I am currently trying to decide between these two pistols for the purpose of home defense and road traveling in the car. I have shot both, and I really like both and they both fit my hand well.
What I can’t compare very well is reliability due to limited use of each pistol. I will be using +P HP’s in which ever I choose. I have heard a lot of Beretta bashing from Military sources, but I’m not sure if it is warranted. From what I understand, issued service M9’s tend to be a bit worn out, and they have a problem with using non-factory mags which could be a big cause for issues that soldiers are having with the pistol. I won’t be using a weapon light so rails are really not an issue.
I just want to know how these two stack up in terms of ultimate reliability and ammo compatibility.
I own both a 92FS and a M&P40. I think the M&P is the better fighting weapon. One trigger pull, don’t have to decock it to reholster, better ergonomics for me. If you like the TDA on the Beretta it is a fine weapon. I still like to shoot my Beretta, but for self defense I’ll take my M&P any day all day.
I’ve only got a couple thousand rounds thru the M&P and it has had no malfunctions of any kind. My Beretta has over 10K rounds downrange without any problems either. I’d go with the M&P plus you also get $50 bucks back and two extra mags free from S&W.
I shot the Beretta 92 in the Marines and while it was accurate and 100% reliable for me, I did not like it for other reasons.
#1 It is big. Too big for a 9mm IMHO #2 Slide mounted safeties suck. I saw numerous occasions where Marines (and myself) inadvertantly activated the safety while racking the slide in immediate action drills. #3 Safeties on double action pistols make zero sense
I shot the SW M&P at some instructors courses and was left with a burning question. Why would you trust your life to a pistol that is in almost all regards identical to a Glock but without the decades long proven track record of the Glock? I would let someone else “beta-test” the M&P for a few years first.
Get a Glock 19. Great shooter, super reliable, and compact. IMHO it is the all around perfect 9mm.
Too be honest I am not a fan of the Beretta. I was in the military and I hated the M9, and yes the magazines have been a large part of the problem, but not the only problem, just part. Having said that, it is not a bad gun, I pearsonally think that it is overpriced for what you are getting but overall it is not bad persay. The M&P however is a far better weapon and worth the money especially if you are going to hang your life on it.
If you can find a 92G (as opposed to 92FS), I think it is a fantastic weapon. Extremely reliable and more than durable enough for any normal person. Spare parts and accessories are plentiful, as are trained armorers. The “G” configuration eliminates the on-safe position so you won’t have to worry about accidentally activating the safety. If you’re just starting out, it can be tricky to find an instructor who really understands the nuances of a TDA pistol.
Saying the M&P is “in almost all regards identical to a Glock but without the decades long proven track record of the Glock” is pretty silly, imho. First, Glock’s “decades long record” is full of various problems … suggesting that the Glock has been a flawless gun in the past (or even today) is just a sign of too much kool-aid in one’s diet. Second, the M&P is like the Glock in that it is a striker fired pistol (Glock wasn’t the first) and it’s polymer (Glock wasn’t the first). The ergonomics are worlds apart. The steel subassembly of the M&P addresses a known weak point of the Glock (one which has plagued them over time). You don’t have to pull the trigger to disassemble the gun. And quite a few people seem to think they shoot it better …
I’ve got nothing against the G19 and as I’ve said before, I’d probably be carrying one if I didn’t shoot the M&P. But they’re not the same gun.
I like glocks as well. I currently own a 19 & a 17. The OP asked the question between the Beretta and the M&P. Between the Glock and the M&P I still choose the M&P. The M&P fits my hand better and I shoot it better as well. The glock does have a better reset on the trigger. The M&P 40 feels like it recoils less then a glock 22 to me. I feel that I have better overall control with the M&P.
Long term we’ll see how the M&P lasts. I’ve always had great customer service from S&W. I’ve got a couple of 3rd gen S&W auto’s with over 15K rounds thru them. I guess I’m in the minority when it comes to the 3rd gen smiths, but I think they were a fantastic pistol for their time. I bought my first one when they came out in the 80’s, and I still own it. The Smegma not so much. Never owned one, but I did shoot a couple and didn’t like them.
Our Department has had about 1,100 of the 9mm M&P’s in the field for about 1.5 years now. I personally know of two T&E guns that were bought after the decision to transition over that have over 35K through each gun with out issues.
My issued M&P 9mm is around the 7K mark. It would be higher, but I was out for the last 10 months dealing with cancer. Back to work now, and waiting for the weather to break a bit to get back to the range.
I was a big Glock 9mm fan. Still like the Glock 9mm’s, won’t sell the ones I own, but Iwon’t be buying any more.
The M9 is ok, I have owned one since 1990, but it has many design issues, such as size, safety, two different trigger pulls that would make me not chose it over the M&P.
I would go with the M&P. Right now, the promotion of $50 plus two additional magazines makes the M&P even more attractive.
I spent many years in the Marine Corps but was never stuck with a Beretta. Always issued 1911’s. I was in in before the Beretta, during the introduction of the Beretta (which the Marine Corps fought), and after. Never cared for the pistol and think it has no business being issued to the military for all the reason you mentioned plus DA/SA trigger. As to the M&P and Glock I agree the Glock is proven but the M&P has been out for several years now and is quite a pistol. I have it in .45, .40 and 9 and am very comfortable with it. I prefer the M&P full size 9 for carry over the Glock 19 because of my apelike paws. The full size M&P’s are quite compact for their round count. I’ll never get rid of my Glock 17 or 21 SF but I will be buying more M&P’s. I pretty much thought no more new Glocks for me but probably won’t be able to resist a Glock 30SF for carry. Also S&W customer service is way ahead of Beretta (boy is THAT an understatement!) and Smith has a $50 rebate and two free mags on the M&P until 30 April.
The B92 series is too darned big for many shooters hands. That said, they are accurate and reliable, in my experience. I do not have as much experience with the Smith M&P, but I would choose it over the Beretta. It fits my hand, is boringly reliable, has decent sights, a trigger that sucks a little, and is much easier to conceal than the Beretta.
I see no reason to buy a pistol without a light rail, anymore. The advantages are too many to discount, especially for a pistol that might be carried for self-defense or as a truck gun.
Pistol features, controls and fit are very much personal I feel and another man can’t really tell you what’s right for you regardless whether they think they can.
I don’t own an M&P 9mm, but I have rented one at the range to see if I liked it or not to buy one.
That answer was no for me, but that comes down to alot of what I prefer and don’t. I did find it to be a quality pistol and would see it as a fine choice for someone who likes it.
I actually prefer a safetied pistol in DA/SA as it’s just safer to carry with one in the chamber for me in more places like a pack for instance where it could always get shuffled around with other things if not packed separate and I prefer to have the option than not.
Safetied pistols like the M9 are a much better gun for my family to know to use and train on also.
For where the safety is I’m fine and personally train to switch it off on my draw and do it continually and consistently. It’s no a problem at all, but it is personal preference to whether someone likes or not.
I’ve always found the Beretta’s to be top tier pistols and that’s why I own two of them, a 92FS and a M9.
There very accurate, well made and have a chromelined barrel. I even sold off my P226 for one of them as there a much nicer pistol in features and control preference to me. There also just as good quality too with both having forged slides and 7075 T6 frames.
I don’t like that they come with a polymer trigger, guide rod, magazine release, and lanyard loop, but those are easily changed and I have.
My hammer springs are also changed out to “D” springs which lighten the trigger up a fair amount making a nice trigger already, nicer.
That’s the thing with a safetied pistol like the Beretta’s though. You can make the trigger fairly light where it wouldn’t be as safe in a straight non-safetied DA/SA and still keep it in a very safe state while loaded.
…and I much prefer that.
Like any invention of man, they are all flawed. My point was that it takes time and use to discover the flaws in any system and refine them. The Glock pistol is not today what it was orginally because of the decades of refinement. Just as the M4 of today is not the M16 of the 1960’s. The M&P will not be what it is today either. Time and use will uncover its flaws and it too will be refined. I would just prefer to let others do the refining. To believe that Smith and Wesson got it right from the start is silly. The bottom line, for me, is that the M&P has not yet (though it very well may) proven to be the superior pistol.
I’m leaning towards the M9 because like I said, the size doesn’t bother me and in fact, it really fits my hand well. While some don’t like the safety…and I don’t like slide mounted safeties much either, it does make me feel better knowing it has that feature for a gun that will be left at home un-attended.
I don’t have kids, but do have a lot of drunk friends, and while they are all very knowledgeable about firearms safetly…having additional safety on a loaded gun just puts me more at ease.
The horrid double action pull of the Beretta trigger is really of no concern to me either, as I never shoot my pistols double action, and even if I had no time to cock the hammer, I think I can manage with the first long pull.
All that being said, I just had concerns with the M9’s ultimate reliability, as I have heard of so many soldiers hating it. Even if it has all the features I want, I won’t buy one unless I know it is top-shelf reliable.
If your “drunk friends” are “very knowledgeable” about guns, then they’ll be able to get your M9 to fire even if drunk. A manual safety is not an alternative to keeping your pistol out of the hands of people who shouldn’t be handling it.
The horrid double action pull of the Beretta trigger is really of no concern to me either, as I never shoot my pistols double action, and even if I had no time to cock the hammer, I think I can manage with the first long pull.
You never practice it but you’re confident you’ll shoot fine with it under stress?
Alternative suggestion: practice with the DA shot. It’s easy to learn and will improve your shooting overall.
All that being said, I just had concerns with the M9’s ultimate reliability, as I have heard of so many soldiers hating it. Even if it has all the features I want, I won’t buy one unless I know it is top-shelf reliable.
An M9 is probably as reliable as any other major manufacturer’s 9mm pistol nowadays, and perhaps better than most.
+1 to the M9 being as reliable as any other major manufacturer’s 9mm these days.
I recommend you don’t make your decision just on what you hear soldiers talk down.
Many soldiers never even fired a rifle before going in the military, much less many pistols either if any.
They only know what their issued and whether the gun goes bang when they pull the trigger, with very little knowledge to what is entaled in keeping it going bang.
There’s maintenance and parts that need to be changed out on any firearm when they wear out and any magazine fed weapons proper function is intertwined with the mags.
Have bad working mags and you’ll find your gun doesn’t run the way it should.
The Beretta’s are top shelf, made with top shelf materials and manufacturer and are used around the world because and have many very happy owners. http://www.berettaforum.net/vb/
There are guys on the BerettaForum above that have over a hundred thousand rounds down their pistols and still running more.
Use quality mags (MDS(factory) or Mec-Gar), lubricate it properly (grease and oil) , clean it when it needs to be cleaned and fed it good ammo and you’ll have an extremely reliable pistol.
I’ve got thousands of rounds through mine shooting atleast 200 rounds a shooting session and have never had even the slightest hiccup.
All the M9’s in my unit in the 82nd were beat to hell but where still extremely from what I saw with the above points. Alot of people seem to just link the lessor effectiveness of 9mm FMJ ammo the military stupidly sticks with as the M9’s being a bad pistol too, but blaming a gun for the ammo is just stupid, but many people are.
As recommended if you don’t want a safety than get a “G” model where it’s a decocker only.
I’ve shot more pistols than I can count and the Beretta’s are still my favorites as they feel and shoot so good.
I don’t think you’ll be sorry you bought one.
CDNN had a very good deal on them too if your interested. If you give them a call, you can see where it stands on it. http://cdnnsports.com/
What you say is true but they know the Bg’s don’t go down when shot with ball 9mm, they know the Beretta requires too much maintenance, is clunky to operate, is too complicated in construction and operation, and has a first DA which is an excuse for poor training. I can see first DA for civilians who want a little liability protection, i would never do it myself, but it has absolutely no business on a military pistol except for officers worried about the affect on their careers of an ND. I guess I would surprised the Army doesn’t teach what how a weapon operates but the Marine Corps sure does.
I realize that switching off a safety can be too complicated a task for some people and the vast majority of them seem to go into the Marine’s but issued weapons are issued weapons and each soldier agrees to serve with what may be issued.
If someone can’t handle that, than they shouldn’t be in the military than or if they have the ability to excel to a higher level of soldiery where they’ll have more choices of which weapons they use, than they can.
After all there are still people to this day that accidentally shoot themselves with DAO and DA/SA non safetied pistols so I’m sure the military hierarchy realizes this which is why standard issue weapons have safeties for the safety of not only stupid soldiers, but others around them.
It’s very simple to me to switch off the Beretta’s safety on the draw and I feel anyone can easily train to do it too, but that safety is there for people that are less trained and trigger aware and for me it’s a much safer pistol to keep loaded in the various places I keep a pistol at times.
I would actually prefer an light single action only with safety, but nothing feels as good as the Beretta’s do to me and they don’t make one so I just deal with it on my M9 and 92FS.
