WHY DID YOU BUY A M&P COMPACT 9MM OVER OTHERS?

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marathonrunner

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Guys, I always get great advice on this forum. If it wasn't for the trigger, my M&P 9C would be a favorite as I think the build quality, especially the frame is so much stronger than say a Glock 19. I think the stainless reinforced chassis is also stiffer, thus inherently more accurate than Glock pistols. However, the stock trigger is so horrible, it basically ruins the gun. I find it amazing that some love the hinged stock trigger and the huge sloppy under and over travel of the MP.

I was thinking, had I bought the Glock 19, the trigger job would have also been a lot less, something like $24 for a 3.5 connector and $24 for a polished safety plunger. The apex was $76 which is not too bad but the apex is a lot more difficult to do.
 
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The trigger is a matter of personal preference/opinion. I personally find the trigger on my 9c to be great as is, it was never gritty or rough. That being said, I have been a S&W fan from the time I first fired a model 66 when I was 7 years old and a model 39-2 when I was 12.

Plus I just don't like the way the Glocks feel in my hand, and I have big hands. And I don't find my M&P's trigger to be sloppy with excessive over/under travel at all.
 
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stock

Don 73 said:
The trigger is a matter of personal preference/opinion. I personally find the trigger on my 9c to be great as is, it was never gritty or rough. That being said, I have been a S&W fan from the time I first fired a model 66 when I was 7 years old and a model 39-2 when I was 12.

Plus I just don't like the way the Glocks feel in my hand, and I have big hands. And I don't find my M&P's trigger to be sloppy with excessive over/under travel at all.
Click to expand...

I know some like the trigger on the MP but I haven't taken mine back to range since the upgrade with apex. I got the duty carry in fine but the polymer trigger was a no go.
 
My choices were between:

XDM9 compact
mp9c
glock19

I chose the 9c.

I liked the xdmC, but it was a little bit heavier and didn't have LH controls.

9c =Better stock trigger (than the glock, but not as good as the xdm compact), better price, conceal-ability and LH controls. Plus it's a Smith, and made in the USA
 
When I was shopping for Compacts, I rented almost every model in the price range of of the M&Pc and compared.
I liked the factory trigger of the M&P the LEAST of those I rented.
Rather than spend extra money to make the M&Pc trigger 'acceptable', I bought a different brand that had a trigger I liked.

This is the third thread you've started, apparently obsessing/rationalizing/trying to find 'closure' over your M&Pc trigger fiasco, wishing you'd have gotten the G19. Rather than starting multiple M&Pc vs G19 threads, why not just try to put this trigger kit situation behind you and move on?
 
RobzGuns said:
When I was shopping for Compacts, I rented almost every model in the price range of of the M&Pc and compared.
I liked the factory trigger of the M&P the LEAST of those I rented.
Rather than spend extra money to make the M&Pc trigger 'acceptable', I bought a different brand that had a trigger I liked.

This is the third thread you've started, apparently obsessing/rationalizing/trying to find 'closure' over your M&Pc trigger fiasco, wishing you'd have gotten the G19. Rather than starting multiple M&Pc vs G19 threads, why not just try to put this trigger kit situation behind you and move on?
Click to expand...

I am not trying to obsess about it but I am faced with what to do with a gun that is not doing what I wanted it to do. Had the apex worked great, I would have been a happy camper but I hate the stock trigger and the fact as it stands now the apex duty carry did install correctly, I cannot get a trigger that will work. The aluminum is rolling dice as some pins can be driven home, others will not and require a vice to squeeze it, thus taking a huge chance of guming that up.
 
Sell the M&P. Buy the Glock. I think both are great products but it seems like the M&P isn't the pistol you want.

By the way, what makes you say the M&P is built better than the Glock?
 
I had a bunch of Apex Goodies in a 45c and the trigger was scary good. But hands down the best part was the USB. It does requre the rear sight to be moved though. I bought a cheap sight pusher on ebay and for it being a cheap thing it worked really well. Guns that have a slide mounted safety will require extra work for it to function though. The internals will polish up well enough with a few weekends practice firing. But that sharp edge on the striker block just makes no sense to me. The rounded edges of the Apex USB work very well to replace that crunchy feel.

As an extra option, you can pull the factory striker block and place it in a drill chuck. GENTLY round the edges off with a stone or sanding paper and polish it. JUST THE EDGES... But that is a bit of work although not difficult.
 
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I'll second Maximumbob54 on this!!

I have 'several' M&P's and i never understood the beef about the triggers until I got my 45c. That trigger was BAD.

So instead of selling it or crying in my pillow, I researched it. I'm too cheap to pay for Apex parts so I polished the trigger myself.

The trigger bar has a saw-tooth contact point on it where it hits the striker block. Polishing that was easy. But mine also had a burr in the striker block tunnel and to fix that I took out the USB, wrapped a piece of 1500 grit sandpaper around a small drill bit and used a drill to polish the bore of the USB hole.

The whole process took under 15 minutes and the trigger is beautiful! So beautiful in fact I went and polished the trigger bar on a couple other M&P's I have, even though I thought those triggers weren't bad to start with.

There's several videos on polishing M&P triggers, and I may have posted pictures myself of my project a while back. You don't need a $200 sight pusher to remove the rear sight, I just clamped the slides in my vice and used a soft copper tube folded over with a hammer to form a wide punch. The sights on all my M&P's moved with a few raps and have no marks on them.

I'd say give polishing a try. It's easy, almost free, takes little time, and the satisfaction level is really high.

Good luck!

.
 
I put an APEX in mine and had issues, took it to ATEi and had Doug work on it, now it's really nice, the gun came with the CT grips which I really like, the gun went back to ATEi and I had an RMR installed, it's now the EDC gun. I have a holster on order that will fit the TLR-3 and that will complete things.
 
If you don't want to go all out on Apex parts, I've found the sear to be the best bang for the buck. M&P triggers are ridiculous from the factory. I hate that the Ruger SR triggers are even better.

Here's one of mine with an Apex Forward Set Sear kit.
e86028e5f769fe91f34890a4e718c0d1.jpg
 
I bought a 9c after renting one and shooting it. The trigger on mine is great and I have zero problems with it. A friend has a Glock and the grip does not work for me,just does not feel right. Keep shooting your 9c and the trigger will improve as will your feel for it.
 
I had a 9C but I carry a Shield and shoot the full size on the range and at competitions. So although the 9C is cool I really dont have a need for it.
 
I feel like my trigger has improved as I put range down range. My 9c is rather new, so it has the better trigger (from the shield) on it. No complaints at all honestly.
 
I hate the glock grip. I can shoot it well but HATE the grip and a the 3 1/3lb connector alone make a mushy trigger to me not a 3 1/2lb trigger pull. . That's why we bought a M&P9c and a few 17 round mags for range and back up. Light recoil allows for quicker follow up shots over the 40 and the 45 version is just to wide and just bigger. Now we have a 4 .25 core with rmr that I my CC. A apex striker block change made for a under 5lb nice smooth trigger pull.

The M&P tend to need at most an Apex striker block swap . That will smooth the trigger and pull weight is not that heavy.
 
Simple...
My Girl picked up my 40c and LOVED the way it felt in her hand. The gun, that is. LOL.
She also handled a couple Springfields, Glocks and Rugers. She liked the feel of the 9c.
40c for me, 9c for her...and we're both happy...
Cool thing is, I swapped slides and mags with hers, so she could try my sights (TruGlo TFO) and my pistol with the Apex DCAEK kit, but with the firing characteristics of her 9mm round.

Yeah...so, TFOs and another DCAEK kit on the way...soon...lol. That one may have worked against my favor...:)
 
marathonrunner said:
WHY DID YOU BUY A M&P COMPACT 9MM OVER OTHERS?
Click to expand...
Plain and simple, I just got a deal on a brand new one that was too good to refuse. :) Even with the Apex DCAEK kit, which I am likely to buy and install at some point in the future, it was still a super deal in my book.

But it wasn't just money. I really wanted to like the Ruger SR9c, but could never quite bring myself to buy one despite equally good deals. Call it a Ruger prejudice maybe when it comes to their centerfire semi-autos, but I own numerous other Ruger products including an SR22 semi-auto. Hell, my first pistol ever was a Ruger Mark I. :confused: I think my favorite gun shop (folks I really respect) had a lot to do with convincing me to go S&W over Ruger for this and other carry or defense-intended semi-autos. I will also say that the M&P9c fit my hand better than the SR9c, although that alone wasn't a critical factor. Other small details, pro and con, influenced my pick. Overall, the M&P9c just seemed like a better way to go than the SR9c.

And Lord knows another Glock Gen4 wasn't in the cards for us. Just too costly to buy here in the People's Republic of Massachusetts. And ya seen one, ya seen them all. The truth be known, Glocks kinda bore me lately. :o
 
I don't know what all the fuss about triggers is about. I love the trigger on my 9c WAAAAY better than that of any Glock I've fired. Nice and light, and relatively crisp.
 
I have a Glock 19 which I really like, but let's face it, it's ugly. When I saw the M&P9C I fell in love. It's a slick looking gun. I had to have one. Of course they are off the California roster, so I couldn't buy one because gun stores can't sell them any longer. But I recently found someone who had a new-in-the-box, never fired 9C and I bought it.

For me, the 9C is accurate, it's smaller and easier to carry, and has performed flawlessly. I have many different guns with many different triggers. They all go bang when I pull the trigger, and that's all I ask.
 
I bought my M&P9c because I'd earlier got into a pile of M&P9c mags for $10 apiece and a Raven holster for $25, so I had to get one since I already had 8 mags and the holster. I found a lightly used one here in MA with no mag safety, and an APEX sear already installed, for a good price. So I have a nice shooter for short money.
 
Ten dollar mags! That's painful to think about considering what I just paid for a spare Californiarific 10 round 9C magazine.
 
Xader said:
I don't know what all the fuss about triggers is about. I love the trigger on my 9c WAAAAY better than that of any Glock I've fired. Nice and light, and relatively crisp.
Click to expand...

I'm with you. My early edition 9c has a trigger that I much prefer to Glock. I see no need for a kit to improve anything on my 9c, and besides that, I won't alter a "carry" gun in the event I actually and to use it and go to court.

The reason I bought the 9c was the size, as it's between the G-26 and the G-19. Like Goldilocks said, "this one's just right". I also prefer the grip shape over the Glocks. It's just plain old more comfortable than the 2x4 grip shape of any Glock. I like the XD compact grip shape, but they just don't have a graceful look to the slide, and just appear strange to me. I do like the SA Service Models and larger sized guns, as they don't look so "blockish".

I've had my 9c for quite a while now, and I'm quite happy with it.
 
Marathon, if I might? Try an newer "H" series M&Pc. Newer trigger and reset set up for M&P's. Right out of the box, shorter take up, very crisp snap, and good, just right reset on the trigger. With a few rounds down range for break in, the new trigger system that S&W is using gets really nice.
While a persons property is just that, and a person can do as they please with that property, this trend toward "Get an M&P and immediately order and install an APEX sear" w/o even trying the pistol bothers me. S&W really re-engineered the triggers on newer M&P's just to address the concerns of the public about mushy, crunchy triggers on M&P's. The new "H" series sear is almost a dead copy of the APEX sear, and improvements with the trigger bar and slide stop improve the triggers immensely. And, like Glocks, shooting breaks in the trigger parts quite nicely after several rounds fired thru the gun. New Glock Gen4's are a different "cat", compared to their Gen3 brothers. Glock changed their triggers, as well, and Gen4's are much better in hand fit and trigger control, too. Try a newer M&P "H" series gun and see. If you still don't like the trigger, get a Glock and stop worrying about trying to make a striker fired duty gun trigger feel like a high end target 1911. M&P's and Glock's weren't designed for that, they were designed to be dropped into a Police Officer's holster, and to give him the best of ease of immediate use with a good safe trigger.
IMHO, anyway.
 
Being new to the sport, and only having real experience shooting my .22's, i was in the market for a 9mm to use as a learning tool and a potential SD gun. A deal on a 9c popped up that was too good to not grab, and i'm glad i have it. Sure the trigger is far different then my buckmark or old colt, but so is the grip, feel, and kick. But it's been great to learn on, working on my hold and stance which has made my .22 shooting more consistent as well. And for what i'll use it for (range and home defense, not sure if i'll ever carry) i see no reason to mess with modifications. Maybe it's a bit easier for me as a newer shooter, to adapt to how a gun feels rather then someone who has many years of experience and may have certain "expectations" they want/need in a gun.

I should add i do understand those who modify things to improve on something; I've done so with cars. I just feel i need to spend a lot of time with this 9c before coming to any thought of having to update it.
 
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My MP 9c has a good trigger. Not too light and not too heavy. Mine does not have a external safety so I don't want the trigger too light since it is sometimes a carry gun.
Awhile back I had to send my compact back to S & W twice because of a problem of not feeding the last round in the magazine. That seemed to be a common problem with the compact back then. I think they have corrected it on newer guns. For my trouble they gave me a free magazine and it seems like the trigger is a lot smoother since I got it back but, maybe it's just my imagination. Anyway, I like the trigger.
I used to not like the blockyness of the Glock, but I gotta admit, the new Gen 4 looks pretty good.:cool:
 
I already have an M&P FS that I like. I wanted to have some consistency with the full size and the compact.
 
My MP9c was my first S&W. Had a friend who had one, let me shoot it, had to have one. Saw the MP9 FS with the 17 rd capacity, had to have one, bought it. Liked the reliability of the MP line so much, I saw the MP-15 and MP 15-22 for plinking, had to have them, bought them. Test fired a Shield, loved the feel, wanted a 40 in compact, so I got one. At this point I figured I'd get a mini 380 for my wife to put in her purse, so I got the Body Guard. Big mistake! Was totally unlike the the other S&W's from the MP line in terms of reliability, but S&W replaced it with an MP BG, and the jury is still out with verdict, but it looks good so far for an acquittal.

What's next, maybe a .45 compact in the MP line? :D
But I blame this MP addiction on my first, the MP9c......:o
 
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