I currently only have one handgun (Ruger LC9) which is also my EDC. I started to have issues with it when the magazine would simply fall out when firing (even when racking the slide). Long story short, it was sent back and I believe it has been repaired although I am still testing it. The bottom line is I want another gun.....

The M&P's really strike my fancy and I may buy one on Saturday. I am not sure if I will go for the .40 or 9mm but I am reading a lot of FTE issues, Kabooms, customer service issues, etc....

Is this something I should worry about? Should I consider something else besides a S&W? I know all manufacturers have their own set of problems but I want something I can trust 100%.

Thoughts and opinions appreciated.

First of all, there is no such thing as only one gun. I've never heard of such a thing!

I don't know where you've been reading about all the problems, but bear this in mind: for every negative comment on the internet, there are probably a hundred people who are satisfied. People tend to post when they are disgruntled, and those who are gruntled don't.

The M&P line is very good, and are very dependable pistols. There is no manufacturer who never puts out a lemon...so there may be individual guns that have problems, but by and large the M&P is a very reliable model. If you do have a problem, you can count on S&W to fix it...they have excellent customer service.

Personally, I prefer 9mm...and since your other pistol is a 9mm, you will have common ammo. Before you decide to buy a .40, you should rent one to see if you like it. Many people find it snappy and hard to manage for follow up shots.

Remember that most of the time you only hear the bad. I have had my 40c with several hundred rounds and it has been great. I have also had the 9 FS and C.O.R.E both also without issues. This is more of a decision you have to make. If you can go rent one and fire off some rounds and see if you like it.

Remember one is none and two is one when it comes to guns.

I guess the only thing that relieves my concerns about buying one is that if I do have an issue with it, I can just drive it there myself as S&W is only ~10 miles away.

And when it comes to 9 vs 40, I know everybody has their opinions on which is best but I can rarely find 9mm (I have to drive to NH) as it is. I thought if I stuck with 9mm, I'll have a common caliber but although 40 is more expensive, it is more readily available. Decisions decisions....

I have fired the 40's. An SR40 and a some other that I forget what it was and did better with them than my LC9.

If you do like the size of the lc9, look for a Shield. Almost same size

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M&P40C|TFOs|Strippling|Apex

As long as I've owned M&Ps (5 years) and reading this forum, I never heard of them suffering from kabooms. That was attributed to Glocks in 40, though I have no credible knowledge of such an event. I have shot the daylights out of an M&P 45 and broke the striker. Besides that, it never gave me any feeding or extraction problems with factory 230 grain loads. I currently carry a full size 9, which as gone over 1200 rounds and I've not had a malfunction of any kind to date. The 45 was 7500 rounds plus dry fire when the striker went. I shoot my guns for all theyre worth, but otherwise take care of them, and do not think twice about relying on an M&P.

S&W customer service has been first rate, even though capacity got strained during the hysteria of 2013. The only issue I had was the striker during the heat of the hysterics, and the factory was backordered on the part longer than anyone wanted. Probably not from broken parts but rather trying to keep up with new gun demand.

I spent some time with an LC9 a friend for issued. I saw it fire out of battery and got sent back for repair. When it returned, it had a few FTFs during a qualification course. Add that to what I found was the worst trigger if any pistol I've ever handled. I would rate the Shield or an M&P FS/compact much higher. There are also other pistols of other manufacturers to consider, but I have no problems with the M&P.

9mm in a small pistol like the LC9 (I've had one) is fairly comparable in felt recoil to .40 in a mid or full size pistol, at least to me. (Of course, felt recoil is very subjective.) If you have bigger hands, the getting a good grip on the LC9 may be a problem...I have small hands, and I had to put a grip sleeve on mine to have a comfortable grip.

You are lucky to live so close to S&W! At least, in terms of being able to take it in, versus having to mail it. Of course, that's not really a benefit if you never have a problem.

Around here, .40 is easier to find than 9mm, and good quality 9mm is more expensive (if you can even find it.) That may not always be the case, though. It's your call, of course, but you may also want to shoot a M&P 9 and see how you like it, before you make a final decision.

Edited to add: one thing I really like about the M&P series, and the Ruger SR series as well, is that you can take out the striker and clean out the channel without having to knock out pins or difficult disassembly processes. Much easier than other polymer pistols (like the LC9, Beretta PX4, etc) although Glocks are very easy as well.

I have a FS M&P40 and enjoy shooting it...one of the reasons I went with the 40 is that I can get a 9mm barrel and some extra mags and have two guns in one...if you read some of the post on this you will see many people have dome this with no problems...another option to think about

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carpe diem
one day at a time

I didn't know that until yesterday when I read some members doing that. Interesting and definitely something to keep in mind.

I doubt you will have an issue with an M&P. I love my 9c and have had zero issues with it. But I must caution you about driving to S&W if you have an issue. I believe I read somewhere that they do not allow guns to be dropped off. You must ship all guns to them. I can see their view point...

With the current sales of the M&P I think this is more like for every 1 upset owner there are 1,000 who've never had an issue.

I've only heard of two "kabooms" with the M&P and one of those was probably an out of battery problem that was an ammo issue. The other was likely due to reloaded ammo.

The bottom line is, don't worry about the M&P, they are good guns.

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Freedom isn't free.

The shipping is no problem at all - all new S&W's come with a lifetime warranty. If you do have a problem, part of the warranty benefit is that they pay all warranty shipping.

My 40c and 357c have both been winners. My Dad now has my 40c for his EDC so who knows when I may see that gun again!

I have M&Pc 9 have put hundred of rounds through it.did have a problem with mag drop but S&W fixed,it is super accurate and a pleasure to shoot, I bought a Sheild 9 two months ago havent shot yet.I don't think you can go wrong with any of the M&P's. Just my opinion.

So far no real problems with any of my M&P's (8 of them) except they are hungry!

I started with a FS40, then went to a 9c for carry. When I got my 3913 I safed the 9c and later picked up three Shields. I currently carry a 45c.

For a great carry gun I'd recommend the compact in .40 or 9mm, or a Shield in either caliber.

Another nice attribute of the compact is you can use full size mags and an X-Grip adapter for a full size feel!!

.

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Kirk / Spock 2020

I have a 9c with about 4,000 rounds through it, a FS 9 with around 12,000 rounds through it, and a 9L Pro Core with over 25,000 rounds through it. The only thing I don't like is standing around at matches while everyone else is trying to fix problems with their pistols. Seriously, I have had zero problems with any of my M&P's but I can't say that about the other brands that I've seen used. I can't figure out if it's the equipment, the owners, or both (I suspect the latter). I've never had a firearm that was more reliable. (but maybe that's a karma thing, IDK)

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Minimize the variables

The bottom line is I want another gun.....

The M&P's really strike my fancy and I may buy one on Saturday. I am not sure if I will go for the .40 or 9mm but I am reading a lot of FTE issues, Kabooms, customer service issues, etc....

Is this something I should worry about? Should I consider something else besides a S&W? I know all manufacturers have their own set of problems but I want something I can trust 100%.

Thoughts and opinions appreciated.[/QUOTE]

I bought the M&P Shield in 9mm, based on slightly higher magazine capacity and not being a fan of high pressure rounds
(357 Sig or 40) in any pocket-size pistol. I've run as many different manufacturer ammo as I can find through the shield, Herters steel case, Speer Lawman, Remington RMC, Anguila with "0" problems of any kind. The Shield is a nice size pistol, well made and quite accurate.

All my M&P's have been reliable and trouble free so far. Only problem I've had is my BG380's laser going out. S&W took care of it for me though. I'm fairly new to firearms and have been impressed with the line up that I got another one on the way. I admit I'm addicted.

I have put over 6000 rounds of .40 and 9mm through my 40c. For 9mm I use a Storm Lake conversion barrel. I have yet to have my first...yes my first FTE or FTF. This is the first handgun I have ever owned that I can say that for with so many rounds through it. You would not be disappointed.

I'm new to the m&p pistol line but so far it's at the top of the ladder on my list.ive owned glock and xd and they are awsome pistols also.it came down to feel and shootability with me(I've shot the best with my m&p9fs).i would own all three and be happy with all of them and trust my life to all three.my opinion is you can't go wrong with any of those.yes you may get a lemon every blue moon but they will take care of your problem.go shoot any of the guns you like and pick.its what suits you the best that matters

I have the M&P9C & have had no issues(1000 rounds). Like others have said, those with issues seem to vocalize, those who are satisfied take their guns to the range & shoot. One suggestion which I have done is get the 9c, a couple of full sized (17 round) mags & a couple of X-grip extensions. You end up with a compact pistol that can be converted to a full sized feel & capacity when needed.

I purchased my M&P 9FS a little over a year now and after more than 2,000 rounds the gun has been flawless. I had one jam the first day I took it out.

Eats anything I put in it and it is a joy to shoot. I put a big dot on it and APEX and haven't looked back.

Took my daughter out last week and her second time shooting the gun. Was simply amazing at 21 feet.

Get it!

hi
Not bragging here at all But I have 8 M&P's 2 shield 2 compacts 2 full size and 2 45's 9's and 40's. They are great guns, I also have 5 Glocks they are also great guns.
I also have a ruger LC9 and so far its been a great little shooter. My point I guess is that the M&Ps are great guns S&W back's their products 100%. If you can rent one at your local range try that, shoot different models and calibers.
good luck
1SG
Out

Have a 9c & a f/s 9mm m&p. NEVER had ANY problems with either gun.

I have a M&P40 & a 40C & wouldn't trade them for anything, not even a new M&P. On the outside chance of a defect S&W has probably one of the best customer service departments.

I use full size M&P40 mags with X-Grips in my 40C & that sure is a good feature. I don't have them inserted all the time but probably 25% of the time. If I'm not using one there's one on my belt. I also carry the full size M&P about 25% of the time & have no problem concealing either. My main carry is the M&P40C with the 10+1 mag & a FS 15 round mag at my side.

I used to own a couple of Glcks. Fine pistols but the M&P line is superior. Not by a lot but superior nevertheless.

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Former USN, Retired US Army

Well, as some of you may or may not have seen in a thread I started....I opted for the S&W 40 Shield. Here's my new baby along side my LC9.