Own a M&P 9 FS and when I was doing all of my research on various sites and boards and gun shops for what 9mm to buy, I kept running into some similar comments. Not all the time, but with surprising frequency.

Apparently, there are a lot of people out there that think the M&P is an ugly gun? Really?!? By the same token some think the Beretta PX4 is a nice looking gun.

Is the M&P really ugly? I don't think so, but I was just wondering.

I guess it's in the eye of the beholder. Glocks are ugly-in my eyes. I have 2 M&P's and don't think they're ugly.

I used to think the M&P was ugly.. it's kinda grown on me but I suppose that means I still think it's ugly but I just got used to it. Interestingly enough, the things that make it ugly to me are the things that make it functional.

For example, I find how the front of the slide is shaped to ease holstering; the fish scale serrations which make it really easy to grasp the slide; the high beavertail to prevent slidebite; and the stippling to improve grip to all be ugly even though they make the gun much better to shoot. Please don't get me wrong, I don't judge it for these reasons at all. Would much rather have these features than not! But since we're just talking about looks.

I think HK USP and Walther P99 are the sexiest handguns. Of course nothing beats a nice 1911!

This does!! Sorry nothing's prettier than a Luger.



1911's are nice, I have one, a Colt, and I'd carry it to you know where over that Luger if my life depended on it. I didn't buy my MP40 Pro cause it was pretty but ugly it ain't. I'd carry it over the Luger also.

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LIVE FROM THE DAWGHOUSE

Gotta agree the Luger is slick. Also the Browning Hi-Power. I wouldn't even award the Monopoly $10 prize to ANY of the black plastic jobs. They may be good tools, but they are butt ugly.

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Jon

I find that the ability to ignore fools is a critical skill for a gun owner, been honing it for a long time now. You might need to try harder at it my friend.

Its beauty is in its performance. I have had mine customized not to make it more beautiful but make it easier to hit with, rack one handed off a belt or pantleg, see targets in low or no light, and hold on to.

Grip stippling
Night sights
Slide grooves custom cut
Trigger/sear work
TLR1 light, custom kydex.
Laser too...

Call it a cheesgrater or tupperware, plastic junk or whatever you want.



Ask one of these folks focused on "beauty" what kind of hammer, pliers, wrenches or chainsaw they would buy when they start running their mouth. Tools should be tough and effective. My 9mm tools are just that.
Anybody says they don't like a hammer cause it ain't pretty enough, or a wrench is good because its a classic design..... foolish and petty and probably in the wrong store anyway.

The above M&P9, a similar 9c, Walther PPS9 and a G19 are in my toolbox.

1911 and lugers, nasty obsolete bricks. You can have all of them, owned, shot, sold enough of them to say that with no regrets.

The path to true knowledge is paved with wasted money.

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μολὼν λαβέ

Ugly. Even uglier than Glocks, and I wasn't sure that was possible.

Effective, sure. But aesthetically challenged.

To paraphrase Forrest Gump's mother, "Ugly is as ugly does."

I own a lot of guns that I once thought of as ugly. After shooting and owning them for a while they look pretty sexy to me. Glock, Ruger LCR, some S&W revolvers, etc. It is like those girls in high school that you never gave the time of day to. Then you see them at the reunion and you get all upset with yourself because it turns out that they were really hot. No, maybe not like that at all.

Yes, the M&P is one REALLY ugly pistol. IMO of course.

Right around the time S&W forgot how to make a decent trigger, they also forgot how to make a good looking pistol. Regards 18DAI.

Like a few mentioned here already the beauty of the M&P is in it's functionality. There has yet to be a Tupperware pistol made that I would consider to have eye appeal. To each his own. If blocky shapes, black plastic and dull metal finishes are your cup of tea that's fine with me. It doesn't effect me in any way.

Personalty I find a deep polished bluing and a set of custom made, finely checkered, exotic wood target grips on a something like a Colt Python or S&W K-frame to be more attractive than any plastic gun out there. But I wouldn't want to carry one on a daily basis as my CCW.

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Life Member B.A.S.S., NAFC

And that's why I only like wood framed hand guns.

I never gave "beauty" that much bother. If it looks like a gun and is accurate, reliable, and easy to accessorize as needed, I always figured that was more important than if it looked good but shot like **** or jammed or whatever. I don't think a BG is really going to care how your handgun looks when he/she is on the receiving end of it.

In looking at all the info and opinions out there like I said, I didn't really care how people said it looked; it came down to how they said it performed. I shot a lot of pistols, from ultilitarian looking Glocks to "nicer" looking H&K's, HP's, Beretta's and Sig's. I chose the M&P (with the XD in second place in terms of how it felt) because it worked the best for me and got exceptional performance reports.

All that being said, this is turning into a fun post.

Perhaps the flip side to this question would be what is the UGLIEST gun out there. Or better yet, what is the ugliest gun you would still own if it was an exceptional performer.

Just for fun.

As stated the Luger is the most beautiful pistol ever in my opinion (and we all know about opinions), it's hardly a brick. They point as good as any pistol ever made. That being said I wouldn't trust my life to it. They are prone to jamming, must be kept clean, finicky about magazines and ammo and somewhat delicate especially around the firing pin and what holds it in the pistol. Beautiful yes and how, reliable, I'll carry my MP 40.

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LIVE FROM THE DAWGHOUSE

I suppose for the the "ugliest" handgun I would own because it was reliable would have to be a Glock.

Ugliest gun I'll ever love!

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Dave

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.

Let's face it; plastic gun owners do not have bragging rights on beauty.

I do think the Smith poly guns are better looking than the competition. I am contemplating an SD or M&P as we speak. Currently own a 9VE which works great.

All in the eye of the beholder.

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SD9VE, American perfection!

I'll have to agree with Deadeye, no plastic pistols look good. BUT, they are functional and do the job. They ain't no 3rd gens but I guess sooner or later they wil all be plastic.

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Why duck?? It's a 9mm!

I bought my M&P because of three things:
how I thought it looked (good)
it was black
built in America

I've never wanted a chrome/nickle gun to be easily seen in low light conditions. I've always wanted a black gun. Sure I could get something like a 3914, but I dug the M&P. I'm happy with my purchase.

It being American is important to me because how many products are left being manufactured in the US? Our nation and economy was built on what WE BUILT. How many things do you own that were built here now?

My car
My gun
My house (hehe)

I can't think of much else & that's sad to me.

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Gen1 4513TSW
M&P 45c

I actually like the looks of my M&P. One thing for sure, it looks better than any glock that's out there.

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Why duck?? It's a 9mm!

I think the MP9 is a great looker, and really liking the MP9C, but my all time favorite S&W auto is still the 5906 with round trigger guard and adj rear sites. Here's mine.....

Attached Images

5906.jpg (45.6 KB, 54 views)

I bought my fullsize .45 for a few reasons:
Loved the trigger pull
Heard it had great performance
Like the way it looks especially when compared to a similar XD that I almost purchased cuz it was cheaper...
And its made here in the US

But anyway to answer the OPs original question, I love the looks of the M&P. In my opinion theyre the best lookin polymer pistol out there right now. But also as stated in other postes, you dont buy weapons for looks alone.

BTW postban whats the customization on the top of the slide called/how much did it run? PM me if you dont mind. Thanks

If you want your M&P to look better, put it next to a Bodyguard .380

I actually think the M&P is a very good looking gun, the Glock however is ugly as a red headed step child.

What could be ugly about this?

If you like it, that's all that matters.

If you ask 10 different shooters their opinion on any subject, you're very likely to get 10 different answers. If you ask the same group the same question 5 years from now, you're likely to get 10 completely different answers!

I agree with you Pete...I have a Sigma and now a M&P45 and really like the way it looks, feels and shoots....

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1911Pro9 M&P9 40 45c 686.357

Robert J. hit it right on the head!

M&Ps tend to grow on ya.

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Shoot fast & live long
Warren

Look out! They're breeding!

I see Doug got to your gun...

How can you not like the looks of an M&P? They are sharp little guns...

More importantly... who cares what it looks like?

I personally think the M&P is the best looking plastic framed pistol out there. That being said I don't think any plastic framed pistol looks nice but that's not what they were built to be either. So when I get around to getting more plastic pistols, I'll be getting an M&P (of course if they made one in 10mm I'd get that one ASAP).

Not that it matters, my vote for the most beautiful semi-auto is the Mod 39.

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J.D. Roy