M&P9c with safety question

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alphie

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My wife and I have been shopping for a pistol for her. She does not want one without a safety. She really likes how the M&P9c fits in her hand and there is a model with a safety. I'm guessing that this has been discussed often, but I haven't seen a thread about this. I apologize for the possible duplicity, but I'm hoping we can stay out of the safety vs. no safety discussion. My question is regarding my lgs. They have a tendency to talk you out of a gun they do not stock, and try to get you to buy something they have. The owner says that the safety placement on the gun causes bruising when you shoot the gun (they don't have it in stock) because of the size of the safety. I know the safety is a bit bigger than some, but she feels it worked easier than her 2nd favorite gun (Ruger SR9c) and she liked that it was easier to feel. She prefers the ergonomics of the Smith and Wesson, and I believe she would shoot this more because she likes it. I just don't want to get a gun that might be known to cause bruising on ones hands as this would keep her from shooting it often. She's not going to shoot every week, but could shoot `100-200 rounds every month. Is the safety an ergonomic problem like this? Thanks in advance for any responses.
 
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"Shoot before you buy!"
I have to drive 300 miles round trip to rent a gun if someone in the club does not have one, and it well worth it. There is no substitute for actually shooting the gun.

Has your wife taken a handgun class from a qualified instructor? Holding the gun correctly makes a huge difference in how it feels. Many NRA instructors have a variety of guns for the Basic Pistol students to try.
NRAInstructors.org - Portal for NRA certified Instructors, NRA Education and Training
 
safety

I have a compact 9mm with the safety. It does not bother me one bit when shooting.
 
I thought about the sr9,
but the safety was awkward and really hard to move.
I also ordered a M&P9 w/ the safety,
and when it came in I tried it,
but it resembles a 1911 safety
except it is pretty loose and long.
If she can get over not having a manual safety
I would look at the M&P9 w/o the manual safety.
The best safety you have is between your ears,
and the gun wont fire unless you pull the trigger.
She can always not carry one in the chamber.
This was just my issue with having a manual safety.
 
I went from the 1911 platform to Glocks ( I always wished the Glock had a safety lever IMO ) and then I found the M&P line. They are the best of both worlds. I have 3 M&P's full and compact versions. All of them have safeties on them.I like them all and mostly carry the Compact 9 as my EDC. I have have no problems shooting or carrying them. My daugther has a Compact as well and hasn't had an issue with carry or shooting wth the safety lever. . I took a small file and trimmed the body side lever down a bit to the shape of my 1911. They are only plastic. If I messed it up and went too far they are inexpensive and easy to replace. The other thing is if you decide you don't like the safety lever even with the trimming you can just pop it off and get the frame plugs from Smith and Wesson. I agree with the statement the best safety is between your ears but like the extra safety that comes with having the levers on the gun. I tried a Shield at the range and it has a safety like the Ruger SR9c that my buddies have ( that was a deal breaker getting the Ruger SR9 for me ). I don't find it as easy to swipe off as the bigger designs. I am still wanting a Shield because of the slimmer design but I don't think it is that much smaller than the 9C. I like the extra capacity and ablity to shoot full size mags in the 9C as well.
 
The safety will not cause bruising. That's total baloney!

I have a 9c with safety and got it specifically so I can use the exact same procedures as with 1911s. The safety works just fine and is definitely not a problem. Get her what she wants. If you have to get the LGS to special order it, so be it.
 
alphie said:
My wife and I have been shopping for a pistol for her. She does not want one without a safety. She really likes how the M&P9c fits in her hand and there is a model with a safety. I'm guessing that this has been discussed often, but I haven't seen a thread about this. I apologize for the possible duplicity, but I'm hoping we can stay out of the safety vs. no safety discussion. My question is regarding my lgs. They have a tendency to talk you out of a gun they do not stock, and try to get you to buy something they have. The owner says that the safety placement on the gun causes bruising when you shoot the gun (they don't have it in stock) because of the size of the safety. I know the safety is a bit bigger than some, but she feels it worked easier than her 2nd favorite gun (Ruger SR9c) and she liked that it was easier to feel. She prefers the ergonomics of the Smith and Wesson, and I believe she would shoot this more because she likes it. I just don't want to get a gun that might be known to cause bruising on ones hands as this would keep her from shooting it often. She's not going to shoot every week, but could shoot `100-200 rounds every month. Is the safety an ergonomic problem like this? Thanks in advance for any responses.
Click to expand...

Remember the rule: Most everything spoken by the gun store commandos is suspect until proven true. Actually, it is usually an out and out lie. The folks working behind the counter at the gun store are not really "experts" in the true sense of the word. They got a job there, and they repeat the nonsensical drivel that they hear spouted by co-workers and some customers. Buy whatever makes your wife happy, even if you have to insist that the dealer order one for you.
 
alphie:

I had a 9C with a thumb safety. For a while, I had that frame under a 40C slide, but decided to put the 9 up for consignment, and figured it was better to put the "recorded" frame under it :D....

I'm a 1911 guy, so the presence of the safety was no problem, nor did I have any problems with it of any kind. (Either as a 9mm or .40....)

If you're going to carry a gun with a safety, be sure that everything you carry has one that works the same way, or at least has none at all.... IMHO, the M&P's don't need the thumb safety at all, but YMMV :D.... I don't see any hazard in having one as long as you train up to use it.

IMHO, too, the larger M&P's (9FS, 9C, 40FS, 40C) are just a little to soft in that department. A decision to carry with the safety off may be negated by your holster, or other carry issues. Best to get used to flipping the thing off! It appears that the new Shield is a lot harder to accidentally move.

Older S&W semi's (with the backwards safety lever) seem to allow carry with the safety off, and the ones I've had tended to stay wherever i set them.

AND, the comments about the gun shop employees trying to sell you what's in stock, or some other brand, is quite normal. Often they're really trying to get rid of something, or getting a better spiff. Not to mention greater piles of money out of your wallet.

It's still always better to shoot something before you buy it.... About the only exception for me these days is a 1911. If I can dry-fire it, I'll have a pretty good idea of what'll happen on the range. If I feel that I can fix it, it's a go. An Apex kit will do the same for the M&P series guns.

Regards,
 
You've all been very helpful and what you've said is quite in line with what I've been thinking. I just wanted to hear it from people who would know. Thanks so much for all of your responses.
 
alphie said:
She does not want one without a safety. She really likes how the M&P9c fits in her hand and there is a model with a safety.

My question is regarding my lgs. They have a tendency to talk you out of a gun they do not stock, and try to get you to buy something they have. The owner says that the safety placement on the gun causes bruising when you shoot the gun (they don't have it in stock) because of the size of the safety.

She prefers the ergonomics of the Smith and Wesson, and I believe she would shoot this more because she likes it. I just don't want to get a gun that might be known to cause bruising on ones hands as this would keep her from shooting it often. Is the safety an ergonomic problem like this? Thanks in advance for any responses.
Click to expand...

LEAVE that LGS in the dust behind you (they just proved they don't have a clue and what else will they BS you about), and get what your wife would be comfortable with. And NO the gun WILL NOT cause bruising.
 
FWIW, I have the M&P 40c, and I have never felt the safety lever while I was shooting, unless it was on purpose. In my opinion, it's a fine pistol, and you can buy with confidence.
 
Mikaman said:
I have a compact 9mm with the safety. It does not bother me one bit when shooting.
Click to expand...

Can you please measure the width of the safety levers? Specifically, how far does it stick out from the side of the slide/grip frame? 1/8", 1/4", 1/10", 2/10"???? Each side the same? Thanks, if you can
 
Mikaman said:
I have a compact 9mm with the safety. It does not bother me one bit when shooting.
Click to expand...

Can you please measure the width of the safety levers? Specifically, how far does it stick out from the side of the slide/grip frame? 1/8", 1/4", 1/10", 2/10"???? Each side the same? Thanks, if you can
 
I installed a Apex FSS kit in my 9c and carry in a kydex AIWB holster :eek: so I also installed the factory "rabbit ears" safety. The ambi safety is a lot like a 1911 and doesn't hurt, even when shooting +P's.
 
I have a 9C without the safety but I have shot a couple with. It didn't bother me one bit. One more gun I would look at is the Springfield XDM mod 2 in 9mm. that is about the same size as the 9C but it has the 1911
style grip safety on it. I have an XDM 3.8 9 also worth looking at) in .45 and I love this type of safety.
 
I have 5 M&P's only 1 does not have a safety. I had to order my M&P9C in to get the safety. It is a very comfortable gun to shoot and the safety is very easy to operate. It operates just as easy as a 1911's safety.
I also bought the plugs for the frame just in case I ever decided to remove the safety, but I probably will not. I like the gun with a safety.
Good Luck, but the LGS should be able to get you one with no problem at all. They should be able to place the order with other orders and they should not even have to pay shipping for it.
 
The OP is from 2012. I suspect he either has one by now or chose something else.
 
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