A new week, and another new gun, however, instead of the onslaught of new guns coming from Sig Sauer, one of their rivals’ swoops in to pick up the slack. Smith & Wesson, one of the oldest American gun companies, and home to the very popular Military and Police line (M&P), has released a new addition to that aforementioned line, however, this time, the gun has undergone treatment in S&W’s Performance Center (PC). The M&P M2.0 series first released a 10mm option back in November of 2021. The story of the 10mm is rather interesting, and quite long. In short, the cartridge was selected for use by certain federal law enforcement agencies. However, the original pistols struggled with the round as their design was based on weaker 9mm frames. The other issue involved recoil. Because the guns were similar in size and weight to their 9mm counterparts, they proved difficult to shoot, and many could not pass basic qualifications with them. The 10mm was scrapped which gave rise to the 40S&W, a shortened 10mm. Eventually the 10mm caught on in 1911s where the round proved very accurate and gave superior ballistics compared to the Lord’s caliber. Manufactures then chambered the 10mm into the same framed guns as their 45 ACPs. Jump ahead a bit and the 10mm has resurged. More manufacturers are making guns in the 10mm than ever before. This included S&W when they released the M&P M2.0 in 10mm. Initial offerings included a 4” and 4.5” models with the option of adding a manual safety. They were optics ready and included a pair of 15-round magazines. These guns fit into the defense and duty niche but are a ton of fun to shoot. Now, S&W is turning out a model from its revered Performance Center.

Smith & Wesson’s Performance Center is where guns go to get an upgrade. These essentially are semi-custom versions of their standard production guns. They up the features and enhance the ergonomics to make a better gun, albeit at a more expensive price. The updated features include an elongated slide that has been compensated. The slide length will help deliver additional ballistic performance while the porting will aid in recoil management. Also, the longer, 5.6” barrel passes several states requirement for handgun hunting. Here in Ohio, a handgun must be .357 diameter or larger and have a minimum barrel length of 5”. While the barrel and slide received the bulk of the upgrades, the trigger also received the PC treatment. Smith state’s the trigger’s tuning gives it a crisp break and audible reset; however, their press release fails to give the actual trigger-pull weight. Otherwise, the pistol is the same as the normal model. The gun comes optics ready with appropriate height sights for co-witnessing, has 15+1 capacity, includes a manual safety, and comes with a variety of backstraps to fit a wide variety of hand sizes.

The PC version of the 10mm M&P really fits into the hunting category. Its longer barrel not only heightens the ballistics of the better millimeter, but also fits into individual states’ handgun hunting laws. This gun would also perform admirably in a chest holster while navigating the back woods of bear country. Could the gun be used for casual plinking and self-defense? Absolutely! 10mm guns are fun to shoot! The Smith & Wesson M&P M2.0 10mm Performance Center is available now (manufacturers need to work on shortening names). MSRP is at $749.00, street pricing will be less.