M&P 9mm/45 vs Glock Gen4

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  • brianrose80

    Member
    Jul 8, 2010
    15
    Guys...I know this has been talked about a lot on many forums...just looking for a few thoughts from fellow MD shooters....looking for a home defense / range gun...I am really torn between the two..I am open to either caliber. I have yet to shoot the M&P but imagine its nice. I haven't shot a gen4 yet. I am sure whichever I go with I will be happy...again just looking for friendly thoughts...please spare me the go shoot them comments and/or use the search function. One part of me loves Glocks history and the other likes buying American. This might be moot issue because i will probably eventually buy both..but since this would be my first purchase ( I have a gun passed down from my father )

    Thanks for your input.
     

    smokey

    2A TEACHER
    Jan 31, 2008
    31,412
    full sized gen IV glocks have had some reliability issues...m&p's generally havent. If you like glock's history, get a 2nd gen or 3rd gen used. The 4th gen glocks have less american history than the m&p's. Between the two companies....i'm fairly sure s&w has more history here. They're both generally great guns and are very similar in design. The big differences are ergonomics. The best advice is to go shoot them and see which you perform the best with...but you apparently don't want the best advice people can give you.

    I'm not sure, but I thnk you're also asking which one to choose between a 9 and 45. 9mm will generally recoil less, so you'll be less prone to develop flinching and other bad habits when learning to shoot. 9 will also hold 18 shots instead of 11 in the m&p. 9mm is similar enough in terminal ballistics(except the .45 deflects slightly less and makes .2" bigger permanent crush cavity diameter) for it to not really matter. The biggest reason is that the 9mm will be waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaayyyyyyyyyyyy cheaper to shoot than the .45, so you'll get more trigger time.
     

    davsco

    Ultimate Member
    Oct 21, 2010
    8,607
    Loudoun, VA
    i think you will find that glocks have more aftermarket accessories, probably mostly because they have been around longer. was looking at a springfield xdm 5.25 and no holsters yet other than the cheapo they give you in the box.

    other than that, i think it does come down to what feels the best for you (sorry, couldn't spare you that...).

    glocks rule in ipda and uspsa production, that means something, but S&W and Springfield are catching up.

    as far as caliber, either will kill someone pretty dead, shot placement is always the key. 9 will have somewhat cheaper ammo costs.

    neither of these guns is super expensive. get one brand in 9 and the other brand in .45.
     

    kmb

    Ultimate Member
    Jul 20, 2011
    1,937
    I'm in the same situation. I prefer the feel and firing the G19 Gen4 versus the M&P 9c. I like the G17 Gen4 and M&P 9 the same at the line. If you consider what you get with the M&P range kit versus the G17 Gen4, it's kind of a no brainer to go with the M&P. I feel the different grips on the M&P are better designed than the Glock, where the grips are like legos.

    I really like the M&P .45. The G21 Gen3 was ok, I hate the Gen3 grip. I really like the feel of the G21 Gen4. To complicate matters, give the FNP 45 Competition a go. That made me re-think both the M&P and G21 as a HD gun.

    There's a lot of talk around on Glock Gen4 reliability which is disconcerting to me, especially as Atlantic Guns in MoCo is having a big Glock sale this weekend. I hope to go to BRA in Chantilly tomorrow to have one last go at the S/W .45 versus the G21. But I'll probably end up with the G19 Gen4 for personal carry and the M&P .45 for HD.

    Realistically, I don't think you'll go wrong with either company as they both have stellar reputations and are known for taking care of their customers. Best of luck in your decision going forward.

    .
     

    brianrose80

    Member
    Jul 8, 2010
    15
    Thanks for advice..I will end up buying both. The glock was based off of the 9mm platform correct? and the M&P i was told was based on the 40 cal. M&P does feel better...but it would be nice to own a glock given its reputation/heritage. I don't want to get into the 9mm / .45 caliber debate. My choice is narrowed down exactly to G17 or M&P 45. I love the power of .45 and price/capacity of 9mm. Thanks to all. Now if only i didn't live in MD.
     

    nomo613

    Active Member
    Nov 24, 2010
    814
    pikesville
    the m&p feels amazing in my hand, unlike the glock. in my opinion it also looks much nicer. the smith and wesson is both american and has allot of history behind them; much more then glock. as far as reliability, i think its splitting hairs. all the glock guys always go on about how reliable the gun is. if you have to shoot over 5000 rounds from a secondary weapon in a shtf situation without cleaning it in the middle, your screwed. i have a 1911, and im confident it will be able to chug through all of the ammo i have on hand without a cleaning. why do i need it to do more? any modern handgun should be capable of enough reliability fir the average joe.

    as far as caliber, 9mm is low cost, low recoil, and fun to shoot at the range for both you and your wife/girlfriend/sister/mother or anyone else who might use your gun who is sensitive to recoil. 45 is great for defense but costly. it hurts to shoot it in the beginning but youll get used to it.
     

    brianrose80

    Member
    Jul 8, 2010
    15
    m&P definitely looks better...I really like the looks of the XDM..but have grown to not like the weight and safeties....despite the M&P looking much more modern and attractive..there is something about the simplicity of the Glock that I like. what caliber is your M&P? sounds like u have a 9mm.
     

    Threeband

    The M1 Does My Talking
    MDS Supporter
    Dec 30, 2006
    25,232
    Carroll County
    You already know you have to handle and try them yourself, so I won't mention that. Not even a hint.

    I'm a little leery of the reliability issues with the Gen 4 (there's a thread around here somewhere on the subject), but the improved ergonomics interest me because I have small hands.

    I think the Glock has a better trigger, but you can upgrade the M&P trigger with APEX kits (of course you shouldn't have to).

    Personnally, I don't consider "history" when weighing a serious pistol. To me, that sort of romanticism is for collectables and range toys. The Glock 17 was certainly a significant turning point in firearms history though.

    I went with the M&P 9mm partly because it is such a great pistol, the ergonomics work for me, and I fell into a fantastic deal on a used one. I liked it so much I later bought an M&P9c.

    But just to confuse you, I've been reading great things around here about the new Walther PPQ. You might want to check that one out too.


    As for the 9mm vs. .45, I'm not sure the question has ever come up...
     

    Flipz

    Ultimate Member
    Mar 11, 2010
    3,193
    get the one you shoot the best.

    both great platforms

    +1

    Get to a range that has both available for rent. Put 50 rounds through each to give you a bit of an idea of which one you prefer. Then, rinse and repeat.
     

    brianrose80

    Member
    Jul 8, 2010
    15
    Ive looked briefly at walther...I am gonna stay away from that one for now. i dislike having to upgrade the stock trigger...has no positive reset. I hear the part is Apex kit is cheap but was quoted by my LGS that installed runs about 100 bucks. i think that is a little steep...especially considering the Glock comes with 3 mags and a nice trigger. surprisingly to me the SW is cheaper than the Glock. SW definitely feels like a higher quality weapon.
     

    pakman916

    Active Member
    Apr 23, 2011
    143
    MoCo, MD
    I was in a similar situation that you are in, but I wasn't completely sold on the M&P. Nothing wrong with it, but here's how I see it. If I ever had to use my gun to defend myself, which one would I bet my life on? Who cares what it looks like, will it shoot every time?

    With that said, I bought the Glock 19 Gen 4 in December and I'm having issues with FTEs. It's possible it doesn't like the ammo I'm using for target shooting. Which is not a problem, since I'd be using hotter ammo for home defense anyway. Regardless, it sucks to have this issue. But not ALL gen 4s have this issue. So if you get lucky, you buy one with no issues.

    There's a reason so many people buy Glocks over other polymer pistols...and it's not because it's cheap or because they look good.
     

    bnich82

    African American w/a Gun!
    Dec 8, 2011
    362
    From the reading I've done it seems the Glock Gen4 issues are mainly predominate in the G17/G19 not the G21. Not saying the G21 is bug free, but I have read way more threads that mainly referenced the G17/G19.

    I just picked up a G21 Gen4 from The Gun Shop today and I have to say I'm in love. This is the first 45 I have shot. With that, I expected it to have way more felt recoil, but it was a pleasure to shoot even with a gimp pinky. I put 100 rounds of Bitterroot Valley Ammunition (some say bad cheap ammo) down range tonight at Freestate without a sing FTF/FTE. Only issue I have currently is the extractor was slinging brass all over the place. Some would fly to my right hitting the retainer wall. Some would fly over my head and hit the shelving along the wall, but other than that then firearm was dead on. Very controllable for a newbie like me as I was able to shoot roughly a 5" group which is an improvement over my HK USPc .40.

    Despite the wild extraction, I wouldn't hesitate recommending the G21 Gen4 to anyone. It comes with 3 13 round magazines, speed loader and interchangeable back straps. Stock G21 Gen4 has the same grip as the Short Frame Gen3.

    I work in Baltimore all the time and live not far from Maryland Small Arms Range. Let me know if you would like to take her for a spin and we can meet up.
     

    Dogabutila

    Ultimate Member
    Dec 21, 2010
    2,359
    The gen4 issues happened because of a problem on 23's with lights on them. So they made the changes and then the g4 19's had the issue. Changed recoil springs and then I haven't heard people with issues anymore.

    Personally, I want to like the M&P's. I can see why people like them, but they just aren't for me. The trigger reset is invisible, you let out until you feel it but that isn't the real reset. You have to let it out an bit more, but there isn't a way to tell how much farther you have to let it out. With the glocks, you can both feel and hear the reset.

    The glocks are a little too square for me in all honesty. I have small, tiny even, hands. The smallest backstrap makes the 17 useable for me. The M&P's smallest palmswell is still too big. I hear the 9c might be able to work for me and I'll try it out when I get my hands on my friends.


    Really though, I've had no problems shooting my 4g17 with and without a light. I like the trigger reset infinitely more, and I can manage with it unlike the M&P.
     

    pwoolford

    AR15's make me :-)
    Jan 3, 2012
    4,186
    White Marsh
    I picked up a Glock 22 gen4 a couple months ago and it is still growing on me. The frame is a little wider than I'd like so it doesn't feel as good in my hand as my Beretta 92 or 96. I also didn't like the trigger on the glock at all with the thin integrated safety so I replaced it with the Zev Tech/Glockworx fulcrum trigger but that was $250. I had some feeding issues for the first couple hundred rounds but none since. I'm over 2k rounds now. The Glock also slings brass further than anything else I own. I learned to wear a hat after repeatedly cutting my forehead with flying brass.
    I'd do like everyone else suggested and see what you like best. I'd also consider how much you plan to shoot because the cost of ammo is pretty significant between them. I've been going through about 1k rounds per month and that is roughly $200 of 9mm, $300 of .40 and $360 of .45.
     

    Sirex

    Powered by natural gas
    Oct 30, 2010
    10,380
    Westminster, MD
    So from what I have read, both are pretty much on par as far as reliability? What are the warranties for the S&W vs Glock, and how easy are each to strip/clean/service?
     

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