Hickok45 Shoots the M&P 2.0 Metal Compact Next to the Polymer Original

Hickok45 takes the new M&P 2.0 Metal Compact out to the range and sets it side by side with his polymer-frame 2.0 for a straightforward feel-and-function comparison. Borrowed from Davidson's Gallery of Guns, the pistol is Smith & Wesson's aluminum-framed take on the compact 9mm, and the video walks through how it stacks up against the gun most compact shooters already know.

Key points

• Metal frame: The compact uses a 7075-T6 aluminum alloy frame finished in tungsten Cerakote, versus the standard polymer grip frame.
• Weight difference is minor: Hickok45 pegs the polymer version around 25.46 oz and the metal version around 26 oz, calling it barely noticeable in hand or in recoil.
• Features: This version is optics-ready using S&W's CORE system, with a three-dot sight setup, ambidextrous thumb safeties, a flat-face trigger, and four interchangeable grip modules.
• Trigger and shootability: He describes both 2.0 triggers as nearly identical, with slight take-up and a clean break, and says the metal gun felt maybe a touch softer in recoil, though he's not certain it wasn't just impression.
• Size and heads-up: Slide thickness runs about 1.1 inches, in line with other compacts like the G19, and he reminds buyers to check magazine capacity, since 10-round versions exist for certain states.

Quick take

Nothing here changes how the M&P 2.0 shoots, but the metal compact gives buyers who want that look and an optics-ready cut another solid option in an already crowded compact 9mm field. Hickok45 clearly likes it, mainly for the cosmetics and the readiness for a red dot, while admitting the functional difference from the polymer gun is small.

Watch the full video: hickok45