I read you guys post daily and hear alot of praise for this pistol. Ive never seen one in a duty holster anywhere ive ever been Oregon/Calif/Wash/Nev.
Is this possibly a East coast/West coast thing.
What am I missing. What does this pistol do that is to your liking. Ive owned 39’s 59’s 645’s etc etc.
Educate me.
D Williams
I own 3: a 9L, a full size 9 and a compact model 9c and I couldn’t be happier. Two years ago I was getting into IDPA and I was shooting either a Glock 23 or a Ruger SR9 and I decided that I should get rid of the .40 and focus on the 9mm platform to streamline my gear plus keep costs down (I shoot around 8 - 9K rounds per year).
I wasn’t sure what I wanted to go with so I went to my local range and rented an M&P, a Glock and a Springfield XD and spend the better part of 2+ hours putting as many rounds through each as I could.
When it was all said and done I can honestly say that all three were great pistols and they were all well made, etc. However, I felt that the M&P had better ergonomics, offered less felt recoil, and was 100% reliable (to this day I have never had a FTF that was the result of the gun… I’ve had a couple of my reloads that were screwed up but that’s it), was easy to fieldstrip and clean and was attractively priced.
The interchangeable backstraps allow me to easily fit the gun to my hand, I love the design / execution of the cocking serrations on the slide (I know, it’s a minor point but I love the little details on the guns), the overall weight and balance are spot on and the gun just flat out works.
I can run the same mags in all three guns, I can use either the full size 9 or the 9c as a backup in an IDPA match should my 9L break down and I can fit all three in my comp. holster.
Is the M&P platform “better” than the Glock / XD / Sig / Berretta platform??? I honestly can’t say that it is or not but I feel that it is a better platform for me.
Hope this helps.
For me, I fell in love with the M&P the first time I shot one. I always used Glocks in the past and loved them because of their simplicity and reputation for reliability. What I always tell people is that, “I can make a Glock fit my hand, but a Glock doesn’t fit my hand.” I know this doesn’t make much sense, but for me, I have large paws (hands!) and a Glock would never fit comfortably. The first time I picked up a M&P, it just felt, right! With the backstraps it allows the user to have more of a custom fit/feel. I own 4 M&Ps - A 9mm Full Size and Compact, and a 40 S&W Full Size and Compact.
I know Glock has a new generation of pistols that feature adjustable/interchangeable backstraps and I have yet to try one out. Hope this helps and good luck!
More of a logistics/budget thing, more likely.
What am I missing. What does this pistol do that is to your liking. Ive owned 39’s 59’s 645’s etc etc.
I’ve been using the M&P as my primary platform for a few years now.
The good:
one of the most ergonomically well-designed handguns on the market. Everything is extremely easy to use on the M&P. The controls are very ambi friendly and the grip inserts really do make a difference in how the gun fits you and runs.
usually demonstrate a pretty good level of mechanical accuracy, usually above average for a handgun.
handles recoil very well. This could be filed under ergonomics, but the recoil of an M&P 9 shooting +P ammo is noticeably different than on say a G17. Less muzzle flip, less overall movement. Now it’s not a barn burning difference, but it’s enough to be noticeable.
has the best option for laser integration on the market.
relatively inexpensive to purchase and support.
The bad:
Not as idiot proof either on the production side or the end user side as a Glock 17. This means that there’s more potential for problems out of the box than for a Glock 17.
Not as easy to work on as a Glock 17. A mildly retarded chimp could take a Glock apart, change a part, and then put it back together. The M&P isn’t that idiot proof.
Spare parts are not as plentiful as for a Glock yet.
Replacing sights on one can be a bitch on stilts.
The M&P is still a relatively new pistol and some teething issues still pop up every now and then. These issues usually range from the mildly annoying to the insufferable, but generally are on the mildly annoying side. The G17, a mature design that’s been around for almost 25 years, doesn’t have the same concerns. For some people that’s a huge deal…for others, not so much.
Personally I think they are decent guns, which is why I own 5 of them.
I had an opportunity to put 2K rounds through the first 3 9mm M&P’s to leave the factory. They were sent to my agency as T&E guns. We went with the M&P, after an extended process of T&E. Currently our 4th year issuing them (around 1,150 in the field).
I am a huge fan of the Glock 9mm’s. But I like the M&P’s a bit better.
With the M&P, you can change the grips to suit the individual.
After a few K rounds downrange, the triggers of the M&P smooth up nicely.
The M&P tends to be a bit more accurate than the Glock (9mm). Though not enough for it to be an issue. Both are accurate enough for their intended usage, and more accurate than the average user can take advantage of.
The M&P is a “Softer shooting” gun than a similar sized and same caliber Glock. Though the new Gen 4 Glocks may change this.
S&W customer support is outstanding, both for the private citizen, and for LE Departments.
With this said, The Glock is easier to work on.
I own a M&P9c, in addition to my issued M&P9. I also own Glock models 26, 19, and 17.
Don’t know if I will be buying any more Glocks, but I have no plan on selling mine off either.
I feel that what S&W did was to finally come out with a serious competitor to the Glock 9mm. They both are excellent guns and are similar in about all aspects.
If I were looking at any caliber than 9mm, then it gets easier for me. M&P…
Could you elaborate on this please? What potential problems out of the box?
Again, could you explain? What teething issues still pop up?
Thanks.
There have been guns that come out of the box with feed/extraction issues, finish issues, etc. Generally a trip back to S&W fixes them. An example of the teething issues would be the striker…there have been multiple generations of striker in the M&P. Changes were made as Smith & Wesson encountered problems in the field. The early strikers did not handle dryfire very well. The current generation strikers are supposed to stand up to an ungodly large number of dryfire cycles. Etc.
Very controllable recoil, compared to other handguns in the same caliber. IMHO, the best ergonomics. The Glocks are great weapons. I had a G23, 1st gen, that I shot very well, but the grip sucked for me, beat my hand up after prolong shooting and never felt comfortable or natural in my hand like the M&P line. I got rid of all my other pistols over the years for the M&P full size 45, 40, 9 and 9c. With the installation of the Apex sears, Warrens or Heine sights, they are truly fine shooting weapons.
I’ve been heavy into Glock 9mms for some years and currently have 5. A G19 is my near constant CCW choice. But I now have an M&P Pro 9 and as a pure shooting tool it is surpassing my 17s I’ve shot many more thousands of rounds through. And not only shooting but all manipulations - primarily reloads at speed during drills and matches. The extremely sweet trigger of the Pro 9 makes the comparo a little apples to oranges and I may or may not add a FS M&P to the battery.
I have to tip my Team Glock hat to the ergos of the M&P. Nothing to challenge the CCW role of the G19s yet. But the ergonomic combo of the M&P design which I had long dismissed has won me over.
I happen to be also wringing out a new Gen 4 G17 and it and the Pro 9 are really competing for supremacy in my hands. 1645 trouble free rounds through the Pro 9 so far and 1400 through the Gen 4 G17. Each is extremely appealing to me for different strengths.
Pro 9 - awesome trigger and ergos - shooting and reloading. Best shooting performance on paper and steel from any plastic striker gun I’ve shot (vs G17s, G34 and G17L).
G4 G17 - much more secure grip surface, “points” better for me, flatter handling in recoil and the fast, short and strong reset. Heavier trigger but smooth. Hasn’t hurt A zone hits for me in drills (“hammer”/double splits faster but not as precise) but takes more concentration on steel plates and speed with hits on plates is far behind the Pro9 in my hands. Better “street” trigger IMO.
As Larry Vickers suggested in the Gen 4 thread, the G4 G17 will hang up reliably from deliberate limp hold firing (like the youtube vids) and the Pro 9 will reliably cycle fired similiarly.
[shrug]
I went to every gun store in Klamath Falls Oregon today to look at an M&P pistol. Nowbody had one. In speaking with the sales folks they can order them but don’t stock them.
Two shops told me that they have never sold an M&P. I did see several of the XD’s which at first glance I thought was the M&P.
I need to find someone local who has one to shoot so I can understand what it is you guys like so much.
D Williams
I think they said it survived 75k dryfires or something like that? Good stuff.
Thats bizarre.
Do a google search for a local IDPA club… I’m betting more than couple members shoot the M&P.
I have been shooting and carrying Glocks off and on for the past 10 years and I teach a lot of new shooters basic pistol. I have about 8 Glocks that I currently use and shoot and rent during my classes along with 1 XD 9mm. I was getting asked more and more by new shooters about the M&P line so I went out to buy one of the 9mm just to have in my collection and as a rental. I have been so impressed by the gun that my Glocks stay in the safe and my M&P 9 or .40 are my primary shooter now. I even tend to shoot and carry them more than my STI Tactical which is my all time favorite shooter. I have to say S&W hit a homerun with the M&P and after about 5k rounds in the last 3 months I haven’t had on hiccup. Plus with the Apex drop in parts and the stryker disconnect for disassembly they are hard to beat and very good to instruct new shooter with too.
Larry Vickers has called it the “product improved Glock” and I think that assessment is dead on. It addresses many specific failings of the Glock pistols that Glock has been reluctant or unwilling to improve upon.
This is the key, I think, when people bring up the shortcomings of the M&P right now. S&W is obviously addressing them as they come up, but people forget Glocks had fleas (again, using a Larry-ism) as they came up in the market.
Thus, I think it’s wise to look at the M&P as a platform that is capable of being everything the Glock is, but in a better package. It may not be there just yet, but it has the potential. And that potential is further realized with each design improvement (better strikers, better sears and so on).
Personally, I think they’re a great gun. S&W did it right from square one by building the pistol as a .40 then porting it over to the other calibers. The adjustable width and length of the backstrap is a tremendous idea eclipsed only by the HK style where all of the panels are interchangeable. The .45 is amazing from an accuracy standpoint. I haven’t shot one that isn’t a friggin laser. The stock sights aren’t junk. It’s impossible to get Glock bite. You can get a manual safety (from the factory, not an aftermarket add-on) if you want. No plastic guide rod.
Off the top of my head, I can only think of a few things I wish they did a little better from the factory:
The other quibbles I’ve had with the gun (better strikers, better followers and mag springs) have already been addressed.
All good points. I will add that the M&P is an American made pistol with some of the best CS in the firearms industry .
C4
I’m thinking of getting a M&P, but can’t make up my mind on wether to go with .40 or .45. Part of my concern is that most .40’s are built on 9mm platforms and tend to suffer reliability issues and premature wear on the frame along with stiff recoil. Has the M&P over come this or should I go with the .45.
The M&P was originally built as a 40 cal.
It is no secret that when S&W designed the M&P, they looked at the Glock and attempted to “fix” it’s issues.
For me personally, a must have on a defensive pistol is a laser. The CT system for the M&P is second to none. This, coupled with the fact the M&P is very ergonomic, fast to shoot and made by an American company sold me on it.
C4
S&W learned this lesson from Glock and built their pistols around the .40.
C4