The M&P pistol series has been a wildly popular endeavor for Smith & Wesson and the M&P 45 Compact perfectly exemplifies why Americans love the pistols.

To be clear, the M&P 45 Compact is not a pocket gun nor it is even as small the popular M&P Shields in 9mm and 40. But it is smaller than the full sized M&P 45 and easy to conceal with an inside a waistband holster, like the CrossBreed SuperTuck.

The 45 Compact weighs 27.5 ounces and holds 8 rounds in the magazine and one in the chamber, for a total of nine rounds.

We shot American Eagle FMJ, Winchester FMJ, Blazer FMJ, Federal FMJ, Hornady Critical Defense FTX, and Federal Premium Hydra-Shok through it. On one range trip with law enforcement we put a few boxes of Freedom Munitions ProMatch Hollow Point ammunition through it as well.

The gun never hiccuped, there were no feeding problems, and the accuracy consistently on the mark.

In fact, it should be noted that this gun is extremely accurate. Extremely. And the trigger is remarkable. The law enforcement personnel kept asking if we put an aftermarket trigger in the gun and we said, ‘Nope, that’s factory.’

The M&P 45 Compact is available with or without a thumb safety. The one we shot had such a safety, which is an important feature to many gun owners. The pistol also has as Picatinny-style rail, so mounting flashlight and/or lasers is breeze. (And numerous accessories are available for the gun because of the popularity of the M&P Series.)

The exceptional quality of Smith & Wesson revolvers has been evident to the world for decades. I remember shooting a Model 60 with my father in the late 70s or early 80s. He loved that gun and the other Smith & Wesson revolvers he owned. The M&P 45 Compact draws out that same kind of respect; that same kind of admiration for the quality of the gun. It is just that this time around we talking about a semiautomatic firearm instead of a revolver.

The MSRP on the M&P 45 Compact is $619.00.

AWR Hawkins is an award-winning Second Amendment columnist for Breitbart News, the host of the Breitbart podcast Bullets with AWR Hawkins, and the writer/curator of Down Range with AWR Hawkins, a weekly newsletter focused on all things Second Amendment, also for Breitbart News. He is the political analyst for Armed American Radio. Follow him on Twitter: @AWRHawkins. Reach him directly at awrhawkins@breitbart.com. Sign up to get Down Range at breitbart.com/downrange.