S&W M & P 40

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southernpride

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Thinking about getting a new pistol and trying to decide between M&P 40 and FNS 40. Which one would make the best home defense pistol. I haven't shot either of these. I know someone on here can give me a little advice on which one is the best and most reliable.
 
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Personally I think a 45 caliber gun is the better home defense choice vs 40. It shoots softer and is subsonic.

I have an M&P gun in all of these calibers - 9mm .40 & 45. The 45 is bedside, the 40 is in the basement.

I like my M&Ps, Can't comment on FNS


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We have M&Ps in both 9 and 40 and love them. No issues at all with either one and I have tried many different reloads with no FTF or FTE.

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sstewart said:
Personally I think a 45 caliber gun is the better home defense choice vs 40. It shoots softer and is subsonic.

I have an M&P gun in all of these calibers - 9mm .40 & 45. The 45 is bedside, the 40 is in the basement.

I like my M&Ps, Can't comment on FNS


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Ditto

I also own all three M&P's and also know nothing of the FNS but personally would find it hard to improve on the FS M&P45 for home defense. , I keep a M&P45 bedside (with rail light) for he same reasons.
 
I own an M&P 40 and have had no problems. But I don't shoot it now because I have converted it to .357 Sig caliber (at a cost of $80 plus ammo). For home defense I like the .40 but want the .357 sig if the bad guys are wearing vests. (I haven't figured out how to pick which gun to shoot when the guys come through the door!)

I have a Ruger in .40 S&W caliber. I like that caliber very much. As an engineer, I believe in energy numbers - the more the better for kill power if you can shoot it straight. Most factory defense loads for the .40 have more energy than for the .45. the .45 carries more lead at a lower speed. The .40 is easier than the .357 to shoot straight but not by much. A good .45 is probably easier to shoot than ether of these calibers. I enjoyed shooting a Glock 30 in .45 ACP caliber.

Most loads for the .40 have more energy than the .45 so I favored the .40 when initially buying a home defense gun.

I may get a .45 because of the influence of guys around Forums like this. But I have shot a lot of calibers and find the .40 very adequate in most circumstances, even against guys in vests if you are good enough to make a head shot if one is required.

Beware that M&P's are often made and sold without thumb safeties. This is something you must consider. If you think ahead, you should get a one with a thumb safety IMHP. I have a thumb safety on my Ruger and prefer that as a carry gun. When fumbling to get either gun into or out of an IWB holster, I feel better with the safety ON instead of Unavailable. It does not matter much on a home defense gun. Your finger is your safety.

I can't say which of my .40's is more reliable. I have had no malfunctions with either. The Ruger is a bit shorter for easier carry.
 
By logging into the S & W M&P forum, you're obviously going to get a lot of favorable responses for the host's pistols, so this isn't going to be the most unbiased place to get objective feedback.

Having said that, I totally agree with the other responders in saying that I too, own a M&P 40C and find it utterly reliable thus far and that's after putting 800+ rds downrange in the past 3 months. I've had only two FTE's and it was due to bullet configuration, not the pistol. It's a very enjoyable pasttime and I'm finding my accuracy is improving with each trip to the range, which is very satisfying.
 
Just purchased my M&P 40, and I did all the research prior to purchase. I also rented the following M&P .40 full size, Beretta PX4 Storm .40 full size. FNS .40, and a Springfield XD .40

I have to agree with another poster..if you are buying a gun 100% for home defense, get a .45, but if you are actually going to shoot your gun, get a .40. And get an M&P .40, it felt better, shot better patterns, seemed to have less muzzle lift.. I was actually down to the Storm or the M&P, and was leaning towards the storm..but My wife shoots my guns, and a quick limp wrist test that failed 4 rounds in the Storm ruled it out. I also was not in love with the trigger pull on the Storm. Note- I limp wristed an entire mag through the M&P, and I am talking ridiculously limp wristing the fire arm, it didn't fail once.

What you buy depends on what you like, I would suggest you find a range that rents all the fire arms you are thinking about, and shoot them all.
 
I had a M&P 40 and loved it. After handling the FNS I disliked it very much, just doesn't feel right in my hand. Feels also like cheap plastic.

Go with the M&P line and you'll be happy.
 
The issue with the 45 is not so much the ballistics as it is it will not blow your eardrums out when you shoot it inside


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sstewart said:
Personally I think a 45 caliber gun is the better home defense choice vs 40. It shoots softer and is subsonic.

I have an M&P gun in all of these calibers - 9mm .40 & 45. The 45 is bedside, the 40 is in the basement.

I like my M&Ps, Can't comment on FNS


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Click to expand...

This is me to a "T." I also have the Shield .40 with a 9mm barrel and the Compact .40 with a 9mm barrel.

I once traded my .45 FS for a Ruger Commander 1911 I had been drooling over for a while. Missed it like the dickens. Luckily, the guy was a good friend so I finally found another one. He liked the sights better (Mine had night sights) on my new one so he traded me back.

Lesson learned. My .45 FS never leaves my side much anymore and is always on my bedside table. I have a lot of guns by the standards of most (excluding present company) but my FS .45 M&P is my "goto" when push comes to shove. I keep the extended 14 round mag in it when it's at home.

Yea. I tote a BG .380, and even a P-32 in my pocket in the summertime. I even carry the Shield sometimes and maybe even a Smith revolver, but if push came to shove and I could get to my .45, I'd grab it before anything else I own.
 
Rastoff said:
This is a nice thought, but any gun will do some damage if fired inside. Maybe a .22 would not be bad.
Click to expand...


Your right, haven't shot my 45 in my bed room yet. At the range the 9 & 40 seem to have bigger bang because of sonic boom.

Do agree that potential hearing damage is there.


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I don't think any of them are going to be pleasant inside a house..I have accidentally fired my .45 with my muffs around my neck and it hurt me out doors.
 
Thanks for all the info. I was a little concerned since I saw a post on here about a Shield M & P 40 that blew up. In the end though they find out it was a overcharged reload. Which made me feel better. I am going with the 40 S&W since my other guns are all 40's. This will save me for having to stock up on 45's. If I like the M & P Pro 40, then I will probably buy a 45. Thanks
 
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