I am looking at purchasing a Smith and Wesson M&P for CC, I was wondering if there are any differences in performance between the different calibers and if anyone has any personal experience with the 9mm, 357sig, and 40s&w. I had an H&K Usp 40S&W before I had to sell it to help pay for our wedding:( . Now I am looking at something for CC/plinking/training/home defense. Any help is greatly appreciated.
Thanks:D
I like 9mm. They’re affordable, so you can practice. Hollow points +P work great for self defense. Not likely any of us will be shooting back at people with plates or kevlar
I recommend getting the .40 model. With this model you can swap out barrels and go to 357 or 9mm if you want. If versatility doesnt matter to you; try renting guns in various calibers at a local range and see which you shoot the best.
So with getting the 40 I just just simply swap out barrels and have a 357 sig or a 9? That sounds pretty sweet. Is ammo really that much more expensive for a 9 or 357 or a 40? I was figuring only about a dollar or so difference in price, but havent checked in a while.
If you go to the 9mm barrel, you will have to get 9mm mags for the most reliability. The 40 mags are the same as the 357 ones.
When it comes to price, cost usually runs 9mm, 40, 357 (cheapest to most expensive). When it comes to availability, I find it easier to locate 40 than 357 or 9mm right now.
This is very helpful and the 40 sounds like the one to go with. I liked this round when I had my H&K usp so I really don’t know why I didn’t just think about getting the 40 and be done with it. I just wanted to know if there were any advantages as far as cost associated, and CC effectiveness. Thanks for all the help and information you guys are as always very helpful!
Thanks:D
All the guns are the same size too.
That is even better! I love my Smith and Wesson M&P15 Ar and have read good things on here about the M&P handguns for CC.
I like the M&P in 9mm .
Do you have any local ranges where you can rent them?
I suggest buying a couple boxes of ammo and trying the different calibers out. Who needs more rounds when the one shot can get the job done, nothing wrong with .40 
I prefer 9mm but the 40 will serve you well. The price difference here is enough to really help out when buying 9mm vs 40 or .357
The 9mm holds more rounds 
If by “performance between the different calibers” you mean differences in the reliability and durability between the 9, 40, and .357 versions of the M&P, generally speaking all of them are likely to offer a very reliable service life. If you mean differences in how they feel and shoot, that’s inevitable given the different recoil characteristics of the calibers they are chambered in.
If by “performance between the different calibers” you are referring to terminal ballistics, I would suggest reading this post very carefully:
https://www.m4carbine.net/showthread.php?t=19887
I had an H&K Usp 40S&W before I had to sell it to help pay for our wedding:( . Now I am looking at something for CC/plinking/training/home defense. Any help is greatly appreciated.
If money is no object then you can buy whichever one you like. If, however, money is a limited resource for you then I would suggest sticking with the 9mm version. 9mm is the cheapest centerfire handgun ammo on the market, generally, and that means you can shoot more of it. That means more training, and that means a better chance of doing what needs to be done when the chips are down.
The ammo situation is still kind of messed up in the nation which may make finding 9mm ammo a bit harder. Right now at my local Wal-Mart they don’t have much 9mm left (largely because I keep showing up and buying as much as I can) but they have a nice big section of .40. Sooner or later the ammo manufacturers will catch up with demand and then things should normalize.
If married and limited on funds, I’d go with the M&P9 or 9c so you both can easily employ it, and it’s the most economical to train with. I have both, and the 9c can used the 17 round full size mags. Having said that, I also have the M&P40, which I sometimes switch back and forth with the 9s for concealed carry. I shoot quite a bit , and since ammo has been going up since the last election, I’ve had to change platforms from .45, to .40 and now 9mm to keep up with my range play (formal class and practice).
+1. There is a crop of good ammo (which you can find), the gun is comfy to shoot and failry cheap when compared to the others.
I agree.
When using some of the newer designs of ammunition,the difference between calibers, using the same design of bullet isn’t that much.
The difference in the price of practice ammunition between the calibers is huge.
I’d recommend getting the 9mm version.
I went with 9mm because funds are limited, and cheaper ammo allows me to work on the biggest and most important variable in my shooting: ME.
Do you guys find that 9mm drop-in barrels in .40 guns are reliable enough to use for self defense? My limited experience with a Sig p226 in .40 and a Firedragon 9mm conversion barrel says to stick with what the gun is chambered for if you want near 100% reliability. The replacement barrel is still good for range fun, though.
If money is no object then you can buy whichever one you like. If, however, money is a limited resource for you then I would suggest sticking with the 9mm version. 9mm is the cheapest centerfire handgun ammo on the market, generally, and that means you can shoot more of it. That means more training, and that means a better chance of doing what needs to be done when the chips are down.
The ammo situation is still kind of messed up in the nation which may make finding 9mm ammo a bit harder. Right now at my local Wal-Mart they don’t have much 9mm left (largely because I keep showing up and buying as much as I can) but they have a nice big section of .40. Sooner or later the ammo manufacturers will catch up with demand and then things should normalize.[/QUOTE]
Thanks money is a pretty big issue as this m&p 9c will be put on layaway for the time being. This is very helpful because I plan on shooting it as often as I can to become proficient with it. The thing I hear from a lot of people around my area is the 9mm is lacking in stopping power in comparison to the 40. This was another reason that I was looking at the 40, but I think I might stick with the 9c since money is tight now.
Does anything else need to be changed, ie, guide rod/springs? Is it required to use a factory or aftermarket barrel? And last question, does the conversion capability hold true for full size and compact models? Thx