I have over 5K into my M&Ps and PPQs presently.
Bought four of my five M&Ps one year ago and decked them all out with the Apex FSS and trigger kits and Ameriglo sights. Earlier this year I started down the PPQ path and now have two 9MMs and one .40 S&W.
I have spent a lot of time going back and forth between the two in order to figure out which one really fits my needs better. Here are a few observations that made me comfortable leaving the M&P camp and calling the PPQ camp home:
1.) I have found that even with the FSS and trigger kit on my M&P 9 fullsize (as good, crisp and light of a trigger as it is), I have come to substantially prefer the pull, break and even the very positive reset of my PPQs’ triggers over my M&Ps’. In all fairness to the M&P, perhaps if I had installed the Apex DCAEK kit or perhaps even just left them stock and let them break in, it might be a different story (and more of an apples to apples comparison). It is interesting that my next favorite trigger to the PPQ’s is the one on my Shield. It is stock and I have found that it leaves nothing to be desired for me. I will note that the FSS triggers are the lightest of all of these triggers as well.
I will also point out that the stock M&P triggers that are produced today are supposed to be an improvement over the stock triggers on the older ones like mine.
2.) Ergonomics. Highly personal and subjective. No right or wrong here, just which works best for each individual.
I was very impressed with the M&P’s ergos, in the beginning.
Of all of my M&Ps, I have realized that the 9MM fullsize’s ergos work the least well for me. In my case I have found that the M&P 9MM FS’s grip never quite gets small enough (front to back) and the length in this direction affects my lateral stability with hits on target. With the smallest backstrap on my PPQs, I am in heaven. It took me half of a year to realize this small but very important point. After spending so much time with my PPQs, I now feel that the M&P 9MM FS grip is just incorrect for me in several minute areas. For the longest time, my M&P felt perfect at home but when at the range, the subtle detractors were more apparent.
3.) Thumb safety. I have them on my M&Ps. I believe in the use of thumb safeties and have gone with and without them over the years. On 1911s they never seemed to detract from my grip. The M&P
thumb safety is similar to the 1911 style but I have come to believe that my grip with the use of the M&P thumb safety is hindered by just a small amount. My fault. If I knew this before, I may have ordered all of my M&Ps without the TS. You may not use them or care about this point.
Ordering a recently manufactured M&P 9MM FS is probably a safe bet as far as getting an improved trigger and not having to worry about the accuracy issues of the past that I had to deal with. My PPQs are everything and more that I had hoped that my 9MM M&Ps would have been.
It really took me a long time to split all of these hairs. None of the things that I discovered above amount to very much on their own, but, when added together, I had my “lightbulb moment” and clearly decided that the M&Ps were to be replaced by PPQs. Once again I’ll mention that the Shield is a different story and has been my preference over the PPS for me, to date.
) and with the exception of hard to find holsters, there is something very right about shooting a gun as is, without the nagging “maybe if I change the ____ or get that ____” whisper in your ear. In the words of one of my deceased shooting buddies, “Just shoot the *&%$#@'n thing”.