The original grip length was pretty much standard size, but the handle of the new Compact has been bobbed by about an inch to make the gun more portable. The girth is the same as the parent pistol and still accommodates a wide-body magazine, although it was necessary to trim capacity by five rounds in each caliber.

The M&P comes with drift-adjustable three-dot sights. Tritium night sights are available as an option.

As one might expect, the shorter grip might present some management problems for those with larger hands, and to deal with this, S&W has included two magazines with each pistol: one has a flat baseplate, the other an extension.

In shooting the auto, I found both to be just fine. I don't have very large mitts, and the standard mag allowed me to curl my pinky beneath the plate, giving pretty good support. The extended baseplate (which, like the front of the grip, palm swells and rear of the slide, has a sort of molded-in leatherette texture) permitted me to get a solid grip using all digits. Win/win here.

The aforementioned palm swells, which come in three sizes, are easily removed and replaced by simply twisting and pulling out the retaining pin (which also doubles as a takedown tool for field stripping) and then snapping a new one in place. It takes all of about 20 seconds and can easily be accomplished for different shooters with little loss of range time.

The aggressive grasping grooves at the rear of the slide give good purchase, which is important, as the recoil spring is stout.

I must admit when I first saw this arrangement I figured it was more to make the Smith marketing people happy than be of any real value to the actual users, but after playing with it, I've become a convert. It's a handy, practical gimmick.

Continuing with the frame and the features thereon, lest one be concerned about the durability of polymer to contain the workings of the pistol, rest easy. The mechanicals and slide rails are either incorporated in or supported by steel inserts, giving the setup excellent strength and ruggedness. The front of the trigger guard has been squared off to allow index-finger support for a comfortable two-hand hold, and the forward part of the frame includes the now almost obligatory accessory rail, albeit in a somewhat abbreviated manner.

With the standard base plate mag in place, the Compact is just that--compact. But our tester found it quite controllable, and an extension-equipped mag makes it even more so.

Controls include an ambidextrous slide stop and reversible magazine catch. The takedown lever is sited on the left side of the frame at about midpoint. Happily the gun does not have a magazine safety, a feature that was seen on some of the standard-size M&Ps. A mag safety is a dubious thing at best, as it effectively deactivates the pistol if the magazine is lost--it can't even be fired single-shot--so the lack of this device is a plus.

The gun includes a passive safety dependent upon a two-piece hinged trigger that will not allow the gun to fire unless the lower portion is pulled to the rear, which happens naturally with normal trigger action. This causes about a 3/8-inch travel before the striker is released. Measured trigger pull on our evaluation 9mm Parabellum evaluation auto was 5 1/2 pounds, but thanks to the internals and ergonomics of the pistol, it felt like less.

	(This is article appears in the April 2007 issue of GUNS & AMMO magazine, which is on sale now at your local newsstand. Click HERE for a look at the other great features and stories available in the April 2007 issue)