M&P 45 compact

I started looking for a new 45 compact size that would hold around 10 rounds. I was looking at the Glock 30 models but then saw that s&w makes the 2.0 compact. I have the 2.0 compact 9 mm and really like how it shoots and the size. Anyone have one of these? How does it shoot, accuracy wise, and any likes or dislikes? Is it about the same size and weight as the 9mm compact? From the pictures it looks almost identical. Thanks for any input!

The M&P 45 compact is 1/2" taller and a little wider than a m&p 9mm compact but weight is with in one ounce .

You can use Handgun Hero to compare most handguns .

I like M&P's and my wife and I have a 5 of them in 9mm and 40sw but no 45 . I'm a 47 years 1911 guy and my wife is a 40 years 1911 shooter and we both have 1911's that we carry , a kimber ultra 9mm for my wife and lw commander in 45 for me !!

With glocks grip angle difference it will not point naturally as your m&p 9 does and that should be a concern as that will draw your focus to your sights instead of your target .

Perhaps you should look at a XD 4" service model for a 10 shot 45 that compares well to your m&p 9 compact . and there extended 13 round mags for back up carry . I carry 10 round as back up for my 1911 but when on the road or in the big city my M&P 4.25 or 5" 40 filled with 15 rounds 155gr underwood ammo is a harder hitter than a 45+P . ha

Good luck

AIM Surplus gets in some PD trade in .45s every once in a while. Every time I see that advertisement, I get a little closer to buying.

I have M&P 2.0 4" guns in 9mm, 40S&W, 45 acp and 10mm. The 9 and 40 can use the same holster. The 45 and the 10 can also share the same holster. The 45 grip feels "fatter" than the 9mm. 40 S&W is ever-so-slightly fatter than the 9. 45 and 10mm feel about the same. The 45 and 10mm feel a bit heavier (I don't know what the true weight difference is). But all 4 versions are easy to shoot, behave well and don't have excessive recoil. The 9 and 40 S&W are a bit more accurate (at 7 yards) than the 45 and 10, but my personal experience makes this comment subjective.

I know that's not exactly what you asked, but maybe it will trigger further questions.

hardluk1 said:

The M&P 45 compact is 1/2" taller and a little wider than a m&p 9mm compact but weight is with in one ounce .

You can use Handgun Hero to compare most handguns .

I like M&P's and my wife and I have a 5 of them in 9mm and 40sw but no 45 . I'm a 47 years 1911 guy and my wife is a 40 years 1911 shooter and we both have 1911's that we carry , a kimber ultra 9mm for my wife and lw commander in 45 for me !!

With glocks grip angle difference it will not point naturally as your m&p 9 does and that should be a concern as that will draw your focus to your sights instead of your target .

Perhaps you should look at a XD 4" service model for a 10 shot 45 that compares well to your m&p 9 compact . and there extended 13 round mags for back up carry . I carry 10 round as back up for my 1911 but when on the road or in the big city my M&P 4.25 or 5" 40 filled with 15 rounds 155gr underwood ammo is a harder hitter than a 45+P . ha

Good luck

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Thanks for the info. I looked at handgun hero but they looked about the same to me in the pictures. I would imagine the 45 grip would be a little wider but the grip panels might help with that. I had a Glock 30s and it carried nicely but I didn’t shoot it too well but that was years ago. The xd service 4 inch I also had and it shot really good but I sold it from lack of use. I currently have the Springfield Xd mod 2 sub compact with the 10 round mags from my old 4 inch compact as well as some 9 and 13 round mags that came with it. I shoot it very well but don’t seem to use it much for some reason. I think I’ll put off buying a new gun for now and shoot the Xd some more and see if it works out. I really like the Xd sub compact with the 10 round mags for the grip size except it sticks out a little bit and has a small gap. The 9 rounders are too short for me. I’ve looked but haven’t found anyone that makes a small grip sleeve for them.

FWIW, the M&P45 Compact has the same size grip frame as the full-size version, the barrel and slide are 4" instead of 4.5".

If I feel the need to carry a .45, it's my M&P45 1.0 Compact. My two Colt Series 70s stay in the safe. The combination of reduced weight and less perceived recoil make it a better carry/shooting choice for me.

Chuck Edwards said:

FWIW, the M&P45 Compact has the same size grip frame as the full-size version, the barrel and slide are 4" instead of 4.5".

If I feel the need to carry a .45, it's my M&P45 1.0 Compact. My two Colt Series 70s stay in the safe. The combination of reduced weight and less perceived recoil make it a better carry/shooting choice for me.

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You should have bought an Alloy frame 1911 in a 4.25" or 4" barrel over the steel frame 5" that's most likely what your have in your safe, Right !
As a good comparison my LW colt commander as my colt lw commander in 45acp weigh's in at 28.3oz with one 230 cartridge in the chamber , no mag and 2lb 3oz or 35oz with 9 rounds loaded.

Know how much your compact m&p 4" weigh's loaded , Probably 35oz with 230gr ammo so your getting one more cartridge for the same weight . Yea that's a BIG difference in weight . One cartridge , HA

I have thin grip panels on my LW Commander across the grips it measures only 1.13 to 1.14" " OAL length is only 5/16' longer from heal of a standard frame to tip on barrel over the m&p and it is shorter in height depending on the mags used.

Perceived recoil ?? Shot timmers can show the differnce , What you perceiver may or may not be so fast . You must not know how tunable a 1911 can be adjusted with recoil spring and type like with ether a round wire or flat wire recoil spring weights and with the main spring weight . The firing pin stop can be a factor radius bottom or smaller radius for standard 45 loads maybe a square bottom for hot loads . Only thng you can change on a M&P is the recoil spring weight . I run a 22lb flat wire spring and 20lb main , stock firing pin stop .

Just having a little fun .

Chev37s I encourage you to try and locate a 2.0 subcompact model 45 m&p. It’s the closest in size to your 2.0 9mm compact. It has the shorter 8rd mag grip, similar to your 9mm. The main difference will be that the slide width is sightly wider on the 45acp. I found one recently and love it. It’s a great size and easy to shoot 45. I personally find the 4” compact 45 on the long grip frame to be a little too large proportionally for that slide and barrel length. The problem is locating a subcompact 2.0 45acp as S&W discontinued the model some time ago not long after introduction. More available will be the 1.0 45 compact which shares same dimensions as the 2.0 subcompact.

Personally, I prefer the 1.0 compact because it will accept a 10 round mag w/ spacer and a FS slide. You can effectively cover 3 firearm configurations w/ one frame. I actually like the feel of the 10 round mag w/ spacer vs. my FS 1.0.

I have the M&P compact .45 1st generation, and it fits in the same molded holster as as my 2nd generation M&P9 compact. The grip is a little fatter, to accommodate the .45 cartridge.

Thanks all for the help! I went to pick up my wife’s new hkvp9sk, for Valentine’s Day, and they just happened to have a used full size M&P 2.0 in 45. I had a chance to handle it and it fit my hand well and wasn’t really much bigger than my 2.0 9mm 4 in compact grip wise. I still might look at the 45 compact but the full-size is only a half inch longer barrel so not much of an issue. I might have bought it but it was a bit high for used and I just bought the HK so I figured I would wait a while.

I've had a small variety of firearms from a small variety of manufacturers... before I decided to to "commit" to S&W.

I find moving between a variety of firearm brands resulted in much less consistent performance at the range. Once I limited 95% of my semi auto pistol shooting to the M&P line, I began shooting much more consistently.

I have the same sights on all (well almost all) of my potential carry guns. This allows practice with one to (more or less) transfer to the next.


The one hang up I have with M&P 45 M2.0 is... They still have that dammed hinged trigger. S&W has chosen to punish 45s with the responsibility of eating up the leftover stash of hinged triggers before they convert over to the new one. This detail is personally the reason I'm holding out on buying a Shield 45 M2.0 ...

I just picked up my first M&P after carrying issued Glocks for thirty-five years.
M&P 2.0 .45 compact.
Two range outings already and am sold on the platform.
My only gripe is that holster selection is sparse compared to Glock and the M&P 9/40 models.
Ordered a Vedder IWB holster.
I anticipate this being my hunting/cold weather CC pistol.

Update. I had just talked myself out of getting another pistol for a while and then happened to see one for sale near me. It was a pretty good deal on a hardly used M&P 2.0 full size with six mags so I bought it. After giving it a good cleaning, I took it out in between the rain, and shot three mags at 15 yards with three different loads. Very happy with the accuracy on all three different loads. All pretty tight groups and hardly any recoil, even with some factory ammo. I am really glad I got it and it is barely any bigger than the 9 mm version.

Off topic

Toby_H said:

I've had a small variety of firearms from a small variety of manufacturers... before I decided to to "commit" to S&W.

I find moving between a variety of firearm brands resulted in much less consistent performance at the range. Once I limited 95% of my semi auto pistol shooting to the M&P line, I began shooting much more consistently.

I have the same sights on all (well almost all) of my potential carry guns. This allows practice with one to (more or less) transfer to the next.


The one hang up I have with M&P 45 M2.0 is... They still have that dammed hinged trigger. S&W has chosen to punish 45s with the responsibility of eating up the leftover stash of hinged triggers before they convert over to the new one. This detail is personally the reason I'm holding out on buying a Shield 45 M2.0 ...

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I know the dingus can be off putting, but I cannot recommend the shield 45 highly enough. Hands down the nicest shooting carry gun I have ever shot. After shooting it, I never carried my 365 again. I dont know why, but it's just the perfect carry gun in my mind. Though I would like to try the subcompact and see if these statements remain true.