M&P 9, flat dark earth intersted in opinions

[michaeld1953]

I love the looks of this gun and seen a review of the M&P9 against the Glock and hands down I would have bought the M&P. Haven't got my hands on it yet but tried a Glock 19 Gen4 and liked it but when I seen this, I got to have it. What has been your experience with the M&P9?

[Kaliman]

I love it. Watch any Magpul video and Chris Costa and Travis Haley both use M&Ps. And those guys know their stuff.

[MSG Glenn]

I can't reply to the color as it wouldn't make any difference to me. I have no experience with M&Ps. I have an M&P 40C on order & am anxiously waiting for it to arrive. My son is a Milwaukee PO & his issue gun is an M&P 40. He absolutely loves it. He was issued it brand new & out of the box & after cleaning the factory grease off of it he went on to fire between 3000 & 4000 rounds of Blazer through it at the academy. He has my Glock 23 & 21 that I gave him & thought those were the best guns around. That is until he fired the M&P. When I was looking for a replacement G23 after WI finally got a concealed carry law he convinced me to get an M&P 40C. I got a great deal on it & the Police Supply store I bought it from no longer handles Glock. The downside is the long wait I'll have but mine will come with 3 mags & Trijicon night sights cheaper than I can buy a standard civilian deal Glock w/ 2 mags & factory sights. About $150 less. Maybe even pricier at this time. Regardless what the gun sells for due to inflated prices mine price is locked in.

I can't imagine the 9MM versions to be any different.

[Arik]

Im indifferent to FDE or regular black. No preferences one way or the other.

Differences between The G and S&W are also too minor for me. Both are excellent. Only thing i would be against is the Gen4 Glock. They had a whole bunch of problems with that gen when they decided to mess with the extractor. I would stick with gen3 or earlier for the sure thing.

At one point i owned all 3 M&Ps. 9, 357/40 and 45. I preferred the trigger on the Glock and ultimately stayed with just the M&P45. But you really cant go wrong with either.


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[MSG Glenn]

Supposedly the trigger has been improved on the M&Ps in newer guns. They use the Shield trigger now which is supposed to be quite nice. My son likes the trigger on his 40 FS a bit better than his Glocks which as you say are good. Any grittiness goes away soon & the 6.5 trigger pull is fine for SD purposes. For those who are super critical an APEX trigger kit will do the trick.

[shawn mccarver]

Originally Posted by michaeld1953

I love the looks of this gun and seen a review of the M&P9 against the Glock and hands down I would have bought the M&P. Haven't got my hands on it yet but tried a Glock 19 Gen4 and liked it but when I seen this, I got to have it. What has been your experience with the M&P9?

For most members of this Forum, our "experience" with the M&P of any variety cannot match the experience of this 62,000 round torture test.

pistol-training.com * Blog Archive * M&P Endurance Test Ends

The M&P has still not, as far as I know, been able to match the Glock 17, many examples of which exist which have fired 250,000 rounds or more, but still, 62,000 rounds is nothing to sneeze at. It probably falls short of the 1911 also in terms of what the 1911 is capable of as proven by the military, with many examples having upwards of 100,000 rounds, but the 1911 requires perhaps more tuning and parts exchanges over the course of that and the Glock 17 and the M&P 9mm can pretty well be serviced by the end user with a small amount of armorer training (as opposed to the gunsmith typing fitting for which the end user must be trained for to keep the 1911 going). The big exception with the polymer frame Glock and M&P is the fact that when the polymer frames finally "gives up the ghost," you are left with a still serviceable slide and other parts. An advantage of the M&P is the fact that, like FN, the rails are replaceable as they are not molded into the polymer as with the Glock.

I think the only weak point in the M&P is the questionable little fiber "tampon" in the trigger return spring, but that is only a problem if the gun is submerged allowing it to get wet, causing it to either "go south" causing the spring to vibrate itself into two pieces in VERY short order or, if it stays in the spring and it got wet with water, causing the spring to rust itself badly enough that the vibration of the spring causes it to break.

The "tampon" is there to "dampen the harmonics of the spring," which is a fancy way of saying that without the "tampon," the spring will literally vibrate itself to a very quick a premature death. I wish to stress that this is really only an issue of the spring gets wet, and it is easily replaced. By getting "wet," I am also referring to dampening it with lube, solvents or cleaning sprays, so please exercise caution. In fact, S&W recommends regular replacement of this part in its armorer and agency training - every 3,000 rounds or so, I think. For my purposes, that will be a big hurdle to overcome in relation to military adoption of the pistol, as many of those types of tests involve submersion, which is a more likely in military use than in LE use. For the most part, S&W's M&P 9 has been beat out by Glock in military testing, including the recent test by the British to adopt a new handgun to replace the aging Browning High Power. The Glock won, as predicted. It does not have spring harmonics issues requiring fiber "tampon" inserts, and although the trigger spring on the Glock has been known to break, it is not predictable and may never occur. They have pretty well engineered around it, which is wise, and if there is any issue, the coil trigger spring can be replaced by the nearly unbreakable leaf spring of the so-called NY Trigger spring, which, when combined with the 3.5 pound connector, results in about the same weight of trigger pull as the standard coil trigger spring with the 5 pound connector. I wish S&W would find a similar solution, as the M&P has many other characteristics to recommend it to such service. I am a big fan of the M&P and feel that it is fully up to the challenges of ordinary civilian law enforcement and at both the state and federal level.

It is too bad that NYPD, LAPD, FBI, Sercret Service, and the others cannot "get with the program" and adopt an American made product. S&W has always "jumped through hoops" for its LE customers, despite some pretty ratty treatment by those same customers, including "teletype bashing" anytime some ill-trained department firearms guy decides a "product warning" should be sent out to every other agency in the world because some moron who is not a gun guy had some malfunction or another on the range attributable to the moron and not the gun. This has also happened when some "know-it-all" at an agency decides he knows more than S&W and specifies changes to the standard design which result in later malfunctions. The 1076 of the FBI and the CS-1 Customs Service contracts come to mind.

In any event, I think the M&P 9 will be a great gun for you, and I certainly think you should get one.

[michaeld1953]

I am buying the M&P as soon as I can find any color and see if it fits my hand as well as the SD series and the M&P 22. If it does not have that special feel then it's out. If the feel hits a homerun I will get the FDE, fine looking weapon and carry her to the house. Going with the 9.

[OneJzsupra]

Originally Posted by michaeld1953

I am buying the M&P as soon as I can find any color and see if it fits my hand as well as the SD series and the M&P 22. If it does not have that special feel then it's out. If the feel hits a homerun I will get the FDE, fine looking weapon and carry her to the house. Going with the 9.

You should have a look at the Vtac m&p, I want a fde frame to go with my core.

[Bitties5Deuce]

Own it and love it! About 2-3k rnds through it with no problems. Did some stippling on it as well.
ImageUploadedByTapatalk1365912802.620788.jpgImageUploadedByTapatalk1365912853.876465.jpg

[ColumbusJBR]

FWIW my buddy just bought a m&p 9 about a week ago and I must say the trigger reset has been much improved. Still a little heavy and still gritty but I was jealous of the reset. New 9 shoots great!

[mlapaglia]

I have the fde m&p 9MM full size from Cabela's and I love it. More than My Glock 17 or 19. Its worth it.

[scattershot]

I have the 40c in black and love it, but I have a 45c in the FDE color, and it looks pretty grimy after a range session, and is hard to clean. A minor point, to be sure, but a consideration.

[tenntucker]

I love it. In fact, I had to get the 40 5" Pro and the 40C.

[Gyrene6891]

I have had a M&P 40 FS for some time now and have fed several hundred rounds of different manufacture and grain. Haven't had a single problem and I do like the way it shoots. I have shared the experience with several Marines still on active duty and everyone has been impressed. a couple to the point of ponying up the money to purchase one.

[michaeld1953]

Aww man now you guys have my mouth watering. The stippling on the pistol by Bitties5Deuce is beautiful. You have to buy the FDE it appears from Cabelas if they have it in stock but they say you have to come to the store. anybody got any ideas as to another route to go? I am open. I am not going to pay the prices they are getting on gunbroker and such. Let me know. I really have to have one. Feel free to email me at [email protected]

[scattershot]

I got mine from Bud's. They get them from time to time, just be patient.

[michaeld1953]

Will do, I had found them for $599.00 but can't remember where a week or so ago. Will be patient, thank you.

[Wolfman-Iraq]

Originally Posted by michaeld1953

Aww man now you guys have my mouth watering. The stippling on the pistol by Bitties5Deuce is beautiful. You have to buy the FDE it appears from Cabelas if they have it in stock but they say you have to come to the store. anybody got any ideas as to another route to go? I am open. I am not going to pay the prices they are getting on gunbroker and such. Let me know. I really have to have one. Feel free to email me at [email protected]

G and R Tactical:
S&W M&P 9mm FS NS at G and R Tactical

$510.00 M&P 9 FS NS

Still showing available......

[michaeld1953]

Thanks Wolfman, but not the FDE. I would have no problem handling the black and test firing one at the range but I would only be looking at buying the FDE. I will keep an eye on Bud's and send G & R Tactical and tell them what I am looking for. The VTAC is just a little bit out of my price range. Doesn't quite look as cool as the FDE.

[Stimpy]

I bought mine from Cabela's and love it...enough so that I had to get the matching M&P15 MOE FDE.

Cabela's M&P9 FDE

[Wolfman-Iraq]

Originally Posted by michaeld1953

Thanks Wolfman, but not the FDE. I would have no problem handling the black and test firing one at the range but I would only be looking at buying the FDE. I will keep an eye on Bud's and send G & R Tactical and tell them what I am looking for. The VTAC is just a little bit out of my price range. Doesn't quite look as cool as the FDE.

Yeah, I fell in love with the FDE also, but could only find it at Cabela's (exclusive to them). Cabela's is almost a two hour hike, one way, so I settled for the black.

If you are able to locate a new FDE, other than Cabela's, please pm me.

[michaeld1953]

I know what you are talking about. There is not one in this state nor within 3 states around and I have no idea how they work with an FLL buying one. I was told that you have to go to the store. Where there is a will there is a way. To buy the SD40, I had to drive an 2 hours to the only Academy in NC at the time, still the closest for a handgun purchase in NC is still 2 hours away after they have built 2 more stores, yet I have 3 within a 45 minute drive in SC but I cannot purchase a firearm there as I am not a resident. And in the state of SC, you don't go through a waiting period on a background check, you plunk down a drivers license and can buy any firearm you want and in and out in 15 minutes.

[justcruisen67]

I can say that my M&P 9mm has been flawless. Has about 700 rounds and has ate everything I've thrown at it from cheap wolf, Green box Rem, White box and hand loads. trigger haws smoothed out nicely and will give it another 250-300 to see if I really need the Apex kit. At this point I don't know that I will, trigger was never a issue for me....just learn the gun. As for the FDE I like it but the xtra $$$ for the V-TAC for the color and busy sights isn't worth it to me. I could have one Duracoated locally for about $40-50 along with any base plates to match, which is what I will probably do if I go that route. If the coating is done right and allowed the proper time to cure, it will hold up well enough to where you won't have major issue with holster wear for sometime. Although I just might get one in FDE in a 45ACP, decisions ........ decisions. Any way you will not regret going with the M&P, I have gotten rid of my 17, 24/7, Jericho, XDm and just kept my Sr9c and 2022. Keep in mind its just my take, YMMV, but in regards to the M&P I doubt by much.

[michaeld1953]

Thanks for the input. One way or the other I will get the FDE, I found a place I can get it with the 3 mags and without the range kit. I would settle for the gun and 2 mags. When the time is right it will show up. I have a 9 and a 40 but like the FDE. I will look and see if it comes in a 45, if so I might get one of those puppies.

[Stimpy]

I did mine from Cabela's via an FFL. It was easy. Just give Cabela's a call and they will tell you what you need to do. Between a call to them to order it, and a call to my local FFL, they did the rest for a cost of $30. It was at the FFL in 5 days and in my hands on the 7th day.

[michaeld1953]

Thank you for the advice, will make a short list of Cabela's, #s and start calling. Thanks for the advice!

[jlfirehawk]

I really wanted to get a Vtac 9mm to go with my FS 9 and 40 but once I got one in person the slide and polymer are completely two different colors of brown and looked so odd to me I couldn't get over it because of how odd it looked. Was this a oddity or is that the norm?

[timby]

I bought one back in December of last year. Cabela's was running a special. So I got one of their CC & got the gun for a little over the $500 mark. I like it better than the Glock 19 Gen3 or Gen4. It fits better in my hand. I just wish Cabela's would have offered it in a 40 cal at the time.

I've run all types of ammo though ut & never have had a jam or FTF. My only complaint is that 9mm ammo is still a bit hard to find. I also have a 40 cal SDVE. It would be a great gun if it weren't for the trigger.

[eddd7]

I bought mine about a month ago. Apparently, there's a Dark Earth M&P "kit" that is exclusive to Cabela's.

The kit includes the M&P, two additional magazines, a Kydex holster for the M&P and separate Kydex holster for the two magazines, an Uplula Speedloader and a case for the whole package - all for $50 bucks more than just the price of the handgun.

I wasn't aware of the kit. I was looking at just the gun and asked the sales guy about additional magazines. He said "ahhh. Just a minute", and came out of the store room with the kit. I'm sure glad he did. For an extra $50., I wouldn't have been able to buy just one extra magazine, so the kit, IMHO, is a flat out bargain.

The Kydex holsters are much better than I'd have guessed. They're adjustable for retention pressure and work just fine.

I've only had one chance to shoot it.......and that was just going through a few of the 17 round magazines. That's all the ammo I had. Well, almost I kept 8 rounds, just so the M&P wouldn't be an expensive club if someone came through the door.......uninvited.

It was great to shoot - much more accurate than I am. The "gritty" trigger that some have complained about......wasn't. Maybe mine is a later model and S&W dealt with the earlier trigger complaints. I had no issues with anything, including the trigger feel.

Get one and enjoy!

[michaeld1953]

I had no problems with the triggers on my SD9 or SD40 but I still wanted a lighter trigger pull and had my gunsmith install Apex Triggger Kits and went from an 8 lb to a 5-5.5 lb pull and it is sweet.
https://apextactical.com/store/produ...php?pid57.html
My guy had both guns done in 30 minutes and charged me $30.00 and test fired both. I have absolutely no complaint with either one, I compared the feel with a Glock, Gen 3 and 4 and hands down the ergonomics and balance was much better, but I will say that the Glock Gen 4 grip was huge improvement over the 3. My only gripe was that stupid narrow take down plate. That was poor design if I ever seen it. They could have radiused the finger area on that narrow take down plate when they built the mold and it would have been easier to release the slide for removal and cleaning. But they cut a corner for some reason and that thing was a bear to struggle with, but not anymore thanks to Eric and Galloway Precision. SIGMA and SD Performance | Galloway Precision Yes sir, wide body take down plates that are easy on the fingers and a breeze to disassemble the pistols now. Oh that was also done at the same time as the Apex triggers, so he installed triggers and wider take down plates on both guns in a half hour. This morning I ordered the Cabela's M&P 9mm FDE with range carry kit for $599.00. Had my FLL call it in and it will be here in 2 days. They have a $25 shipping fee and insurance with Fedex so my total bill was $624.00. The fee for the transfer from my FLL was $30. Now I have seen these go for anywhere from $730 to $850 on several auction sites. I called 3 Cabela's, 2 in West VA, and one in KY, and both in WVA had stock and KY was out. So next week, I will tear that boy down and clean and lube it and then go put about 100 rounds through it and will see how the grip feels because I have a TUFF1 grip on every firearm I have and love the feel. I got one last toy to buy in a few months and that is a Beretta PX-4Storm compact and that will do it for awhile. Oh one last think, I am buying polished stainless steel guide rods and springs also from Galloway and see if Eric will make a set for my M&P22LR, in a few months. I have spent enough for awhile

[WhyMan]

I own both the Glock 19 Gen4 and the M&P 9 as well as the M&P 40 AND the M&P Pro in 9mm. I know this ain't helpful, but hey are all great pistols. The M&P 40 has more kick, obviously, but handles well. The Glock 19 feels lighter than the M&P 9. The big difference IMHO is the grip. The 19 is basically a compact; the grip is slightly shorter in length which for my hands is an annoyance. I got mag extenders as well as a mag well add-on which suits me now. I use it more as a concealed carry. The M&P 9 is my favorite range pistol. The grip is perfect; very easy felt recoil; very quick on the draw. The M&P Pro has a much longer barrel and hence offers more accuracy, but is heavier on the draw. Does that help? Questions?

[tc scout]

I have a M&P 9Pro. With out any doubt it is the best handgun I have ever owned. Well over 2000 rounds with no problems. I have seen no need to do any trigger work as it was great from the factory. It is used for IDPA and target shooting. I did have a M&P 9C but found it was a little large for carry for me. The M&P line of guns are a great platform.

[michaeld1953]

You boys have all been a great help. When you are looking for extra magazines, do I look just for the M&P 9 mm 17 round magazines? S&W I think has it listed as SKU: SKU: 39490000A
Now this is an M&P platform not Sigma right? I am new to Smith's so bear with me. these aren't the same mags that fit an SD, it doesn't look like it? Am I right? If my math is right I just need 1 because 3 come with it. And I always have at least 4. Thanks for your help ahead of time.

[laskt9]

You won't find any

[michaeld1953]

you won't find any? not helpful. i need to know what to look for and yes i will find them. anybody else got something helpful to post?
thanks

[18DAI]

My opinion - Just when I thought the M&P couldn't be made any uglier, they make it in brown.

Personally, I'm glad SOME LE care enough about their personell to T&E pistols and also allow their officers some choice in what finally goes in their holster. No matter where they are made. Not just take the "free guns" in exchange for current inventory. My life, my choice. And it won't be an "m&p". Regards 18DAI

[michaeld1953]

And that ain't brown, it is desert tan and black. Before I shoot the h_ _ l out of some intruder that is a clear and present danger, I want him to say man that is one purty pistol thar bwah. Now S&W said the number is 39991000A, but when you look on sites, you just look for magazines for an M&P 9mm 17 round, not M&P 9C or some other description? Opinions are okay, it's what I asked for, they are like AHs, everybody has got one and nobody wants it.

[A2 Stippling]

I've got my Pro Series getting Cerakoted FDE/tan right now. $80 to get it done plus have th triggerguard undercut and some index stippling complete. I will then add my own stippled grip/frame tool and will be set.

I also own the 9c and .45c and like them both. Not love, like. I prefer the Shield and the G19 over carrying the 9c as my BUG. I prefer carrying my G36 or G23 over the .45c M&P. However, comma, I would not trade my Pro Series 9mm for anything - that is my favorite.

Paint your gun any color you want - as long as you train with it and don't keep it in a glass case all pretty and proper!!!

[Wolfman-Iraq]

Originally Posted by Wolfman-Iraq

Yeah, I fell in love with the FDE also, but could only find it at Cabela's (exclusive to them). Cabela's is almost a two hour hike, one way, so I settled for the black.

If you are able to locate a new FDE, other than Cabela's, please pm me.

FYI, just came across this one. Not the same, but maybe close:
https://delta3outfitters.com/store/p...-CARY-KIT.html

[michaeld1953]

The grip is a different color for some reason in that picture, it looks like the Vtac 9mm but the Mfg. part # comes up the same as the Cabela's pistol that I will have tomorrow or Thursday. If you plug that # in S&W and search, it comes up as the dark handled grip.

[michaeld1953]

I emailed the delta3outfitters website to verify and check stock and got no reply. But the number 150986 is as described by my first post in this thread. Check S&W website. I think their picture is wrong. The Viking Tactics model is what that looks like but MSRP for the gun alone is $779.00, so it can't be that. The FDE has a black slide, desert tan body and black palmswell grips.

[Wolfman-Iraq]

Originally Posted by michaeld1953

I emailed the delta3outfitters website to verify and check stock and got no reply. But the number 150986 is as described by my first post in this thread. Check S&W website. I think their picture is wrong. The Viking Tactics model is what that looks like but MSRP for the gun alone is $779.00, so it can't be that. The FDE has a black slide, desert tan body and black palmswell grips.

Maybe that's how they get around the Cabela's exclusive on it, they had to change something (black palmswell grips), to be different. Not sure.

Congrats on your purchase.

[Stimpy]

I picked up three additional FDE 17 round magazines @ 44 mag.com last year before all the price jumps and shortages happened. They are showing the part number as SW39991000A.....but they have none in stock at the moment.

[michaeld1953]

On the FDE, you could use a black or brown base plate mag and it would still look good but right now they are hard or impossible to find. But wow they want $60 for a M&P22 12 round mag and have plenty on that site, glad I don't need any, that is highway robbery. I would take the ammo and put it in a slingshot before I would pay double the price for one. Glad the FDE comes with 3, so I need just 1 but would prefer 3. The gun show is coming up in a couple of weeks, will see what they have. You just have to watch, sometimes they will rip you off and not think twice and sleep well, whereas others are selling at reasonable prices. Next up is a Beretta PX4 Storm Fullsize, probably a 40.

[Stimpy]

Picked mine up @ $35 each, plus shipping. I was at a show a couple weeks ago looking for Shield Mag's...the only one I found was for $62..for an 8 round 9mm...Crazy to say the least!

[Dirtman]

I have three MP's and no Glocks so I guess I lean toward the MP. I really like the Dark Earth color but it wasn't available when I bought my MP's.
My MP's are MP9 Pro, MP9 Compact, and a MP40 with a interchangeable 357 Sig barrel. Love them all!