Smith & Wesson M&P 45ACP Opinions

Status
Not open for further replies.
JohnB-40

JohnB-40

Member
Joined
Nov 9, 2012
Messages
534
Location
Orygun
I have used a Colt 1991 A1 Commander as my go to sidearm since the early 90's. I have been using a LC9s for EDC recently,mostly due to weight I'm getting old and the Colt + spare mag seemed to have got a lot heavier. I'm just not into 9 mm and have a fair stash of 45 ACP. I was thinking of getting a M&P 2.0 45 ACP with the 4.6" barrel when this panic subsides.
Any comments on this series of pistols would be appreciated. I have a medium hand size,the Commander with a short trigger fits just right.
 
I bought a surplus M&P .45 about 10 months ago. I already have an M&P9c in 9mm, so the .45 felt very familiar. I had one weird hang-up with the gun: it only holds 10 rounds and offered me nothing my other .45s can't (unless you count the fact that it was my only striker .45 at the time). I ended up selling it to a friend who likes it very much.

On all my M&P guns I have had the triggers worked on, but I also have only owned the 1.0 guns. From what I hear the 2.0 triggers are much better. You can change out backstraps on these guns as well. Otherwise they have been an utterly reliable, even boring model of firearm IME.
 
Havok7416 said:
I bought a surplus M&P .45 about 10 months ago. I had one weird hang-up with the gun: it only holds 10 rounds and offered me nothing my other .45s can't...
Click to expand...
I suppose it depends on your perspective. If you're like the OP, and you're comparing it to a Commander 1911, an M&P .45 would have more capacity and be lighter.
JohnB-40 said:
I have used a Colt 1991 A1 Commander ... I'm getting old and the Colt + spare mag seemed to have got a lot heavier.
Click to expand...
 
I like my M&P 45acp a lot. I think it's a 2.0. I'm not positive. It was an inexpensive LE turn-in. It does have two or three different grip inserts, so you can adjust it to your hand size a bit. My FiL has the 40 caliber version, and its frame is just a little bit smaller.

I like mine a lot. I like the sights and the trigger. For me its accuracy is a bit above average for a service pistol. It's given me zero problems.

Smith and Wesson M&P 45acp

Smith and Wesson M&P 45acp

 
JTQ said:
I suppose it depends on your perspective. If you're like the OP, and you're comparing it to a Commander 1911, an M&P .45 would have more capacity and be lighter.
Click to expand...
Which is why I mentioned that those were issues affecting me personally. Other than those minor details I think the M&P platform is fantastic. At the same time I'm no purist and I also enjoy plenty of other platforms.
 
Tallball said:
I like my M&P 45acp a lot. I think it's a 2.0. I'm not positive. It was an inexpensive LE turn-in. It does have two or three different grip inserts, so you can adjust it to your hand size a bit. My FiL has the 40 caliber version, and its frame is just a little bit smaller.

I like mine a lot. I like the sights and the trigger. For me its accuracy is a bit above average for a service pistol. It's given me zero problems.

Smith and Wesson M&P 45acp

Smith and Wesson M&P 45acp

Click to expand...

That looks like a 1.0 version. The 2.0 versions dropped the beavertail, and they have M2.0 stamped on the left side of the slide.

e.g. https://www.smith-wesson.com/firearms/mp-45-m20-le
 
I like the M&P pistols, especially the 2.0 versions. If you're a 1911 user you'll probably also appreciate that the M&P is available with a 1911 style safety. The ergo's and safety will make you feel right at home, but it'll be a little lighter and hold a few more rounds than your 1911's. And 14 round extended magazines are available for the M&P.

https://www.midwayusa.com/product/1326133425
 
I have a 1.0 version of M&P 45. I added an Apex Duty kit to it along with a set of Truglo TFOs. It's one of my favorite guns to shoot. Very accurate and super reliable. I also have a full sized M&P 2.0 9mm. The stock factory trigger is 80% of my Apex Duty trigger. I would not hesitate recommending a 2.0 M&P 45 to a friend.
 
JohnB-40 said:
I have used a Colt 1991 A1 Commander as my go to sidearm since the early 90's. I have been using a LC9s for EDC recently,mostly due to weight I'm getting old and the Colt + spare mag seemed to have got a lot heavier. I'm just not into 9 mm and have a fair stash of 45 ACP. I was thinking of getting a M&P 2.0 45 ACP with the 4.6" barrel when this panic subsides.
Click to expand...
You can also give a consideration to M&P Shield 45. It is about the same size as a Commander, although I think it's still heavier than LC9s, mostly because the ammunition weighs more.
 
JohnB-40 said:
I have used a Colt 1991 A1 Commander as my go to sidearm since the early 90's. I have been using a LC9s for EDC recently,mostly due to weight I'm getting old and the Colt + spare mag seemed to have got a lot heavier. I'm just not into 9 mm and have a fair stash of 45 ACP. I was thinking of getting a M&P 2.0 45 ACP with the 4.6" barrel when this panic subsides.
Any comments on this series of pistols would be appreciated. I have a medium hand size,the Commander with a short trigger fits just right.
Click to expand...
I've underlined the part that caught my eye. I don't have the model you're looking at ("M&P 2.0 45 ACP with the 4.6" barrel"), but if I suddenly found myself with a windfall of $$$, there's a high probability I'd buy an M&P of some flavor. I've been carrying a Shield for about 3 years now and I've been very, very happy with it. I'm also planning to move to .45 for carry and I found this PC Shield, which I think is pretty close to a Commander size. It's got somewhat less capacity, but may also have a slimmer grip. It might also be worth a look. I'm still breaking mine in, so I haven't moved it to carry duty, but I think I'm going to like it.
index.php
 
"That looks like a 1.0 version. The 2.0 versions dropped the beavertail, and they have M2.0 stamped on the left side of the slide."

Thanks for the info! I was never curious enough to investigate. I got it barely fired with the box, grips, and 2-3 magazines for around $300 OTD, so I didn't inspect the gift horse's mouth too carefully.
 
Hi Spats & Zaitcev, Picked up my Shield 45 4" on Monday. I'm really pleased with the purchase and find it a good companion for the Commander. I've only tested 2 mag loads so far,I like the feel/weight of the pistol and its very accurate. Thanks for the heads up.
John
 
Last edited:
Accuracy is what surprised me too. I was not impressed by the trigger on the Shield; it seemed like increasing too much before the break, then overtraveling a hair too much. Then I looked at the target and it was 2 times smaller group than my Kahr P45, which has a really nice, smooth trigger. I decided to suck it up :) With time, either the trigger broke in, or I got used to it, but I have no complaints now.
 
JohnB-40 said:
Hi Spats & Zaitcev, Picked up my Shield 45 4" on Monday. I'm really pleased with the purchase and find it a good companion for the Commander. I've only tested 2 mag loads so far,I like the feel/weight of the pistol and its very accurate. Thanks for the heads up.
John
Click to expand...
Excellent. I hope it works out for you, because I just hate steering people wrong. If you'll dig around for threads started by me, you'll find one on that pistol. It's not a long thread (maybe 3 pages?), but it should have some holster makers listed that will make a holster for that pistol.
 
I AGREE WITH "SPATS". I TOO HAVE GOTTEN A 45 SHIELD.AND AM LOVING IT. I CARRYS EASILY. A DOWN RIGHT PLEASURE TO SHOOT. MINE LOVES THE OLD FEDERAL 45C LOAD. THAT'S THE 185GR HI-SHOK JHP BULLET AT 950FPS. MORE THAN ENOUGH BULLET TO MEET EVERY NEED. JP
 
The M&P Compact 9 has been my favorite pistol so last week I picked up the Compact 45, and I have to say it's just as nice. One reason I'm so fond of the 9mm version is that it's very accurate for me, and I was happy to see that the 45 version is just as accurate.
 
I purchased 2 45acp shields when they had the rebates and use them for EDC, both mine have the safety, you can use most of the regular shield holsters but the barrel is a little longer and the slide a little wider, I carry mine with the smaller mag and carry the +1 mags as a backup, I've loaded mine with +P Golden Sabers and they feed fine, I cleaned up the internals like I've done om my other M&Ps and SD40VEs.
 
I purchased a used LEO 45 ACP with night sights. No safety. It was a 1.0. The nights sights didn't work well, but I couldn't complain as I wasn't expecting night sights.

The only upgrade I performed was adding an APEX trigger kit-much muddling as the kit is not cheap. That turned the gun from average to GREAT. It is by far the firearm I can fire the most accurately at distances greater than 10 yards. I have a Shield 45 and an XDM 45 and 2 ATI 1911 45's and one RIA full length 1911. The M&P though, is still the best. Whatever law enforcement officer owned it previously took care of it because it feels good in the hand, the sights were easy to adjust, and there wasn't any real holster wear.

I just recently purchased a 9mm M&P 2.0 with a 4 inch barrel. I will say, the stippling is AGGRESSIVE. After a number of range sessions and getting a bit frustrated, I broke down and ordered the APEX trigger kit along with a 1.0 backstrap. Hoping it works just like my M&P 45.

The only recommendations I would make is to rent one and pay attention to how the stippling feels on your hand. It is aggressive, and while holding it doesn't feel that bad. After a firing session, it can hurt the palm-depending on how many rounds you fire-after 100+ rounds. The other recommendation is the trigger kit. The 2.0 has a descent trigger kit, but I have found that I do much, much better with the APEX trigger. YMMV.
 
Crazy Horse said:
I purchased a used LEO 45 ACP with night sights. No safety. It was a 1.0. The nights sights didn't work well, but I couldn't complain as I wasn't expecting night sights.

The only upgrade I performed was adding an APEX trigger kit-much muddling as the kit is not cheap. That turned the gun from average to GREAT. It is by far the firearm I can fire the most accurately at distances greater than 10 yards. I have a Shield 45 and an XDM 45 and 2 ATI 1911 45's and one RIA full length 1911. The M&P though, is still the best. Whatever law enforcement officer owned it previously took care of it because it feels good in the hand, the sights were easy to adjust, and there wasn't any real holster wear.

I just recently purchased a 9mm M&P 2.0 with a 4 inch barrel. I will say, the stippling is AGGRESSIVE. After a number of range sessions and getting a bit frustrated, I broke down and ordered the APEX trigger kit along with a 1.0 backstrap. Hoping it works just like my M&P 45.

The only recommendations I would make is to rent one and pay attention to how the stippling feels on your hand. It is aggressive, and while holding it doesn't feel that bad. After a firing session, it can hurt the palm-depending on how many rounds you fire-after 100+ rounds. The other recommendation is the trigger kit. The 2.0 has a descent trigger kit, but I have found that I do much, much better with the APEX trigger. YMMV.
Click to expand...

I have a number of M&P 2.0's and also found the stippling to be a little rough. I took care of it with some light sanding.
 
The .45 Shield has pretty much taken over my edc and travel gun role. Its so easy to carry, impervious to sweat, holds a reasonable amount of rounds, and just works. Very accurate gun, and I enjoy the trigger compared to other striker guns.
 
I think M&P's are great, especially the 2.0 versions. To my mind they and Glock are the two best all around striker fired pistol lines, but the M&P's tend to run a little less. Mine are 9mm but I'm sure the 45 versions are nice too.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

Similar threads

Tallball
  • Locked
New to Me Smith and Wesson M&P 45acp
Replies
10
Views
669
Tallball
Tallball
T
  • Locked
Smith & Wesson 910 vs. M & P (9mm)
Replies
22
Views
3K
Coronach
C
T
  • Locked
Smith and Wesson M&P
2 3 4
Replies
79
Views
3K
Robert
Robert
C
Deciding on the next gun: 45acp
2 3
Replies
56
Views
2K
RetiredUSNChief
RetiredUSNChief
A
  • Locked
Is it worth selling a Colt 1911 and a Smith & Wesson M&P?
Replies
21
Views
1K
Anna's Dad
Anna's Dad
Back
Top