M@P Full Size ?

[lonewolf5347]

I like to ask gun owners who on both the full size M@P 9mm any the Glock 17.
I now run a Glock 19 gen 3 I have nothing bad to say the gun runs excellent.
I am in the market for either a full size 9 Glock 17 or m@p full size pistol.
Pro or cons I would like to here on the s@w ?.
I do own a shield and really like the gun I pick it up used last summer the gun is 100 percent reliability.
I have about 600 RDS down the bore it seems the only all it dislike is Speer God dots 124 gr. N.y.p.d. street ammo.
I wonder cost wise buying the standard model 9mm and dropping in the Apex upgrade or just going for the pro model in s@w ??

 

[Hangingrock]

I have MP9-1.0 series pistols. Modifications made to the MP9, I had the Apex Duty/Carry triggering system installed replace OEM parts. OEM sights replaced with 10-8 front night sight and plain rear U-notch sight. OEM magazine floor plates replaced with 10-8/Apex. Liked the MP9 enough to acquire a MP9C and made the same modifications. Retired to storage Glock G17Gen3 and G19Gen3. Both the MP9 and 9c thousands of trouble free rounds down range. Recently acquired a Shield 9mm the only change contemplated change out to the same 10-8 sight system employed on the MP9 and 9c

 

[1KPerDay]

I shoot the Glock well but it just does not fit my hands. The trigger guard really bugs me and the grip angle bugs me. The M and P with an apex trigger is a far more pleasant pistol to shoot.

 

[The_Next_Generation]

S&W just came out with a new generation of M&P pistols they call the "M&P 2.0".

The Apex trigger really helps the 1.0 guns, but the 2.0 I checked out a few days ago had a better trigger than a 1.0 shield w/ Apex. Lots of folks seem to be saying that the new 2.0 trigger is good enough fron the factory that the Apex kit isnt necessary. It also felt just a tad better than the Glock 17L the shop had (17Ls feature the (-) connector and feel MUCH better than a typical 5.5lb fsctory glock.

Add-in the improved grip texture and the 2.0 guns seem like winners to me for a full-size 9mm. If you can wait, I'm sure S&W will be releasing a 2.0 C.O.R.E, which would be my pick.

 

[JTQ]

Here's a Kyle Lamb Glock vs M&P video. He prefers the M&P, but he has some reasonable comparisons of the two.

 

[jjones45]

If you want a striker fired 9mm that last a lifetime then the glock 17 is almost impossible to beat. I know s&w has a lifetime warranty but the glock 17 just won't die, it's a tough gun that I've heard of some still running with over 200,000 rounds down range. You are kind of in the glock system already with a glock 19 that you like and don't plan on getting rid of. holsters that are open at the muzzle work for both pistols as well as the glock 19 can except glock 17 mags and they both take the 33 rounder if legal in your jurisdiction. I however do like the ergo's of the m&p more so than the glock. Glock is not my favorite gun but over the years I've carried more glocks than any other firearm because I shoot them well and they carry best for me. I had an m&p 9 first gen that was ok, but the trigger sucked and the rear sight started rusting pretty quickly from carrying so I sold it and never looked back. The m&p does come standard with metal sights, but you can order factory steel glock nightsights from glocks website for like $60 last I knew. I am planning on purchasing a m&p 5" m2.0 in fde sometime this year. I was hoping for a 45 acp version to be released but I'm not holding my breath since they didn't have a 5" first gen so I may have to go 9 or 40. I know I sound like a broken record but, it's really up to you and what you prefer on this one. Everyone is just going to suggest their personal favorite of the two

 

[badkarmamib]

They are both pretty comparable, honestly. Glocks are Glocks. The M&P 2.0 seems to address a lot of the complaints from the first gen. I had a G17, didn't shoot it well. Now have a late-model gen1 M&P .40 that I love. Either will serve you well. I would suggest that you get the one that feels better in your hands, and be confident in that decision.

 

[Mayvik]

M &P fullsize (357/40) vs Glock 19 G3 is my only comparison...M&P wins handily. Adjustable grip options, sights aren't crap plastic and takedown without having pulling the trigger. The M&P trigger is not great but readily upgraded.

 

[RPRNY]

Just bought an M&P 2.0 in 40. It's the long slide in tan/coyote/fde/catpoo. I quite like it but I have never owned a Glock. 1911 guy and for me the M&P feels very familiar. Lots of folks raving about the 2.0 trigger. Compared to the Ruger American, the M&P is better. But it doesn't hold a candle to the triggers on my 1943 GI or even an RIA compact I recently picked up, let alone more expensive 1911s. Having said that, paid $410 for the M&P. Very serious value for money.

I found mine very accurate and love the sights.

 

[FL-NC]

They are both great guns. I prefer Glock EXCEPT for summer CCW. Then I carry a shield because the Glock 43 just doesn't feel "right" to me, and therefor I can't shoot it as good.

 

[tdbmd]

I have a full size M&P, 1.0 and like it much better than any Glock, because it fits my hand better and I can shoot faster and more accurately with it.

 

[Edcnh]

I had an M&P 9mm and it did no shoot well for me. I may have been the problem, I just don't know. I now have a Glock 17 and really like it. I agree with those who said the M&P feels better in the hand, but feel comfortable with the Glock 17.

 

[Tallball]

FWIW, my FiL is a retired engineer with lots of time on his hands. He recently decided that he "needed" another full-size polymer pistol. The M&P and the Glock were the two that made the final cut. After much more research and window-shopping than I would have had the patience for, he went for the Glock.

 

[RehnMan]

S&W just came out with a new generation of M&P pistols they call the "M&P 2.0".

The Apex trigger really helps the 1.0 guns, but the 2.0 I checked out a few days ago had a better trigger than a 1.0 shield w/ Apex. Lots of folks seem to be saying that the new 2.0 trigger is good enough fron the factory that the Apex kit isnt necessary. It also felt just a tad better than the Glock 17L the shop had (17Ls feature the (-) connector and feel MUCH better than a typical 5.5lb fsctory glock.

Add-in the improved grip texture and the 2.0 guns seem like winners to me for a full-size 9mm. If you can wait, I'm sure S&W will be releasing a 2.0 C.O.R.E, which would be my pick.

Not so sure I agree with this. While VASTLY improved, the M2.0 trigger is still a factory trigger and is not superior to the APEX, IMO. However, I may agree that it is improved enough not to need the APEX trigger unless you are looking to lighten the weight. M1.0 triggers had far more issues than just trigger weight. Many of those have been significantly improved in the M2.0. You still have the stupid hinged trigger safety that I dont care for, but the internals are where the changes shine. Not so mushy and gritty of a trigger pull. Snappy break and reset, nice and audible.

I own a M1.0 in .40 with the APEX competition spring kit. I have the factory hinged trigger to leave my options open to shoot USPSA Production for fun. I have only dry fired the M2.0 when we have had them in stock. Just full disclosure.

I think you cant go wrong with either the M&P or the Glock. I would consider your long term intentions for the gun and go from there. Do you have any plans to make any modifications? Both have pretty solid after markets, but Glocks get the nod by a mile.

Both guns are going to be plenty reliable. I think its going to come down to preference or price. See how you might want to configure the whole thing and which gun comes out a better deal in the end. They are both about the same price, but when you add in more mags, a holster, sights, etc it can change the game.

Either way, best of luck on your choice. Let us know what you decide!

 

[Trunk Monkey]

I have a Glock 19 and an M&PFS.

Glock OEM Magazines are cheaper and easier to find

Glock Aftermarket magazines are available M&P Aftermarket magazines are not.

Finally if you already have a 19 it will accept 17 magazines leaving you with only the one type to buy

 

[lonewolf5347]

I give glock a edge as far as upgrades simple to work on
I have a sr9 I have used in IDPA
You need 3 hands to work on the Ruger.
I like the sr9 feel as good as my 1911 in my hands.The negative on the Ruger are the small rear sights it hard to see when shooting past 12 yards.
The Glock sights are easy to see
I also been looking at the SA xdm in 9 mm ??

 

[rodinal220]

I have both. I have one S&W M&P FS 9mm(Gen 1 2012) and several G17s 1-3 gen. I think Glocks are great, They take a licking and keep on ticking. They are the easiest service pistols to work on and require little maintenance. The only thing the average Glock needs is to replace the plastic factory sights with good steel units. I don't have issue with the Glocks trigger, but the feel of the grip is a little blocky to me, I manage.

My M&P feels better in my hand and points naturally, it kinda feels like a polymer BHP to me. The stock steel all dovetailed sights work for me. The rear sight is cut with a shelf for one handed reload drills. The stock trigger was initially gritty and heavy, a simple polish of key components took most of the grit out , weight didn't change but it was smoother. Accuracy was terrible, more like patterns than groups. Sent back to CS and sent back to me stating it was A-OK no service required. The gun sat for a few years until I threw in the towel and bought an APEX gunsmith fit barrel.

You can search this and a few other forums about my ordeal with accuracy and S&W did not make good on this one after trip back to the factory. Two out of three NIB stinker guns left me sour. One replaced(satisfied-BG38) and one not corrected, M&P FS 9mm.

I got tired of the lack of critical thinking about the QC issue on these guns. The usual pablum from errornet experts became quite boring:

"its the archer not the arrow"

"maybe you can't shoot"

"there is a secret S&W M&P trigger pull technique"

"you do know its not a target gun right?"

"its only supposed to deliver combat(?) accuracy"

The APEX barrel works PERIOD. Randy Lee looked at the problem with the M&P FS 9mm,The Full Size 9mm guns were the worst offenders, and found it was a dwell problem and "reengineered" the barrel, not simply an oversize fit barrel like a Kart or Bar-Sto. Randy Lee did make his barrels oversize in key areas and offers them in Semi-Drop In(SDI) and Gunsmith Fit(GSF).

The gun shoots tight and loves 147gr XTPs.

I eventually improved the trigger even more with an APEX hard sear.

S&W has gradually made numerous changes and improvements to the Gen 1 guns. They will not fess up to the accuracy problem with the FS 9mm guns.

http://smith-wessonforum.com/smith-...duction-updates-slide-stops-barrels-sear.html


Now S&W has the 2.0 series(Gen2). I have not seen or shot one yet, couldn't make SHOT this year. The trigger is supposed to be a lot better but I want to handle one first. This is a pistol I want to like, but the early ones(FS 9mm) are suspect and need updates to the trigger/fire control system depending on vintage, late production M&Ps have the newer trigger components and faster twist rate barrels.

Only thing I dislike on the gun is the mag safety and the take down procedure.

 

[Old Dog]

Only thing I dislike on the gun is the mag safety and the take down procedure.

The M&P is available with either a magazine drop safety or without.

As far as the take-down process, with the M&P, one does not have to pull the trigger at any time. Some would consider this a win over the standard Glock field-stripping procedure. Anyway, if you can't spend a second locating that little brass-colored thingie inside the M&P chamber to push it down, well, can't help you there.

The M&P (even the 1.0) is superior to the Glock 19/17 with respect to ergonomics. The 2.0 trigger, as is the Apex trigger, is superior to the Glock OEM trigger.

Glock makes a fine pistol. But with regard to the M&P, it still cracks me up that some say things such as "They will not fess up to the accuracy problem with the FS 9mm guns." when I've been dealing with the M&Ps as my agency's issue pistols since 2008.

 

[rodinal220]

Old Dog,what cracks me up is going to the range with my M&P and swapping the stock barrel back in so people can see the difference. The look on their faces is PRICELESS Glad your agency likes their M&Ps,most cops cant shoot well, seen plenty of golden boys and white shirts penciled in as qualified over the years.Save the "I'm a cop so I know" for the badge bunnies and star gazers, it wont impress me.

I still do not like the take down procedure, its needlessly complicated. Officers are often the sloppiest gun handlers and yes the gun was designed for LEOs in mind.

The M&P should have been a serious contender to the Glock Empire but S&W blew it IMHO. Great ergos and features but they had to make numerous changes since 2006 and now have the 2.0,I hope they saw what Randy Lee did to the barrels and learned, they should hire him as an consultant. Its also interesting to note that Team S&W was using custom Storm Lake barrels in their competition guns.

Plenty of real info out there on the FS 9mm accuracy issue from real subject matter experts. Again just tired of the lack of critical thinking on these things.

The OP:if you are looking at a Gen 1 M&P know what you are buying so it has most of the factory upgrades, try to get it cheap. The Gen 1 FS M&P 9mm comes in three flavors,satisfactory to many, mediocre, and terrible accuracy. Mine was at the bottom of the barrel.
Cannot speak about the new 2.0,if you have any questions about the new guns I would call Randy Lee at Apex or Grant at G&R tactical.

Cheers

 

[Bandg323]

I have the FS9 and Compact 9 with some Apex parts to help triggers. These are gen 1 pretty early, really like them. Couldn't ever get the FS to group, looked like a shotgun pattern. Read that it wasn't just me, went with KKM as Barsto and Apex were not available. Solved problem, now poor shooting is my fault. I am glad that S&W has fixed these things with gen 2. ( I should have said S&W fixed these things around 2009-2010 per most reports) Great polymer gun series, imho.
Regards

 

[Trunk Monkey]

Interesting, My M&P from 2013 groups just fine and it's straight out of the box stock

 

[Bandg323]

Just checked and mine was manufactured 11-07. I think the apparent accuracy problem has long since been fixed. Never had a problem with the compact, took me a while to sort out myself as I don't get tons of range time with 3 kids. Love both the FS and Compact equally now. S&W fixed many of those early issues prior to the gen2, it was a problem with "some" of the early dated guns. Mine just happened to be one. Kinda wish they had let early date purchasers know that some were having problems. I was partly to blame for not being more aggressive seeking answers. However, all good now.

 

[Old Dog]

Old Dog,what cracks me up is going to the range with my M&P and swapping the stock barrel back in so people can see the difference. The look on their faces is PRICELESS Glad your agency likes their M&Ps,most cops cant shoot well, seen plenty of golden boys and white shirts penciled in as qualified over the years.Save the "I'm a cop so I know" for the badge bunnies and star gazers, it wont impress me.

I still do not like the take down procedure, its needlessly complicated. Officers are often the sloppiest gun handlers and yes the gun was designed for LEOs in mind.

The M&P should have been a serious contender to the Glock Empire but S&W blew it IMHO. Great ergos and features but they had to make numerous changes since 2006 and now have the 2.0,I hope they saw what Randy Lee did to the barrels and learned, they should hire him as an consultant. Its also interesting to note that Team S&W was using custom Storm Lake barrels in their competition guns.

Plenty of real info out there on the FS 9mm accuracy issue from real subject matter experts. Again just tired of the lack of critical thinking on these things.

The OP:if you are looking at a Gen 1 M&P know what you are buying so it has most of the factory upgrades, try to get it cheap. The Gen 1 FS M&P 9mm comes in three flavors,satisfactory to many, mediocre, and terrible accuracy. Mine was at the bottom of the barrel.
Cannot speak about the new 2.0,if you have any questions about the new guns I would call Randy Lee at Apex or Grant at G&R tactical.

Cheers

Interesting how you managed to work a little unnecessary cop-bashing into the thread, but probably to be expected, for sure.

"Needlessly complicated?" Guess you really don't like 1911's then. Basically three steps to take down the M&P, okay, we get that's complicated for you, but what I don't get is how field-stripping procedures relates to "officers are most often the sloppiest gun handlers."

And have you even tried any M&Ps that came out of the factory in the last year and a half or so?

Yeah, lots of "real info" regarding the terrible accuracy of the M&P out there in internet forum-land. Not so much elsewhere. Not so much recently. Feel free to document, though, by all means. No lack of critical thinking on my part -- just experience with a pretty good sample size (hint: more than three pistols).

I've never come around here touting the M&P as a great pistol (for me it's merely adequate, and yes, I absolutely require the Apex trigger, and it's never what I carry off duty) but it always seems as though the Glock guys really want to expend a lot of energy running down the perceived failings of the M&P, even when they don't seem to have any recent experience with later production models.

By basing one's opinion of a particular platform on out-dated information, small sample sizes and internet wisdom does a serious disservice to those who may come around here looking for actual information.

 

[jjones45]

The accuracy issues of the early fs m&p9's are well documented, something to do with barrels unlocking too early if I recall correctly. Also glock gen4 recoil springs causing problems in the 9mm's has been well documented. Both of these problems are long gone and history. Grab the one you like and enjoy. These are just polymer pistols and both will get the job done.

 

[LoneGoose]

My experience:

I owned a Glock .40 and like some people, I never really liked the fit in my hand. I shot a M&P .40 at a range and could instantly tell that the hand fit was perfect. So I bought one. Then I decided that the trigger was bad enough that I put an APEX trigger kit in it. Now it fits good, has a beautiful short and light trigger pull, and shoots reliably and accurately.

I was so impressed that I bought a M&P .45. Put the Apex kit in it and am extremely happy with it.

A note: The grip on the .45 is a little wider and hand-filling than the grip on the .40.

THR rocks.