S&W M&P .40 or 9mm?

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PennsyPlinker

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Greetings all

Mrs. Plinker has just authorized me to uhhh, pull the trigger, as they say, on a new compact M&P. I am not what you would call an indecisive sort, but I find myself vacillating between the .40 and the 9mm. On the one hand, I have developed a love for larger calibers. On the other, 9mm is a lot more economical to shoot.

I already have a 9mm CZ, and I am about to reacquire a .40 Sig which I sold to a future relative and who is selling it back to me as I type this. So I already have both calibers.

I am interested in real life experience - i.e. people who actually own one or the other, and who have actually shot them. So if you fit that description, I would love to hear from you.

Thanks.
 
Thanks for the replies. Now, how about the COMPACT? As far as I know, the M&P 45 is not available in compact, and I already have several .45s for when I want one.
 
The Compact is clearly more controllable for follow-up shots in 9mm. However, it's not BAD in 40S&W, especially for the loads I favor (180gr @ 950fps). The lighter/faster 155gr/165gr loads can get a bit noisy/flashy/snappy in the 40S&W Compact.

All things being equal, tho, I prefer to CCW the full size. I do not find the shortened grip frame to be a real help to staying concealed, and the full size simply fits my hand better. I generally carry a fullsize 40S&W and use both a fullsize 40S&W and a 9mm for range work. I use the 9mm for practice because it's simply cheaper to shoot than 40S&W.
 
Thanks rbernie. I have large hands too, but the compact fits pretty well, and I am thinking it might fit even better with one of the other backstraps which come with it. I asked my question in two places, and so far I have not seen any compelling reasoning for the .40 over the 9mm, so I think I am going to go with the 9mm. I have plenty of larger handguns to carry when I need or want a full size. I am even contemplating a holster for my Desert Eagle if I want something REALLY big to carry. :D
 
Pennsyplinker said:
Now, how about the COMPACT? As far as I know, the M&P 45 is not available in compact, and I already have several .45s for when I want one.
Click to expand...

Actually, they debuted it at SHOT Show and it's due out this spring. ;)

Jim
 
I went through the same choice a few weeks ago. I went with the M&P 9 just because the cost of ammo. I carried a 9mm at work for 11 years and we switched to 40's two years ago. I don't consider one round really any better or worse than the other. Even the magazine capacity of 17 vs 15 rounds is so close it's a toss up. David
 
Except S&W won't warranty +P.
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Yes they will. They even say you can run +P in their manual.

+P+ is what does not carry a blanket recommendation (there is no mention of it voiding the warranty however) because there is no standard for the +P+ rating, it has no maximum pressure and ammunition labeled as "+P+" can be anything from "slightly stronger than +P" all the way up to "guaranteed to cause a KaBoom". There's no way a company is going to give a blanket "OK" to run something through it that has no standard. From talking with S&W, the information I received was that +P+ from Remington or Winchester is OK, but they cannot issue a blanket recommendation for all +P+ ammo due to a lack of an official standard.

Having fired both the .40 and the 9mm, I bought the .40. I couldn't tell a difference in the recoil so I went with the .40 for the little extra it offered and because I had no 9mm guns so it was going to be caliber creep either way.
 
I just got home from putting money down on the 9mm. Part of my decision was the cost of shooting, and part of that is I have about 800-900 rounds of 9mm stashed right now, while I have less than 100 of .40 S&W. And I can always buy another one later on if I like it. :evil: Actually, by the time the gun budget recovers, the .45 compact should be easier to find.
 
Do you feel comfortable and have peace of mind with the 9mm? There really is very little difference between the two rounds in regards to leathal force. The difference is 9mm ammo is cheaper, easiers to control, and you carry more rounds in the gun. Shot placement is way more important than 1mm's worth of difference. I prefer standard 147 Federal HST's or Winchester Ranger 147T rounds, both these rounds are proven and work very very well.
Ammunition has come so far today, that performance is superior to anything from years ago, but shop placement is still the key to success and that has not changed regardless of which caliber you choose.
 
I chose the M&P compact in 9mm. It is very soft shooting and accurate. I like it so much I am considering buying one in .45 with the Dark Earth frame. I am also considering an 1911.
 
Split the 9mm and .40S&W and get a .357SIG...

I'd buy a new .357sig S&W military and police. :D
The .357sig feeds well and is highly rated by many US law enforcement agencies( US Secret Service, FAMs, NM State Police, DE State Police, VA, State Police, Texas Dept of Public Safety, etc)...

Rusty S
 
The mags and rebate will take awhile to get to you. A little over two months for me, but Smith is good on their word.

I bought a Compact .40 S&W and sold it for the full size 9mm. The Compact had too much snap for my liking. The 9mm has the best power to controllability ratio. I'll buy another Compact in the future, but it will be a 9mm.

For me, it's not about flinching or pain, it's about putting 2 or 3 accurate rounds on target rather than just 1 big and powerful round. I'll shoot .357 Magnum or .44 Magnum when I want power.

Good choice.
 
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