Why should you buy a compact M&P

Houdini1953 · Mar 10, 2012

Why should anyone buy a compact M&P? Well there is great versatility in doing so, you can still use full sized mags with X-Grips for the look and feel of a full sized weapon at the range.

You can not do the opposite with a full size.
How many rounds do you really need even with a compact you should be able to neutralize most situations in no more than two or three well placed shots, anything with more than one target and then you are in real trouble.

Although I might buy another 45 full size tomorrow due to the great price if it were a compact I would buy it!

spirit4earth · Mar 10, 2012

+1 on that!!

darksideemt · Mar 10, 2012

My next hand gun will be a M&P 9c. Some reasons for what you said and the other is it's cheaper to shoot then my 40's.

PATRONE · Mar 11, 2012

Absolutely no complaints on my .40compact. I carry it every day all day, and it's a joy at the range.

SMMAssociates · Mar 11, 2012

The Full Size guns are "Service" guns - to be worn on a duty belt, or on the nightstand, truck glovebox, etc. Really kind of big for concealed carry. The Compacts, OTOH, are quite a bit smaller (particularly in the grips), but conceal beautifully, and are roughly as accurate/convenient otherwise.

(I like to carry an M&P40C around the house, with a full size magazine on my belt as a spare. The FS mag is only slightly harder to conceal, and since I use the same holster for both the FS and Compact, if I get the itch to carry the big one around the house, I don't have to remember to swap spare magazines. "Outdoors", it's an Officer's-sized 1911.)

Unrelated, sort of, but I found that an open-bottom DeSantis slide with a top strap that I originally bought for an XD9SC fits the M&P's just fine once the Chicago screw is tightened a bit. Works fine with either size, or an M&P9C.

Note that the 40FS seems to have a slightly stiffer recoil than the 40C, but the 40C is a tad snappier. If you're a 1911 guy, you'll get past that real fast. The 9mm Compact is a popgun

....

(I just picked up an RIA "Tactical" 1911, with rails. IT fits that same holster.... Why anybody'd want to carry the thing, though, I'm not sure. About 3# loaded.... But I don't have to buy another holster

.)

Regards,

Rangel · Mar 11, 2012

The answer to your question: Why should anyone buy a compact M&P?, is as my mother, in her
infinite wisdom used to say: "Because".

Then again, that's just the answer for US. She didn't need a gun, after all. Even Chuck Norris was afraid of her wooden spoon and deadly back hand......

Helderberg · Mar 11, 2012

Rangel said:
The answer to your question: Why should anyone buy a compact M&P?, is as my mother, in her
infinite wisdom used to say: "Because".

Then again, that's just the answer for US. She didn't need a gun, after all. Even Chuck Norris was afraid of her wooden spoon and deadly back hand......

Are you the brother I never knew I had? Our Mothers must have trained together. Great memories.

Frank.

Atlas · Mar 11, 2012

I say buy them because they are great

But I'm biased

Just picked one up and very impressed.

sburg · Mar 11, 2012

Well I bought the 9c because I wanted one. Pretty much the only reason I need.

But now you're telling me I need a 45c? Shesh.

Atlas · Mar 11, 2012

Hmmm, might mean I'll have to look at the 9c then. Just to be fair!

Houdini1953 · Mar 11, 2012

Hey that is what this forum is for but we all live and learn do we not, might be the reason why I started this thread in the first place, but that is OK I buy guns anyway as long as they are Smith&Wesson and especially M&P's!

mbnatt · Mar 11, 2012

Feels good and shoots good?

dirty gary · Mar 11, 2012

My 40c is the go-to gun. At home it wears a rail-mounted light, fullsize mags, and Crimson Trace laser grip. When I go out, I drop the light and switch to the original mags. Will definitly pick up a 45 when the opportunity arises.

xICEMANx · Mar 12, 2012

I had a full size M&P9, sold it to my brother in law after picking up an 9c. Got a couple x-grip adaptors and love it! I sware it's as accurate as my full size 9. I like the ability to conceal it and have the 17 round mags if needed. Best of both worlds IMO.

264BORESTEVE · Mar 12, 2012

Hey Atlas. What kinda ammo you shootin' in that thing! Or is it just still glowing hot in the photo? Looks like the end of my M&P after a "good" day at the range!

kentuckyrifle · Mar 12, 2012

Convinced

I can't decide whether I want a M&P Compact .40 or 9. I've heard the arguments on both sides. I was leaning towards the 9, but now the .40 is catching my interest. I like the idea of being able to convert my .40 to a 9. That's one reason why I want the .40. Someone convince me one way or the other please. Is the converted 9 as good as buying the 9mm compact?

Dan

Atlas · Mar 12, 2012

264BORESTEVE said:
Hey Atlas. What kinda ammo you shootin' in that thing! Or is it just still glowing hot in the photo? Looks like the end of my M&P after a "good" day at the range!

All powder residue baby!!!!
That was 175 rnds of FMJ in about 50 minutes. Run 'em hard to see if I trust them.

Only time it wasn't firing was between reloading magazines.

Rangel · Mar 12, 2012

kentuckyrifle said:
I can't decide whether I want a M&P Compact .40 or 9. I've heard the arguments on both sides. I was leaning towards the 9, but now the .40 is catching my interest. I like the idea of being able to convert my .40 to a 9. That's one reason why I want the .40. Someone convince me one way or the other please. Is the converted 9 as good as buying the 9mm compact?

Dan

Some say for potential critical defense carry, if you have a 40, that you should always carry in 40--that if you shoot 9 or 357, there's a remote chance you could get a 'hang up' at the worst time.

But at least you have the options (after paying some more $$$ to convert) to shoot three different loads and not just one and for more 'fun on the range'....

SMMAssociates · Mar 12, 2012

kentuckyrifle:

You can stick (stock) 9mm mags and a Storm Lake 9mm barrel into a 40, and expect more than adequate reliability for the range. I'm not sure I'd trust it for carry.

You should not use the "stock" S&W 9mm barrel in this conversion - it's not designed to work with the slightly different .40 breech face. (I've not tried this, and it still might be adequate for the range.) You can't go the other way and put the .40 into a 9mm slide.

I think I'd grab the .40 first, and add the 9mm later, when the VISA cools down. 9mm ammunition is cheaper, but that'll give you time to play. Meantime, you should find the .40 isn't all that nasty - especially if you're a 1911 guy. The 9mm is a popgun

.

The guys at Apex are supposed to be working on a .22 conversion for the M&P. No idea when that'll be available, though. I'm thinking about that.

(I've got the .40FS and .40C, and a 9C. The three all seem to be about as accurate, and while the .40's are a tad snappier - the FS' longer barrel builds up a bit of a recoil punch - they're all shootable.)

I think that the .357 Sig "upgrade" to the .40 uses a stock barrel - the magazines are the same - but ammunition is hard to find, expensive, etc. I doubt if there are any reliability issues.

In my case, I bought a 9C for my daughter and decided that I wanted the thumb safety on my 40C. Swapped magazines and the slide/barrel. Apex DCAEK kits in all of my M&P's, and RAM kits in all but the thumb-safety frame.

(My daughter didn't want the thumb safety anyway. Didn't want the gun, either, yet. I keep it around, just in case she changes her mind.)

Regards,

kentuckyrifle · Mar 13, 2012

Appreciate the advice. I have seen where some converted 9mm sometimes have trouble extracting. Wouldn't want that to happen in a sticky situation. Thanks!

Why should you buy a compact M&P

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