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I recently handled one of these at the gunshop. With the small insert it fits my hand at least as well as my Gov. model, and is lighter in weight with greater (double capacity) firepower. It has great sights. I think it might make a better carry gun. What are your opinions on this gun and caliber? How does the .40 compare to the .45 in terms of recoil/controllability? Is it easy to reload? Are there any carbines out there that would take this round and magazine?
I am considering trading my low miles .45 Camp Carbine and my series 80 stainless Gov. model. I am hoping for a straight swap - is that too optimistic?
Thanks.

[mattf7184]

Just got to put 100 rounds through a rental M&P .40 today (also played with another M&P at gunstore which had similar trigger feel to that of the rental gun). I only had my Glock 19 to compare it to (CGR, Ameriglo Operators, 3.5lb Connector, extended mag release and slide stop). Glock 23 would have been a better comparison, but I didn't have one.

Ergonomics and Feel: The M&P comes with 3 different backstraps. I believe the gun I used had a small one on it. It is very very thin, almost like a 1911, felt very similar to a Sig P239. The grip slid less in my hand than the Glock and the scaling on the slide is different, but I didnt feel it was any easier to grasp than standard serrations. The M&P doesnt feel like a 2x4 and would probably fit my hand better with the Large backstrap. The beavertail feels very nice as well. I also like the amount of space in the trigger guard for gloves if I used them. The M&P was however a bigger overall, heavier gun. Interesting enough I didnt have any pointability differences going back and forth with the Glock like I do switching from Glock to 1911 with a flat MSH.

Trigger: I've got a 3.5lb connector in my G19 and the M&P trigger feels even lighter overall (break and take up). Crunchy take up, but a very very clean break compared to the Glock. However I HATED the light feeling reset of the M&P. I prefer the stronger reset of the Glock. The trigger didnt seem to be any hinderance to shooting the gun however. I didnt have any problems not letting it out enough to reset, however would have liked a stronger reset.

Sights: I really liked the sights on the M&P (carry Novaks I believe). Good sight picture and with practice and getting used to it I would be much more accurate with them compared to my sights. Speed however would probably be the same or less for me. Sticking the guns side to side, it looked like the M&P also had a .5" longer sight radius.

Accuracy: My first shot with the M&P was right through the center at 7 yards. Overall I would say the accuracy is plenty fine and equal to my G19. The trigger would probably make it easier for me to shoot compared to a Glock with experience on the M&P.

Speed and Recoil: The grips were small for my hand on the M&P and had the standard snappy .40SW feel to me. I much prefer 9mm and .45 to .40 in terms of recoil impulse. The M&P flipped about as much as the Glock 23s I've used thanks to the low bore axis. With a larger grip the recoil would probably feel less on the M&P for me. Doing various drills under 7 yards I could shoot the M&P as fast as my G19. I prefer a white dot or something easier to see for myself and the M&Ps white dot allowed me to pick up the front sight quicker than the sights I have on my G19 now.

Problems: My G19 was perfect as usual (about 3k rounds or so and no failures of any type). Couldn't say the same for the M&P unfortunately. I have read the various reviews on them and cannot recall one with the problem I had. Almost every shot the magazine popped out. Now I first thought it was me and made sure I was not hitting the mag release but sure enough it would still pop out. I prefer Glocks with extended mag releases and have never had a problem with any other gun in terms of accidently hitting the mag release. Also, as others have indicated the slide release is very stiff. It was also very small for me to use to lock the slide back.

I hate the mag disconnect and would order one in the future without out when they come out with that variant.

Overall the gun was nice, but not enough imo to make me give up my Glock for concealed carry. If they made the reset firmer (even at expense of a tad heavier trigger) I would like the trigger much more. Some type of extended slide release would be nice. Dont know why the magazine had problems dropping out, but I doubt it is representative of most of the M&Ps. The equivalent model Glock is still smaller and lighter. I am looking forward to a 9mm 5" version of the M&P as I see promise in the gun. Can't wait for a head to head comparison of a CCF/Glock 34 and a M&P 5" 9mm.

I didn't disassemble the M&P but if it is close to tear down completely as a Glock it would also be another plus. 33 Round magazines would be nice to have in an M&P also.

[mattf7184]

Ooops double tap.

[distra]

I've had mine for almost a month and have some 500rds throught it. I like the pistol is comfortable and shoots well. My issues have been with the combination of my shooting and bullet weight. I can shoot the 180gr bullets closer to POA than the 165gr which tend to fall low left. The .40 round itself is a little "snappy" and takes some getting used to before I was comfortable with it. My only real "malfunction" has been a fat finger on the slide lock the first couple rounds I fired. I changed grip slightly and no troubles. One thing I've noticed is the trigger reset is longer than my XD45. A couple of times, I did not extend my trigger finger enough to reset the trigger before I tried to fire. Of course, it did not go "bang" :o My fault, not the pistol's. Other than the mag disconnect, I have no complaints about the pistol. Accessories are becoming more available everyday and once the 9mm comes out, I may add another M&P to my collection. I do hope S&W offers a version without the disconnect. It's a bit annoying during IDPA style matches.

[Control]

+1 on the mag disconnect issue.

I am left handed and the lefty friendly controls really got me excited! However, both the "crunchy" trigger feel and the mag disconnect kept me from buying the pistol. :(

Note that civilians can order them without the internal lock. Kudos to S&W for listening to the public about internal locks for once! Now if they could just make the same option available for their revolvers…

If any gun retailers out their have data to show the difference in sales of internal lock models vs. models without the internal lock that would be interesting.

[aufevermike]

I was very interested in one until i actually had one in my hand. It felt great but i jsut couldn't get to the slide stop release. It was just a little too forward adn too flush. then I picked up the XD45......it came home with me