M&P9 2.0 vs. PA LEO Handgun Course

For my 33rd video in this series, I'm taking on the Pennsylvania Law Enforcement handgun qualification course with my M&P9 2.0. Check out the video to see how it goes!

[@cleondubois1270]

Great production when one had to "adapt & overcome" & a great course from my home state.

[@hrfunk]

Thank you Cleon!

[@rider547]

The voice over worked great! One of the better qualification courses IMO. Great shooting as always! Two of the first three shots in the same hole at 25 yds!

[@hrfunk]

Thank you!

[@retiredsergeantroefaro4137]

Chief, well-done. Beginning in 2020 the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania (MPOETC) required a new mandatory Pistol qual course. Much of the old course is included but Phase Two requires a "Pitot Fire" stage (6rnds) and "Lateral Firing" (on the move) (6rnds). I believe yet another step in the right direction. Just FYI

[@retiredsergeantroefaro4137]

sorry, typo..."Pivot Fire"

[@hrfunk]

I was aware that the course had been revised, although I didn’t know what all had changed. I THINK the old course was still in use when I recorded the video. As you may know, the PA course was the one which, based upon my criteria, was the best qualification course in the country. I’m glad to know it’s gotten even better!

[@cigarsarge1]

My instructors incorporated a body armor drill the last few times I qualified. It’s good to see that. I did encounter body armor a couple times on people I arrested before I retired.

[@hrfunk]

For a while there was a sort of fad associated with criminal types wearing body armor. I don’t hear about that as often these days. Thanks for watching!

[@SteveShivik]

Hey HR, big shooter nowadays, but in my earlier career of teaching and performing music professionally, we often said its not the mistake you make, but the recovery that make a pro. I know you weren't thrillled about the audio but the fix you came up with wasn't jarring and helped out great. :)

[@hrfunk]

Thank you Steve!

[@llamawrangler8964]

As my Grandfather would say ... "Ya done a good job boy." Interesting course and the GRIT to overcome. That's what good editing is all about.

[@hrfunk]

Thank you!

[@williamjohnson5030]

As a Pennsylvania LE instructor, I’m used to this course and its complexities in running the line. You did a great job and I really enjoy seeing the other states/ agencies qual courses. I’m very proud that you rated ours best in the nation! Keep up the great work Chief!

[@hrfunk]

I really liked your course. Whoever designed it put a lot of thought into the stages.

[@TheGunfighter45acp]

Well done, Sir. Both on the range and in post editing. It must have been a hot one that day.

[@hrfunk]

Yep. Low 90’s with the sun beating down. I have no idea what the heat index might have been.

[@milehighed52801]

Great video! I love my M&P9 M2.0. It has really been quite a great pistol. It's accurate and reliable, just as you stated. I'm still not a fan of the hinged trigger, but I've come to adapt to it. Thanks for sharing and keep them coming.

[@hrfunk]

Will do. Thanks for watching!

[@thelegendaryyoutuber6481]

Awesome job shooting my friend liked and added to my playlist

[@hrfunk]

Thank you!

[@wwclay86]

Hated that your audio failed. But looked like good clean runs. Nice shooting.

[@hrfunk]

Thank you!

[@jeffhill1708]

Being in PA I think you made a great video, the heat has been brutal this summer

[@hrfunk]

Thanks Jeff!

[@keithreh9338]

PA resident here...great job with adapt & overcome; I have watched a few people practicing different components of this course & found the longer distance parts challenge shooters' accuracy; unknown to me before seeing this video I have been incorporating the strong hand only to weak hand only transition into my personal practice regime (including the change in stance) interesting info for ya...I work at a hospital in the surgery dept. & we get armed corrections officers from time to time within the dept; I get the pleasure of seeing S&W 64's from time to time from a nearby State Corrections Institute; I once got info on their issued ammo...the 'oldy but goody' 38 spl +p 158gr lead semiwadcutter hollowpoint; the segway...I now wonder how their qualification course differs from 2020 revised PA leo course (especially the 'tactical retained reload' which seems impossible with their issued HKS speed loaders...kinda difficult to retain a 'partially loaded' speed loader); another interesting point to ponder...is this a standardized statewide course for all state, county, and local LEO's (to include our locally elected State Constables)

[@jwc00789]

Good Shooting and it was nice to see the M&P9 2.0 out again! Stay safe!

[@hrfunk]

Thank you!

[@jamesdelong6401]

Another great video. Yes sir, the HEAT cant chew up equipment. I remember i left my cellphone in my car on the passenger side windows up, and the sun actually started to pull up the number dials off the phone. This was when i was rocking a flip phone

[@Snowman366]

No need to apologize about this one, Howard. You salvaged it very nicely.

[@hrfunk]

Thank you!

[@billwenzel3765]

I hate to do this to you but that's our old qualification. Pa started a new 50 round course in 2020.The new course has more movement and is now 50 rounds. I've been a firearms instructor over 20 years and 25 on the job. This year is the first change since I've been working. Same TQ-21 target. Here is a link to our new course mpoetc.psp.pa.gov/training/Pages/Firearms.aspx The new course with more lateral movement is very difficult with more than a few guys on the line at a time. Good job on interpreting and shooting our course.

[@hrfunk]

Thank you. I think I received the course I shot in the video in 2019. Was the new course mandatory for 2020, or was this a transitional year and the old course is still permissible?

[@billwenzel3765]

We were told the new course is all we are to use now. MPOETC is our governing body and the link is to their official sight and requirements.

[@hrfunk]

OK, thanks!

[@hrfunk]

@@billwenzel3765 For some reason, I can't get the link to open. I'll look into it further when time allows. Thanks again.

[@benjaminarmstrong7047]

Thank's for the hard work. The voice overs where a very satisfactory save.

[@hrfunk]

Thanks Benjamin!

[@lonnieporter8566]

There's a lot going on in this one! I can see recruit anticipation of random commands creating a considerable amount of stress, with possible missed time limits. Suggestion: have a trusted friend act as the instructor to call out these types of commands should they occur in future courses of fire. Just a thought. Also, no worries on the need for voice-over. You still get the information out in a very understandable manner. Clean and seamless? No, but I understand the desire for high quality. Adapt and overcome, man; adapt and overcome. Edit: my bad; I just remembered the "improvise" part of that slogan. SO ashamed! 😣😣😣

[@hrfunk]

Ha, ha! No problem. Thanks for watching Lonnie.

[@jerryjohnsonii4181]

Very interesting Course. Also love the S&W M&P 2.0 handgun too !!!!!!!!!!!

[@hrfunk]

Thanks Jerry!

[@apbiggins8mm]

Great vid as always

[@hrfunk]

Thanks Andrew!

[@dobermanpac1064]

I love my M&P’s from my 22 to my 45. All perform well and because all are almost identical it’s easy to shoot and clean.

[@johnree6106]

So besides the audio good video 👍

[@hrfunk]

Thank you!

[@guardianminifarm8005]

Good course. Kudos for improvising in various ways. Getting things done even when we encounter obstacles. My 2.0 40 is my primary carry.

[@hrfunk]

You have a good pistol there. I don't currently have a 2.0 in .40 S&W, but I've got a 9mm and a .45. They are both great shooters and I really like the new grip texture.

[@frankvandornis4373]

At this time, with the virus and all, people understand having to adapt to difficult situations. Adaptation well done, keep up the good work.

[@hrfunk]

Thanks Frank!

[@billnwa2250]

Fun video to watch. Thanks! Your holster looked like it was fighting you a bit. Nice shooting.

[@hrfunk]

It was at the beginning but it cooperated better as time went on (and I got used to drawling from it again).

[@logicaredux5205]

Great job HR! Cheers from Pennsylvania!

[@hrfunk]

Thanks Logic’s!

[@tomtruesdale6901]

Interesting course of fire, as you said it must have been first designed for a wheel gun. The challenge part is interesting and I would hate to try to run the range with 20 shooters at a time doing that. It was hard enough just to get there on time. ;-)

[@hrfunk]

Ha, ha! I know what you mean.

[@deniskozlowski9370]

You are correct. I shot this course for nearly 30 years and was generally the same course we shot with both revolvers and autos. They just modified it a bit for semi autos.

[@chillios2222]

We had a retired officer do our but for ACT235 it’s only 3 phases although with the training on recert we ran it twice , I believe it’s 5/15/25 moving back if I remember after completing each stage, you’re required to fire until empty drop mag on ground and reload as needed

[@F3ND1MUS]

Great job here, thanks

[@hrfunk]

Your welcome l. Thanks for watching.

[@skipboyer1889]

Very interesting! Great shooting as always.....That holster though..... How many points of retention does it have? 10? I know that is the one you use for you 40L for duty. The 40L is a "1.0" frame, correct? I wonder if that had any impact on your draw? Usually yours are butter smooth so I was kind of taken aback by today's draw. Great video as always too. It just goes to prove why we practice and why we need to. Even the most experienced shooter will have issues from time to time. We just need to work through them. That pistol is pretty accurate. You had no problem with those shots at 25 yards.

[@hrfunk]

I think any kind of “retention” holster will try to hold onto the pistol from time to time. I’m not the greatest fan of the Blackhawk Omnivore I’m using these days, but it’s one of the few that will accommodate my duty pistol with the micro-red dot optic. That M&P9 2.0 has always been quite accurate. Thanks for watching Skip!

[@neuvocastezero1838]

The verbal command stage was interesting. They should try combining it with Simon Says. "Simon says- "WALK!" "FIRE!" "SIMON DIDN'T SAY 'FIRE'!"

[@sonnygunz9207]

Good stuff. Thanks.

[@hrfunk]

You’re welcome Sonny. Thanks for watching!

[@nomikes4392]

I like the voice over. It gives the video that Japanese monster movie feel

[@hrfunk]

Ha, ha! Or the old Kung Fu Theater!

[@thecatcher51]

Very interesting thank you! We did the “walk and shoot” with weapons drawn in the academy fwiw!

[@hrfunk]

You’re welcome. Thanks for watching!

[@vantabercrombie8683]

Very interesting course of fire... especially phase two. Would have preferred that in phase 1 the shooter fire his or her weapon while walking instead of stopping. Another excellent video Howard, in spite of the glitches.

[@hrfunk]

Thanks Vant!

[@frankbutta9344]

A few municipal PD’s use my local range for training, and it’s not always pretty. 😳😳😳 Thanks for Sharing, Chief! 👍👍👍👍

[@hrfunk]

You’re welcome Frank. Thanks for watching!

[@romans6two338]

Great job HR on the course and overcoming the technician difficulties. What type of pistol do you carry now while on duty since the 2.0 is retired?

[@hrfunk]

I’m carrying an M&P40 C.O.R.E. with a Leupold Delta-Point Pro.

[@romans6two338]

@@hrfunk Nice. I shot my son's AR the other day with a Sig Romeo 7. I was shocked on how quick target acquisition and accurate I was with it. I want to make my P 07 red dot capable. I will look in your library to see if you have a video on the C.O.R.E. with dot. S&W are great, own a few. Terrific marksmanship by the way!

[@mikethomas5412]

Appears to be a simple course but I do like the verbal commands. Thanks.

[@hrfunk]

Thanks for watching Mike!

[@LUVDOGS1954]

Great job overcoming the audio challenge and turning this into a Chinese Gung Fu dubbed movie from the 1970s! 干得好先生

[@hrfunk]

Edward Godic Thank you!

[@LUVDOGS1954]

@@hrfunk 你做得好嗎

[@toddcoon6734]

Also - liked the phrase that your handloads were "warmish." :-) I'm guessing you mean these were slightly P+ but NOT P+, similar to the 124 grain NATO rounds. Those are good rounds with a nice pop to them. Would like to see another reloading video when you get an opportunity. I am a fan of Lee products and now have the Lee Classic Turret Press in addition to the Lee Classic Cast Single Stage press.

[@hrfunk]

When the weather starts to turn bad, I may well record another reloading video. Thanks for watching Todd!

[@BLACKRIFLEREVIEWS]

Still an outstanding job.

[@hrfunk]

Thanks Rick!

[@SierraBravo347]

Another great video, sir. You did a fine job of covering the "technical difficulties", and producing a useable product in the end. Kudos for that. This is a Very involved QC, and is pretty interesting to say the least. The M&P 2.0 is my newest handgun acquisition, and I LOVE IT. For me personally, the size/weight/shootability equation is Perfect. I prefer it over my Glocks, actually. Again, Great Job on the video! 👍🏻🇺🇸

[@hrfunk]

Thank you!

[@obsoletevalues6209]

Excellent job on your voice-over editing. It didn't detract from the video one bit for me.

[@hrfunk]

Thank you!

[@traviscochran6280]

An interesting Course. And I have to say that the M&P9 is a solid choice.

[@hrfunk]

Thanks Travis!

[@pauloventosa1486]

Hello ! Nice video.

[@hrfunk]

Thanks Paulo!

[@petermonck5448]

Love your work. 🇱🇷💪👍☕😎

[@hrfunk]

Thank you!

[@peteshour768]

As a Military Police Patrol Supervisor I had three potential deadly force situations during which over time the subjects ceased to pose any further threat and submitted to the apprehension. Unfortunately at the time the Military S.O.P was that if you pull your weapon in a justified deadly force situation you shoot. That is not always the case.

[@hrfunk]

What year was that Pete? When I was an MP in the mid 1980s, the standard had changed.

[@bjjones11111]

Great job! I did it and scored a 94. (I didn’t do the low light portion either ) I thought it was VERY challenging. I’m curious as to how it will stack up against the other states thanks HR.

[@hrfunk]

You’re welcome Brian. Thanks for watching!

[@18wheeler77]

I think I like it better this way. Explaining as you run the course. Maybe add some captions to it at the bottom, explaining how many shots in so many seconds. I believe it’ll be less work for you. Because if you stumble some words, you can just back up and re record audio. Good video btw.

[@18wheeler77]

Also. I noticed you have an omnivore holster. I had one and never liked it. I had a hard time drawing as you did sometimes. And I don’t like the fact that your gun needs a rail for it to work. I went with Safariland GLS holster. I draw way faster and more efficient.

[@hrfunk]

Thanks Rafael!

[@hrfunk]

I’m not a big fan of the Omnivore either but it’s one of the few holsters out there that will accommodate my duty pistol with the micro-red dot sight.

[@toddcoon6734]

Rafael, KZbin has a speech to text function - click on CC lower right on screen and it will be automatically captioned.

[@18wheeler77]

Todd Coon it’s not the same. You don’t get what I mean. I don’t mean caption everything. When you type a description of something you are showing on your video, it’s called a caption. Not the same caption as seeing the whole video word for word.

[@hoffmanxgunnar]

I used this to pick my new carry gun I was able to pas this qualification with my Glock 42 with a TLR 6 laser light and aftermarket night sights with 8 round mags with just enough grip for my pinky

[@hrfunk]

Good for you! I hope it serves you well.

[@mhlittleton6493]

Great job with both the course and the editing! That course definitely had some unique and challenging elements to it. Just out of curiosity, what did you have mounted on the rail of your M&P during the course? Was it a compact light of some sort?

[@hrfunk]

No, it's an insert that allows the pistol to lock into my holster (Blackhawk Omnivore).

[@dalekidd420]

I'm curious about your duty belt setup, Chief. What holster are you using? I actually thought you were running a lvl. 0 holster until you bobbled a couple of draws in the initial stages of Phase 2. And that baton placement looks like it would be damned uncomfortable sitting in a cruiser...

[@hrfunk]

The holster is a Blackhawk Omnivore. I’m not a huge fan of the thing but it works with my micro-optic equipped duty pistol. It IS a security holster, but as you noted I don’t always get a clean draw from it. The ASP actually works pretty well in that location. I try to keep everything to the front of my belt to ease the stress on my lower back. Even so, there are days when it lets me know it’s not happy!

[@dalekidd420]

@@hrfunk Hmmm. I've been very dissatisfied with Blackhawk lately... they will not ship to Canada. With the borders closed and me not having access to my mailbox in Detroit, that makes them thoroughly and completely useless to me. When I emailed them to ask "Why?", they didn't even bother to respond. And THAT is not how you treat customers... ANYwhere.

[@Sam-et3bv]

Nice.

[@hrfunk]

Thank you!

[@samhicks7568]

You said the M&P 2.9 had been your duty gun. What have you switched to? Just curious. Very good video even with the sound glitches.

[@hrfunk]

I’m currently carrying a 1.0 M&P 40L.

[@samhicks7568]

@@hrfunk Thanks for answering my question.

[@pauloventosa1486]

Could you please show your belt in the next video? I can see extra magazines, light, tactical stick, is it correct?

[@hrfunk]

Yep. That’s what’s on my belt.

[@chrism5086]

This video reminds me of those cheesy Godzilla movies I watched as a child 😆. J/k, good job with making a decent video despite the problems.

[@hrfunk]

Thanks Chris! If my videos are mentioned in the same sentence with Godzilla, I think I'm doing pretty well!

[@darbovision2672]

I'm thinking the tac reload has more to do with a matter of function/testing rather than making sense of how many rounds you start with. They could have had you start with 5 rounds in the gun as if you are down to that.

[@hrfunk]

I always think that sort of administrative loading is unwise. Since that’s the first stage of the course, shooters are essentially being conditioned to reload after firing 4 shots. I would rather see the course designed to require reloads at more appropriate junctures in the course. Considering it’s a 60 round course, that shouldn’t be too difficult.

[@talkingrock7011]

That’s a good one and well executed

[@hrfunk]

Thank you!

[@sakofree]

Just wandering what is the small thing attached to the rail on your handgun? Good job on the qualification course

[@hrfunk]

Thank you. It’s an adapter for the holster I carried it in.

[@landontruman3632]

"This isn't a walking and shooting stage, its a walk then shoot stage." That sounds like: "I'm not drinking and driving officer, I drank then I drove." Lol.

[@hrfunk]

I think I might have heard that one before.

[@chrischiampo7647]

Nice Shooting HrFunk 😀😮😮😀 I’m a Little Late To The Video Had to Work Again 🥺🙁

[@hrfunk]

That’s OK. Thanks for watching when you did Chris!

[@robertburns9590]

HR: Great job on this series. I'm really enjoying it and plan to do as many of the qualifiers as I can. One note on the PA segment. There is a new qualifier as of 2020. It is similar in concept to the one you used, but does have some differences. Here is the link: mpoetc.psp.pa.gov/training/Documents/Revised%20Training%20Documents/Firearms/2020%20Qualification%20Requirements%20and%20Handgun%20Course.pdf If you decide to re-shoot, I might have an extra target I can send. Bob

[@hrfunk]

Thanks Robert. Someone else sent me a message telling me the same thing. The only problem was that I could not open the link to the revised course. I just tried your link and it works. I'll look over the new course, but I don't know if I'm going to re-shoot it. The PA course was hard enough (from a video production standpoint) to record the first time! Thanks again.

[@hrfunk]

OK, I just finished looking over the new course. It doesn't look like the changes in the course will effect the overall score PA received on my evaluation. So, again, I don't think I'm going to re-shoot it. Also, there were aspects of the old course I liked better (i.e. the random addition of the "failure" or "challenge" commands. Now they are scripted into the course description and everyone knows when to expect them. I think that's a step backward.

[@briancullimore2893]

What ammo were you using? It sounded like you were shooting 147 grain subsonic.

[@hrfunk]

Warmish 124 grain handloads.

[@scottdebruin3167]

Good test. What is your current duty pistol?

[@hrfunk]

Currently I'm carrying a Performance Center M&P 40 CORE.

[@scottdebruin3167]

My governor doesn't think non LEO'S should have optic ready pistols because we're all crazy killers in waiting

[@hrfunk]

That figures..

[@scottdebruin3167]

What type of optic?

[@hrfunk]

Leupold DeltaPoint Pro.

[@bjs301]

It's sad comparing the Ohio course to those of other states. Do you think OPOTA will ever bring back a qualification course that provides a better test of skills?

[@hrfunk]

Truthfully, I doubt it. The current course was adopted for dubious reasons that still exist. If anything, I could see it getting even easier.

[@bjs301]

@@hrfunk And those dubious reasons infuriate me. It's not just the public that suffers, it's those who have to deal with DV's, drugs, and OVI's who have a false sense that they are qualified to deal with armed resisters and assailants. Anyway, I really appreciate your channel. Keep up the good work.

[@hrfunk]

bjs301 I couldn’t agree more. I’ve always hoped people from the OPOTC might see some of these videos and recognize how poor the Ohio courses compare to those from other states. So far, the Governor has not called.

[@Steve5404]

Great video, but the new COF is, well.....crap. It was better when they allowed the instructors to make their own COF, as long as it fell into the parameters required. They do allow instructors to submit their COF for approval though.

[@hrfunk]

I think that’s the best way to go about things too. Come up with criteria that has to be included in a qualification, then allow individual instructors to design a course around those criteria.

[@retiredsergeantroefaro4137]

PA here...this course of fire isn't bad but could be better. I know the guy (HACC) who came up w/ it and his reasoning (I guess "their" reasoning) for making it mandatory was that too many instructors were dumbing-down their annual quals and the Commonwealth wanted something at least alittle challenging. As with anything touched by human hands, there's always room for improvement BUT I do think it was a step in the right direction.

[@feliperodriguez2716]

GO SPACE FORCE!!

[@BradfordKMassey]

Really enjoyed this video as I do all of your videos even with the technical difficulties. Not sure what type camera you use but if it’s a GoPro consider using a white aluminum housing to stop the heat buildup. See this video for details. 👍🏻 kzbin.info/www/bejne/hoWVdKpmoKmio6c

[@hrfunk]

Thanks Brad!

[@jlen82]

In Pennsylvania you never have a full magazine in you firearm. The instructor tells you how many rounds to load up with for each phase. The magazine in your firearm will have X amount of rounds then in your mag pouch your other mag will have X amount of rounds. Also a shot on the line counts for 5 points.

[@hrfunk]

Thanks for the clarification!

[@jlen82]

@@hrfunk Thank you for the video btw I enjoy all of your work.

[@retiredsergeantroefaro4137]

True Jen (ref. X number of loaded rounds) & that's a part I'm not fond of. I'd much rather see officers walk up to the line loaded for duty & reloads/Tac-Loads figured in appropriately w/in course of fire (as shot count at any particular time is known).

[@hrfunk]

The problem you always encounter with that is when officers are issued different pistols with differing magazine capacities. It works reasonably well if everyone carries the same pistol and magazines, but many times there are different handguns in use even if officers are all in the same department.