Glock 21 or M&P 45

My Gen4 Glock 21 has been 100% reliable and very accurate through at least 2,500 rounds. It's my favorite Glock and one of my all around best guns.

Whichever gun you decide on, you should commit to range practice and training as needed, and on a regular basis, and as often as possible to develop proficiency.

features, .45acp ...

I voted for the Smith & Wesson M&P .45acp model.
I've owned both & currently use a Glock 21 gen 04 pistol with a Glock weapon light for home security(with 11 rounds of .45acp Liberty Ammunition Civil Defense).
I voted for the M&P because the member wrote it would be used mostly for home protection and the M&P .45acp can be obtained with extra safety features; magazine, thumb safety(ambi).
I seriously looked at buying a larger M&P with a ambi safety then buying a few after market 14rd magazines for armed security positions but I was able to get a great deal on a police model Glock 21 gen 04 with night sights & 3 new 13rd pistol magazines.
The standard M&Ps have only 10rd mags, but in .45acp that would be fine for personal defense.
I owned a compact M&P .45acp in 2013 & used a regular 8rd magazine with a 10rd factory magazine as a spare for CCW.
I had no problems or misfires with any factory rounds in the M&P compact.
I'm considering buying a new ambi safety 4.5" barrel FDE .45acp M&P but I'm in no rush. My 21 works fine and I like having the 3 13rd magazines available if I need them.

Both brands have merits but if you want extra safety features go with the M&P.
I'd add that the new TruGlo TFX sights or the well made Trijicon HD series would be a good add-on for the home defense gun.

glock becaause they just make better semis than smith. the smith would probably still be a good gun.

I'm an armorer for both Glock and M&P Pistol. (4 Glock classes and either 3 or 4 M&P classes.)

I've done a lot of shooting with both. I've had to repair both.

Of the 9 pistols I own chambered in .45 ACP, the only plastic one is a FS M&P 45.

I know a number of other 1911 and Glock shooters (including a number of instructors and armorers) who have shifted from Glock to the M&P for the .45 models.

Both are fine, good quality pistols that should well serve the needs of many owners. Suit yourself.

13+1 versus 10+1 for the same height. The Glock's slide is quite wide, but its weight creates a soft shooting gun. I would swap the connector for a Ghost 3.5# connector with NY-1 trigger spring for a smooth 6# pull.

I think the real advantage of Glock over other guns is ease of maintenance. You can do all the work yourself unless the slide, frame or barrel is damaged. The M&P may be as easy to deal with, but I have no experience with it.

I'm sure you'll like both. Rent them and put a few hundred rounds through each.

Glock ergonomics suck for me so I'd opt for the Smith, but if the Glock fits you better that's what I'd tell you to get. Nothing wrong with either gun.

From Hilton Yam at Modern Service Weapons

http://modernserviceweapons.com/?p=171

If we were comparing the Glock 21 to the M&P 45, then let’s just stop here and declare the M&P .45 the winner and move on. Superior ergonomics by far, good accuracy, and availability of thumb safety to help transition 1911 shooters make the M&P 45 the clear winner in my opinion. Add a viable and reliable factory 14 round magazine, and you pretty much have the whole package wrapped up with a bow.

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Smith & Wesson

I vote for the M & P because I love mine and S & W is good old American made and its ergonomics are top notch. The Glocks are not nearly as ergonomical as an M & P. The magazine on a Glock looks like an after-thought and that grip angle is weird.I have both standard and extended magazines for my M & P. That said if 11 rounds 10+1 doesn't do it you have lost the fight.American made technology is still the best.I own 4 M & Ps and wouldn't trade them for all of the Glocks in Austria.

I've shot a G19 & the larger Glock 20 as well as
M&P 9 /40 & 45C I preferred the S&W M&P
platform for grip shape and operating controls
worked better for me.

I wonder what the response might have been to the
poll had a 1911 as an option in the poll.

Randall

My Gen 4 G21 has many thousands of rounds through it, no failures.

Can't recommend it enough. It's a very shootable .45.

My G21 is the best pistol I've owned or borrowed. I can put 10 rounds in a fist-sized ragged hole at 15 meters and I am not any kind of expert at all. At all. That G21 is just the best. So ugly and so blocky but dang if it's not the smoothest thing ever. For me.

Glock 21 sits on my night stand and often rides on my hip. Despite my love for 1911's if I were grabbing a .45 to "go to work", it'd be my Gen 4 G21.

Although, honestly, I don't understand the "1911 trigger too light for HD" comment. That's what the thumb and grip safeties are for. I feel safer grabbing for one of my 1911's in the middle of the night than I do with my Glocks... though the Glocks normally are the ones by the bedside.

Neither get a Sig P 320.

glock becaause they just make better semis than smith.

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That said, while the M&P45 is in most respects a better design, I would go with the Glock 21 just because mags, parts, and accessories are ubiquitous (not that the M&P is a slouch in that regard).

I had a Glock 21 and sold it to a friend. Never looked back. It functioned as it was supposed to, but the ergonomics of that pistol are horrendous compared to the other brands out there.

It was the least comfortable to shoot of any .45 I've ever tried or had. I did not like the grip angle or the "brick like" design of the entire pistol.

I realize that ergonomic fit may vary between individuals, but the 21 has turned me off to the brand and I've never considered another Glock. Just too many better brands (ergonomically) that are just as reliable.

Like everyone's gonna tell you, go shoot them both and buy the one that feels right to you. Both will be good reliable SD guns.

I have a Plastic M&P 9 that I like best of the Plastic Pistols.
I have shot a PM&P .45 and find it similar except for fewer shots and more recoil.

I tried hard to like a G21 SF but could not do as well with it as I thought I should, so did not buy it.

So I voted Smith.

HA! I tied it up, 24, 24.

M&P.

Hand in hand ....

Members keep bringing up the pistols/ergnomics, .
I've owned & shot both formats: Glock 21 gen 04 & a M&P.
I didn't pump 1000s of rounds down-range but I never had any issues with either model. FWIW: with Glock gen 04s you can adjust the grip panels-backstraps. Smith & Wesson adds extra grips to M&P pistols too for a better fit. I'm left handed so 90% of most common pistols feel awkward or strange in my left hand, .
The only 2 major firearm brands that had great ergonomic grips for me, is the SIG Sauer P series(P225, P226, P220, P227) & the rounded style 3rd gen S&W models(now discontinued ); 4506, 1006, 5906, 3906, etc.

Rusty

Had both, sold the Smith with no regrets.

While some criticize Glock for their "Glock Perfection" ads, it was S&W who started the trend claiming "Perfection"

Crappy cell pic of an old S&W ad

RustyShackelford said:

Members keep bringing up the pistols/ergnomics, .
I've owned & shot both formats: Glock 21 gen 04 & a M&P.
I didn't pump 1000s of rounds down-range but I never had any issues with either model. FWIW: with Glock gen 04s you can adjust the grip panels-backstraps. Smith & Wesson adds extra grips to M&P pistols too for a better fit. I'm left handed so 90% of most common pistols feel awkward or strange in my left hand, .
The only 2 major firearm brands that had great ergonomic grips for me, is the SIG Sauer P series(P225, P226, P220, P227) & the rounded style 3rd gen S&W models(now discontinued ); 4506, 1006, 5906, 3906, etc.

Rusty

Click to expand...

I am also left handed. And I agree that the Sigs are nice. But have you shot the HK VP9 or 40 yet? With adjustable front, back, and side straps you have many combinations to get things just right. Very comfortable gun to shoot.

They will soon be announcing the VP45 as well.

Left handers, polymer guns ...

I'm happy with my Glock 21 gen 04 for now. I just added a new Vickers Glock slide stop & a magazine release.
I had a minor problem with my big Glock's slide. It would propel forward without me touching it. I've noticed the new Vickers/Tangodown.com Glock part eliminated that problem.
I'd add that the new add-on is nice but can be sharp-rough on your fingers, .
I read that complaint online prior to adding the Vickers part so it wasn't a big surprise. I am satisfied with the 21's controls-drills now. The add-on magazine release is great, .

As for the VP9 or .45acp, I would look at a new Walther PPQ, FNS or maybe a SIG P320 model first. These brands look very ambi friendly or well engineered for a left handed gunner.

RustyShackelford said:

I didn't pump 1000s of rounds down-range but I never had any issues with either model. FWIW: with Glock gen 04s you can adjust the grip panels-backstraps. Smith & Wesson adds extra grips to M&P pistols too for a better fit. I'm left handed so 90% of most common pistols feel awkward or strange in my left hand, .

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Grip panels do absolutely nothing to change the grip angle in relation to the hand. If the angle feels awkward, adding a few millimeters of plastic to the back won't change anything. I had this experience. Glocks feel crap in my hand. I was excited when the Gen 4s came out, thinking I could get on the Glock bandwagon. Nope. Tried all the grips and did nothing to help the gun feel more comfortable in my hand. The firearm that seems "perfect" for everyone, the G19, felt like something I would never want to shoot.

Reach into your pocket. Pull out a coin. Toss it in the air. Decision made.