add a red dot sight to your gun. Each gun also ships with a fiber optic front sight and blacked-out serrated rear sight, so if you don’t want a dot, you’re still good to go.
Other features include an oversized mag release designed to be reversible to suit either left or right-handed shooters and interchangeable palmswell grips. Models are available with either a 10 or 17-round capacity. Finishes offered include Tungsten Gray Cerakote or black Armornite slide finish, so if you want a two-tone gun, you can get one. This is a metal-frame gun, meaning it’s designed as a solid, durable platform and has plenty of bulk to offset muzzle rise.
Features include:
- Metal frame to add weight and mitigate felt recoil and reduce muzzle rise.
- Slide lightening cuts on the top and sides of the slide reduce weight forward of the gun’s chamber for better balance.
- 18-degree grip angle, considered the optimal angle to encourage a natural point of aim, which in turn improves accuracy.
- Four interchangeable palmswell grip inserts in S, M, ML, and L to customize the fit of the gun.
- Textured polymer front strap for a good hold even with wet or sweaty hands.
- Flared mag well to facilitate faster reloads and to help avoid slipping.
- Fiber-optic front sight and blacked-out rear sight so the gun is ready to shoot without delay.
- Reversible, oversized magazine release, making the gun work for either left or right-handed shooters (or for those shooting mirror).
- Slide cut for optics, so it’s quick and easy to add a red dot sight.
- M2.0 flat face trigger which is designed to encourage consistent, repeatable finger placement for accurate shooting.
- Enhanced sear for lighter trigger let-off, which can help shooters with accuracy.
- Picatinny-style rail for the addition of aftermarket accessories.
- Low barrel bore axis to make the gun more comfortable to shoot.
- Take-down lever and sear deactivation systems so the gun can be disassembled with no need to pull the trigger.
- Ships with four magazines with capacity depending on the specific model.
What do you think, could this gun get you into competition shooting? Tell us what you think in the comments.
MSRP for the Smith & Wesson Performance Center Competitor is set at $999.99.
