4506 vs M&P 45

[Hot Toddy]

Hey Folks!
Been a while since I have been on here. Busy with nursing school, which has consumed my life for the past 2 years. Trying to better myself and finally make some money to buy some new toys.
Just took my oldest son shooting yesterday at a local indoor range. Had a great time. He really enjoyed shooting my "Vic Mackey" gun (4506) and I think he has decided thats the one he wants. We also shot my 4566, 645, and my Browning HP in 40.
On a whim, I decided to rent a M&P 45 since I have never shot one. All I could say is WOW. Very impressed at the lack of recoil and shootablity of the gun. I didn't care much for the trigger ( Pretty crunchy) however still decent.
In a nut shell I guess you can still teach a old dog new tricks. I was pretty skeptical, however I have changed my mind. S&W has done an outstanding job on the M&P. If the M&P was in 10mm I'd be sold.
Until then its just me and my trusty 1066.
BTW NO none of my Stainless guns are for sale! LOL!!
Take care and God Bless..

 

[18DAI]

I've yet to shoot an M&P that had a decent trigger. I remain unimpressed with that gun. Yea, it "feels good in the hand", yawn.

The 4506, 4566, 4516, 4563,, PC CQB, Shorty 45, 457 and 4513 are the only guns that come to mind when I hear "S&W 45's". Great triggers that can be made into superb triggers, accurate, reliable, durable AND look good doing all that.

Give me the 3rd generation S&W's the only REAL S&W 45! Regards 18DAI.

 

[RobG5589]

Love my 4506. Accurate, smooth, fantastic trigger. That said, I will get a M&P in .45 some day as I love my .40 M&P. The trigger is an easy fix with Apex pieces. And a 457 would be nice, too

 

[growr]

The more you shoot your M&P the better it gets! Do an action/trigger job yourself...one round at a time.....might work for you as well.
Randy

 

[Fastbolt]

S&W has been working on the M&P since it was released, making revisions and changes.

My '08 production M&P 45 had a bit of a heavy, rough & nasty trigger when it was NIB, although the break was consistent and predictable and accuracy didn't suffer for it. Once I'd fired a lot of rounds through it ... meaning over 2,500 ... the trigger had become smooth, lighter and lacking any grittiness. My trigger pull weight went from upwards of 9+lb averages to 5 1/2 - 6lb averages, using the stock parts.

The other day I had the chance to check a similar M&P 45 in which the firing pin safety plunger, trigger spring and sear had been replaced with Apex parts. Once the parts were "broken in" by live-fire I checked the trigger pull and got an averaged reading of 5lbs 5oz. Not all that much different than what I'm experiencing in my stock M&P 45, just from the weight perspective. No difference in the smoothness between it and my own M&P 45, either, although there did seem to be a slightly quicker trigger reset point (although I shoot to trigger recovery for defensive training and not to "trigger reset" for sporting/competitive purpose, so the reset wouldn't really benefit me).

Granted, the Apex parts cost less than the ammo I ran through my gun to achieve pretty much the same results.

I also still prefer the TDA of the 3rd gen guns, but then I've been shooting them in work guns for 20 years and have become accustomed to them.

I became accustomed to using the Glock, so I can certainly become accustomed to using the M&P.

I still like a nicely set up single action pistol (1911) and a nicely done TDA (DA/SA) trigger (3rd gen or SW99/P99, with a Sig TDA coming in 3rd) ... but the plastic service pistols are going to remain with us for the foreseeable future, if only because of cost and ease of maintenance (especially from an armorer perspective).

It's sort of a shame that the TDA service pistol concept developed in '52, in the S&W model which became the M39, is passing ...

 

[S. Kelly]

It's too bad S&W doesn't provide a trigger that doesn't need to be broken in or modified with Apex parts for the M&P. It's the biggest complaint I hear about the gun.

 

[18DAI]

From the asking prices I see on these plastic guns, a decent trigger is the LEAST they could do! Regards 18DAI.

 

[sniper47]

Don't overlook the SW99 in 45ACP and 40S&W. I own both and I shoot both equally well. The 40 is now my main carry piece. The 45 I can shoot as good as my beloved 645 too.

 

[senecaap]

I don't have enough money or patience to wait for Smith to fix things they should have before release, especially when there is a superior pistol available (quite a few really) in the 4506.

 

[BUFF]

I bought the first M&P 45 I saw. I did the same thing with the Models 645 and 4506, bought the first ones I saw. I like the .45 ACP cartridge and S&W has made some fine guns for it. I would be hard pressed to have to decide which one of those three to keep.

I gotta tell you, though, if I had to beat something into unconsciousness with a handgun, the M&P would be the third choice of them! There's really some steel in them older guns!

 

[Krull]

Had both a M&P and a 4506,the M&P got traded and the 4506 is still here.

Frankly there's isn't anything wrong with the M&P I just liked the 4506 more so I kept it.

 

[ColColt]

I don't have enough money or patience to wait for Smith to fix things they should have before release, especially when there is a superior pistol available (quite a few really) in the 4506.

Words of wisdom from the Great Smokey Mtns and I second this. I don't know of a pistol I own or have owned that's I'd give up my 4506 for-simply superb from day one.

 

[Craig19]

I have an M&P .40 I bought new over the summer. I don't think the trigger is crunchy, it seems pretty smooth to me. It's not as smooth as my 5906, but that's the striker fire system.

 

[Squibb]

Yeah. What 18DAI said.