I have been looking for a full size m&p 9m to go with our shield 9mm. It will not be for competition, just home defense and having fun on the range. My problem is deciding amongst all the options S&W offers(alas,cant afford to buy all of them). I describe myself as a four eyed, bald headed old fart, so I have been considering one with the crimson trace green laser sight. Dont think I need the ported C.O.R.E., but it does look cooler than ****,lol. Any thought on this would be greatly appreciated.

SD9VE can be had for 320 bucks ish. I love mine. Good range/home defense gun.

__________________
Smith all the things

Thanks, I have looked at the SD9VE and like it alot. I guess I am leaning towards the M&P line for the aesthetics, kind of like the idea of matching the look to our Shield. Maybe I am a little OCD.

I have the plain 9FS without thumb safety sitting in my bedside table drawer. I added a Streamlight TLR-1, a second mag, and a Streamlight Polytac to keep it company. No need to spend lots of bucks on a range/bedside gun.

I would also recommend the full size plain (without the safety), you can add any mods later down the road.

Buy basic and add as you feel needed. I find the laser to be a gimmick for instance. So to me it would be a waste of money. This way you could always add one latwr

Basic M&P9, throw on a quality light (A Streamlight TLR-3, for example), and you're good to go. I have TLR-4G's on my HD M&P45's, but they stay on light-only mode, the laser would be for very very specific situations like having to shoot in awkward positions without a sight picture.

You do NOT want ported for an HD gun, it'll be louder for you and more flash in your line of sight. But most importantly, it's more to clean.

The 9mm 5 inch Pro Series is fabulous with its longer sight radius
http://www.smith-wesson.com/webapp/w...layErrorView_Y
Depending what state you live in you may want the 17 round magazine version

__________________
M&P 9mm 5" Pro
M&P 9mm Shield

I vote for the FS M&P 9 also (have one). I don't want or need bells & whistles, just something that does what it's suppose to do. Also have a FS M&P 40 & 45 and recently picked up a Shield 40.

If you want something just a little different, get a FS in Flat Dark Earth-very nice and can be had at Buds @ $441.

I recommend a full size WITH SAFETY.

Your Shield has a safety. Best to have both guns set up the same way. This way you ALWAYS know to take the safety off if you have to shoot. No guesswork.

__________________
USAF, 69-92
Vietnam, 72-73

Color, and safeties are personal preferences. Pick what you like and you are comfortable with.
I prefer black with safety to mimic my M&P 22, plus my Shield has one as well.
Sportmans Outdoor Superstore has black, with and without safety, and FDE without, for $419.99 shipped.
If you don't require a brand new one, you can check out Buds police trades at under $400.00

Smith & Wesson 9 MM Semi Auto Handguns for Sale Online | Sportsman's Outdoor Superstore

Buy Police Trade-Ins at BudsGunShop

Never would I ever discourage anyone from ever adding A new gun to their arsenal but your Shield would make a fine home defense pistol. If you can get an extended capacity mag so much the better. If not a spare mag & practice reloads.

I have a full size M&P40 as well as a 40C. Originally I planed on using the FS as my home defense weapon but lately I've just been taking the 40C out of the holster & putting that on the bedside table at bedtime. Most times I put a full size 15 round mag in it then. The full size is still accessible but in the drawer. When I'm up & about I normally have the 40C holstered & on my belt but about 25% of the time it's the full size 40 especially in the colder months.

__________________
Former USN, Retired US Army

Thanks for all the feedback, and yes Glen, the Shield is beside the bed at night. When we bought it I told the boss(my wife) to find which one felt best to her, and she kept going back to the Shield. I work nights and she wanted the security. I like the Shield, but dont love it, I like the feel of the full size much better for myself. So my plan is to add a fullsize for my side of the bed and the Shield will be on the boss's side.

I am thinking a plain FS M&P, dont know whether it will be 5" or 4.25" barrel, but I am leaning more to the 5". Mag capacity is not an issue where I live,so 17 rounds seem to make the most sense there. I think with the pitbull in bed with us and an M&P on each side, she should feel pretty secure. Pit & Wesson security system at our place, lol. Thanks for all the input.

I have the standard M&P 9FS FDE, not that the color matters, A 9C with the xgrip and 17rnd mag, and a 9mm Shield. For me the 9C is my bedside gun. I find I that I am more accurate with the 9C than the 9FS but that is just me. With the X-grip I have 17 rnds either way.

Only you can ultimately choose. But I bought a 5" Pro Series to go with my Shield for a bedroom and range fun gun. I added Trijicon HD night sights that are great in daylight too and match those on my Shield and an Apex DCAEK and polymer trigger and Talon grip tape. It runs great and to my eye is quite attractive.

__________________
Jim - M&P Pro 40L/Shield 40

As far as home defense goes for me, its like this. SD9VE loaded with 16 hollow points with another 16RD magazine as backup. Bodyguard 380 with one chambered and 6 in the mag with additional mag, hollow points as well. Also and 8 inch smith and wesson knife in my other hand for close quarters defense. If the home isnt defended after 45 shots of hollow point and knife in hand, you are in major trouble.

__________________
Smith all the things

Since you said "home defense" the 5-inch guns line up better with a weapon light (unless you add a can.) In my limited experience the ported gun doesn't have any noticeable extra flash when using a weapon light, but is a bit louder.

(Images borrowed from the picture thread.)

vs.



For home defense you should be getting a modern semi-auto carbine, not a pistol.

If it is truly for home defense, a plain Jane M&P 9 would be the best. Keep a flashlight in the safe next to the gun. I am not a fan of gun mounted lights for HD but that's a personal preference. Quite honestly for HD, I actually agree with comiskybum about the SD9VE. For $100 less, you will have a dedicated gun that will sit at home all the time and if you are ever in a real HD shooting situation, you won't miss the gun quite so badly while it is being confiscated. The SD9VE is "accurate enough" in a home situation where you are not target shooting at 25 yards at a 3" bullseye, it's reliable and it "simply works when you need it".