Smith & Wesson M&P .45 opinion

[10Shooter]

Been lurking awhile and it seems there are some very knowledgeable folks around. Decided to finally post a question.
What is ya'lls opinions of a Smith & Wesson M&P .45? I have 9mm, .40s, 10mms, etc but have not ever shot a 45, surprising I know.
Any thoughts on this model and any other input would be greatly appreciated!

Thank you very much for your input.

[The Annoyed Man]

I regularly carry a full-sized M&P 45. I like it very much.

Here it is in a Kirkpatrick Leather "Under Cover" holster:


Another picture of it with one of my ARs:


It is a pretty good pistol. I am partial to 1911s and have 3" and 5" samples in my carry rotation. I carry the M&P because it is the most "1911-like" double stack polymer framed pistol I've seen. It points naturally, and controls recoil very well. Mine has a frame mounted ambidextrous safety - which makes it even more 1911-like - although the pistols are available without that safety lever if you don't want one. There is also an articulated trigger safety incorporated, so strictly speaking, a frame mounted safety is not absolutely necessary.

Also, I am left handed, so I really appreciate the ambidextrous slide stop and magazine release buttons. Mine came with Trijicon night sights, which I like very much. I also like the interchangeable backstraps for fit, although other models now incorporate that feature.

[CompVest]

We have one and it is a great shooting 45. Comfortable, accurate, and dependable.

[Tallinthesaddle]

I have one in .45, the 4.5 barrel length in Dark Earth. I like it because it has a safety. Some don't. Here is a good article on the M&P .45. They come in three sizes: compact, 4" barrel and 4.5" barrel.

http://www.pistolbuyersguide.com/Articl ... 4&pid=1333" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[stroo]

I have one and love it. I normally carry a Hipower but I use the M&P often as a car gun because it points very much like the Hipower does and has a thumb safety that works basically the same as the Hipower or 1911. I would echo all the comments above.

[jbirds1210]

The .45 caliber M&P is the only product in their line that would cause me to leave a Glock in the same caliber sitting on the table. It really is a nice gun and Glock needs to learn a bit from the ergonomics it offers.

Jason

[The Annoyed Man]

The .45 caliber M&P is the only product in their line that would cause me to leave a Glock in the same caliber sitting on the table. It really is a nice gun and Glock needs to learn a bit from the ergonomics it offers.

Jason

When I bought my M&P 45, I also looked at both the Glock 21, and the XD 45.

The Glock is a good gun, but it is just too big. I understand that the Gen 4 Glocks have adjustable backstraps, but they weren't available in .45 ACP when I was shopping, and the grip size was just a bit too big to be comfortable for me. But even with adjustable backstraps, the slide is wider than necessary across the top. A lot of times, the difference between a good concealable weapon and one relegated to duty weapon status is in the small things, like the decision to nip here and tuck there. The full sized Glock in .45 makes no such concessions and boldly proclaims, "get a bigger belt and larger pants, yah big sissy!" I don't need that.

The XD 45 was much better than the Glock with regard to size, and I like the grip safety. But when I handled it, it just didn't sit as low in my hand as the M&P. The XD-M 45 wasn't yet available with it's adjustable backstraps. If I had not had the chance to try the M&P, I would have bought the XD 45. I've had an opportunity to shoot a compact version in 9mm, and it is a pretty nice gun, but I was looking for a full-sized, polymer framed .45. The M&P best fit that bill for me.

[ske1eter]

My M&P .45 FS has replaced an S&W 1911PD as my EDC.

[Chemist45]

I am very happy with mine.
I can shoot very hot loads and the felt recoil is minimal.

Very nice handling gun.

[alvins]

now if smith & wesson would go back to making thier guns from metal i would be happy.

[surprise_i'm_armed]

TAM and all other M & P .45 owners:

IIRC, Crossfire or CompVest stated in the "Chatty Kat" thread that
an M & P Compact had a trigger pull of only 5.0 pounds.

This seems pretty low for a stock gun.

Have any of y'all tested your trigger pull on your M & P's?
If so, what is the magic number?

SIA

[The Annoyed Man]

TAM and all other M & P .45 owners:

IIRC, Crossfire or CompVest stated in the "Chatty Kat" thread that
an M & P Compact had a trigger pull of only 5.0 pounds.

This seems pretty low for a stock gun.

Have any of y'all tested your trigger pull on your M & P's?
If so, what is the magic number?

SIA

That is not the case with mine. I just measured mine on an RCBS trigger tension scale a couple of minutes ago, and it broke cleanly and repeatedly at 6 lbs, and that is after a S&W Custom Shop trigger job. It was closer to 8 lbs when I bought it, and the trigger was not as crisp then as it is now, although it was still better than the trigger on my wife's G19, for instance.

Highvelocity tried shooting it a couple of weeks ago at the Personal Defense match at DPC and declared that he would be comfortable competing with it, so when I start competing, that is likely the gun that I will use.

[stroo]

S&W's website says the trigger pull is 7 lbs. Just by feel, I think mine may be lighter than that.

[The Annoyed Man]

S&W's website says the trigger pull is 7 lbs. Just by feel, I think mine may be lighter than that.

One thing that I learned is that my seat of the pants impression of trigger pull rarely measures up to what a trigger tension scale says it weighs. Seat of the pants has always been optimistic.

[cbr600]

What does one of these run at gunshows?