40 Caliber Decision

[jsimpson4]

Of these two, Which do you think handles the 40 recoil better?

A) M&P 40

B) Glock 22 Gen 4

This is not a brand war topic as they are both great firearms. Just wondering which one you think handles .40 the best. Thank you.

 

[gen3guy]

I love my Glock 22. I can't comment on the M&P but I'm sure it's a great gun. The recoil of the .40 S&W gets mentioned a lot for some reason. In my opinion it's significant, but not at all punishing or excessive.

 

[trooper2899]

I've got a G23 since they came out - I have never thought that the .40 S&W round recoil was significantly uncomfortable - .357 in 4" revolver is more noticeable than .40 S&W.....shoot it alot and get used to it

 

[loknload]

trooper2899,,,
I've got a G23 since they came out - I have never thought that the .40 S&W round recoil was significantly uncomfortable - .357 in 4" revolver is more noticeable than .40 S&W.....shoot it alot and get used to it
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I'm glad I'm not alone on that thought!
I enjoy my 27 and my Beretta 8040 but some of my 4" .357's are nastier!

 

[Ballistic147]

If you're on the fence between these two you really need to shoot both and decide from there. Don't rely totally on the opinions you're going to get here.

That being said, I prefer the M&P over the Glock. They just feel much better to me and I'm more accurate. My son likes Glocks and shoots them better than M&P's. Some folks like both and shoot both well. Both are great guns and have an excellent reputation for reliability so in the end you really need to get the one that suits your needs.

I'm one of those that don't see a huge difference in recoil between 9mm and 40S&W. I can shoot both equally well and equally fast but I've been shooting mostly 40 since that round came out. On a side note, I also enjoy shooting 44Mag so I'm a bit of a recoil junkie.

 

[e3mrk]

I have fired both Glock and the M+P the main reason I favor the M+P over Glock is the M+P has a external safety and I just feel safer with that.Other wise I like them both.

 

[jsimpson4]

Thank you for the replies, everyone. I understand it's all subjective but I really appreciate it.

 

[WA101]

I have a full size M&P 40 and a factory 9mm M&P barrel that I use in the M&P 40 for range practice. I really can't tell much difference between shooting with 40 or 9mm from the same gun.

I don't own Glocks. All I can say is that shooting 40 in a full size M&P 40 is not much different than shooting 9mm.

 

[OKFC05]

Just wondering which one you think handles .40 the best.

Neither. An STI metal 2011 in .40 S&W made for USPSA Limited handles recoil far better than either of the plastic guns.

If your question is which of the two is least snappy and hard to hold down, there isn't a nickel's worth of difference between them, IMHO.

 

[kraynky]

Can lead bullets be shot in both guns? Seems like I recall something about not being able to shoot lead in one of the Glocks, maybe all of them, I don't know for sure. But it's something to consider, especially if you are a reloader and want to shoot cheap now and then.

 

[Bob O]

Lead is not recommended in factory Glock barrels.

I had a Glock 22 and liked it a lot. I have an M&P 40 FS and like it a lot as well. The M&P frame/grip is more ergonomic and feels better in the hand for me.

If I could have a Glock with an M&P frame, that would be the cats ***.

 

[Arik]

I prefer glock

 

[pyro]

It probably comes down to what fits your hand better. That answer can't always be determined until you shoot it. I have a Glock 27(40cal) gen 4 and that is very comfortable to shoot. Thinking that would apply to a Glock 17(9mm) gen4, I bought one. It felt good in the hand, but at the range it was a different story. It thrashed the base of my thumb. For me the M&P 9mm and M&P 40cal COREs are easily the most comfortable, soft shooting guns I have ever owned. If possible, rent what you are looking at first. This could save you your hard earned dollars.

 

[Disabled1]

I don't own any Glock's. My thought process might be barbaric but, if I want to shoot something that feels like a 2X4 in my hand, I will go buy a 2X4 from Home Depot. It sure would be a lot cheaper than a Glock!

 

[McE]

Better ergos = better recoil management.

 

[Bigpoppa]

I own both and my belief is the M&P handles the 40S&W slightly better. The M&P 40c is my EDC.

 

[McE]

Also, if "handles" also includes "ability to not kaboom", the M&P is the clear winner.

 

[MyDads38]

FS M&P 40 here, and I really like the M&P format-I also have FS 9 & 45.
I've never shot a Glock and only handled a few; just not to my liking or taste. A little more recoil than a 9mm, but not as much as I thought there would be. So, my vote goes to M&P.

 

[Arik]

Also, if "handles" also includes "ability to not kaboom", the M&P is the clear winner.

I'm surprised it took this long to bring up Internet half truths

 

[walkin' trails]

The first M&P I ever fired was a FS 40. I noted the recoil and follow thru was more controllable and quicker than with a Glock. I had been shooting Glock 9mms and 40s of all sizes for 20 years at that point. The M&P was a new design at the time, and the advertised intent was that it was designed around the 40 round. That's probably the reason you don't hear too many complaints about the 40 version, and S&W likely never envisioned the 9 would resurge in popularity the way it has. Anyway, the big problem with the 40 Glocks has been breaking trigger pins and locking blocks. I haven't seen the problem in the Gen 2s, but seemed common in the Gen 3s, regardless of round count. The Gen 4 was introduced to correct the problem, but having shot them, can't say that I noticed any better recoil characteristics. Bottom line with each is how the pistol feels and how you shoot with it. That's the one I'd go with.

 

[PirateJim]

I can't speak to the Gen 4 G22, but I've had a Gen 2 model in 40 S&W for years. As suggested in my sig. I also have a 5" M&P Pro Series and a Shield in 40S&W. My personal perception is that the Glock falls between the full size M&P and the Shield in felt recoil.

Much more important in a decision between the two brands, in my opinion, is which of the two points more naturally for you. In my hands the Glocks always point high while the M&Ps just point more naturally.

For a quick test, grip the pistol in low ready position and, making sure you are pointing in a safe direction, pick a spot in the middle distance, close your eyes and point the pistol at it. Now open your eyes and see how the sights are aligned. As I said, for me doing that test, the Glocks always turn up needing me to adjust my wrist to bring the front sight down to the plane of the rear sights. At a critical moment, I'd just as soon not have to contend with that.

 

[B3500]

It comes down to which pistol's ergonomics and trigger do you like better. Recoil in these two full sized models are not greatly different as their weights are similar.

On genitron.com the 22 gen 4 weight is listed as 25.4 oz and the M&P is 27.45 oz. Their respective recoil is listed as 8.53 ft-lb and 7.88 ft-lb. Not much difference.

I don't find the 40 a big deal to shoot out of any full sized pistol. Of course reaction to felt recoil and impulse is a personal thing. If you can, try them both out.

If recoil is a big concern for you versus everything else, perhaps try the same pistol size in 9mm instead. For instance the recoil of the 9mm in a full size M&P is shown as 5.05 ft-lb which is around a 40% reduction.

 

[Ofc.JL]

Having shot both a lot, I find that the M&P seems to handle the recoil just a bit better for me. Due, I feel, to the better ergonomics of the M&P grip. The Gen4 Glocks are much better in that regard as well, than their Gen2 and Gen3 brothers, IMHO. I find the .40 a bit snappy anyway. I shot and carried 1911's for years before switching to the .40 as the dept required. So, it boils down to which ever you prefer, both are just fine as CQB pistols.

 

[Mark40]

I used to own a G-23. I now EDC an M&P 40c. I never shot them back to back, so take this with a grain of salt, but I think muzzle flip is slightly more manageable with the M&P.

 

[davemil9mm]

Why I have the M&P 40 FS

I picked the S&W for the reason that they designed the gun around the caliber-not the other way around. Off the top of my head I cannot recall another pistol that was born a .40SW. My Glock is a Gen4 G17. I like picking the nominal ("original") caliber whenever possible.

 

[gman51]

I had a Glock G27, Springfield XDM 3.8 compact .40, and an Ruger SR40c. The Ruger by far tamed/handled the 40 recoil the best of the three. I sold all but the Ruger. I am not saying the G27 or the XDM aren't good guns because they are. I just liked all aspects of the Ruger the best of the three and it was at least $150 less cost also.

 

[SmokelessPowder]

I have a Gen4 22 and don't really like it much. I much prefer my XDm and Sig 320. However, I do sort of like my Glock 23 and 27 and really like my 41.

The Sig 320 seems to eat up the 40 recoil the best.

 

[hardluk1]

Rent a p320 and see if it fits your needs . My p320 compact 40sw replaced a m&p 40 full size and glock don't stay in out house do to the grip angle !.

 

[Ofc.JL]

For those that don't know, the Gen4 Glock .40 cal pistols were redesigned as a true .40 handgun. Glock went back to the drawing board and had the engineers start fresh w/ the .40 cal cartridge. One of the biggest reasons that Glock does not publish(of course!) is the Gen2 and 3 .40 cal handguns just were not getting the "mileage" that the company wanted. It is even worse w/ the .357 cartridge in the Gen3 guns. High pressure cartridges just beat the Gen2 and 3 guns to death in fairly short order. Of course we are talking about Department issue, high round count guns. And this is not to say that any Glock is junk, as they are not. But Glock realized that the .40 platform needed to be strengthened, and that's why the Gen4 was born. That's also one of the reasons that Glock had recoil spring problems early on w/ the Gen4's. That has been ironed out as well. The Gen2's and Gen3's were indeed .40 cal handguns converted from the 9mm platform. If a person knows the history of Glock and the .40 cal cartridge, they will know how Glock beat S&W to the punch on offering a .40 cal pistol, before they did. And Glock did it off of the 9mm pistols. It worked, but in the long run, Glock had to fix the longevity problems running a .40 cal handgun out of a 9mm pistol. I own a Gen4 23 and like it alot. I also own M&P's and like them as well. So it's just up to what you prefer. Good Luck.