Any reason to buy full size M&P

[Modeler]

I carry a 9C and have a 9FS that sits in the bedside table with a weapons light, extra mag, flashlight, etc., for when things go bump in the night. The FS also gets used for a range gun on the theory that the additional weight will make what little recoil there is less abusive over the course of a day.

I'm considering getting a full-size for this very reason. Right now I have a 9c that is my daily carry gun and a 9L that is my open carry gun when I'm working at the shop. The regular FS 9 would do well living in my bedside locker. And a Shield would be good to have for concealed carry with a shirt tucked in or something...

 

[number13]

FULL SIZE M&P VS COMPACT

Sorry that I did not get to you sooner. First of al, I am a real fan of M&P anything....in each class/caliber, they are terrific for what they are supposed to be. Hace compacts and FS, but my favcorite is the M&P 9mm Pro. Great target, range, plinking gun. Run full size magazines, because it is legal here in Fl. Once broken in, and they all have to be broken in, gun runs smooth as silk. Bigger gun in 9mm reduces recoil...almost insignificant. Longer barrel and low barrel axis provides excellent sight lines for targets. Right out of the box, rounds down the pipe...great gun. Love the compacts, but for lots of shooting...the 9mm Pro is a terrific gun.

 

[mesaman]

Agreeing on a fullsize .40

crb6864,

Don't own any .40s, but can compare experiences with Colt Officers models, Commanders and full sized 1911s and Glock 26,19,17s.

I found and it is generally accepted that most shooters will find the larger models easier to control, get better longer range accuracy and as a bonus, increased magazine capacity (in general). Depending on your size and body type, you may or may not find it more difficult to conceal. YMMV

If you want a revolver or different semi, go for it. In the interim, maybe try borrowing or renting a full size M&P .40 and see if get improved performance.

You comments nearly cover my thoughts, entirely. Own a M&P .40 and I'll keep it forever. Bought a 66-2 cause it was pretty and I love it. Guns are like children, you love all of them, some just get the credit more often than others. All my S&Ws are personal; my very first, a .38 Combat Masterpiece has been with me now for 61years, it's just now reaching maturity. And thanks for your post.

 

[TexasGunPros]

Lots of comments already, but I'll just add that I have full-sizes in all the calibers and have found reasons to justify them all. The 40 is the bedside gun. The 45 is a carry gun and the 9s (I have more than one) are shooting guns. I've sort of started collecting police trade-ins that have the department stamped on them. Only two so far, a 40 from Atlanta and a 9 from Colorado Springs, but I'm sure I'll get more. One responder mentioned the C.O.R.E. but there is also the VTAC with the Viking Tactical Sites and in FDE color.

 

[little-shooter]

Best 45 ACP handguns

The best three 45 ACP are:

1 Sig Sauer P220 (the older ones; early 90's to mid 90's)

2 FNX

3 1911

I have NEVER found any semi-auto made by Smith worthy until the M&P came out. May I ad, Smith's revolvers ROCK with one exception. If one desires to shoot the heaviest "hardcast bullets", you better consider a Ruger or FA first.

Just my two cents

 

[sarge1967]

I own both a M&P 9 Pro Series with the 4.25 barrel and night sights and a 9c. I swapped the sear from the FS to the 9c when I put Apex trigger in FS. They are both sweet shooting guns!
I will get a Shield and a 5 inch at some point so I will not try and discourage you.

 

[adams484]

I think it depends on your shooting ability. I can tell the difference in a full size pistol and the compact. Longer sight radius will tighten up your point of impact and the larger slide will help with recoil. As far as concealability goes with an OWB holster you will hardly notice any difference. But then I carry a full sized handgun daily concealed so I am comfortable with a full sized gun.

But the other guys have a good point as you could get something totally different like a nice wheel gun or something.

 

[mafbloggerdanny]

just another idea to think about, rather than buy a whole new gun why not just try out the X-grip with a full size mag on your 40c . In theory it should improve the ergos to make your 40c feel just like a full size. I don't know of any other dimensional differences between the compact and fullsize besides the length of the grip. I would guess the only downside is it's kind of ugly, but that's just a personal opinion.

 

[adams484]

I would always ask that question the other way around, as I do not have issues with the full size. Thus, I would ask if there is any reason to acquire the compact.

Personally, I think the full size M&P feels better in the hand, holds more rounds, has less felt recoil, has a better sight radius so it is easier to shoot well, and balances better. Naturally, these things are personal choice, and if you regularly carry, you should try one and see if you can live with it. If not, it still makes a nice home defense gun.

Plus one on that... What's not to like if you can carry a full size gun then do it. Get all the benefits of farther range accuracy more rounds per magazine less recoil for faster target recovery. All around better defense. In a real life gun fight it is likely that the extra rounds will be a decisive factor in survival against armed attackers. It ain't always one shot does all...

 

[Johnmuratore]

Another vote for 45c

Get the 45c and you'll never be sorry.
Its as easy to carry as a 9c or 40c and it throws a lot of lead downrange.

 

[michaelhelton]

M&P 40,40c,

I own a 40c and a 40 shield .my nephew has the full size
M&P in 40cal .I have shot all of these and the full size is the
least accurate .If the 600 bucks is burning a hole in
Your pocket .do yourself a favor and buy a Crimson
Trace laser sight for the 40c you won't be disappointed
I guarantee it

 

[bnoonan]

I have two M&P 9c pistols (one with laser sight), a 9mm Shield, M&P 40c, M&P 22 FS, and 9mm M&P Core with Leupold red dot sight. I am an NRA pistol instructor, and occasionally shoot steel challenge. Here are my observations.
I prefer carrying the shield or one of the compacts IWB. Both are comfortable. For steel challenge shooting I like the M&P 22 full-size, and it fits the same holster as my CORE with red dot sight. It takes time getting used to the red dot, as I can quickly get on target with iron sights on my 9c and 40c, but until I bought my second red dot sight which allows me to co-witness the iron sights, I was not thrilled with trying to find the dot. I am also an Ophthalmologist and need special glasses to focus on the front sight. The red dot lets me use regular glasses for shooting, as it requires aligning the dot on the distant target, rather than focusing on the front sight.
On the 9c and 40c, I MUCH prefer the magazines with the pinky extension.

 

[supervisor]

If I were you I would look for a reason not to buy. Remember you can never have too many guns or tools. I have three compact models and 6 full size ( counting 4 and 5 inchers) and am looking for one of the new ported ones.

 

[Squash15B]

Reason for buying a M&P 45

Full size is more comfortable to shoot, and having a full size as a house gun is not as big a deal, since it doesn't have to be concealed. Have a light and laser on mine.

For ATV riding in the backwoods, I have a 40c because it still has some punch when using the 15 round mags with a sleave. For my daily carry, the Shield 9 mm is the most comfortable/concealable.

 

[rebpierce]

I've never met a S&W pistol (or rifle for that matter) that I didn't like. I have 4 S&W pistols ranging from 9mm to .45. I have an M&P 45 as well as a 1911. The M&P 45 has a greater capacity and feels better in my hand than the 1911. (You can also buy extended magazines for the M&P 45 to increase it's capacity to 14 rounds. Ugly, but it works.) I also shoot better with the M&P 45 than the 1911. But it all depends on what you want the pistol for. My logic is do you really need a reason to buy another pistol? Get what you want that fits you and your purpose best. Have fun and let us know what you ended up buying and how you like it.

 

[BobRowe]

I have somewhat smallish hands, depite my 6'0" 260-lb frame. My first M&P was the 9C which I really enjoyed. I then purchased an M&P 9FS and found that it concealed almost as well as the 9C, nd had the benefit of 5 more counds. I gave the 9C to my wife, because it conceals better in her special carry purse than the 9FS in that carry method. BTW, the 9FS works well in the 9C Galco Concealable belt holster. In 9mm caliber, there wasn't an appreciable difference in recoil between the 9C and the 9FS.
I then purchased an M&P 45 MidSize (full frame, 4" bbl). Fits same holster, and has minimal recoil. great carry gun - only drawback is the 10+1 cqpacity.
My last M&P purchase was an M&P 40FS. I wanted a 357FS, but none were available, either locally or online. The 40FS has he same dimensions externally as the 9FS, but 2 rounds less capacity (15+1). Great carry gun. Fits same holster. Has noticeably more recoil than the 9FS, and a little more recoil thqn the 45MS. I used the medium sized backstrap on all the M&P's. But I coulddn't leqave well-enough alone, so I converted it to a .357FS. All that required was a barrel change (uses same mags), but it took me 8 months to dthe the conversion barrel (a S&W) through Midway USA. The .357FS has noticeably more muzzle blast than the 40FS, but just a tad more recoil.
I have installed Crimson Trace LaserGrips on the 9C, 45MS, and .357FS. I plan to install one on the 9FS soon.
My wife carries the 9C. The 9FS in our nightstand gun. I carry the 357FS regularly. I occasionally carry the 45MS.
Hope this helps.

 

[workenbrian]

Carry, Bedside, Range

I carry the M&P9C all the time. I was never accurate with the stock trigger so I installed the Apex DCAEX trigger parts and fell in love with the gun even more. That being said, it still wasn't enough when it came to accuracy at longer distance than self defense range. I tried using it in one of the just for fun pistol matches at my range and did alright but still was not satisfied. That's when I started searching for longer barrels. Since the full size has a 4.25" barrel and the fact that most of my holsters would fit it I bought the M&P9 FS. Before I shot it I installed the Apex Competition trigger kit. This has been a great gun for the range, I've won almost every match I've shot in at my range and I keep it by my bedside with a TLR-3 attached and extra magazine. Oh yeah, the mag's are interchangeable so that's another good reason to have both.

 

[BubbaMac]

All good info. Answered my questions before I asked.

Thanks,