whatnickname
Member
First let me say that I have several of each of the Glock, Smith & Wesson M&P and Springfield XD pistols. All are quality pistols but each of them have their strengths and weaknesses. I prize the dozen or so Glocks I own very highly. They are by far the easiest pistol to work on and modify for a particular use. The pistol only has 34 parts in it and requires nothing more than a 3/32" punch to completely disassemble. There are by far more after market parts for the Glock than any other polymer frame pistol on the planet and the Glock is 100% bullet proof reliable. I carry the Glock in a belt holster more than I do the other two makes and the Glock is available in a wider range of calibers than the Smith or Springfield either one. Make no mistake about, if I knew I was taking a handgun to a gunfight it would be a Glock. The down side, at least for me anyway, is that the Glock is nothing to hold in aesthetic contemplation. They're ugly and that's just the plain truth of the matter. The ZEV Technology Fulcrum Trigger is one of the best on the planet and I can install one in about ten minutes. Aside from aesthetics, the down side for me is that the Glock does not fit my hand very well but that has been less of an issue with the onset of the Gen 4s. Glock's customer service is world class.
The Smith & Wesson M&P is by far a much nicer looking pistol than the Glock and with the large grip insert fits my hand like a glove. The bore axis is low in relation to my hand and that is also a plus IMO. The down side...more difficult to work on, primarily because of the ambidextrous slide release. While Apex makes a very nice replacement trigger for them, their trigger will not function with the older model, small sear pin, sear housing. And no, Smith & Wesson will not sell you one either. In fact they're down right anal about the matter. So if you want to convert an older pistol you have to scrounge for a replacement sear housing...I mean God forbid that someone would actually put a decent trigger in an M&P! Plus the M&P couldn't decide what it wanted to be when it grew up so not all the parts (like the trigger and trigger bar) interchangeable. All in all a good pistol and I like the 5 I have...particularly the two CORE models I have out of the Custom Shop.
The Springfield XD is by far the best made of the three brands. The machining and fitting are simply superb. The grip configuration is very reminiscent of the old Bren 10 of years past and feels pretty good in my hand. They are larger pistols, width and height, on average than the other two and the axis of the bore in relation to the hand is a good bit higher. The down side? They put the damn sights and extractor in with at least a 10 ton press. The extractor? Well maybe but *** were they thinking when they put the damn sights in? That no one would ever want to make a windage adjustment or replace them with night sights? Seriously??? After market trigger...Powder River makes an excellent after market trigger but you better pack a lunch. Sometimes you have to fit both the sear and the safety leaver by hand and here's the key...you can always take a little more metal off but you'll have one hell of a time getting any to go back on. Oh, put the slide back on before that safety lever is properly fit and you're gonna have one HELL of a time getting the slide back off the frame...probably teach yourself some new words before you're done with that project. Not all models have been created equally either. I have a 2003 vintage XD40 that simply cannot be fitted with a Powder River slide safety leaver...just not gonna happen. All said and done the 3 I have are all very reliable and I'm gonna hold on to them. Springfield's pretty picky about what replacement parts they will sell you. That extractor...assuming you can actually get it out of the slide...Forget it! It aint gonna happen, which is a minus in my book.
So these are just my thoughts and observations...What about yours?
The Smith & Wesson M&P is by far a much nicer looking pistol than the Glock and with the large grip insert fits my hand like a glove. The bore axis is low in relation to my hand and that is also a plus IMO. The down side...more difficult to work on, primarily because of the ambidextrous slide release. While Apex makes a very nice replacement trigger for them, their trigger will not function with the older model, small sear pin, sear housing. And no, Smith & Wesson will not sell you one either. In fact they're down right anal about the matter. So if you want to convert an older pistol you have to scrounge for a replacement sear housing...I mean God forbid that someone would actually put a decent trigger in an M&P! Plus the M&P couldn't decide what it wanted to be when it grew up so not all the parts (like the trigger and trigger bar) interchangeable. All in all a good pistol and I like the 5 I have...particularly the two CORE models I have out of the Custom Shop.
The Springfield XD is by far the best made of the three brands. The machining and fitting are simply superb. The grip configuration is very reminiscent of the old Bren 10 of years past and feels pretty good in my hand. They are larger pistols, width and height, on average than the other two and the axis of the bore in relation to the hand is a good bit higher. The down side? They put the damn sights and extractor in with at least a 10 ton press. The extractor? Well maybe but *** were they thinking when they put the damn sights in? That no one would ever want to make a windage adjustment or replace them with night sights? Seriously??? After market trigger...Powder River makes an excellent after market trigger but you better pack a lunch. Sometimes you have to fit both the sear and the safety leaver by hand and here's the key...you can always take a little more metal off but you'll have one hell of a time getting any to go back on. Oh, put the slide back on before that safety lever is properly fit and you're gonna have one HELL of a time getting the slide back off the frame...probably teach yourself some new words before you're done with that project. Not all models have been created equally either. I have a 2003 vintage XD40 that simply cannot be fitted with a Powder River slide safety leaver...just not gonna happen. All said and done the 3 I have are all very reliable and I'm gonna hold on to them. Springfield's pretty picky about what replacement parts they will sell you. That extractor...assuming you can actually get it out of the slide...Forget it! It aint gonna happen, which is a minus in my book.
So these are just my thoughts and observations...What about yours?
