Posted this over at PAFOA and I'm not getting any responses. Figured I'd try over here. Thanks.

Looking to drop my G19 to fund for a M&P 9L or 9 pro.

I'm torn on which to get. Here's the deal. The trigger on the 9L is 6.5# and the trigger on the Pro is ~4.5#. I'll be using the gun as a night stand gun as well as a range/match gun. Is 4.5# too light for a home defense weapon?

Also the sights on the Pro are a green fiber optic front and a plain black rear. I'd rather have night sights since it'll be a nightstand gun as well. So I'd be changing the sights on it.

Are there any other differences on the pro to justify spending the extra money?

Right now I'm thinking get the 9L and get my own trigger job to 5 to 5.5# and put the sights I want on it. I know the pro series guns get tuned at the factory prior to being shipped. Does this significantly increase the reliability or is it just a selling point?

Thoughts welcome.

I purchased a Pro since I was going to use it for competition and was satisfied with the sights and trigger pull. As I remember aside from the cosmetic differences on the slide the only difference between the two models was the sights and trigger. If you plan on replacing the sight s then the difference in price might not be worth it. Personally I would not have any problem using my M&P9Pro as a nightstand gun. I have a S&W 99 which serves that purpose and is ocassionally used for IDPA shoots.

From my perspective I’d be hard pressed to rid myself of a Glock G19.

I do have an S&W MP9 not the 9L or 9Pro. The MP9 I like to an extent. I’m more inclined to the Glock simply because I’m more familiar with it thru extended usage. That said I’ve been shooting the MP9 along with the Glock 17 of late. The only modification to the G17 is a set of Warren Tactical sights. The Warren Tactical sights have impressed me enough to place Warren Tactical night sights on a G19 and non night sights on a G21. Warren Tactical has a set up for the S&W MP series pistols which includes a fiber optic front sight.

My S&W MP9 has the standard OEM sights. I’ve placed a 10-8 U notch rear sight on order and I am going to order an S&W OEM front night sight to see how that combination works. To be honest not that impressed with fiber optic sights.

That’s been my experience to date.

What are the differences in the slide? I haven't seen any comparison pictures. The Pro looks like the guide rod is recessed into the slide a bit. Not sure if it's that way on the standard version. Other than that I don't notice anything besides the "pro series" insignia.

I know. I am too. But, I'm a grad student right now that's forced as a requirement of my program not to work. It's a 60-70 hour a week full time job. So I'm on the govt's ticket right now. Also I don't carry the G19 and that's where I think it shines is as a dual carry and home defense weapon. If I'm using it only for the range and home I'd like something with a longer barrel and sight radius. The glock was an impulse buy for me about a year ago and doesn't fit my hand nearly as well as my old XD so it came down to an XD tactical (I think the XDM is a bit ugly) or the M&P 9L. I think the M&P's ergos are a bit better and I also think it has a bit lower bore axis more in line with the glock. The bore axis is what I really love about the glock but I tend to ride really high on my guns with a very pronounced thumbs forward grip. Due to the lack of beavertail on the glock and the fact the grip doesn't fit me very well I tend to get bit every now and then by the slide.

If you look at the S&W website you will see a small difference in configuratioin of the slide between the 9L and 9 PRO. The 9 PRO has the front squared off while the 9L has a small bevel at the bottom. It surprised me that they inventoried another slide to make the difference.

Thanks.

I did a little more probing and found that the extra ounce the pro weighs over the standard is a result of that difference in the slide. Not sure an ounce really makes that much of a difference. I'm gonna go with the standard and make it the gun I want rather than try to reverse what S&W has done to the pro.