I have been married to the M&P line for a while now, and I’m familiar with their flaws. The late Gen 3 and Gen 4 Glocks also have their share of function issues. The Hks are at least twice the cost of the others. 1911s are great, low capacity, and “the king of the feedway stoppage”. Do I need to cover the XDs?
So my question is this…what doesn’t suck?
HK P30, P2000. Gen3 Glock with older or Lone Wolf extractor.
That’s pretty much what I came up with too, except that for my use, I’ll need to buy an aftermarket barrel to shoot lead indoors out of a Glock also. (please don’t tell me it’s okay with the stock barrel, I ain’t buying it)
I don’t really know what are you complaining about. The M&P, Glocks, and H&Ks all represent some of the best modern pistol designs and the 1911 is a great pistol as long as you purchase a quality one and spend some time maintaining it.
Although many people have more pistol experience than I have, I have still been shooting pistols for nearly 15 years and have probably fired between 50-60,000 rounds through my various handguns and all of them have proven very reliable. I own a Beretta M9, CZ-75b, BHP Mark III, Springfield Loaded 1911, and the S&W MP9. Out of these the M&P and BHP have been flawless despite having between 6,000+ to 15,000+ rounds respectively on each. The CZ and M9 have been very reliable with only a handful of jams with to 2-3 FTEs on the CZ and to owning a crappy Pro-Mag magazine on the M9 which was quickly replaced. The M1911 has been the least reliable due to the average quality magazines that came with the pistol and minor extractor issues but those have been corrected and now it runs like a champ as well.
The M&P which I purchased 2 years ago has become my primary training platform and IMO is one of the best designs out there (it has made the rest of my pistols largely safe queens). It has all of the features associated with a modern polymer framed pistol combined with the excellent ergonomics like the BHP or M1911.
To the OP, I would just do some minimal maintenance on your pistol, ensure that the magazines are functioning properly, and drive on with the M&P. Every pistol is going to have its strengths and weaknesses but the M&P IMO is one of the best designs out there.
I’ve tried to like the P30…but HK triggers just plain suck. I’ve owned two USPs and didn’t think much of them either.
I think any choice has its suck factor. I’m not sure I see the wisdom in trading shootability for German uber-engineered expense. Any choice requires some compromise.
Outside of the ones you’ve mentioned (though it hasn’t been out long enough to prove itself)…have you tried the Walther PPQ? I can arrange for you to shoot one if you’re willing to make the trip over to my end of town.
Gen 3 Glock 9mm’s.
There is no perfect gun. Your M&Ps are as good as it gets. Understanding the strengths and weaknesses of your equipment is the answer. The M&P has FEW.
JeffWard
Owner of 3 M&Ps…
I can agree that the M&P is a solid platform. I love my HK USP, HKP30, Glocks of all kinds… crap I don’t know why I don’t love the M&P though. I think it might have to do with the S&W stamp. I don’t even like the fact my guns say .40S&W on the slide. 
Agreed.
I am inclined to include the M&P, but only due to it’s widespread use, not because of personal experience of sufficient duration to make a recommendation. I think it is probably one of the top if you are going with .40.
My caveat to the HKs is that I would only recommend LEM variants.
The newer M&P’s are some of the most reliable ones ever built.
Older GEN 3’s or new GEN 3’s with LW extractors are GTG.
HK USP, HK P30, Walther PPQ, S&W E-Series, Colt 1911’s, HK P7/M8, Walther PPS, etc.
C4
None of my 2nd Gen Glock 19’s suck,and my newer Gen 3 19 hasn’t started sucking yet after 2300 rounds.
Ditto on the HK’s.I like the USP and the compact USP’s,no experince with the others.
I have a M&P9 with slightly over 8,000 rounds through it. I have never had a single problem with this firearm. It has performed flawlessly. This is purely anecdotal and YMMV, but I am sold on the platform.
I agree, it all seems to be compromise. I know there’s no perfect one out there.
When I retired from LE I was still carrying a revolver. Years earlier I was able to get away with a LW Commander .45 for a while. I realize that my 1911s and BHPs, both of which I trust, aren’t ever coming back, but I’m a creature of habit. I don’t shoot Glocks or SIGs all that well, and my current needs are simple. If I were under duress I might give the M&Ps a try, but I probably qualify as an “old dog” at this stage of the game.
I’m glad I don’t have to be adapting constantly to whatever the bean-counters pick as the gun of the year only to change next year. To tell the truth, I’m with Robert Heinlein, who said “standardization is for insects.”
I think people expect out of the box PERFECT.
Guns are what you make them, its a tool. It doesnt do all the work for you.
In the hands of someone who knows how to USE that tool is when it shines.
I’m very happy with my issued P2000 in .40S&W. It has yet to have a single stoppage or malfunction. Once I had a bad round that did not fire, but the primer was normally dented. I later tried to fire it again with the same results. That is clearly not the fault of the firearm.
You haven’t tried the LEM trigger. I like it very much.
Honestly, if it was allowed I would carry either my Colt Rail Gun or my 5" 27-2. Hell, I would change and carry one or the other depending on how I felt that day.
We are in the golden age of defensive firearm reliability/durability and ammunition capabilities. Weapon and bullet designs have taken leaps and bounds in the last few decades!
Maybe you should just throw rocks…
Earlier Gen 3 Glocks in 9mm, like was said earlier.
I have…still underwhelmed. It makes the gun tolerable…still a crappy trigger compared to the Glock/M&P/PPQ.