$750 Budget: What M&P 9mm / Options?

Llando88

Llando88

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Hi, the Boss Lady has given me a $750 one-time use budget for a new service pistol.

It will be for home defense, general target shooting and (maybe) future competition. I've picked the M&P FS 4.25" in 9mm due to price, reliability, accuracy, capacity, and ergonomics.

Given that, which one of the M&Ps / which accesories would you get / not get?

I am leaning towards catalog no. 178035, a FS Pro, no safety, with the night sights. The problem is, I can't find a dealer that has one of these I can see to take a look at.

I'd like to evaluate the 'night sights' vs. say a Fiber Optic front sight. If say I got the Pro, and replaced the sights with a 10-8 FO and blacked out rear, I'd be right around $750.

Or maybe I should get a standard line pistol, and put upgraded sights on it, and save the cash?

Would like some opinions on the above. Any things to consider in making this decision would be appreciated.

V/R

Rich
 
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The one you mentioned sounds like a good start. I saw somewhere that somebody is making a combo fiber optic night sight unit I see if I can find the manufacturer.
In any event I'd get the one you like the most then get a good holster for competition or whatever you want to do with it. As you progress in your field of endeavor you will make changes to the piece to set it up to your liking.
Personally I prefer night sights, but that's just me.
Dale
 
You're leaning a lot left and right. Check out the other name brands and hold what's in the gun store's stock. I personally love my ruger Sr40c. 15 capacity, $500, carry ready, great shooter. I don't have experience with the s&w automatics. I love their revolvers for an always loaded with no springs being compressed and wearing out home defense gun.

Drive out to the next gun store and see what they have. I went 100 miles out to find the best gunsmith, and 50 miles out to find the best store. Guns are important enough to spend a whole Saturday shopping, then when you zero in on the one you want in stock you can spend a Saturday to go get it.

Sent from my HTC One X using Tapatalk
 
And look up reviews on the store. I personally know a loanshark who refuses to deal with a crooked store owner. He's the closest store to my house, and I never go in that place. His online reviews and his employees tell a similar story (when they're far away from the store).

Sent from my HTC One X using Tapatalk
 
Ameriglo makes sights that are a combination of fiber optic/night sights.

I say buy the M&P with the regular stock sights, and then put the sights on seperatly. Everyone has their own opinion of what sights are the best. I think the 10-8 rear is a great choice, but would lean toward the Dawson Precision front sight for the red fiber optic.
 
Any chance you are a first responder? Former military? Volunteer fire dept? You can get special M&P pricing ($399) if you qualify.
 
The Pro version (178035) is identical to the standard 4.25" version other than the night sights and Pro sear. The pro sear reduces the trigger pull by about 1 lb compared to the standard sear.

I usually see the Pro for about $100 more than the standard version. So for $100, you are getting night sights and an upgraded sear.

You could save $ and opt for a standard version. This would allow you to upgrade the sights yourself. If you are unhappy with the trigger, you can always put in an Apex sear for about $40. In fact, some may argue the Apex sear is better than the Pro sear anyway.
 
I wouldn't give a dime for night sights of any sort.

If you are looking at inexpensive pistols (seems you are) on a budget of $750.00 including accessories, spend your extra money on a great belt and holster.

Spend the rest on ammo to learn to shoot your pistol.
 
Stock M&P, with apex goodies and Tru-Glo TFOs (tritium fiber optic). TFOs are like $70 and are fantastic in low light/ no light and even better in daylight. Butter.
 
^^^ Many thanks all, exactly the type of info I'm looking for.

Yes, new to shooting pistols. but not new to guns, if that makes any sense. Not LEO or Military, but I'm in Aerospace business.

I've joined a range and have been shooting rental pistols of all kinds to see what I'm comfortable with. I keep coming back to the M&P due to the factors I mentioned. I've shot Glocks, Sigs, H&K, SA, and a Luger P08 (that was fun :) )

I've been wondering exactly what you get for the Pro series price, now I think I have a much better idea.

Much obliged all.

Rich
 
Bigmac got it right, I had the exact same setup on both my compact and fullsize before CZ's took hold of my addiction.
 
Llando88 said:
Hi, the Boss Lady has given me a $750 one-time use budget for a new service pistol.

It will be for home defense, general target shooting and (maybe) future competition.
Click to expand...

As it is the FS, I would bet good money that your new gun will in fact become your "home defense" handgun. A little too big to be your EDC.

With Home Defense in mind -- be thinking middle of the night encounters. First objective is to light up the world, and while doing so, scare the **** out of the perp while giving you visual accuracy. Nothing does this better than the Viridian Gen 2 X5L green laser/light.

mOMaF_C1Y_y6XqbHms_ARWg.jpg



http://www.viridiangreenlaser.com/xl5-laser-sight

Shop around and you can get it for under $300 -- which is right in line with your budget (FS 9 plus laser/light).

It has six different laser/light combinations -- I keep mine set on pulsing light and solid laser.
 
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Why don't you get the gun, shoot it & decide what you'd like to accessorize it with later? You'll need a holster & a good belt to hang it on for starters. If you're new to firearms & shooting you could spend accessory money on a good training class. If you ever intend to carry concealed you'll need to take classes or whatever requirement you'll need in your state. That & the license itself will cost you money. You may also want more than one holster - an inside the waistband & an outside the waistband. You'd be surprised how much excess funds you can eat up after the purchase of a firearm & ammo might not be the least of it. A good stock of practice & self defense ammo is a necessity. A couple of mags of SD ammo is all that's needed in addition for some to shoot to make sure it goes through the gun okay. Then don't forget cleaning supplies. You'll want to clean the gun initially & lube it according to the owner's manual. Then you should clean & lube the firearm after a shooting session.

Do some research before buying anything. You have a good start by asking right here. It's always nice, especially when buying holsters to be able to actually see one in person after your research. Everyone has their own idea on what method & materials are needed to clean a firearm, what holsters are best, which ammo to use, how often to shoot your weapon to keep up your proficiency. You have your work cut out for you. Good luck!
 
Someone school me up here. Based on what I see on the S&W website, the M&P 178035 is not the Pro model. Am I missing something?

Further, I disagree with Der Biermeister on adding a light/laser immediately. First learn and study pistol handling fundamentals. Without those, the laser won't help you hit your target.

Also, I don't like a weapon mounted light. Searching your house with one of those means sweeping all kinds of stuff with the muzzle you don't want to shoot. That is always a bad idea. For the average home owner, a hand held light is better.

Maybe these things can be added later, but I believe the money is better spent on ammo and training at this point.
 
I agree with Rsatoff... Start with just the pistol, ammo and training (and maybe a couple more spare mags).

You say you're new to pistols, but not to guns in general.
Even though you're not new to guns in general, it'd still be good to take an Intro to Pistols class, just to reinforce good practices and eliminate any bad habits you may be picking up from being 'self-taught' to pistols.

You may find that while you may WANT new sights, lasers and other stuff, that you may not NEED them.
I've used rail mounted lasers for Snap-Cap (dry fire) practice, to help minimize gun movement, but I've never used them for carry, or HD. I pretty much figure that it's another electronic device where the batteries will not want to cooperate when you need 'em the most. :)
 
Forgot to add although I originally intended to say this - a gun mounted flashlight will cut down your choices in holsters drastically. A friend bought a flashlight & later he bought a holster designed for light mounts. Trouble is - the light he had didn't fit.

As others had already told you you'll be sweeping everything including possible family members with a gun mounted light & it makes for a good aiming point for an intruder. The pros of having a mounted light is that you can always hold the gun with 2 hands.
 
I'd stay away from Fiber Optic sights for an HD gun. They don't take on enough light inside to show up. My preference for sights that are good for day and night is the Trijicon HDs.
 
shlike said:
I am former military. How to I go about getting the special price?
Click to expand...

Well glad you asked!!!

I sometimes sound like I sell for Bud's Police Supply, but I have no affiliation with them besides buying about 8 guns a year from them... :D

While there are a lot of places you can buy at first responder / LEO pricing, I find Bud's is easy for me. I live in the sticks, and I can order online and have it shipped for free to my FFL.

I just got an M&P 45c for $442, with three mags and free shipping. Try to beat that price anywhere else!

I am former Army, so I faxed them a copy of my DD214. After that, you are in the system and good to go.

I buy all my M&P's with night sights for $455. I buy Shields (3 so far) for $335. They have BG380's in stock right now for $320!

Take a look! I think I should ask them to advertise on this forum as much as I promote them.... :p

.
 
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