← Smith & Wesson M&P9 M2.0 reference page · This work order as JSON · Print

Work order — Smith & Wesson M&P9 M2.0

Taking the firearm apart for a job such as refinishing, and putting it back together to specification. Generated from the Pew-Takedown entry last updated 2026-10-29. Confidence: high.

Shop difficulty: Tier 1 of 3

Glock-class: slide internals plus a pinned sear housing block, trigger and locking block in a polymer frame, with a frame tool needed to drop the sear deactivation lever. The one real trap is the small sear plunger and spring in the sear housing block; trigger spring orientation is the other. Pew-Takedown's rating, not the manufacturer's.

Bench time: strip ~20 min, rebuild ~30 min (estimate). Actual: strip ______ rebuild ______

Special tools:

• S&W frame tool (supplied) — Sear deactivation lever
• dovetail sight pusher (or brass drift and padded vise) — Removing and refitting dovetailed sights for coating

Watch for:

• Field stripping requires the frame tool (or similar) to push the sear deactivation lever down. (both; Smith & Wesson)
• Sear housing work gets tricky when the small sear springs are changed. (reassembly; Northeastshooters.com Forums)
• A trigger that does not reset after reassembly usually means the trigger spring went in wrong or the trigger bar is out of place. (reassembly; Northeastshooters.com Forums)
• S&W tells owners never to go past the field strip. (both; Smith & Wesson)

Tools

• Frame tool (supplied, stored in the bottom of the grip) — Pushing the sear deactivation lever down into the lowered position.

1. Clear and make safe

1. Point the muzzle in a safe direction and keep your finger off the trigger.
2. Press the magazine release and remove the magazine.
3. Retract the slide fully and lock it open with the slide stop lever.
4. Visually and physically verify the chamber is empty.
5. Remove all live ammunition from the work area.

2. Disassemble

Manufacturer's video: Field Stripping Your Pistol (Smith & Wesson)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QLe6bo7Xiek

Field Strip — Manual Procedure (sear deactivation lever)

1. Point the muzzle in a safe direction, keep your finger off the trigger and outside the trigger guard, depress the magazine release and remove the magazine.
2. Grasp the serrated sides of the slide from the rear and briskly draw the slide fully rearward to extract any cartridge from the chamber and clear it from the pistol.
3. Pull the slide fully to the rear, press upward on the slide stop while letting the slide move slightly forward, locking the slide open.
4. Visually and physically verify the chamber is empty.
   Warning: Look and feel. Both, every time.
5. Remove the frame tool from the bottom of the grip by turning it 90 degrees in either direction and pulling it out of the frame.
   Tip: The tool you need is stored in the pistol. Many owners never realise it is there.
6. Remove the interchangeable palmswell backstrap insert from the frame by tipping it away from the frame bottom-first, releasing the tab at the top that engages the frame.
   Tip: The backstrap has to come off before the sear deactivation lever is reachable.
7. Use the frame tool, or a similar device, to push the sear deactivation lever down into the lowered position.
   Tip: The sear deactivation lever is yellow or green in colour.
8. Rotate the takedown lever clockwise.
9. Grasp the slide from the top and remove it from the frame by pulling it slightly rearward and then forward, retaining the recoil spring and guide rod assembly as it comes off.
   Warning: Control the slide and the recoil spring. The manual warns they can fly off.
10. Remove the recoil spring from below the barrel.
11. Remove the barrel from the bottom of the slide.

Field Strip — Trigger Press Method

1. Complete the Clear and Make Safe procedure. Verify the chamber twice before continuing.
   Warning: You are about to press the trigger. If there is any doubt about the chamber, stop and re-verify.
2. Rotate the takedown lever downward 90 degrees.
3. Release the slide forward, point the muzzle in a safe direction, and press the trigger to release the sear.
4. Push the slide forward off the frame.
5. Remove the recoil spring assembly and then the barrel from the slide.

3. Refinish

The components the procedures above separate. Coating, masking and cure are outside this database; follow your coating system's instructions. A part the manufacturer marks "factory fit" should not be swapped or reworked.

Labelled parts in the manufacturer's documents:

• Model and features identification (labelled photo of the pistol) — Safety & Instruction Manual, M&P M2.0 Polymer-Frame Pistols (p/n 3006363, REV M&P_M2.0_POLYMER_FRAME_021525), linked from smith-wesson.com M&P9 M2.0 Optic Ready product page, p. 12
  https://smith-wesson.canto.com/direct/document/mpnqeesbot6j1b2pb3vps0e02d/-DGV9sNoZpfozpwlI4GaxeO4fQw/original?content-type=application%2Fpdf#page=12

4. Reassemble

Reassembly

1. Set the barrel into the slide and seat it, then fit the recoil spring assembly below the barrel.
2. Verify that the sear deactivation lever is in the lowered position — it must be protruding into the magazine well.
   Warning: If it is not down, the slide will not go back on correctly.
3. Verify that the slide stop is in the down position, pressing it down if it locked up while the slide was off the frame.
4. Holding the slide and recoil spring guide firmly in one hand, with the takedown lever down, place the rear of the slide onto the front frame rails.
5. Continue pulling the slide onto the rear frame rails until the slide is fully rearward.
6. Press upward on the slide stop while letting the slide move slightly forward, locking the slide open.
7. Rotate the takedown lever fully up to its locked position.
   Warning: Confirm the lever is fully returned before the pistol goes back into service.
8. Refit the backstrap insert and return the frame tool to the bottom of the grip.
9. Release the slide, rack it several times, and perform the function check.

5. Torque

No manufacturer torque values are recorded for this firearm.

Reported by other sources — not the manufacturer

Notes: The manufacturer's documents give no torque value. They say: "Using the appropriate screws (see table on pages 44-45 for details), tighten the sight down onto the slide adapter (FIGURES 90 and 91) using a 5/64˝ hex wrench." (Safety & Instruction Manual, M&P M2.0 Polymer-Frame Pistols (p/n 3006363, REV M&P_M2.0_POLYMER_FRAME_021525), linked from smith-wesson.com M&P9 M2.0 Optic Ready product page, p. 43) "UNLOAD THE PISTOL AND TIGHTEN THE SCREWS; IF THE SCREWS WILL NOT TIGHTEN CALL THE CUSTOMER SERVICE DEPARTMENT FOR ASSISTANCE AT 1-800-331-0852, EXT. 4125." (Safety & Instruction Manual, M&P M2.0 Polymer-Frame Pistols (p/n 3006363, REV M&P_M2.0_POLYMER_FRAME_021525), linked from smith-wesson.com M&P9 M2.0 Optic Ready product page, p. 42)

Fit or check on rebuild

• Correct sear plunger size in the sear housing — Aftermarket sear parts require the 1/8-inch plunger housing
• Function check: trigger reset, sear/striker engagement, safeties — Standard post-reassembly check on any pistol whose fire-control parts were removed; a mis-seated spring shows up here, not on the bench

6. Function check

• Verify the pistol is unloaded before each check.
• Rack the slide and press the trigger. The striker should release.
• Hold the trigger back, rack the slide, release slowly and confirm the reset click.
• Press the trigger again to confirm the striker releases.
• If equipped with a manual thumb safety, confirm the trigger is blocked when engaged.
• Confirm the slide locks open on an empty magazine and the magazine drops free.

If any check fails, the firearm is not safe to fire. Stop and see a licensed gunsmith.

Sources

1. Safety & Instruction Manual — M&P M2.0 Pistols — Smith & Wesson primary
   https://assets.contentstack.io/v3/assets/bltb61dcb3c40854cd9/bltfc45074061a5da40/65b26c4ae5c1f34facd9463a/M&P_M2pt0_Manual_013024_3006363.pdf
2. Smith & Wesson Owner's Manuals — Smith & Wesson primary
   https://www.smith-wesson.com/customer-service/owners-manuals
3. OPF-SW, RMR (product page) — Forward Controls Design secondary
   https://www.forwardcontrolsdesign.com/OPF-SW-RMR_p_498.html
4. Safety & Instruction Manual, M&P M2.0 Polymer-Frame Pistols (p/n 3006363, REV M&P_M2.0_POLYMER_FRAME_021525), linked from smith-wesson.com M&P9 M2.0 Optic Ready product page — Smith & Wesson primary
   https://smith-wesson.canto.com/direct/document/mpnqeesbot6j1b2pb3vps0e02d/-DGV9sNoZpfozpwlI4GaxeO4fQw/original?content-type=application%2Fpdf
5. Smith & Wesson M&P9 M2.0 — product specifications, SKU 11521 — Smith & Wesson Brands, Inc. primary
   https://www.smith-wesson.com/product/m-p-9-m2.0
6. Red Dot Sight Mount for Smith and Wesson (S&W) M&P (fits Trijicon RMR / SRO, Holosun 407c / 507c) (EGW product page, installation instructions section) — Evolution Gun Works (EGW) secondary
   https://egwguns.com/trijicon-rmr-sro-holosun-407c-507c-mount-for-s-w-m-p
7. Smith & Wesson M&P Red Dot Mount | EGW Vortex Venom Plate (EGW product page, installation instructions section) — Evolution Gun Works (EGW) secondary
   https://egwguns.com/vortex-viper-venom-s-w-m-p-sight-mount-fits-burris-fastfire-and-docter
8. XS Sights — Installation Instructions, Optic Plate for S&W (PDF linked from the XS product page) — XS Sights secondary
   https://xssights.com/content/Install%20Instructions/XS%20S%26W%20Optic%20Plate%20installation%20instructions.pdf
9. Leupold DeltaPoint Pro Reflex Sight — Operating Instructions (Part #120278, artwork #120279P; English text with French translation) — Leupold & Stevens, Inc. secondary
   https://www.leupold.com/media/manuals/DeltaPoint_Pro_Manual_French_120279P.pdf
10. Virtual Patent Marking | Smith & Wesson — Smith & Wesson primary
    https://www.smith-wesson.com/company/virtual-patent-marking
11. M&P 2.0 Apex trigger installation Issues. — Northeastshooters.com Forums anecdotal
    https://www.northeastshooters.com/xen/threads/m-p-2-0-apex-trigger-installation-issues.380517/

Educational guide only. Some information comes from non-authoritative sources. Always consult your manufacturer's manual and a licensed gunsmith. Verify your firearm is unloaded before every procedure. Full disclaimer: https://github.com/Fundamental-build-LLC/Pew-Takedown

Legal notice: this material is third-party information compiled from sources of varying reliability and is provided for general informational and educational purposes only. It is not gunsmithing, technical, safety or legal advice, it is not verified or endorsed by any manufacturer, and it must not be taken as fact. Any work on a firearm beyond the routine field stripping described in its own owner's manual should be performed only by a licensed and insured gunsmith. You use this material entirely at your own risk. Fundamental Build LLC and the project's contributors make no warranty of any kind and accept no liability for death, injury, damage or loss arising from its use. Full terms: LEGAL.md.