Smith & Wesson M&P 9mm?

[varko]

I'm a long time Glock owner (17, 19, & 26) but I picked up a M&P 9 at the gun show this past weekend and was amazed at how perfect it fit my hand. Does anyone here have experience with these and what do you think?

[SkipB]

I have owned two M&P's, both in .40. One a regular size, the other a compact. I really love the M&P and plan on getting a 9mm in regular size for my wife to use when its time to re-new our CHL.

[longhorn_92]

I'm a long time Glock owner (17, 19, & 26) but I picked up a M&P 9 at the gun show this past weekend and was amazed at how perfect it fit my hand. Does anyone here have experience with these and what do you think?

Shooting my friend's M&P 9mm proved to be a fun day of shooting. Like most 9mm pistols, the recoil is already a light recoil andthe M&P sits low in the hand. That, combined with the adjustable grips, makes the pistol a a real pleasure to shoot. The accuracy is very good for the M&P 9mm. I actually liked the trigger better than the Springfield XD and would choose the M&P over the XD (both guns are very good).

Smith & Wesson has a winner with the M&P series.

[GeekwithaGun]

I did not have a gun when I took my CHL class, but was able to rent to do the shooting test. They had 4 or 5 different guns, one was the S&W M&P 9mm compact, I loved the feel in my hand, it fit well with the medium backstrap and I was able to shoot a near perfect score for the test (and I had only shot 50 rounds in practice through 4 or 5 different guns that day for the first time in my life). I have rifle and shotgun experience, but never shot a pistol before.

My wifes cousin, ex-military, told us to get the M&P and I picked one up a few weeks ago, love the feel, was having trouble getting ammo (like everyone else) but now have some rounds to take top the range - maybe tonight.

enjoy

[ChuckW]

I am currently using an XD and have been looking at the M&Ps so would also like to like to see some comments. Specifically, how is the reliability? Also, do the changeable grips really make a significant difference in grip size? I have rather small hands for a man and am looking for a better fit than I get with my XD.

[longhorn_92]

I am currently using an XD and have been looking at the M&Ps so would also like to like to see some comments. Specifically, how is the reliability? Also, do the changeable grips really make a significant difference in grip size? I have rather small hands for a man and am looking for a better fit than I get with my XD.

I found this on another website...

"The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) has approved select models from the company's Military & Police (M&P) Pistol Series as authorized firearms. The approval allows DEA special agents to purchase approved M&P pistols for use both on- and off-duty. The DEA now joins the growing list of federal agencies to test and approve the M&P pistol for duty use."

Leland Nichols, Senior Vice President of Sales and Marketing for Smith & Wesson Corp., said, "This approval from the DEA reflects the ability of the M&P pistol series to meet stringent federal requirements in the areas of reliability, accuracy and endurance. We are confident that our M&P pistols will meet the expectations of the DEA, as they have done for other federal, military and law enforcement agencies that have selected them for professional use."

As far as Reliable - I believe it is so. The changeable grips are easy to change out and definitely make a difference. I would use the smallest grip if I were you. Go to a gun shop and have them show you the M&P and make sure you try out all of the different grips and see how it feels in your hand.

[NTexas_V-Star]

My S&W M&P 9mm Compact is my primary carry, I love it. I have the small backstrap on it....and have probably put close to 1k rounds down the spout. It is a genuine pleasure to shoot; light recoil, fits my hand excellently, incredibly accurate.

I feel confident with it as my carry.

[Crossfire]

We picked up the M&P compact, primarily to use for Basic Pistol and CHL classes for students with small hands. I agree that, for those who need the smaller grip, this is the way to go. The interchangable backstrap inserts make a significant difference in the length from the grip to the trigger. It is lightweight, easy to shoot, and has been very reliable for us.

Now, all that said, I personally just can't get used to to the trigger. Maybe I just haven't given it enough time. But, as a longtime Glock fan, it just doesn't feel right to me.

[Drewthetexan]

I'm relatively new to handguns; my dad took me and my sister out and introduced us about 10 months ago and I've been hooked ever since. I cut my teeth with a Beretta 92FS and a Llama IIIa, which is basically a .380 3/4 scale 1911. (fun little pistol!) So, considering that:

I bought an M&P 9 full size in February for myself and a Glock G26 for my now ex-girlfriend. I picked the M&P over several other options primarily because it fit best in my hand; some of the advice I had gotten was to select a weapon that "felt good". She picked the Glock for similar reasons; she has tiny little hands that fit around the handle perfectly.

About 750 rounds have been fired through the M&P since with 8 failures, all from the first time out, two from the very first magazine, which I think was more an issue with the magazine (or me) than the weapon itself, and the other 6 from my ex, who I believe was limp-wristing it or some other oddity. I don't have the experience to tell what was going on. It failed all 6 times through 2 magazines. She gave up half way through the second, I emptied it with no problems. One of the failures resulted in an unexpended round being wedged in the ejection port on the slide, which I have no idea how that happened. Another time sparks flew as an unexpended round was caught at an angle between the slide and the barrel (the breach? not sure about all the part names). She never had a problem with her G26, so I'm really not sure why she couldn't fire mine.

Overall I have no issues or complaints, other than perhaps the trigger isn't the smoothest that I've pulled. But I love this pistol and I've never had a failure since day one. It eats up American Eagle, WWB, and Remington FMJs, but I have only put about 30 JHPs through it because I can't find rounds to replace what little I've got, so I'm not sure about that. I shot 249 on my CHL test with it (still waiting to get my plastic, ), so I guess that can speak a bit for the accuracy.

[Crossfire]

I bought an M&P 9 full size in February for myself and a Glock G26 for my now ex-girlfriend...

Did you at least get the Glock back?

[boomerang]

I bought an M&P 9 full size in February for myself and a Glock G26 for my now ex-girlfriend...

Did you at least get the Glock back?

[Drewthetexan]

I left it with her as a consolation prize...

But I did take all the ammo!

[varko]

Thanks to everyone for the replies. It’s always nice to get some real world feedback. Ya’ll have been very helpful.

Drewthetexan, my wife (who has very small hands) never has had a problem shooting my Glock 26, but larger guns like the Glock 17 and our friend’s XD-9 V-10 feel nose heavy to her and she has a difficult time shooting those without them jamming. That may have been the same issue your ex-girlfriend was having.

[CompVest]

I have a complete set of S&W M&Ps. I haven't had any trouble with any of them. I have over 44,000 rounds through my primary a standard 9mm. I have well over 2000 through my compact 9 and 10,000 though my standard 40. The 45 has well over 20,000 through it. I use them for carry and for IDPA matches. They get a lot of work.

[ChuckW]

I also want to thank everyone for the helpful replies here. Based on the feedback in this and a couple of other threads on this forum, and some hands on range time with the M&P 9mm, I have gone ahead and purchased one! It fits my hand better than any off-the-shelf handgun that I have tried so far. The three different size backstraps really work. The only nit that I have with it is that the trigger could be a little smoother. Perhaps that will smooth out after a couple of hundred trigger pulls, otherwise I might be considering some trigger work.