Determined to buy a Glock 19 but...(feedback needed)

[Grimjaws]

I held an M&P 9 full size and was hooked. Wife gave the go ahead to buy myself a Christmas present (married guys know how that goes) and I decided I needed a 9mm. Ammo is making the come back and I missed not having a semi (I have a 686, 19-5, 10-11, 10-14, 37 no dash and safe queen Colt Pony Pocketllite -separate post on that one in the lounge-)

Headed to Gander and I tried a Glock 22, Glock 36 and Glock 26 mix Gen 3 and Gen 4. Loved the trigger pull but the grip just felt wrong to me. I liked the sites but it was not comfortable to hold at all. I could see the lower bore axis and balance felt good but no matter one or two handed I just could not get a comfortable grip on it - then I imagine recoil and I felt pretty bummed. I thought this was the gun for me. I made the trip so I kept looking.

Next held a Sig P250 and didn't like the exposed hammer and the grip felt off to me almost too straight. Then I looked at an XD and again didn't work either. Next I tried a Ruger SR9 and that I liked - felt good in the hand but the trigger pull didn't feel right to me - Not a fan of the safety but loved the loaded chamber indicator. The sales guy was making a hard sell talking about American made and warranty service but it just didn't light any fires. I would have been happy but not thrilled.

At that point I figured to skip this idea and use the money for more ammo since nothing fit. The rest of the case had revolvers and 1911s galore but nothing that caught my eye until I looked at the .22 section. I noticed a bunch of S&W and one M&P 22.

I asked if they had any M&P in 9 or 40 in back and they had a full size 9. I picked it up and said this is the one! Felt real natural in the hand and racking the slide nice and easy. They all were easy to be honest except Sig felt stiff I have a bum wrist so sometimes racking a slide is awkward especially if it is not smooth. The sites looked good and the balance felt great in my hand. No safety or mag disconnect according to the sales guy on this model which is what I would want.

I was really surprised at the trigger and how much play there was. I could pull it back some distance before it tightened up. At first I was a little uneasy with this - hard to describe as the Glock had no play but the M&P did. The more I used it the more I liked it. I guess you could say it was more forgiving and I plan to let my sons shoot it (14 and 16) and not have to worry about a hair trigger like my brothers 1911 (I know apples to bricks).

I carry the 37 and practice every time I go out to the range so this M&P will be for the range and most likely not for carry but could be. It had to fit and I had to feel good that I could carry it and the trigger pull and fit gave me that feeling.

The next questions are and this were I turn it over to the amazing knowledge on this forum
- about how much should an M&P 9 go for?
- do you think the black one or desert tan?
- I did some research on the carry and range kit - is this a good deal? Is it much more?
- can you shoot lead rounds through it?
- you hear about Apex and springs but do i really need to make any changes from the get go?
- MOST IMPORTANT - WHY do you like the M&P?

Thanks for reading and your feedback

 

[b_san]

$429.99 shipped, don't buy it at Gander unless they buy you dinner the morning after... SMITH AND WESSON MP9 9MM FULL SIZE NO THUMB SAFETY @ Sportsmans Outdoor Superstore:

I like my M&Ps and I like my Glocks as well. The M&P has a grittier, less precise trigger than the glock but is a tish more ergonomically friendly. I'd just buy it and shoot it and then decide later after a few hundred rounds whether you need to add the Apex kit or not as the trigger will wear in a bit or you can take it apart and just polish the parts yourself following the many online video how tos.

 

[Bkreutz]

.
- about how much should an M&P 9 go for?
- do you think the black one or desert tan?
- I did some research on the carry and range kit - is this a good deal? Is it much more?
- can you shoot lead rounds through it?
- you hear about Apex and springs but do i really need to make any changes from the get go?
- MOST IMPORTANT - WHY do you like the M&P?

- Don't know, the internet is your friend, do some surfing and find the best deal, then go to a local gun shop and see if they can match it. (the big box guns stores probably won't, but the LGS wants your business.

- Personal preference, I don't care what color my pistols are.

- Range kit is the way to go if you can find one.

- You can shoot lead, just have to be more fastidious about cleaning. Lots of indoor ranges won't allow exposed lead bullets (makes their filters plug up faster)

- Apex makes some good stuff, I have it on my competition M&P's but not my carry or HD pistols. I'd recommend leaving it stock for a few thousand rounds and if you then want a shorter pretravel and almost no overtravel, then get the FSS kit.

- Why do I like them? Well initially it was feel, now it's reliability, many of the matches I shoot in there are multiple failures during the course of fire and none of them were M&P's. I have around 22,000 rounds through my current comp gun (I bought it in June 2013), I pull the trigger and it goes bang, every time, that's critical for me.

Hope you find this helpful.

 

[Doug M.]

While the Apex kit will address the feel of the trigger for those who think the reset is important, it is not critical.

Consider a Shield instead of the full size for your setting. You are stuck with 7 rounds in the magazine, which is a standard Shield 9 mag. Reduced capacity magazines in full size guns are prone to not working as well as the standard mags. AFAIK, the reduced capacity mags for the full size are 10 rounds, so you would still have to download by 3 rounds, and a momentary lapse in counting could get you jammed up legally. That's the reason I did not take my usual G33 when I went home for a family event in October - I would have to down load and it is easy to make an error. (The exemption for retired LE WRT to capacity only applies to NY and Feds.) I carried revolvers instead.

 

[Rastoff]

The color is a personal thing. How can we tell you what to get?

The range and carry kit is useful. Extra mag and the UpLULA make it worth it. The holster is only marginal.

You can shoot lead rounds through any gun. Some need more cleaning than others.

Don't put any Apex stuff in until you've shot the gun a bunch. Then you can be focused on what to get if you need anything at all.

I like the M&P for several reasons:

• It has the best ergonomics of any handgun I've held.
• The back strap is easily changed out to fit different hands.
• Super reliable. Yes, some have had issues with reliability, but S&W has fixed them all for free.
• Easy to maintain.
• Easy to work on.
• Good sights right from the factory.
• The best customer service in the industry.

 

[sarge1967]

The next questions are and this were I turn it over to the amazing knowledge on this forum
- about how much should an M&P 9 go for?
- do you think the black one or desert tan?
- I did some research on the carry and range kit - is this a good deal? Is it much more?
- can you shoot lead rounds through it?
- you hear about Apex and springs but do i really need to make any changes from the get go?
- MOST IMPORTANT - WHY do you like the M&P?

Thanks for reading and your feedback

I just picked up a Pro Series M&P9 in 4.25 inch for $575.00 OTD.
Cabelas has a bi-tone one available or you will need to go with the VTAC if you want tan. I looked at the VTAC hard but went with the Pro for the better trigger and new backstraps.
Carry range kits are great deals.
You can shoot lead through them.
Upgrades are ultimately up to you. If you hang aground here long I promise you will end up upgrading stuff though. LOL
I feel the M&P has the best ergos of any of the plastic fantastic handguns on the market. They are accurate. The 9mm is the softest shooting 9mm I have fired. That is why I like them.

 

[Bat Guano]

I bought a (gasp!) Glock 19 a couple of months ago to augment/supplant my 442. The 442 remains 100% reliable but I wanted to up my game while staying compact, light, and RELIABLE. So I sprung for a G19 4th gen. So far, so good. The slim frame without inserts fits me fine, the trigger is a lot better than they used to be, the grip texture works, and the double recoil springs make for a softer recoil. So far it percolates with everything--and unlike an older G17 I once had, I can call my shots and hit with it. Lots of accessories for it; reminiscent of the old J.C. Whitney catalogues. And yes, it IS ugly.

The triggers on the M&Ps leave me cold, and if the new addition is pretty soulless, well, it's just a tool. Nobody sees it anyway, and if I want pretty I can still scratch that itch standing in front of the open safe.

Bottom line is it should always work and suit you well enough to do the job. The rest is details.

 

[AGoyette]

I traded a Steyr M40-A1 for my M&P9c. I am glad that I did. My 9c has had zero issues with ammo, whether it is factory jacketed or lead reloads. I have about 500-600 rounds through it so far. Zero FTE or FTF. I am going to put in the concealed/duty kit by APEX. I want to lighten up the trigger a bit. My trigger is about 6.75 pounds currently. I would like it more around 5 lbs. Normally I like it lighter, but as a carry gun, I will be fine with it at 5-5.5 lbs. My husband who hated the feel of the Steyr (thus he decided all "plastic" guns were evil) has admitted that the 9c isn't a bad gun. He does not mind shooting it. I was looking at adding the Springfield XDs in 9mm to the family, but I really don't like how the trigger now feels. No grittiness, but very heavy. I will have to rethink it. Maybe adding a full sized M&P 9 to the mix for competition?

 

[Roger S&W]

FYI The late model Gen3 Glocks have a nicer trigger pull compared to Gen4 but some have the brass to face issues thanks to MIM extractor and 336 ejector. Most report the fix is to swap out the ejector with 20749 (newest Gen 4 ejector)

 

[M29since14]

Some M&Ps seem to straighten themselves up in 500 rounds or so, some are pretty good to start with, and some it seems will never come around, so your particular gun would be the determining factor to me in whether to mess around with the Apex kit. I would shoot the gun at least 500 rounds before investing that kind of money in parts you probably can do fine without.

M&Ps point very similarly to a 1911, at least for me, anyway. That's a good thing. I like being able to get a safety if you want it (I do). I much prefer the sights on M&Ps to those that come on the Glock, and I like the M&Ps magazines better. The M&P overall is a little more "graceful" gun than the Glock. I don't care much for Glocks but they are good guns if you happen to like them. The M&P is a click or two better for me.

 

[Llando88]

?..

The next questions are and this were I turn it over to the amazing knowledge on this forum
- about how much should an M&P 9 go for?
- do you think the black one or desert tan?
- I did some research on the carry and range kit - is this a good deal? Is it much more?
- can you shoot lead rounds through it?
- you hear about Apex and springs but do i really need to make any changes from the get go?
- MOST IMPORTANT - WHY do you like the M&P?

Thanks for reading and your feedback

I'm a new shooter, so I'm not about to tell you anything about firearms, but I really like my stock M&P FS 9mm.

My 0.02:

- I bought mine for $499 at Gander about two weeks ago

- Black vs. FDE, personal choice. I like a pistol in basic black, and I just don't get the point of FDE. It's not a fashion statement to me. No offense meant to anyone who likes FDE.

- If you like the holster and are righthanded, don't already have a Maglula (they are awesome, I love mine) and want an additional magazine (I bought two more for $33.99 each, if I recall correctly at Midway) then yes it is a good deal.

- No idea about bullets.

- My trigger is stock at the moment. It is slow, flexy, and gritty prior to the break. The reset is audible and tactile. Mine is a 10/24/13 test fire. I have 110 rounds through it, so far. It is absolutely the worst feature of the pistol. I have an Apex DCAEK and polymer trigger on order.

I bought the M&P because out of all the rental pistols I fired, it felt the most comfortable. I shot 1,200 rounds through a rental M&P over the last six months.

Reasons I like the M&P are:

The M&P is reliable (0 malfunctions, squeeze = bang 100% of the time), accurate enough (3.4" groups at 7 yards today), easy to takedown to clean (without requiring a dry fire), has a Picatinny forward accessory rail, is well stocked for accessories, has a user replaceable backstrap (I use the small), has a reversible magazine release (I'm a lefty), has ambidextrous slide lock, and a lifetime warranty.

Lastly as you said it just 'feels good' in the hand.

And I have to say, this may sound corny, but I like the fact it is made in America by Americans.

Rich

 

[CWOLDOJAX]

I agree with Bkruetz, above. The range kit is a good value.

I carry my FS M&P 9mm and love it.
The only thing I would do next time is order the 9mm pro which comes with factory night sights and the 4.5 pound trigger.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Don 73]

I picked up my M&P 9c for around $485 with 3 mags. I haven't had any issues with my gun or trigger (maybe I'm just ham-fisted and can't tell the difference between triggers). I have been a S&W fan since I was little (my dad is into Smiths) and I fell in love with them too.

From many accounts, the M&Ps need a "smooth-in" period, not so much a 'break-in' period to get the parts honed to each other. I guess that's the down side to having Smith produce so many so fast to try and keep up with demand.

All I know is that I wouldn't trade my Smith for ANY Glock.

 

[ACR1010]

i would get a glock. im impressed with my glock 23. trigger is sweet and smooth. u might enjoy it better then ur s&w. i know i do.

 

[Edmo]

The GLOCK 19 is one of the best, however I think you will like your M&P.

If I were limited to only one GLOCK it would, without question, be a GLOCK 19.

I hope it never comes to that...

Edmo

 

[Hunter991]

Personally i hate glocks. Not because they aren't a good gun, but because of the grip. It just doesn't work for me. Never owned one, looked at many but always found a better pointing gun. I recently purchased a Ruger SR9c for a steal, and its a really nice 9mm. Too big for me to conceal but i have enough guns in that category already. Comes with 2 mags, a 10 rounder and a 16 rounder. Awesome gun for $429 which i have seen them for.

 

[skip4309]

Glock and SW M&P series are the best guns for value and reliability on the market today IMHO...most don't like the grip of Glocks...it kinda grows on you once you shoot it a bunch!!

 

[Sinkhole30]

I bought my M&P45 cause I did not have a 45 at the time. Love the gun. At that time I had an SR9c for carry. But have since parted ways with it. I was considering an M&P9c and still am but have since fell head over heals for the FNX-9 and FNS-9. I own an FNX-9 (hammer fired) and IMHO it is the best hammer fired gun under $600 on the market, and will give many higher priced guns a run for thier money. I also have a lot of experience with the FNS-9 (striker fired) and am contemplating that or the M&P9c. For me it's a toss up. The only thing in all honesty that has kept my from buying the FNS-9 is size. It's the same size as my FNX-9 (minimally larger than a Glock 19) and the M&P9c is a little smaller. I'm looking for something smaller. If the FNS-9c is released before I pick up and M&P9c, Im gonna have a tough choice to make. I like the ergos on the FNX/FNS better and the factory trigger pull is better than both the Glock and M&P. But that's just me and my 2 pennies. I think more importantly on my list though is a compact 45. Since the State of CT has now limited me to 10 rounds I might as well carry 10 big rounds this raises a whole new cast of players. Glock 30 Gen4 or M&P45c. the advantage to the M&P is I already own a FS and 5 mags. I can use the 10 rounds mags with an X-Grip or the 8 round mags it comes with. The Glock has the advantage of coming with 10 round mags and is slightly smaller. The only version of the G30 I would consider is the Gen4 cause I'm left handed and the ambi mag release is an important consideration for me. I honestly need to get out and shoot them both but I am leaning towards the M&P45c over the G30. the other plus is I am already familiar with the M&P platform.

 

[S&W45Colt]

I do not see the two guns as comparable. The 19 is a FS gun, the Glock is a carry sized gun. If you are looking for a duty gun or a HD gun, I'd buy the M&P. The extra size, rounds etc are advantages.

The 19 is a better sized carry gun and packs a lot of punch in a smaller frame.

I will have to say, the Glock is much cheaper to modify than the M&P.

 

[DanTana]

Made In The USA!!!

That's one of the best reasons. As soon as I held one, I was hooked. I knew I could fix the trigger to my liking, and now I love it. Reliability is a great reason. Decent parts availability. Large ammo capacity. I think they look great too. Oh, and very accurate. Easy to clean and take down. Lots and lots of information online about them.
Here is a range kit:

Smith & Wesson M&P 9mm Carry and Range Kit - $489.99 Shipped | Slickguns

Good Luck!!