Smith & Wesson added an external safety option for the .45 version. It is similar in design and location to that of a traditional 1911. S&W plans to eventually offer a refit kit enabling the safety to be added and/or removed from all M&P models. Having been a 1911 shooter for many years, I found the external safety to be well-placed and easily manipulated. Unlike a 1911, the M&P safety does not lock the slide.

As for colors, two choices are available: an all-black model with the external safety as an option and a model with a Dark Earth Brown frame available only with the safety. Both models feature a black melonite-finished stainless steel slide and barrel. Tritium night sights are also an option. Magazines currently shipping with the .45 have a capacity of 10 rounds.

At the same show I got to meet Jim Ruiz from Predator Custom Shop (predatorcustomshop.com, 865-330-2423). Jim got his start as armorer for the Knoxville Tennessee police department where he was a firearm instructor and patrolman for seven years. His experience includes four years active duty in the military, during which time he served in Desert Storm, and six years in the reserves after that.

After I handled his work and examining the proof targets, we discussed his shop's capabilities at length and agreed to work on a couple of projects together--one of which is the custom M&P featured in this article.

My priority was to reduce the M&P45's grip. Jim did so by removing the interchangeable grip panel, replacing it with epoxy and forming it by hand into a comfortable and ergonomic shape. To offer a higher grip on the gun, Jim undercut the trigger guard a bit to allow a higher grip, enhancing recoil control.

Epoxy was added to the frontstrap and along the underside of the reshaped trigger guard to provide a surface for texturing. About halfway through the curing process, Jim hand-stamped the epoxy all along the underside the trigger guard, on the front strap and on the newly formed backstrap to increase purchase on the grip.

Besides the grip modification, I asked Jim to remove a portion of the beavertail. I like a robust beavertail but found that the M&P45's design extended a bit too far for me.

With the frame reshaped and textured, the frame and slide--along with the exterior controls--were painted with Predator Custom's Rhino coating, which is a Ceracoat paint that is low-temperature baked, allowing it to be used on optics and polymer frames. All it takes is about two hours in an oven at 125 degrees to cure. For color, we decided on Flat Dark Earth, with a few parts left black for effect.