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It seems I have my heart set on a .45 for carry but have ruled out any 1911's for me personally. I would simply get a Glock 30 or 36 except that I have yet to shoot a Glock I like and I don't think a .45 will improve that opinion. I have held an M&P .40 but haven't shot one. It felt great in my hand so I'm starting to lean towards this particular platform. My main shooter is a Sig226 in 9mm and I love that pistol. It feels great, shoots great, and I have all but mastered it. Will the M&P 45c be similar? The XD felt like a looser Glock to me. Any opinions would be greatly appreciated.

I own a full sized M&P 45, and I'm considering adding a compact version to my armory.

Great gun!

I have shot a friends a few times and I like this pistol.

Went shooting with my new M&P and a friend of a friend who had just bought the Springfield XD. Both guns 45 ACP.
Half an hour later I was very happy with my purchase and he said "I bought the wrong gun".
YMMV.

Looking at the specs it seems to be, aside from length, almost the same dimensions as the G36 and carries 2 more rounds. I'm having trouble finding whats not to like about this pistol. I think I need to do some window shopping and torture some poor salesman. I need to put them in my hand. Thanks for the feedback. I guess I really need to really make up my mind if I really want to go .45. I'm really worried about being able to conceal it well. Would the .40 compact be that big a difference? Argh...the agony of picking my first carry pistol which one...which one?

olafpfj wrote:Looking at the specs it seems to be, aside from length, almost the same dimensions as the G36 and carries 2 more rounds. I'm having trouble finding whats not to like about this pistol. I think I need to do some window shopping and torture some poor salesman. I need to put them in my hand. Thanks for the feedback. I guess I really need to really make up my mind if I really want to go .45. I'm really worried about being able to conceal it well. Would the .40 compact be that big a difference? Argh...the agony of picking my first carry pistol which one...which one?

I conceal the full-sized M&P 45 without any problem at all. It actually feels almost 1911-like on the hip, meaning it feels pretty flat and conceals almost as well as the 1911.

olafpfj wrote:Looking at the specs it seems to be, aside from length, almost the same dimensions as the G36 and carries 2 more rounds. I'm having trouble finding whats not to like about this pistol. I think I need to do some window shopping and torture some poor salesman. I need to put them in my hand. Thanks for the feedback. I guess I really need to really make up my mind if I really want to go .45. I'm really worried about being able to conceal it well. Would the .40 compact be that big a difference? Argh...the agony of picking my first carry pistol which one...which one?

If you're in the Dallas area there's a gun show at Big Town this weekend. It's great you get to handle any pistol you'd want to, just don't touch your face and bring some Purell
let me know, I'm going to be there and always love meeting people who carry.

If your going to Larue Range day viewtopic.php?f=23&t=38571&hilit=larue, I just bought an M&P 45 compact viewtopic.php?f=23&t=38198&start=15#p457062 that you would be welcome to shoot.
I have not shot it much yet, but am definitely willing for someone to try it out.
PM me if interested.

My work schedule is pretty insane until mid November. I'm literally 16hrs 7days a week until then. Needless to say I will be ready to blow off some steam when I'm released from my work prison I really appreciate the offers and I will try and jump on that when I have some time. Until then its all research and more research. Money is a little tight so I have to be sure that I get it right, I'm not going to really have the resources for a do-over. The kimbers scared me off as turning into a big money pit of a pistol, good, but very expensive to get right. It really is going to come down to how concealable it is for me. I have a thin build but have been able to barely conceal my sig226 around the house in a Galco summer comfort. Planning on using an MTAC for the M&P. Again thanks all for the help. The more info the better.

Chemist45 wrote:Went shooting with my new M&P and a friend of a friend who had just bought the Springfield XD. Both guns 45 ACP.
Half an hour later I was very happy with my purchase and he said "I bought the wrong gun".
YMMV.

I’ve been looking at these two guns myself. Can you elaborate as to why the M&P was preferred over the XD? (And were these full size or compact versions?)

I know just holding them I prefer the feel of the M&P just a little more, BUT the XD holds 10-13 rounds over the M&P’s 8.

I find the XD to be top heavy and so a little more effort and time is needed to get back on target. I don't like the grip safety either. It is a real pain to clear malfunctions and lock the slide back while keeping the grip safety engaged. I don't think it is as ergonomic as the M&P either. The M&P is ambidextrous as well. The XD isn't. This gives shooters options the XD can't offer.

CompVest wrote:I find the XD to be top heavy and so a little more effort and time is needed to get back on target. I don't like the grip safety either. It is a real pain to clear malfunctions and lock the slide back while keeping the grip safety engaged. I don't think it is as ergonomic as the M&P either. The M&P is ambidextrous as well. The XD isn't. This gives shooters options the XD can't offer.

Thank you for that info. I would have never thought about that issue with the grip safety.

Me neither...definitely off the list now.

Actually it depends the XD is Ambi mag release(mag release can be operated from both sides, hence the middle cutout on the magazine but no ambi slide release while the M&P is reversible mag release, bso can only be operated from the side it is installed as, hence the cutouts on both sides of the mag, but does have the slide release ambi. The FNX is truly ambi, both mag and slide releases on both sides.
As far as the grip safety on the XD, why do you need to keep it depressed while loading or unloading such as in malfunction drills ? It only needs to be depressed to have the trigger release the firing pin.
I have shot both and do prefer the M&P myself as well, but would love it if it had a truly ambi mag release.

CompVest wrote:I find the XD to be top heavy and so a little more effort and time is needed to get back on target. I don't like the grip safety either. It is a real pain to clear malfunctions and lock the slide back while keeping the grip safety engaged. I don't think it is as ergonomic as the M&P either. The M&P is ambidextrous as well. The XD isn't. This gives shooters options the XD can't offer.