Hello everyone,

I am new to this forum and new to forums in general.

I just want to start off by saying I live in Jersey City, NJ and I just put my Ruger P90 on consignment to get a new S&W M&P. I think those things are amazing! I am also a southpaw, so the ambi controls help a lot!

My dilemma is the store that I put my Ruger for sale at has ONE m&p 40 left and everywhere else says that the m&ps go like hotcakes as soon as they hit the store.

So, my question is, from everyone's personal experiences, Should I wait for the 9mm or go with the 40 if they have it?

I had a Ruger p90 .45 and dont care too much about extra change spent on ammo and the recoil is not a problem for me. The fact that that the .40 holds 15rds is nice since in NJ we can't have the 17 rds anyway.

NUMBER ONE THING IM WORRIED ABOUT IS WEAR AND TEAR.

Will a .40 really affect the gun more than a 9mm?

Rent before you buy. You might not like the snapy recoil of the 40.

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Thanks Arik,

I heard that the .40 can be more snappy than a .45

as long as its no where near a s&w .44 mag, than I dont care about snappy. Im a bigger guy can can take a little extra recoil... I will see if I can find a shop that has this gun for rent... Is the snap from a .40 generally the same from difference manufacturers?

This is one cal. I never shot yet, so im clueless about it.

I am not familiar with NJ law. In Utah I could buy the 40 M&P assuming retail $449 turn around same day and sell on utahgunexchange for around $650 ($700 9 mm) and wait for the 9mm.

I like the 9mm. However my wife being southpaw would prefer controls on right side especially safety.

Russ

P.S. 9mm in my opinion is the ideal ccw round.

You can down covert the m&p 40 to 9 mm by switching barrel and mags. I got my 9mm barrel from midway for $67. That way you can shoot what ever ammo you can find

i have the .40, and the recoil is not a problem. Besides, if you buy the .40 you can buy a 9mm barrel for it, and convert it back and forth. In these uncertain times, I think I'd jump on the .40, if you can get it for a good price.

Prices around here are insane... I wish I lived in PA or something. HAHA

M&P.40 is going for $625...

You guys are awesome! as long as the 9mm barrel doesn't cause problems, that sounds like the BEST idea.... Im going for the .40 and getting the conversion kit. Thanks guys...

Any comments on stippling... Thats probably the first thing I want to do when I get my new tool...

My advice would be to get the 40.

CDNN has the M&P's for $549 right now.

You don't need a conversion kit!!! All you need is a factory 9mm barrel. You can even use .40 mags but the last round may not feed. Use 9mm mags for better feeding.

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Kirk / Spock 2020

Can you go from 9mm to a 40 cal barrel?

From what I heard, you can't.

Really? I would think that the hole where the barrel goes through would be too big for a 9mm barrel. Is there any difference to the barrel passage's size from 40 to 9?

get the 9mm, the 40 is a waste of money and it's harder on the gun/snappier/harder to control. Better to spend time practicing.

The barrels are the same diameter. The reason you can't switch from 9mm to .40 is the breechface on the 9 is too small to accommodate the .40 case.

Glocks are different sizes, but on the M&P they are the same size.

Get the 40. I have one with over 5k through it and it is great. This year, I got a 9mm factory barrel, 2 mags, casting and reloading equipment for 9mm and have shot about 1k with it.

A 120g 9mm bullet at 1100 fps feels just like a 180g 40 bullet at 730 fps. I've made 40 loads with that speed with 3.0g Clays and you will not be able to tell the difference between the two loads. I typically shoot the 180g 40 S&W @ about 980 fps and it definitely feels like you are shooting more than a puny little 9mm pop gun.

If you are recoil sensitive, then 9mm is the way to go. If you are used to shooting military rounds of 45ACP, you would be comfortable shooting the M&P 40. I have no problems shooting 200 rounds of 40 S&W at any session and the more you shoot it, the more you get used to it and the better you get. After that, the 9 feels like an airsoft gun.

The interchangable design sold me my first M&P. Love it! If they get a good trigger, that will sell me my second.

My first gun was a Ruger P90 .45 ACP and it was not harsh at all. As a matter of fact, my father-in-law and I went to the range and shot his S&W .44 MAG (BTW, Sexiest looking gun ever! I felt like Rick Grimes from "The Walking Dead" shooting it one-handed). I was hitting the bullseye from aboout 15 yeards out one handed. That was FUN!

So, anyways. with my first gun being .45 ACP and shooting a .44 and 9mm regularly, I don't feel .40 will have such a big effect on me! All I worry about is wear and tear and ammo accessibility. Now that I hear you can convert to 9mm, I'm SOLD!!!!

+1

There is a reason the Shield 9mm is going for more on gunbroker than the 40 caliber.

I just got back from the range and after a box of 9mm through my 19 oz Shield and a box of 45 auto through my full size 40 oz XD I think not on a 40 Shield.

I don't mind a little recoil but I don't want such a kick I flinch my shots.

Russ

I have both, prefer the 40 cal. Premium ammo is about the same cost for both, so are components to load. I don't feel much difference in recoil, either. The 40 cal is a more effective defense cartridge, by a fair margin. If only one of the two, make mine 40......

WELCOME GET THE MP49 , BUY THE MP40 , BUY THE MP9 BARREL AND A MP9 MAGAZINE AND HAVE THE BEST OF BOTH WORLDS A MP49

Around here .40 ammo is much easier to find than 9mm.

Around here .40 ammo is much easier to find than 9mm.

Thats one main reason why I am considering the .40 as well. 9mm went on a BIG drought for a while. Its a very popular rnd. In case i need some ammo, I know with the M&P .40 with a 9mm barrel, I have options. That is all the reasoning I need. Anyone from Jersey? If the store I put my Ruger on consignment doesn't have an M&P, im going somewhere else to find one.

How does everyone feel about glocks or sigs as a backup if I cant find an M&P? HAHA i'd rather wait for one, which im probably gonna do, but just curious on the input.

Gee I heard somewhere CDNN has M&P 40's for $549... They have 9's also.

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Kirk / Spock 2020

Love it. Going to tell everyone who asks that I have an M&P 49 now.

To the OP - get the 40 and just order a 9mm barrel from Midway (but be patients, the in-stock date keeps getting pushed back). Wait until magazine prices drop back to normal and grab a few of them. Keep in mind, you CAN use the 40/357 mags, but the last round won't feed.

Once you get used to the recoil of the 40, you learn to deal with it.

It's that way south of Exit 98, too. In fact, I was torn between a 9 and 40 at my LGS and wanted to take a night to think it over. I left there and walked into Dick's for some 12-guage shells and the only handgun ammo they had was 40. I took that as a sign and bought a few boxes, then went back to the LGS that night and did the paperwork. Had no idea about the barrel swap at that time, so that was icing on the cake when I found out.

For me the 9 is fine and is enough to do what I need it to do for SD. Go with the 9.

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44 Garrett Defender Ammo 4 me.

Buy the.40, not only does it convert to a 9mm with a barrel/mag swap, it also converts to a 357 sig with just a barrel swap. I have an m&p 40 FS and it has 40/357 sig on the mag.

If it were me I'd do the same thing again, get the 40...

Have the full size, liked it so much I just got a 40c for carry.

Grabbed a couple XGrips so I can run full size mags through the compact for range time.

I'd get the 40 too. As others said you can swap the barrel to 9 so you can have both if you want. I'm seeing 40 ammo on the shelves here and there and 9mm anmo is sold out.

A .40 allows you to shoot .40, .357, and 9mm for the cost of a gun and, 2 more barrels. This is good for when 9mm is sold out all over the nation. .40 is a bit easier to get and .357 is even easier to get.

The 9mm, simply allows you to shoot 9mm with no other option.

The answer is clear as to which one is the better bang for the buck.

My take on it is, if you shoot a pistol shoot the largest caliber you can handle. I have the Shield, and compact in .40, also a Kahr MK40, sweet pistol. And I love them all. I also purchased a .40 carbine. I love the .40 round. Yes it is a little snappy, but if that is what you shoot you will adapt to it. The best part right now, at least in my area the .40 ammo is plentyfull. I can buy as much of it as I want to. 9mm on the other hand is very limited. The Carbine is amazing in .40 caliber, dead nuts accurate, and the fps and foot pounds of impact approach .357 and 10mm very close. So it is a very lethal round out of the carbine. You could take down med. game with it. The S&W .40 is a nice caliber, but is not for everyone, but it is definatly no joke on take down power. Find one and shoot it to see if you can handle it. Both guns are the same size diamentionally so that is a trade off. Folks buy guns out of impulse later to find out it does not fit their needs. Shoot one first before you purchase.

BUY A MP 49 40 WITH A 9 BARREL

I have the full size 40 and my wife has the 9. Both are great weapons but I like the 40 because it has more energy then the 9. My wife is small so she enjoys the lite recoil of the 9.

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I opted for the M&P 40 FS. (waiting on a Storm Lake 9mm for plinking). I've read complaints about "snappy"/heavy recoil, but honestly I really don't think the 40 recoil is a big deal in the M&P. It is very controlable and quite accurate in fairly rapid fire. Just my opinion. Like a few other members noted, I think one should shoot the largest round he or she can handle accurately and comfortably.

The 40 for sure and like others have said you can get a 357 sig and a 9mm barrel (and I recommend 9mm magazines). What a bounus weapon.

I have a full size 9 and a compact 40. The 40c is easy to handle. I'll shoot a couple hundred rounds thru the 40c at the range and don't feel beat up. I have and shoot both the compact and full size mags in my 40c. I have shot my 9 at the end of a range day and it feels like it has half the recoil. The 9mm is now my wife's gun.

Also I'm glad I went with the compact 40. I'n hindsight I wish I went with a compact 9 also.

The 40 is awesome.

I also went with the .40 for better protection in the wilderness.

Read these threads.
I have heard that some have narrowed the 40 tang to fit a 9 slide. (there is a thread somewhere but I can't find it)

Questions on M&P40c conversion to 9mm

Stock 9mm Barrel vs Storm Lake 9mm Conversion Barrel

This is my advice as well. I can typically find .40 S&W but good luck finding 9. That and the ability to convert to a 9 would sell me on the .40 unless you absolutely knew you only wanted to shoot 9mm.

My wife likes shooting my 40fs! So it's not an issue! And she's a thin young woman!

Get 40, 9mm barrel, best of both worlds!

I believe there is a 10rd mag limit in NJ? Correct? If so then they both hold 10 so the 9 has zero advantage other than less recoil.
:-)
Kmac

15-round limit. I did order 3 9mm mags, but they're on back-order until...2024 or something like that Had to get the 10-rounders for it. When (if) they ever arrive, I might just keep them loaded with HPs in case I ever need to use it at 2am and use the 15-round 40/357s for the range.

Ware and tear will not be a problem with the 40, and as was stated above, if you want to convert your M&P 40 to a 9mm all you need is a barrel and 9mm mags. I have the 40 FS and like it a lot.

It's not just the tang, the breechface itself on the 9 will not accommodate the .40 case.

I am very happy to continue to read articles about barrel switching.

When I finally took the slide off my 40 cal glock, and instead of pondering why it took so much pressure to push a 40 under the extractor - I pushed a 9mm under the extractor and it went perfectly. (forehead slap)

When my 40 cal Glock was new and the experts (other places) were telling me not to try to feed the first shell in slowly (let the slide slam closed) - and other experts on bullets and kabooms were saying how it can loosen the bullet head feeding it fast.
And then my instincts that are based on my father being an automobile mechanic at a time when many parts were fitted. I was determined to find out why the 40 glock feeds slam bang, and fix it or sell it.

I had read too many stories about limp wristing jams, particularly on the second to last cartridge in chamber. I noticed in mine the second to last cartridge was the least supported and teeter tottered on only one cartridge below it. Which led me to eventually notice how the cartridge was not sliding up under the extractor easily. Now my opinion is that the limp wristing FTF jams have more than one issue.

I got spoiled years ago by my S&W model 19. You can of course switch back and forth from 357 to 38 special with any 357mag. At minimum one runs a bore brush through the cylinder after lots of 38 special in case any powder ridge is building up at end of where the 38 special shell extends in the chamber.

Now if I could find a parts supplier that has an extractor for my 40 cal glock that was built for 40 cal shells only, then I would be happy.

As it sits with me right now I am going to buy a S&W in 45 caliber so I know that it is what it is.

I want to thank everyone for joining this thread as it is my first thread. I really hope I can get my hands on an M&p 40 so I can join the family. I'll keep you all posted and post pictures when I finally get it!!! Thanks for all the really awesome info and keep shooting!!!

Good shooting, and good luck finding your pistol.

never shot the 40 but I can vouch for the 9. Got mine late November and have been very pleased with the gun.

I added big dot sights and the APEX kit. A sweet shooting gun!