REVIEW: Smith & Wesson M&P 40 (Blowback) Air Pistol
This fully functioning .177 caliber blowback replica air gun is based on the Smith & Wesson Military and Police firearm. The Umarex Smith & Wesson M&P 40 air pistol is powered by a CO2 cartridge which is hidden in the grip of the pistol along with the 15-shot drop-out magazine for a realistic experience.
The M&P 40 is a functional blowback action pistol where the mechanical functioning is authentic to it's firearm cousin with the same control functions, double action trigger and an ambidextrous manual safety.
The metal slide and slide catch work as expected and authenticity is further ensured by the full weight metal magazine and rubberized grips. The sights are low-profile three-dot-style. The front sight is dovetail mounted and adjustable for windage. An integrated accessory rail underneath the muzzle is a great place to add a tactical flashlight or an airgun laser. The M&P 40 also comes with three different size backstraps to match your hand shape & size. The M&P 40 blowback action replica air gun is great plinking and target practice in your own backyard and makes a great target shooting and training pistol for Smith & Wesson M&P firearm owners.
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Most helpful customer reviews
273 of 279 people found the following review helpful.
Surprising power and accuracy
By Leafhopper
I have read many reviews of this air rifle in which people complained about the amount of plastic used. Yes, there is a lot of plastic, but I think these critics are missing the point here. It is a light weight rifle and I think that is just fine. It doesn't tire you like a wood and steel M14 would and it certainly doesn't cost what an M14 or even a full metal and wood replica would cost. What you do get is an amazingly accurate and powerful co2 gun.
I own the Crosman single shot 2300T with the Walthar Lothar precision barrel which is a very accurate pistol set up with the removable stock as a carbine. This Winchester M14 is every bit as accurate and I believe it is even more accurate, with the added convenience of a double 8 round stick magazine. I own many air rifles and pistols, none of which come close to the accuracy of this rifle.
I was able to group 5 shots (the size of a quarter) in the red bullseye from a distance of 75ft standing off-hand. I have never done that before with any of my firearms or airguns. And, I can shoot all day with out my arms getting tired (which says a lot since I'm 70 years young). I put a sling on my M14 ( Ultimate Arms Gear Tactical M1 M-1 Carbine Military Mil Spec Quality Classic WWII Reproduction OD Olive Drab Green Canvas 1.00" Rifle Sling by Ultimate Arms Gear) available at Amazon. This is a great sling and utilizes the sling swivels built into the rifle. Here is a link to that sling: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B005UOUKT2/ref=oh_details_o03_s00_i00?ie=UTF8&psc=1.
The plastic used in this rifle is a very strong and durable composite material. I'm not worried about breaking it. If wood is important to you, I understand that at least one person has replaced the plastic with wood for that more realistic feel by using a M1/M14 surplus stock and some dremel work. I'm not going to do that as I appreciate the light weight and durability of the composite stock it came with.
Another thing, I appreciate the the 2 cartridge (CO2) power plant of this rifle. The 2 co2 cartridges give this rifle the power it has and I get about 80 good shots with it (that's about $.0125/shot). And, it is a lot cheaper than those 88 gram co2 cartridges to operate shot for shot. I own the Beretta CX4 Storm pellet carbine that uses these 88 gram cartridges and every time I have to replace one it's $12 (for about 180 shots or $.06/shot) for comparable power.
I can honestly recommend this pellet rifle for young and old...if you can aim, you will hit what you are shooting at!
63 of 65 people found the following review helpful.
Scope your M14
By DdubYa
Bought the M14 for grandson's Xmas. We have done some mods and wanted to show that a scope mount fits the rifle. (CYMA Airsoft M-14 rifle scope mount) available at ebay, amazon or Sears (believe it or not) in "Specialty Hunting Accessories" when I was searching. I tried a few of my firearm scopes and they work well when using the correct height rings on this mount. A scope with 4" eye relief works well.(ymmv). Great accuracy using the rifle sights but the scope adds a little SNIPER eye candy. Rifle sights work with the scope mounted as well. I won't complain about the plastic stock, co2 usage, etc, but will about the noisy sling mounts that rattle and changed them out for the real M14 mounts. Overall, we are impressed with how closely the rifle matches the real M14. ( The real M14 stock liner screws fit into the recesses on the air rifle...see pic). If your into replica firearms check this Winchester M14 out.
55 of 56 people found the following review helpful.
Excellent with two annoying inexcusable flaws--Now 3 Stars
By A. Becker
Love the gun, like the design how the co2 is separate and uses well made brass seals. Power and accuracy great. This is a nice quality Japanese made air rifle and anyone criticizing the use of plastic is not being realistic for $80. Now the dumb part. Several other reviewers commented on the co2 arrangement and while a little of a pain what was stupid was both provided hex allen wrenches broke immediately upon use cracking at the tiny lanyard holes. They should just put metal wrenches in for a few pennies more. I used a 10mm allen wrench and it worked good but including a metal wrench should have been a no brainer. One more small detail that would be a nice to have is a flip up butt plate which is a feature I love about the real M14 but would raise cost a bit.
Update - less than a week later I'm removing one more star because one of the screws that pushes the co2 into the seal is plastic like the broken wrenches I mentioned above. Given these parts have to have the strength to pierce the co2s. This part is typically metal and it was a poor choice to go with plastic! I will contact Daisy for a replacement and I still LOVE how it shoots (tried BBs and they were surprisingly accurate!)
Update 2 - still going strong but annoying to have to baby (be gentle) when torquing the plastic puncture screws on the magazine when changing co2. Hopefully they fix this Achilles Head in an otherwise cool air gun. Big Props to Daisy for sending out a replacement magazine the day after I called them, so the customer service was SOLID
History behind the firearm that inspired the Smith & Wesson M&P 40 Air Pistol
The Smith & Wesson M&P (Military and Police) is a polymer-framed, short recoil operated, locked breech semi-automatic pistol introduced in the summer of 2005 by the American company Smith & Wesson. It uses a Browning-type locking system. While targeted at law enforcement agencies, the M&P is also widely available on the commercial market.
The M&P is a hybrid evolution of the Smith & Wesson Sigma and Smith & Wesson SW99 design but does not share parts compatibility with the Sigma. The M&P design has an improved trigger and enhanced ergonomics that allow for end-user customization. An industry standard picatinny rail and a higher grip has been afforded with an improved grip and beavertail. Many of the ergonomic study elements that had been incorporated into the Sigma and the Smith & Wesson SW99 were brought over to the M&P. The improved trigger weight and feel and the unique takedown method (not requiring a dry-fire pull of the trigger) were meant to set the M&P apart from the popular Glock pistols.
Design Details
The M&P is a striker-fired semi-automatic pistol. This trigger system prevents the firearm from discharging unless the trigger is fully depressed, even if the pistol is dropped. An internal lock and/or magazine disconnect are available as options and an optional external thumb safety became available in 2009.
The pistol frame is made out of Zytel polymer reinforced with a stainless steel chassis. The pistol comes with three removable and interchangeable grips. The slide and barrel are made out of stainless steel that after hardening is treated with a proprietary nitriding process called Melonite. The Melonite process produces a matte gray non-glare surface with a 68 Rockwell C surface hardness rating. The pistol has a very low slide profile which holds the barrel axis close to the shooter's hand and makes the M&P more comfortable to shoot by reducing muzzle rise and allowing for faster aim recovery in rapid shooting sequence. The slide has four contact points with the frame. This was done to make the rail system self cleaning, by leaving room for any dirt or small foreign objects to fall out of the weapon.
As the slide of the pistol enters battery, the striker engages the sear. At this point, the sear is held back in a partially cocked condition. When the trigger of the M&P is pulled, the trigger bar first engages the firing pin safety plunger, lifting it upward, and releasing firing pin safety. At the rearward extreme of the trigger bar's travel, it engages the sear. The sear is rotated downward by the trigger bar, fully cocking, then releasing the striker. The striker makes contact with the primer of the chambered round, which in turn ignites the gunpowder and propels the bullet forward. According to renowned M&P gunsmith Dan Burwell, the angle on the rear face of the sear creates a camming action against the striker. This camming action moves the striker to the rear very slightly during the trigger pull, thus finishing the "cocking". This system is similar to the partially tensioned striker found in the Glock series of pistols. When the pistol cycles for the next shot, the striker will be automatically pre-set in a 98% cocked position. Because the striker is only 98% cocked prior to the trigger being pulled, Smith & Wesson classifies the M&P's action as "striker fired (double action only)".
Trigger Package
The M&P factory trigger is of the jointed type and has a trigger travel of 7.6 mm (0.3 in) and is rated at 29 N (6.5 lbf). The M&P45c models have a slightly higher rated trigger pull of 31 N (7.0 lbf).
The competition oriented M&P40 Pro Series have a reduced trigger pull of 20 N (4.5 lbf) due to the installation of a Smith & Wesson performance center sear. Massachusetts (MA) approved models have a trigger pull of 45 N (10 lbf).
Safety & Ergonomics
Several safety features are prominent on the M&P. A sear deactivation lever permits the shooter to disassemble the pistol without having to pull the trigger to accomplish disassembly. The pistol also has a loaded chamber indicator viewing opening on top of the slide.
Ergonomics were a key focus in the design of the firearm, and as a result, three interchangeable palm swell grips are included (small, medium and large). The trigger guard is designed to accommodate gloves. The frame of the M&P has a magazine release button that can be changed from the left to the right side. The magazine drops free when the magazine release is pressed. The firearm features an ambidextrous slide stop and reversible magazine release for either right or left hand operation.
Sights, Picatinny & Cartridge
The standard iron sights are of the three dot type and made of steel. Both the front and rear sights are dove-tailed into the slide, and can be horizontally drifted to adjust for windage correction. An integrated Picatinny rail can be found underneath the slide on the front of the frame for attaching tactical lights, lasers and other accessories. The M&P is available in 19mm Parabellum, .357 SIG, .40 S&W, and .45 ACP, with barrel lengths in 5.0", 4.5", 4.25", 4.1" 4.0", 3.5", and 3.1".