The Smith & Wesson M&P pistol is becoming a more frequent sight on the hips of police officers throughout the US. As it becomes more popular, more gadgets and upgrades are introduced for it.
One of the complaints that some officers have about the M&P series is the trigger is “mushy.” While I have no complaints about the trigger on my personally-owned M&P9, I can understand that everyone will have a different appreciation of the trigger feel. Enter Apex Tactical Specialties.
Apex makes a “drop in” kit for the S&W M&P called the Duty/Carry Action Enhancement Kit (DCAEK) that includes the Apex hard sear, striker block kit, and sear/trigger return springs. The effect of the kit is “…designed to provide the M&P pistol owner a smooth, consistent 5 – 5.5 lb trigger pull with the advantages of shorter over-travel and reduced reset.”
Normally, modifications to your duty weapon are prohibited by department policy. However, after six months of testing, the Clackamas County (OR) SWAT Team is now authorized to use the DCAEK on the department issued S&W45 pistols.
According to Apex, the department is the second law enforcement agency to approve the upgrade, the first being the Allegheny County (PA) Port Authority PD. It’s not often an agency will approve an aftermarket trigger, so this is a fairly strong vote of confidence.
Of course, guns are just tools that the officer carries. Even when the tool operates correctly, the user sometimes does not.
If you’ve installed one of these, I would love to hear your thoughts on how well it has held up over time. An improvement in feel is second to reliability in my view. If Apex can deliver the same reliability and improve the trigger feel, I will be very impressed and will install one in my own pistol.