Was at Sunset Hill shooting range in the Poconos, PA on Sat. 7/6 trying out a few autos, 9mm H&K, .40 Sig, .45 ACP, my own .22 mod 63 and some rifles (CIA AK47 and AR15) with a small group.

Originally, I thought of maybe buying a .40 Springfield XDm,
but another gun the S&W M&P came up in conversation.

I wondered what you folks think about both, my preference
as a home defense weapon would be the 9mm versions of either in the 3.5" or 3.8" barrel length vs the longer 4.5".
Also single action / double action, trigger safety vs none and since I live in NJ, the cartridge limitation is also a factor.

In some googling, I see that there are many good choices (not to mention price) in the 9mm auto ammunition for plinking and defense.

Any thoughts?

I purchased a m&p pro 9 to shoot usps with and absolutely love the gun. Very good shooter without a single hiccup. Until this year I have been shooting a 1911 100% of the time. In my opinion you cannot get a better plastic gun but I am sure that I am biased. I never expected the m&p to take over as my go to comp gun, I just wanted to get a handgun with high cap mags before they were possibly banned. On that more mags are hard to come by, be patient and you will not have to over pay

If I lives in a state with a ten rounds magazine restriction I would lean heavily to a .45 since you would not be giving up any capacity. With capacity being equal it would hard for me not to choose a .45 as a better defensive round. This is only my opinionand lately I have been mainly carrying a .380 auto. Any gun is better than no gun and m&ps seem to be some of the best.

I love my fs9mm. I have had it for a month and have put 200 rounds through it without any problems. The trigger is a bit gritty but should get better with use. Good quality gun IMO.

You don't need a short barrel for a home defense gun. In fact, it's a disadvantage.

I now have four M&P pistols, a standard 9 mm and .40, a VTAC 9 mm, and a 9 mm Shield. They are all outstanding pistols!! So I guess I like them?? LOL

I bought mine in 2008..best gun I own! So confident with it , It's licensed with the State as my Duty weapon for Armed Security. Never had an issue with it and it'a all stock.

__________________
82nd Airborne Div 1980-1986

My new M&P full size 9mm (built 4/15/13) is otherwise excellent BUT has a HORRIBLE trigger pull - maybe 12 lbs. plus - a MAJOR disappointment! I am not mechanically inclined and don't have good gunsmith access. So, I am considering "dumping" it altogether - sell or trade in - to find another home defense gun. Comments/suggestions welcomed. Regards, Ed

I have a FS M&P40 with a 9MM barrel and a Shield 9. Have had both for a year now and do not have one single complaint about either of them.

__________________
Retired Marine Gunny

I have an M&P9c a little over a month old and 1000 rounds through it so far. Love it. If the trigger bothers you Apex has a fix.

Love my FS 9 and use it for home defense (along with a shotgun). I did put the APEX kit in and it shoots like a jewel. Also added big dot sight.

Best!

Own S&W "Pro"--a wonderful weapon. Also own a Springfield XDm, also a wonderful piece. Just a matter of preference. For the optimum home defense buy a "Governor" or "Judge Public Defender"

I favor the XDm 3.8 or longer sight radius. Trigger nice out of the box. More expensive than the M&P and I like them as we'll but the trigger was it for me.

Own a M&P 9 Pro and love it, HOWEVER...

M&P magazines (either 17 or 10 round) in 9MM are virtually impossible to find. I check two of my local gun stores about four times a week and there has been nothing since December. Even as the latest crazy gun grabbing efforts ebb, still nothing for M&P 9MM magazines... This is odd because I'm now seeing high cap magazines from Glock, Springfield XD, FN, Beretta, etc. available in the stores, but still nothing in 9MM for full size M&Ps. I can pick up Glock 17 magazines for $30 with no trouble now. So why can't I even find a 10 round M&P 9MM?! Clearly, S&W (as all manufactures did) cranked up the manufacturing presses when the ban talks started to get as many manufactured before a presumed ban date. So, they must be sitting on them... But until they start releasing them, you had better be content with the two that come in the box! Sorry for the rant!

If you do go with the shorter barrel M&P Shield (in 9MM) or any of 40s, I have seen magazines available for those. As stated previously, I would go with the longer barrel for a better sight radius for a home defense weapon. Shorter barrels are good for carrying concealed, but for most people you compromise some accuracy. The "full size" M&P barrel length is 4.25" so it is a little shorter than the 4.5" you mentioned. Also, for home defense you might want to think about night sights which come standard on the M&P Pro models. The sights on the M&P Pro are Novak sights so they extend further back adding almost another 1/2" of sight radius over some other sights. The Pros also have some improvement in reducing a gritty feeling that some may feel on the trigger, as well as a more noticeable reset. (All of that and more can be added to a standard M&P model with Apex kits.)

In terms of comparing an XD to M&P... Anytime I have asked the guys behind the counter in a gun store that question, they always say M&P over XD. I always ask what they have and they all seem to have M&Ps (and Glocks). I have shot friends XDs and I prefer my M&P... Except I only have two magazines for my M&P!

Anyone have any actual experience/observations comparing M&P Pro 9 with a Springfield XDM, regarding accuracy?

__________________
Ed

M&P vs XD vs G34
M&P Pro vs Glock 34 vs XDm 5. 25 - YouTube

Ed- if you have a 12 lb pull call S&W. that is almost 2x what they advertise.

My Family.

__________________
USAF/RET. 1966-1990

I can't believe that you can't find a gunsmith in the KC metro area to work a trigger over. Simmons is just south of you in Olathe. They specialize in shotguns, but I bet they would do the work or would know someone who could. On the other hand, the M&P is really quite easy to work on yourself.