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Smith and Wesson M&P question....

Posted: Fri Apr 08, 2011 10:10 pm
by Rockrz
I've got the 9mm version and was thnking about getting another one in a larger caliber.

Is the .45 large than the .40?

Any thoughts on which one is better shooter?

Re: Smith and Wesson M&P question....

Posted: Fri Apr 08, 2011 10:18 pm
by G.A. Heath
The M&P45 has a slightly longer barrel and is longer overall than the M&P9, width and height remain about the same if memory serves. Most people find the recoil of the .45 to be slightly more manageable than that of the .40, but that is a personal decision. If your between Lubbock and Midland/Odessa I can arrange to let you shoot two guns with the difference being the caliber (Both are XDm pistols, one is in .45 and the other is in .40) so you can compare and contrast.

Re: Smith and Wesson M&P question....

Posted: Fri Apr 08, 2011 10:28 pm
by Rockrz
Man, thanks for the very generous offer....unfortunately, I've got work going and it's hard to get away....

I think you may have the best solution in going out and trying each version.
I also didn't know they made a .357, so I might try that.

Reckon any shooting ranges have these models available for target shooting in their range?

Re: Smith and Wesson M&P question....

Posted: Fri Apr 08, 2011 10:36 pm
by The Annoyed Man
I have a M&P 45, and I find it more controllable to shoot than my wife's Glock 19, and definitely easier to shoot than my old HK USP compact .40 that I sold to pay for the M&P.

Re: Smith and Wesson M&P question....

Posted: Fri Apr 08, 2011 10:49 pm
by G.A. Heath
No Problem, It depends on where you are for the ranges. To find one call Smith and Wesson and ask them if they know any ranges that rent their guns in your area, most (99.9%) of the time they will know who rents out their guns.

Re: Smith and Wesson M&P question....

Posted: Fri Apr 08, 2011 10:53 pm
by HadEmAll
Rockrz wrote:I've got the 9mm version and was thnking about getting another one in a larger caliber.

Is the .45 large than the .40?

Any thoughts on which one is better shooter?
My M&P .40 shoots .40 better than my M&P .45, and the M&P .45 shoots .45 better than the M&P .40. I know, silly answer.

Seriously, I've never had them to the range at the same time, so can't really compare, other than to say they both make me very happy with their performance.

As others have said, the .45 is a little longer and heavier, but is as nicely proportioned and comfortable in the hand as the 9mm/.40.

Re: Smith and Wesson M&P question....

Posted: Sat Apr 09, 2011 12:06 am
by Skaven
I have an M&P 40. I love it. Absolutely love it. It is a nail driver! The only thing that I don't like is how big it is. There is no way in holy heck that I could possibly conceal it comfortably with my body type.

Re: Smith and Wesson M&P question....

Posted: Sat Apr 09, 2011 1:21 am
by HadEmAll
Skaven wrote:I have an M&P 40. I love it. Absolutely love it. It is a nail driver! The only thing that I don't like is how big it is. There is no way in holy heck that I could possibly conceal it comfortably with my body type.
The M&P 40 C makes a heck of a little brother to the full-sized one. It is enough smaller to carry much better, if you don't mind giving up a little capacity and velocity. The full-size magazines work in it also.

Re: Smith and Wesson M&P question....

Posted: Sat Apr 09, 2011 9:57 am
by Rugerboy50
The Annoyed Man wrote:I have a M&P 45
Ive debated getting this gun instead of a 1911 .45.

Your thoughts on this?

i have the M&P 9 & 9C.

Re: Smith and Wesson M&P question....

Posted: Sat Apr 09, 2011 10:17 am
by WildBill
Rugerboy50 wrote:
The Annoyed Man wrote:I have a M&P 45
Ive debated getting this gun instead of a 1911 .45.

Your thoughts on this?

i have the M&P 9 & 9C.
Even though The Annoyed Man may own the M&P, he carries a 1911.

Re: Smith and Wesson M&P question....

Posted: Sat Apr 09, 2011 11:16 am
by A-R
I picked up a used M&P45 and I really like the gun (it is my first .45), though that extra quarter inch of length vs. the M&P9 does hang up on a holster draw occassionally (more likely catches on my cover garment). With some work/practice, I've alleviated the problem. But if I had it to do all over again I think I might pick up the 4-inch barrel .45 so my two M&Ps would be same size.

In addition to being about 1/4-inch longer, the M&P45 is a few frog's hairs wider and the grip (back to front) is about 1/10th of an inch deeper. For comparison, the M&P45 grip size is between the thinner M&P9/40/357 and the thicker standard size Glock 9/40/357 grip.

My M&P 45 and 9 both fit very well into the same Comp Tac MTAC and also both fit into a Safariland composite plastic OWB holster I use sometimes for IDPA, though the 45 is a bit snug in the Safariland holster.

I have not fired a M&P40, but both my M&P9 and M&P45 have MUCH LESS felt recoil than a .40-cal Glock.

As far as shooting, hard to tell much difference but the extra 1/4inch sight radius and barrel length on the .45 must help a little bit because I ran both guns in an IDPA classifier a few months back and finished about 3 seconds faster (overall time, penalty seconds for misses included) with the .45 than the 9mm

Re: Smith and Wesson M&P question....

Posted: Sat Apr 09, 2011 11:55 am
by Rockrz
How many rounds does the 4-inch barrel .45 M&P hold?

Glad you brought this up, because I would also like a larger
caliber pistol that is basically the same size as the 9mm M&P I have now.

Re: Smith and Wesson M&P question....

Posted: Sat Apr 09, 2011 12:47 pm
by A-R
There are actually three "sizes" of M&P45, but the standard 4.5-inch barrel and the "compact" with 4-inch barrel and shortened grip seem to be most prevelent. What I was referring to is the harder-to-find version with 4-inch barrel and full-size grip (so it's actually a 1/4-inch shorter than the M&P9's 4.25-inch barrel)

Standard 4.5-inch
http://www.smith-wesson.com/webapp/wcs/ ... rrorView_Y" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Compact model - 4-inch barrel with shortened grip
http://www.smith-wesson.com/webapp/wcs/ ... rrorView_Y" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

4-inch barrel with full-size grip
http://www.smith-wesson.com/webapp/wcs/ ... rrorView_Y" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

These are all the versions with no thumb safety. Then of course you have versions WITH a thumb safety, plus all the various versions with different color schemes, mag disconnect safeties etc. Just a HUGE number of various choices.

Re: Smith and Wesson M&P question....

Posted: Sun Apr 10, 2011 3:05 pm
by HotLeadSolutions
I have the M&P .40 and I absolutley love it. Out of all of the pistols I have...."A Lot of Em!" I choose the cary the M&P .40 for:

Its reliability, its accuracy, its comfort and its capacity.

I like the idea of having ballistics similar to the .45 with capacity approaching that of a "9"

Re: Smith and Wesson M&P question....

Posted: Mon Apr 11, 2011 10:25 am
by Rockrz
If the .40 holds 9 rounds, haow many does the .45 hold, maybe 8?