I have long been a Glock fan, with my main go-to defense gun being a Glock 19. But I have always liked the 45 ACP cartridge and have had various 45 automatics, including a Glock 21, Sig P220, and numerous 1911s. I love shooting 1911s, but was never completely at ease with carrying a cocked and locked 1911. The Sig 220 is an excellent gun, but the high bore axis and DA/SA transition made it less than ideal. I owned a G21 and G30 for a while, but found the grip too fat for my hands. All of the above guns were good guns, they just weren't exactly what I was looking for in a carry gun in 45 ACP.
The S&W M&P series had never interested me until I saw the 2.0 version, which looked better, and seemed to be getting good reviews, so about a week ago I splurged and bought the M&P 45 M2.0, full size (not even sure they make anything less than full size except for the Shield). Here are my initial impressions after having shot it today.
I like the look of the gun. It looks better than the old version M&P. Fit and finish were good, certainly on par with Glock, and what one should expect in a service grade handgun. The sights were basic 3 white dots, functional but not fancy. The safety was very positive, with an audible and tactile click on and off. The magazine catch was similar, very positive, and appropriately placed for easy manipulation. The stippling at first seemed a bit coarse but this would prove not to be an issue at the range. I tried the gun with all 3 of the back straps, and ended up liking the smallest one best, which is what I placed on the gun prior to going to the range.
All of my shooting today took place at 50 and 75 feet. I fired 100 rounds of Federal HST 230 g JHPs, 100 rounds of Federal Hydroshock 230g JHPs, and 100 rounds of my 45 reloads, consisting of a 230g FMJ over Vihta Vuori powder, but I don't remember off top of my head how many grains. The reloads are a mild load, and recoiled a little less than the Federals.
I did not clean or lube the gun prior to firing. I shot it totally as I received it. I had no stoppages or malfunctions of any kind. 300 perfect rounds. I found the gun highly shootable, easy to point, and accuracy was fine. Shooting at 50 feet, I could easily dump the 10 round magazine into a 3" circle shooting offhand, taking only enough time between shots to get back on target.
Overall, I was very happy with it. I shoot it as well as a 1911, and better than the Glocks and Sig 220. I am about to clean it and put it into service. It think it is going to be a good one.
All this said, I am and always have been a fan of the Glock. I have great faith in them. But I do see the M&P 2.0 as an improvement over the Glock. Glock has a loyal fan base which will be hard to sway, but if one looks at these two guns objectively, it is hard for me not to see the M&P 2.0 as an improvement.
The S&W M&P series had never interested me until I saw the 2.0 version, which looked better, and seemed to be getting good reviews, so about a week ago I splurged and bought the M&P 45 M2.0, full size (not even sure they make anything less than full size except for the Shield). Here are my initial impressions after having shot it today.
I like the look of the gun. It looks better than the old version M&P. Fit and finish were good, certainly on par with Glock, and what one should expect in a service grade handgun. The sights were basic 3 white dots, functional but not fancy. The safety was very positive, with an audible and tactile click on and off. The magazine catch was similar, very positive, and appropriately placed for easy manipulation. The stippling at first seemed a bit coarse but this would prove not to be an issue at the range. I tried the gun with all 3 of the back straps, and ended up liking the smallest one best, which is what I placed on the gun prior to going to the range.
All of my shooting today took place at 50 and 75 feet. I fired 100 rounds of Federal HST 230 g JHPs, 100 rounds of Federal Hydroshock 230g JHPs, and 100 rounds of my 45 reloads, consisting of a 230g FMJ over Vihta Vuori powder, but I don't remember off top of my head how many grains. The reloads are a mild load, and recoiled a little less than the Federals.
I did not clean or lube the gun prior to firing. I shot it totally as I received it. I had no stoppages or malfunctions of any kind. 300 perfect rounds. I found the gun highly shootable, easy to point, and accuracy was fine. Shooting at 50 feet, I could easily dump the 10 round magazine into a 3" circle shooting offhand, taking only enough time between shots to get back on target.
Overall, I was very happy with it. I shoot it as well as a 1911, and better than the Glocks and Sig 220. I am about to clean it and put it into service. It think it is going to be a good one.
All this said, I am and always have been a fan of the Glock. I have great faith in them. But I do see the M&P 2.0 as an improvement over the Glock. Glock has a loyal fan base which will be hard to sway, but if one looks at these two guns objectively, it is hard for me not to see the M&P 2.0 as an improvement.
. (I do have a shield 9)
