Considering a caliber change, maybe even a platform change (from M&P Pro9)

General Firearms Handguns - Semi Auto
1

So I currently have a Smith & Wesson M&P Pro 5" 9mm as my go to, do all pistol. However, recently I’ve been considering a caliber change to .40 or .45, and possibly even a platform change (I will address reasons why below). I’d love to hear your suggestions and opinions.

First, let me start with what I like about the M&P Pro 5" 9mm:

-Extremely ergonomic, fits my hand like a glove, great point-ability.
-Extremely accurate
-Great trigger (the best of the plastic fantastic that I’ve felt)
-Great sights and sight radius
-High reliability
-High quality
-Cheap(er) ammunition

Cons for M&P Pro 5" 9mm:

-Relatively expensive magazines

-Poor after market support on holsters. I can’t seem to find an off the rack holster that covers the entire slide (doesn’t leave muzzle protruding), or one that is ready for a weapon light

-Hypothetically not as much power as alternative calibers

-Difficult to detail strip, extractor pin is installed with 67 trillion ton press, and you have to remove the rear sight to remove and clean the firing pin safety plunger (I would love to meet the person that came up with this)

Ok, so my reasons for considering a caliber change:

-Again, this is my do all pistol: self defense, IDPA and other matches, side arm while hog hunting.

-Self defense: I really don’t want to start a pissing match, I just don’t think .40 or .45 is going to limit defensive capability

-Matches: There have been times with the 9mm that I’ve made solid hits on steel, and had to follow up to knock it over

-Hogs: If for some reason my primary goes down, or I want to dispatch an immobilized hog, it’d be nice to have a little extra power. Likewise, most of our hunting is at night, I’d like to have a holster that has a weapon light capability

I briefly thought about going to a Glock, as their after market support is huge, they’re easy to detail strip, and available in alternative calibers. The downside for me is, not as ergonomic, and recent late Gen 3&4 issue’s make me nervous.

I’m also considering going to the standard 4.25" M&P line as they seem to have more after market support with holsters etc., maybe there’s something else entirely you think I should consider. Perhaps you also think I should quit bitching, either way let me know!

SOOO sorry for the long post, please let me know what you think!

2

[i]“First, let me start with what I like about the M&P Pro 5” 9mm:

-Extremely ergonomic, fits my hand like a glove, great point-ability.
-Extremely accurate
-Great trigger (the best of the plastic fantastic that I’ve felt)
-Great sights and sight radius
-High reliability
-High quality
-Cheap(er) ammunition"[/i]

Sounds like the perfect pistol nirvana; why on earth would you want to go away from all those positive features???

[i]"-Relatively expensive magazines

-Poor after market support on holsters. I can’t seem to find an off the rack holster that covers the entire slide (doesn’t leave muzzle protruding), or one that is ready for a weapon light

-Hypothetically not as much power as alternative calibers

-Difficult to detail strip, extractor pin is installed with 67 trillion ton press, and you have to remove the rear sight to remove and clean the firing pin safety plunger (I would love to meet the person that came up with this)"[/i]

How many magazines do you need? I got 12 for my M&P45 and found that was more than adequate–even found a good sale price for them.

Get a custom holster–no big deal.

I am an M&P armorer and find them not much harder to work on than Glocks–certainly far easier than Beretta, HK, Sig, etc…

If you have to move them, the sights are easy enough to move and simple to put back in place if you use a good witness mark. Of course, how often do you need to do that? I can’t say I clean the firing pin safety plunger too often–maybe every 20,000 rounds or so. The new pistols use a much easier extractor pin–you can send it back to S&W and they can replace your current pressed in pin with a roll-pin or send it to Apex for one of their outstanding extractors–of course, how often do you actually need to replace the extractor? I have yet to change one on an M&P.

It sounds like you should consider a M&P9fs or M&P9c to augment your current pistol.

3

If you are dead-set to change from a 9mm to something with a little more umph, I would go with a .40 cal. If you go with the .45, you are going to have considerable sacrifice in the mag capacity with only maginally more power than the .40 (50 fps or so with identical bullet weights).

Realistically, the .40 is not a huge leap from 9mm+P or +P+ loads, and 9mm is damn cheap compared to .40. But, if you are set on an upgrade, I wouldn’t consider anything other than a .40. You could get a 10mm, but the ammo prices are unbelievable, same with .357 sig. Always remember this, no defensive handgun cartridge is a “man stopper.” You are going to have to have quick follow-up capabilities for any defensive handgun round.

As far as a platform change, I would consider a Glock, lots of holster options, even with lights.

4

I currently only have the two that came with it from the factory, $40 x 10 = $400, getting close to the cost of another gun (of course I find most magazines to be overpriced to begin with).

Point taken, who do you recommend?

Good idea, I honestly didn’t think of that. I admit I have no experience installing or removing pistol sights, what tools will I need (I wonder how much more this will set me back…)

I’m a clean freak, I’m sorry. I’ve been trying to become dirtier, but one could have worse habits I suppose…

I don’t want to replace it, I JUST WANT TO CLEAN!! IT’S SO DIRTY IN THERE!!

5

I think this is an excellent point. In the event that I did make a caliber change, I was leaning towards .40 to begin with, simply because of capacity.

Is it completely safe to cycle these through my current platform? If so at what frequency, and how should I change my maintenance, if at all?

6

The road to contentment is filled with blood, tears, and lost fortunes.

7

Unless you stay in 9mm, the cost difference in .40 or .45 cal practice ammo will add up quick. IMHO, it’s much cheaper to buy a few more mags, even if you do it one or two at a time. Much less painful that way!

8

I recommend a Raven.

I carry a P30 9mm with a TLR-2s daily with it. You can wear it IWB or OWB pending attachment options you get.

Be prepared to wait if you order it… Mine was a 6 month wait.

Good thing is they update the order list weekly on this site so you can track it.

If you go Glock 40, you might be able to get away with a 9mm barrel/mag and shoot your current stock of 9mm through it. I have been told the extractor will still eject the 9mm casings when doing this, but I would research it more.

9

Mags:

44mag.com
Botach(I know)
www.gregcotellc.com
GRTactical

Can be had for 25 or so…

Holsters:
Raven, NTAC and various other will build what you want/need but prepared to wait.

Site tool:
Brownells
Midway
Speed Shooters Specialities(sic)
About 120 or so.

Clean it you say, lube it and keep shooting…

+P’s are fine, +P+ I’d limit.

No need to upgrade, but if you want to give it away, I’ll send my FFL info(J/K)…

10

The only suggestion I have is to change the caliber.

People will argue endlessly about how gelatin tests prove 9mm is just as or nearly as effective as .45. But the cold hard truth is that a .45 will always make a bigger hole.

I too have shot steel with a 9mm and been disappointed when the steel would not fall. I changed caliber and never had the problem again.

11

I don’t think there is one pistol that can “do all”. Personally, I like a hi cap 9mm for competition, like your M&P pro. I have a M&P 9, 4.25. The recoil is easy to manage for follow up shots. If the steel doesn’t fall, try for better hits. :eek:

For carry, something smaller like the M&P 9c or G19 is more easily concealed - less weight, smaller patterning. I just purchased the Glock 19 - feels like cheating. What’s more, the 9mm recoil will/should be easier to manage vs a .40 or .45.

For home defense, I go to my .45 (or my shotty). Personally, a good 1911 should be in every gun owners home. ;). They can now be had with integrated rail for light placement.

For things like hog hunting, go big! Get a revolver in 44mag or 357. You shouldn’t need that many rounds.

If I were in your shoes, I’d look for a .45 next. It will fill more needs.

Just my thoughts, FWIW.

12

I’m a big fan of the .40 and .45 for CCW. Of course, practice ammo is more expensive, but I’ve made the decision to work around that and I do. To me it’s worth having the larger caliber. To paraphrase Leonidas above, you hope a 9mm will expand to become effective. If a .45 doesn’t expand, it’s still almost half an inch wide! That’s a serious, proven round. No bullet is perfect, but to protect MY wife and daughters, I carry a .40 minimum. The capacity is almost as good as a 9mm and carrying a hi-cap reload solves the problem anyway. Ammo cost more, but i just have to suck it up. I don’t golf, go to strip clubs or snort coke, so there’s a few dollars of play money laying around for training ammo.

YOU gotta make the decision. Start with a firm choice on caliber first, then figure out what platform you’re going to carry it in.

13

Get a M&P9 FS with night sites and BAM you have two more mags as well!..kill two birds with one stone :stuck_out_tongue: I think its a good idea to have a couple of the same kind of pistol anyway (especially if you like it so much). I just picked up my second FS with night sites from Grant for a pretty decent price. Use the Pro for your competitions, and the FS for carry as well as hunting (I personally have no problem concealing a FS even here in TX where I’m usually wearing light T-shirts). Also, they should be consistent enough between the two that shooting the FS won’t hurt your competition training and vice versa.

14

Well, gee. If that’s all it came down to what the heck do we need DocGKR to explain ballistics and real life shootings to us. You had the answer all along. So a .45 is bigger than 9mm and it knocks down those pesky little steel plates better. Got it. :ph34r:

15

Another vote for the M&P9 full size and 9c. Another benefit is the 9c can use the full size mags.

16

I went with a used G32. I had fallen in love with the performance of .357 Sig, and there is a ton of aftermarket support for Glock. Mags are inexpensive, and I can change out the follower and have 24 round factory mags. Ammo cost is high compared to 9mm, but since I reload training ammo and have 1k pieces of brass, and can use the same bullet in the .357sig that I do for the 9mm it isn’t an issue. One thing to consider though its that the .357 is picky about ogives, insufficient straight length and you have setback issues. As for defensive ammo, well all defensive ammo of good quality is pricey.

17

Why not keep the 9mm for training and get a .40 or .45 M&P for carry if you want bigger bullets?

Same platform, training on one translates right to the other guns.

18

You need to practice with your carry caliber.

19

I wouldn’t spend $40/mag either, that’s why I buy mine at $25 apiece from www.gandrtactical.com. Grant runs a good business and just happens to be a site sponsor, so why not do business with him?

20

I would suspect that in a few years most of your reasons for selling it will no longer be a problem. The M&P series is really taking off fast, and I think it is/will become extremely popular.

1: The magazines may get cheaper as supply increases and demand decreases.

2: More holsters will be released eventually as more M&P’s are sold.

As for the caliber:
3: Just get some reputable, high quality, flash suppressed hollow-points. The .40 has some advantages, but I would recommend that you do your own research outside of forums before abandoning the 9mm for something larger.