A few M&P questions

[aalmcc4]

Ok...I'm a big time Glock guy when it comes to semi auto pistols. I confess.

BUT...on a whim I asked to see a S&W M&P40 today. Wow. It fits my rather small hand with stubby fingers great! It FEELS much better than a Glock. NO PROBLEM with trigger reach. (for example a Glock 21 is too big for me and proper trigger reach is marginal at best)

So I have a few questions....

1. Is the M&P barrel have a fully supported chamber (especially in .40) unlike a Glock?

2. Can you shoot lead bullets through the M&P unlike a Glock? Does it have conventional rifling or hexagonal like Glock & H&K?

3. Are they reliable? Feed, extract,eject like a Glock?

4. Convince me to get a M&P and why you like it better (or perhaps not) than a Glock.

5. What Police depts/LE agencies use the M&P?

6. How does the M&P compare (if you have experience with both) with the Springfield Armory XD?

I know I'm asking a lot, but this is a great forum and I appreciate all responses.

 

[ocjimmy]

It's remarkable how nice the MP40 is.

In answer to your question....
1) I don't know. I'm not sure why this matters.
2) Yes, but who want's to clean the fouling. You can easily get a Lone Wolf rifled barrel for your G22/G23 that will enable lead shooting.
3) Extremely.
4) Only you can convince yourself. I too Love Glocks and M&P's I have 8 or so Glocks and 3 M&P's (45, 40, 9 all Fullsize). I guess There's more Glocks out there. That's why I have more. I love the M&P. It is strong, reliable, accurate and generally has a nicer trigger than the Glocks. I shoot 'em all quite well. I dunno, get it because you like it.
5) Who Cares. Get it because you want it. Do not get it because some pencil pushing bureaucrat with political ambitions and their lips on the mayor's bum wants their department to have it. I never understood this...
6)The Trigger reset is better on the M&P and the interchangeable backstrap is helpful. The XD does have the grip safety which has it's pluses, but is largely unnecessary. Get what you want. Nevermind the brand name. The best thing to do is go to a range where you can rent some guns. With your G22/23 as a comparison, try the M&P and XD (XDm too). Then get what works best for you. Maybe another Glock, XD and M&P. Can't have too many.....

As long as you buy a quality brand, and all these you mentioned are quality brands, you'll be happy.

All The Best!

Jimmy

 

[nucone]

I purchased both the M&P40FS and M&P40c on the basis of how well they fit in my hand. No other gun I tried felt better (including Glock). My wife has an Springfield XDM9.

With respect to your questions:
1) I don't know.
2) I haven't had the occasion to shoot lead bullets but there is nothing in the instructions that indicate you cannot.
3) I have never shot a Glock. With the M&P, I have never had a failure to fire, feed, or eject with any brand of ammunition that it has been fed.
4) No convincing necessary. If it feels great in your hand, why not.
5) Don't see that this matters much unless you are a member of a PD or LE agency that prohibits the M&P.
6) Both the M&P and XDM have been equally reliable. I personally don't like the feel of the XDM in my hand but my wife likes its feel better than the M&P. The XDM does have an interchangeable backstrap like the M&P but it is not nearly easy to change (something the XD does not have). The XDM also has a backstrap safety.

 

[OU812]

So I have a few questions....

1. Is the M&P barrel have a fully supported chamber (especially in .40) unlike a Glock?

Yes and No it has more support then a glock but the case is not totaly supported.

2. Can you shoot lead bullets through the M&P unlike a Glock? Does it have conventional rifling or hexagonal like Glock & H&K?

Yes I shoot lead more often then jacketed bullets. Looks like normal rifling to me/

3. Are they reliable? Feed, extract,eject like a Glock?
Yes very reliable

4. Convince me to get a M&P and why you like it better (or perhaps not) than a Glock.
I think they are both fine its just my MP feels better in the hand

5. What Police depts/LE agencies use the M&P?
Don't know don't care I am one not to follow what the agencies are doing. I feel they do not always give the best to the patrol officer

6. How does the M&P compare (if you have experience with both) with the Springfield Armory XD?
I have not spent much time with one

If you have the cash burning a hole in your wallet go get one.

 

[vnmous1]

Here's the short version. M&P is ergonomically superior to most average to small hands because of the shape and angle of the backstrap. I shot a G17 a ton and shot a buddy's M&P 9 fullsize one day. I talked him into letting me use it for a ccw class one day and that was it. I sold the Glock and ordered a M&P 9fs and M&P 9c. I'm now at a pair of 9c's...the fs...and a new .45c. I put about 2,000 rds/mo through my fs. Not a hiccup. From WWB, to Wolf to Hornady TAP. It'll eat them all.

To my hand now the Glocks feel like a squared-off block. Sigs are too chubby. The M&P, well, I'm a convert. Go shoot one and spend some time with it. Don't buy one unless you do.

bj

 

[Grandma]

3. We have put approx 800 rounds through our M&P .40 FS and 200 rounds through our M&P .40 compact and never have had a failure of any kind.
6. Last week my hubby shot my son's Springfield XD and said he prefered our M&P .40 FS and that the M&P was much smoother during chambering of rounds (sorry if this is not the right wording).

As an FYI... my husband also has short stubby fingers (the kids have always called them sausages) and out of all the guns he held the M&P was the best for him, and myself for that matter. Whats strange is I have long slender fingers but we both prefer the large back strap. The same goes for the compact.

 

[DrewW]

I will give you my take on the M&P, the barrel is traditional rifling and actually cleans up really easy, the lead practically falls out shooting Missouri Bullet Company's 170 gr SWC. I have never had a feeding or ejection problem even with the SWCs. I even loaded some really light rounds that kicked quite a bit less than target 9mm loads that I figured there was no chance of the gun cycling and it cycled them like a champ. With my own reloads at 15 yards I can put all 15 rounds from the magazine with a 2 inch circle of the bullseye, haven't tried it from any farther back than 15 yards though.

I have not shot the XD in .40 but I have shot an XD-M in 9 and I was not as accurate with it, however it was not my gun so I haven't shot it as much as the .40. The XD-M had a slightly lighter trigger pull but I doubt the regular XD's have the same trigger, the M&P trigger is really smooth it just takes a pretty heavy pull.

I have to admit that I have never shot a Glock but personally I don't like the way they feel so I will most likely never own one, if I want another poly pistol it will be another M&P, hands down.

 

[d625]

So I have a few questions....

I have owned quite a few Glocks over the past ten years or so, and have shot my share of competitive matches with them. I now have no Glocks, but I do have an M&P9 and an M&P9L Pro.

Here are my answers to your questions, for whatever they are worth.

1. An unimportant question if you are shooting ammo anywhere near established pressure limits. I guess the M&P support is somewhat better.

2. The rifling appears to be conventional. This question is also unimportant to me because I no longer would shoot lead through anything.

3. So far, mine are just like Glocks - dead reliable, shoot every time I pull the trigger and rid themselves of spent brass every time.

4. Pick one up and see how it feels and points, install all three backstraps if you can, and shoot one before you buy if you can. I happen to like the trigger pull and ergonomics of the M&P better, but you would be dumb to buy one because I like mine.

5. Don't care. Glock has had years to develop an LE business, and it could take years for S&W to get that business away.

6. Don't know. Picked up and XD once, didn't like it so I put it down and forgot it. See #4.

There was a time when I thought I would never own anything but a Glock. I have since been reminded that nothing is forever.

You would be well served by either.

 

[Greyhawk]

In answer to #5 - The Detroit Police department is going to replace their Glock's with M&P 40,s.

 

[Frizzman]

I was a Glock fan for a good many years when it came to a tough, reliable and easy to use pistol for serious social interactions. The first time I handled a M&P 9mm, that I now own, it was a revelation. I have found that for me, is shoots much better than any Glock. I too have smaller hands and the M&P is a MUCH better fit. It has proven to be very durable and just as reliable. I will never buy another Glock. Besides, it's made in the US and that is important to me.

 

[magnum12pm]

Made in the U.S. is important to me also. I have one Ruger, Six S&Ws. You would think we can't make anything of quality in our country anymore, danged if I will buy guns from China, well at least they would not get in trouble for producing a product with lead in it.

Originally posted by Frizzman:
I was a Glock fan for a good many years when it came to a tough, reliable and easy to use pistol for serious social interactions. The first time I handled a M&P 9mm, that I now own, it was a revelation. I have found that for me, is shoots much better than any Glock. I too have smaller hands and the M&P is a MUCH better fit. It has proven to be very durable and just as reliable. I will never buy another Glock. Besides, it's made in the US and that is important to me.

 

[S&W1006]

I got rid of a Glock 22 .40 s&w for a M&P. The M&P fits my hand better with the large backstrap and I can put the small one on for my wife's little hand. We both love it. I bought the Glock for her but she never liked it because of her small hands she had to roll her hand around to pull the trigger. This caused the pistol to recoil on her thumb joint and it hurt to bad to shoot. The M&P also has a fully supported barrel,I reload and I was going to have to upgrade the barrel in the Glock. Also the plastic guide rod neede to be upgraded, not so on the M&P it has a steel guide rod already. All in all I think the M&P is way better than the Glock and I have been a Glock fan for years. If S&W will build the M&P in 10mm I will trade off my Glock 20. I can't say enough good things about the M&P. I will probably purcahse a 9mm M&P also for the plates match at my gun club. Awesome pistol if you buy one you want be sorry.

 

[lafayne]

I am a former Glock owner - had two 19's. Then, I bought the M&P9 and find it much more to my liking. I now have two XDM9's that I am evaluating - one with a Streamlight TLR-2. They all shoot just fine, but somehow the XDM feels better in the hand. It is really a personal issue and the Glocks, M&P's and XDm's are all fine pistols - IMHO.

 

[walkin' trails]

I've been a Glock owner and shooter for 22 years. I have dished out my own abuses on some of them, including my original first generation 17, which has been shot a lot, packed full of dust, bathed in the Pacific Ocean, dropped, fallen on, shot a lot more, and still shoots as tight as it did when it was new (or so to the best of my abilities). On top of that, they are easy to work on even though they rarely fail. That said, I have become an M&P convert even though I don't plan on disposing of my Glocks. The organization I work for recently authorized the M&P series for carry, and a suspect that they were tested very thoroughly before they got the green light.

I first fired an M&P 40 full-size about a year ago and was impressed with its handling. I especially thought it provided me with faster follow-up shots. As I like the .45 ACP, I bought mine in the 45 full size configuration. I haven't played with it much, but it has worked reliably during what little range time I've had the chance to take with it. I like the interchangable grip insert feature, which allows the shooter to better tailor the gun to his/her hands. I have noticed over the years that shooting a Glock while wearing gloves causes my point of impact to shift. Shooting the M&P 45 with the small grip insert and gloves did not change the impact a bit. Big plus when working in environments where you have to wear gloves.

The M&P seems very well engineered. In terms of reliability, I've seen threads on this site talking about striker/firing pin breakage, but S&W fixes those things for free. Parts on any pistol can break. Carry a BUG when going into harm's way regardless of the brand of pistol you carry. Magazines are more expensive than Glocks, and the holster/mag pouch selection is not as large. My local police supply now carries the S&W line, but the majority of holster offerings are for Glocks.

I don't know all the law enforcement agencies carrying the M&P, but S&W has a very good marketing approach and the M&Ps are catching on. Glock took a bit bit out of S&W's U.S. law enforcement market because they made an accurate, safe, reliable, and affordable pistol at a time when S&W and other American companies were hard pressed to offer anything that could match. S&W seems to be able to offer something now that levels the playing field.

Don't know if you can fire lead bullets thru it, but don't let that stop you from buying one.

 

[conn ak]

Originally posted by Greyhawk:
In answer to #5 - The Detroit Police department is going to replace their Glock's with M&P 40,s.

The Detroit Police Department should be carrying bazookas.