Buying new 9mm tomorrow

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RobFL

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Hello all

I am buying my first 9mm tomorrow. I have it narrowed down to the M&P and the XD. I finally got to shoot them both at the range yesterday and I dont think it moved me closer to one over the other - like I thought it would. They both feel good, shoot good. I think I shot the M&P better but...... I was wondering if there is anything out there that might help me decide which might be better. I am using this for home defense and target shooting. A 45 will be my next purchase and that will replace my 9 in terms of home defense with some range time as well, just not as much with the ammo cost differential.

I am sort of leaning towards the M&P. They both look great, shoot great and feel great in my hand. I give the edge to the M&P in the feel department the rest, its tied -- is that enough for one to decide? I buy guns for life and I plan on shooting the hell out of it so quality is important to me. Most early build issues seem to have been corrected on both firearms from what I read - correct? IF you guys tell me you cant go wrong with either firearm then I guess I am good to go. Any tips are welcome.
 
M&P od XD

My wife has the XD(m) in 3.8 (9mm), and I have several M&P's(9,40,45). She is the best shot with any of our firearms. And, she is much more accurate with the XD(m) than any of the M&P's (she has really small hands). The XD is her carry/IDPA pistol. The M&P40 is my carry/IDPA pistol.

I know this isn't any help, but what I want to say is that they are both very good.

One thing that causes me to really like the M&P's in IDPA game playing is you can firmly insert a full mag into an empty gun and the slide will close and chamber a round without you having to press the slide release button. Some see this as a problem, where I see it as a real big plus.
 
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Thanks - I think the M&P will be my choice. Still currently on the fence but I will know 100% tomorrow. I do not do IDPA, still a rookie shooter here but oddly enough I read about the slide moving with a firm mag insert and tried it on all 6 of the rentals I used over the last week. At least 3 did it and m&p was one of them.

I like both guns. Its alot harder choosing than I thought it would be. Appreciate the replies
 
Well some time ago I went through the same choice, and I don't think you want to hear this but I went with the XD. I liked the trigger better and I'm one of apparently five or six people who like the idea of a grip safety. In addition the XD really is single action and with a Powder River Trigger upgrade , I believe it's a close as you can get to a 1911 trigger. Probably not the answer you wanted, but you asked.......
 
When I was shopping for my first pistol I shot alot of differant brands. I narrowed it down to three, XDm, M&P and H&K p30. Went with the H&K but the M&P was a close second, third XDM. fwiw
 
Rob...Get the M&P9(it was the first centerfire pistol I ever bought) then make your .45 purchase the XD ...see, simple decision :)
 
Appreciate the replies folks. It all helps. I have read so many things I guess I have fallen into the pit of overthinking... All is well though.

MikePaiN said:
Rob...Get the M&P9(it was the first centerfire pistol I ever bought) then make your .45 purchase the XD ...see, simple decision :)
Click to expand...

No question the XD, XDm will be in the running with my .45 purchase as well as the M&P. Of course I say this without firing a round with my actual 9mm so things could change. I suppose getting this gun will allow me to find things I like and dislike prior to buying my .45

Thanks again folks. I dig this forum already.
 
Check out bowietactical and burwell Gunsmithing to see what you can do with an M&P and you'll never look at those ugly xDs again!

You really can't go wrong with either.
 
Like Mike (haha) M&P was first I ever bought, but it was a 40, but my top choices were fnx, xd and m&p-all good. I think the only real pro the smith has over the xd is metal in slide connection area (sorry I'm noob/21 forgot term)

When compaoring 40's xd vs mp, the xd had more felt recoil, not sure if same with 9.

but if you're planning on a 45 as well, save the 45 for m&p, for recoil reasons.
 
Get the M&P9 and when you get a .45, get another M&P (or HK45/c if your budget allows). The M&Ps are great pistols and I'd take one any day of the week over an XD, not even a competition in my mind.
 
You may want to consider buying the .40 version of the M&P, then buying a 9mm barrel and magazine. From what I've seen on forums so far, the reliability and accuracy does not suffer from the conversion but you should look for yourself. You can't up-convert the caliber if you own the 9mm version.

At this point I don't consider myself a fan of the .40S&W, but I would love having the option of using 3 calibers (don't forget the .357 Sig) for the price of one gun, 2 extra barrels and 1 magazine.:)
 
Proud NEW owner of an M&P 9

Shot the M&P vs. XD again today and it was clear for me and I chose which I preferred. I liked both and will never knock XD * nothing to knock * IMO but anyhow the M&P just fits me so well and something with the height of the slide of the XD threw me off or made me get on the target differently. I am sure there is a technical term for it but I am too new to know the lingo. The XDm seemed to have less of this issue but the price was out of my range at this time for what I get over the XD. M factor is nice but I am cheap I guess :)

Very happy with my new gun purchase.

Hopefully when I decide to get my .45 I will not have this difficult of a time. M&P and XD will both be in the running when I go that route certainly. Hopefully I will have figured out what triggers, ergos, etc etc I prefer - making my decision even easier? I hope, cause renting is expensive :mad:

@ Fisher - Not a bad idea however I only got the 9mm to plink really and to become a more proficient shooter. The price of 9mm ammo allows me to shoot for hours every week literally so its unlikely I would ever get much use out of the conversions. At least at this point.. Appreciate the tip though.
 
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My father in law has a pair of 9mm m&ps. I hate to say it because I am a Smith fan but those two guns are least accurate guns I have ever spent anytime around. Even with changing back and forth between shooters my Beretta 92 shoots a tighter group. Comparing them to the accuracy of my 1911, they simply can not come close. Hope I did not mess with your plans and this is about those 2 examples, just felt that I should share.
 
I like the fact the M&P is made in America............not that there's anything wrong with Croatia :rolleyes:

They're both fine guns, I just like the feel of the M&P over all other poly guns.
 
M&P was a good choice. You said it feels better to you and that's huge in the long run. S&W has great warranty service should the need ever arise.
 
My next door neighbor just bought a 9mm M&P . He loves it. I shot it the other day and it really felt good & shot good too. You wouldn't have gone wrong with either but I'd have gone with the M&P too.
 
I'm having the same problem trying to decide between an M&P 9 or XDM 9. I shot both today and the only real dislike I had between them was the gravelly take-up on the M&P trigger. I feel like I shot both equally well. The larger dots on the M&P didn't make any difference in how well I shot and I thought it would. Hi-Cap 19 rds thru the XDM seemed to never run dry (I'm a 1911 guy). But the major factor to me was.... the XDM just felt better in my hand. I can't believe it's pretty much come down to a coin toss!
 
I have XD's, XDm's and M&P's. The XD and XDM imo have a nicer trigger in stock form than the M&P but the rest of the gun i give the edge to the M&P. Its much more refined and for me more comfortable. The XD and especially the XDm has a cheap feeling plastic compared to the M&P IMO.

JOe
 
The Apex Tactical kit makes a great difference in the trigger. I have done the upgrade to a M&P 45 FS, and an M&P 9c. The stock trigger is ok but the apex is great.
 
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