The next step up the price ladder included products from American companies and are among the best sellers on the market. The pistols in this segment were the Smith & Wesson M&P 9 2.0 Pro Series C.O.R.E. (Competition Optics Ready) and the Springfield Armory Elite XD-M 5.25 Precision, and despite their slightly higher MSRPs, both pistols offered excellent value in their own right.
The M&P 9 2.0 Pro Series C.O.R.E. is a step above a standard M&P pistol with its PC-tuned action, larger slide stop, suppressor-height sights and its overtravel stop. Packing 15+1 rounds, the M&P 9 C.O.R.E.’s best features include superb texturing, four interchangeable grip inserts, a reversible mag release and an extended, rigid steel chassis to reduce torque and flex. In keeping with its C.O.R.E. name, the pistol also includes an optics-ready slide for the installation of popular red-dot sights on the market.
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