S&W m&P 40 for duty pistol

[gunguy0829]

9 mm or 40 S&W as far as ball ammo are fairly equal. I do have to buy my own ammo for the academy, but I can get 9 mm for 10.00 for 50 or .40 S&W for 11.20 and .45 acp for 13.20 for 50. I may use 40 S&W because of the stopping power vs 9mm. and a lot cheaper than 45 acp which I shoot great with, however, I need to have 2,000 rds. to take with me to the academy.
I can always go to 45 acp after the academy if I stay in the area. Here I found out, it is the officers responsabilty to get a firearm. So it does look like the M&P 40 is my best bet, just hard for me to go hold one, long drive to get to one.

 

[gunguy0829]

Do any officers still use revolvers, i.e 686?

 

[walkin' trails]

Do any officers still use revolvers, i.e 686?

Only the ones unimpressed with this passing semi-auto craze.

 

[gunguy0829]

Walkin' trails, I would love to use my 686, not even sure if it is on a list of firearms I can use, would be interesting to find out.

 

[Forsmithers]

GunGuy0829,
My agency has about 1,700 M&P's in our fleet and they seem to be running quite well. We transitioned to them back in the spring of 2008 to replace SW-99's in patrol and Glock 23 and 27's for detectives. I carry an M&P40 Compact as I am in a plain clothes assignment but I have shot the full size pistol several times and like it A LOT. I am very confident with my M&P40C and have over 3,000 rounds through it with ZERO malfunctions.

One day during training I shot a qualification course with the retired G23 and then ran the next relay with the M&P40C. I could not believe the difference in grip and trigger when I shot the back to back and my score with the M&P was better than the Glock that I had previously carried for three years and usually shot high 90's on a 100 point scale.

Having started as a Reserve Officer on a small town PD I know what you are about to get involved in. It will be great experience and a stepping stone to where you really want to go. Look at the guns your fellow officers will be carrying and if they will issue or allow you to carry an M&P then I would highly recommend it. If they are carrying Glock's than I would suggest you carry and practice with what you'll be carrying at work after you graduate from the academy. You can always trade your personal weapon for a compact version of your duty weapon like an M&P Compact or Glock 26/27. That way you'll have the same function in the back up/off duty gun in a reduced size. Your compact will also be able to shoot the longer magazines from the full size pistol which is a bonus.

Best of luck to you and if you do choose the M&P I am sure you won't be disappointed.

 

[gunguy0829]

Forsmithers, here they require the officers to get their own gun, and the M&P is on the list of sidearms they allow. Most of the depts. in Colorado already issue the M&P. Colorado State Patrol use the M&P 40, Colorado Springs P.D use the M&P 9. I have been looking hard at the M&P 40 and the M&P 9, I love the way they look and the reports on them have been great. I think I may have my choice, but it is hard to get my hands on one to see if it "fits me". To buy one, I will have to either sell my 686-5 or my Ruger P345.

 

[FCSO117]

My agency went to M&P 40's 3 yrs ago, with no problems with the weapon. We traded off S&W 4046, and without exception everyone likes the M&P better. The instructor stated that qualification scores went up with the new weapons and we have not had any breakages. I recommend the full size for your duty weapon. Even the Glock guys like them..

 

[gunguy0829]

I think I am going with the M&P 9

 

[10mm Sonny]

To buy one, I will have to either sell my 686-5 or my Ruger P345.

You sound very fired up for this. I don't want to sound negative. But, if money is that tight for you, I would suggest you first graduate and actually get hired by a department before you buy any sidearm. The police academy personnel at community colleges will tell you a lot of great things, because their main priority is to acquire your tuition fees. Remember, they are employees of the college.

 

[gunguy0829]

10mm Sonny, Well, once I get into the academy, I am required to provide my own firearm, based off a list of firearms that are allowed. So in the event I get into the academy I will have to have a firearm. The Academy will not furnish a firearm or the ammo. 2,000 rounds are needed for the academy. Im sure I will wait till I know I am accepted into the academy. Even if I don't get in, I will still have a great SD pistol. I will have a position in LE pending the graduation of the Academy in the railroad. The job is conditional, so I still have to get accepted and pass the academy. The railroad does issue a gun, however not for the academy.

 

[Rule3]

Are there no gun shops/ranges near you that have rental guns?

Could be worth driving to one to try out the guns before you buy something??

 

[gunguy0829]

No, this is a small town, nothing like that. Makes it hard.

 

[raylo]

Having gone through this I would recommend a 9mm in what you are comfortable with. We were allowed to choose our own weapon and those that shot 40's and were new shooters did poorly and needed remedial due to recoil and not being familiar with the gun. Those who shot 45's always seemed to slow the line down since mags were 7-10 rounds and with 9's they are 15-17. Most range days at the academy you will be shooting 300-400 rounds or more depending on the day. The 9 gives you lower recoil better 2nd round target acquisition and more rounds per mag. Also fatigue is also less especially if your range days will be all in the same week or two. The M&P 9, Sig 226 and glock are all good and unless the department is going to issue you a weapon, would all be on the list of acceptable weapons.

My .02 cents, good luck.

 

[WR Moore]

We issue the M&P40 and I personally own a M&P9. If it's your money, I'd go with the 9mm. The ammo's cheaper, it's easier to shoot well and there's no significant difference in terminal ballistics with quality ammo.

With the interchangable backstraps it's easy to fit the weapon to your hand. Worst case, you may need to spend $10 on a Pachmayr grip sleeve if you've got really big paws.

 

[enidpd804]

I switched from Glock to M&P40 about four years ago. I couldn't be happier. I'm on my department's SWAT team and we shoot a LOT. I've lost track of how many thousand rounds I have through that pistol. My off duty gun as well as my wife's carry gun are M&P40c's. They've both been perfect as well.

 

[Lost Lake]

I have all of the guns you are considering, and I love them all. The .40 is the harshest recoil of all of them, but it's a great gun. You can also put a factory 9mm barrel (~$60) in a .40 M&P and shoot 9mm all day long.

I wouldn't think twice about buying a M&P using your military discount. Bud's Police will sell you one for $399 including an extra magazine and free shipping. These guns are so hot right now that you could easily turn around and sell it for $450, maybe even more.

 

[ET.]

You can also put a factory 9mm barrel (~$60) in a .40 M&P and shoot 9mm all day long.

I keep seeing this stated here and don't doubt that others have had success doing this, but I own a M&P40 pro (5" barrel) and it will not accept the factory 5" 9mm barrel that my friend has in his M&P 9L. The slide will not lock up and allow the gun to fire. I took my gun to the LGS and they tried one of their barrels in my gun and again it didn't fit. Maybe it's just my gun, but my experience suggests that not every M&P40 will work flawlessly with a factory 9mm barrel installed.

 

[turbo38gn]

well Gunguy, hope you got your answer here, it's pretty overwhelming. Other than the usual troll coming in to attempt tp deminish the M&P.... you not only got happy owner after happy owner, but LEO departments all over the country are happy,....

 

[turbo38gn]

I keep seeing this stated here and don't doubt that others have had success doing this, but I own a M&P40 pro (5" barrel) and it will not accept the factory 5" 9mm barrel that my friend has in his M&P 9L. The slide will not lock up and allow the gun to fire. I took my gun to the LGS and they tried one of their barrels in my gun and again it didn't fit. Maybe it's just my gun, but my experience suggests that not every M&P40 will work flawlessly with a factory 9mm barrel installed.

for the record, I've never seen anyone say the 5" pro has a factory conversion barrel... I personally have only purchased the actual Storm\Lake conversion 9mm barrel and it has worked flawlessly.

 

[gunguy0829]

turbo38gn, I have gotten some great reviews on the M&P. Just as an update, I can now say I am the proud owner of a new M&P 9 with night sites, I love this gun, fit, function, looks. I could not be happier with my choice. Thank you all for the info.