Which do you prefer? Have you shot both? How about their triggers if you can compare both?

Never shot a 40c, but u hunk first you should figure what caliber you want. Each gun in its own has its own merits. The 45c is almost the exact same size as a glock 19, which many people feel is the best all around sized gun. It comes with 8 rd mags and the 10 rd full sized mags can be used as well. Overall, my 45c was circa 2008-09, and the trigger was not good (not saying it was bad, it just wasn't good). The 40c will have mag capability with the fs, so 15 rd mags are available. It's the same size as the 9c (which I have a carry), comes with 10 rd mags, and the trigger on my 9c was good enough where I felt I didn't need to do anything to it. The 40c is kind of between the g19 and g26 size wise, with the pinky extension basepad, I can almost get all three fingers in the grip, and I have pretty big hands. I personally find the 9/40c size great for ccw easy to carry and hide, enough bullets to deal with most situations you'll come across.

As far as recoil, the 40 full size has slightly more recoil than a fs9. I've heard it translates to the compact guns, but I've not shot one myself.

If I could only have one of the 2, it'd be the 45c. The 40c would compliment a full size very well.

I have a 9C and a 45C. I suppose the trigger in the 9 is similar to the 40 so I'll base my answer on that assumption.

Both are have decent triggers and the 9C is concealable whereas the 45C is a bit large for that.

As with most 9mm vs 45 ACP arguments, it comes down to the felt recoil. The 9C recoils in a more vertical arc whereas the 45 chugs back. Can't speak to the 40 cal recoil as I have not shot one.

Thanks for that reply. I find the trigger on my M&P9c is fine also. I figure the trigger on the 40c is probably the same?

I do like that the size on the 45c is slightly larger than the 9c/40c. Even if it means getting an additional holster. <g>

I'm pretty set on the 45c, just looking for feedback from those who have handled/shot other M&P compacts. I have noted that the cost of the 40c is a bit less than the 45c....but that's less of a factor for me than the trigger.

Thanks. Your post is an excellent reply, since I also own a M&P 9c and wonder how its trigger compares to the 45c. You indicate they both have decent triggers. I agree the 45c is not as concealable as the 9c or the Shield that I'll carry most times. But its use will be limited for those time when I just feel like carrying a 45....and of course it will see use at the range. I enjoy shooting 45s for a variety of reasons.....one is brass pick up and reloading 45s is SO much easier than the "lessor calibers".

I have both and like both. Both have factory triggers, and the 45C's trigger is definitely heavier than the 40C's.
I have the Apex parts for the 40C, but haven't installed them yet.

I do carry both guns, but carry the 40C more often because it is smaller and lighter.

Its not about the triggers as both can be made comparable . Handle each one and buy what feels best to YOU for your needs . I don't like a M&P45c for a carry handgun . Compact its not .

Very nice pictures, thanks for including those. I am still trying to decide. I dry fired my yet unfired M&P 9c a couple hundred times today, just trying to break in the pistol without breaking the bank! That trigger is okay with me, but right at the heaviest I'd like it to be. If the trigger on the 45c is much heavier/mushier I'd not like to shoot it as much, and would probably carry it less. I'm assuming the trigger on the 40c is identical to that on the 9c, but I have no basis for that assumption.
And I agree the 45c is not the best for EDC due to its size, at least compared to its smaller siblings. But then, I just returned from a motorcycle trip where I carried a Glock 42 (380 acp) for three weeks, and then carried my Shield yesterday....made the Shield feel like a howitzer in comparison! <g>

I have both, and the frame on the 45 is just enough different to feel worlds better in my hands. Not much difference in the triggers, that I can tell.

Thanks, that sounds good to me. I don't believe I have ever heard anyone say the 45c didn't feel "good" in their hands....which is very important I know. I am still going back and forth on the issue of what to get; the 45c or 40c. I wish I could shoot or at least handle each gun, but many LGSs here will not let a customer dry fire the pistols. And the general phrase "trigger quality" is also important to me. Oh, they will once you're filled out the paperwork as an "inspection", but I don't want to do that for each gun in which I'm interested!

To me a quality trigger needs to be smooth and trigger pull typ matters less but heavy has its limits too even . Some minor polishing the stock m&p triggers can be improved and many times a apex striker block change makes enough improvement tom please many . It would be nice to have a 5lb trigger stock but even the stock trigger does tend to lighten with use some .

If you looking at the 45C as felling like the smaller models Its does not to me . but its still m&p .

I've read many accounts of 45C having a much heavier trigger than the other M&Ps. And, my own 45C had a VERY heavy trigger before I installed the Apex parts. It is much better now.

The 45C is a notably larger, bulkier pistol than the 40C, and carries two fewer rounds with native mags. For carry, the 40C is arguably easier to conceal and less noticeable on your body because it is lighter and leaner. The 40C is also likely to have a much better trigger in stock configuration.

I carry my 40C with the pinky extension on the mags which makes the gun fit my hand just great... compact, but very nice. 11 rounds of forty in a gun as easy and comfortable to shoot well, and as compact and easy to carry as the 40C is, is nearly a perfect combination of potency, capacity, and shootability for a civilian carry gun.

These are good points. I've just about decided that 45c isn't the pistol I need at this point.....I THINK I'd need a trigger mod to be happy with it, and as you say, the 45c might be large for me to carry, realistically. The 40c would be better, at least for size if not the trigger also....but I have a 9c now and want something "different". I have started thinking about the Sig P320 in 40 or 45......a bit more expensive, but it reportedly has a much better trigger than the stock M&P. The P320 40S&W "Carry" model looks pretty good, although it's a bit larger than the M&P40c, but does have a bit more magazine capacity.

What??? The 45c is not concealable? I have no trouble concealing a full size M&P45 so, the 45c is easily concealed.

The 40c is a bit smaller though.

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Freedom isn't free.

Yes, the 45C is concealable. I can do so without any problem at all, wearing shorts and a quality-weight t-shirt (that isn't spandex-like-form-fitting):



But the 40C is more concealable in terms of feeling less weight, less bulk, and would be somewhat less likely to print.

Yep, can't argue with that.....................