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When I hung up my 1911a1 pistols at the end of 2011 (isn’t that year an odd coincidence now?), I figured I was done with custom pistols. The custom market really wasn’t active with Glocks yet. I’m not sure anyone was thinking of work like that on the M&P. Then, last year, two people reached out to me about the Fueled M&P and an acquaintance at Ed Brown sent me one. See the first article HERE.
I’ve been shooting it for several months now, both on the square range and in competition.
Three poppers are down, the fourth is going, and I’m engaging number five.
Bottom line, up front? This is still a keeper!
Trigger
The after-market Glock-like trigger is a very consistent 3 1/2 pounds.
The Fueled pistol comes with an after-market trigger. As mentioned, it is an exceptionally clean trigger with a very short length of travel. An idea that I’m not unfamiliar with from a carry or duty pistol perspective. The 1911s I carried on duty were in the 4.5-5lbs range, and my M&Ps all have the Duty Carry Action Enhancement Kit from Apex Tactical in them.
On my RCBS trigger pull scale, the Fueled M&P consistently measures 3 1/2 pounds.
While I know many prefer a flat Glock-like trigger mechanically, as Brown has used here, I appreciate the S&W hinged design.
Optic Ready
Shot this group from a Ransom Rest at 15 yards. The issues are mine, not the pistols.
Brown’s crew milled the slide to allow direct mounting of any optic using the Trijicon RMR footprint. Throughout my time with the Fueled pistol, I have had a Holosun 507Comp on it. I appreciate the combination of the optic’s window size and the reticle options. Nearly all my work with the Fueled has involved the largest of Holosun’s open-circle reticles.
The backup irons from Ameri-Glo are easily visible – in silhouette. The tritium insert in the front sight is visible through the powered-down optic in reduced light. The rear sight has a plain face that’s matte-finished; it doesn’t have any tritium inserts.
Fits into a duty holster quite nicely – like it belongs.
The machine work on the slide is very usable and simple. The front and rear serrations are deep and widely spaced to allow easy manipulation. There are no unnecessary lightning cuts or DNA collectors.
The ambidextrous slide stop is somewhat over-sized and reminiscent of the Vickers’ slide stop for Glock pistols—in that it rolls out from and then back down into the frame. Being left or right-handed is immaterial as it has the same dimensions on both sides of the frame. It worked as designed and functioned so well it was unremarkable.
Mags and Mag Well
During the review, I used M&P magazines with base pads or extensions from Ed Brown, Floyd’s, and Taran Tactical.
The pistol comes with a magazine well that will look familiar to anyone who has seen an M&P so equipped. This one is solidly mounted to the frame and secured with a pin in the same place where the different-sized grip inserts are secured.
Because of the magazine well, magazines with the factory floorplates cannot be used. The pistol came with two magazines with Ed Brown floor plates on them. During this review, I also used magazines with base pads from Floyd’s Custom and extended base pads from Taran Tactical.
There were absolutely no magazine-related issues during the review process.
Pistol Light
During the last half of the review, I had a Surefire X300U pistol light with a DG switch on it. The frame accepted both the light and the switch with a snug yet solid fit.
Holsters
Even with suppressor height sights, a redesigned slide, Surefire’s X300U light, and a DG switch, my go-to holster—from US Duty Gear—works quite nicely with the combination.
Holster selection only took a bit of work. The height of the suppressor sights exceeds some of the molded-in sight channels on many concealment rigs. The slide’s dimensions are just a bit wider than the factory versions.
Interestingly, there were no issues with when I used a US Duty Gear holster. USDG is comprised of several former Safariland employees who are building duty holsters on the original machines here in the United States – not overseas. They have developed their own designs and are branching off into concealment holsters as well.
For anyone not familiar with USDG, I was introduced to them by a Special Weapons Team deputy in the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department’s Special Enforcement Bureau. Along with LASD and many other agencies approving USDG holsters, the Los Angeles Police Department has issued it with their FN 509 pistols.
The Fueled pistol easily fits into an older Safariland ALS holster for an M&P without a light.
Function
The only failures during the review happened when I had this compensator on the pistol.
As I write this, I’m right around 2000 rounds through the pistol. That has been a lot of factory ball—both 115gr and 124gr—as well as 200 rounds of defensive and duty ammunition – 135gr +P Hornady Critical Duty and 147gr Federal HST.
Those weren’t stoppage-free rounds, though – I had three stoppages that I can find in my notes and recall. All three of those happened when I had a compensator screwed onto the barrel. During that time, I was shooting 124gr ball from an overseas supplier.
Final Thoughts
The slide is back in battery, and the dot was on the target during a recent match with brass still in the air.
This is a superb competition pistol—especially if you are as firmly in the M&P camp as I am. The only change I’d make for duty use would be the trigger. Even if you aren’t an M&P fan, this pistol is an excellent choice.
