9mm or 45 in full size M&P

[brettb75]

I cant decide whether I want the 9mm or 45 in the M&p. It will be a duty gun as I am a bondsman and bounty hunter. Do these guns shoot good with cast. Any favorite loads let me know. I also need a left handed retention holster because I dont want bad guy taking my gun. Any suggestions will help

[brettb75]

I have a Kel tec pf9 and I love this little gun. I just ordered the RTK trigger and spring kit plus the Twisted fibver optic sights. Ill let everyone know how they work out once installed

[Bonz]

Military dropped the 9mm and went to the 45acp. FBI and others dropped the .40 and went back to 9mm because of all the new technology in 9mm projectiles. M&P 9mm will hold more rounds than a M&P 45acp. I don't think there is a right answer, comes down to personal preference.

164503

[sixshot]

This is one thats been beat to death for years, mostly it comes down to what you shoot the best. If you look at all the stats from street fights, etc. the 9mm with good ammo as done as well as the 45 ACP. Ammo is much better now than it used to be but it could also be that the 9mm is easier to hit with. There's a huge, huge difference between target accuracy & combat accuracy, thats why, under stress guys can miss a full grown man at 6-8 feet & do it multiple times. Its been done thousands of times by guys who are trained with a handgun & have shot lots & lots of paper targets.
A good hit with a 9mm is much better than a loud miss with a 45, if you shoot the 45 just as good, I would pick the 45! A gun fight can start fast & end fast.....are you ready, you got 3 seconds.

Dick

[LAH]

I shoot 2 M&P handguns both 9MM. One is a Compact, the other a 5 inch Pro model. The short one is doing very well with cast but the long one I haven't found a load for.

[DanOH]

The 9me M&P is a sweet pistol. Holds 18rounds. From what I'VE seen folks keep on shooting at the target till the threat stops, whether they are shooting a 9 , 40, 45 or 223. Might as well have plenty of ammo on board in case there is more than one threat.

[DanOH]

124 grain mihec HP
4.5 grn Green Dot
1.10 oal.
Works every time.

[Mike in Reedley]

I have both, out of the box the .45 shoots better. M&P 9 have a bad reputation for accuracy and mine was no exception. It shoots minute of felon fine, but is sadly lacking in target accuracy. I put Apex triggers in both.

When Apex started marketing fitted replacement barrels for the 9, I fitted one. My 9 is a CORE model and I have a Burris Fast Fire II on it. Now the 9 is one of the most accurate autos I own. It is on a pare with my Barsto Smith 52. There's a couple of dedicated threads to M&Ps over at Smith & Wesson forum.

I carry the 45 as a defensive pistol. I shoot the 9 in Steel Challenge matches.

[scattershot]

If you,decide on the .45, I can recommend the .45c. A little smaller and easier to pack, fits my hand better than the full size, and mine's very accurate.

[jcren]

One strong consideration if you are new to cast shooting, 45 is much more forgiving of load development. 9 will shoot cast well, but you will have far more development time unless you are very lucky.

[Lefty Red]

I have the full sized 40. It's been a great pistol. I would have went for a 9mm or 45 ACP as I already cast and reload those calibers and not really a fan of the 40, but just could pass up the price. So it's my bedside weapon due to the oversized and ambi safety and mag release. Will buy another in 40 for kitchen duty.

But in your situation, would go for a 9mm. More bullets, more hits on target. Even if your penis grows three inches when you pick up a 45, you are more likely to be more accurate and have more 10 ring shots with a 9mm. And the ammo choice is awesome. Can't really beat Critical Defense, not the best (but makes several short list of self defense ammo and feeds in everythin I ever put it through) but available anywhere. I have Speer Gold Dots in a couple mags, but they are hard to locate. And you might be in situations where it's just your crew and need a few more bullets.

I like the M&P. It's a big pistol and will handle the 40/45 all day long. Trigger is different, but is controllable and with practice. I did put a Duty/Carry kit in it and it did make the trigger feel more like my G26/27.

Jerry

[Lefty Red]

The 9me M&P is a sweet pistol. Holds 18rounds. From what I'VE seen folks keep on shooting at the target till the threat stops, whether they are shooting a 9 , 40, 45 or 223. Might as well have plenty of ammo on board in case there is more than one threat.

Yep, what he said.

[Mytmousemalibu]

I have 3 M&P 9mm's and I LOVE them! My EDC is an 9C, Apex forward-set sear/flat shoe trigger kit + springs, failure proof extractor, XS Big Dot sights, Viridian CTL micro light and some hand fitting/polishing. Trigger breaks at 3.5lbs and is a great shooter, love the Apex stuff, its top notch! Full of the new Lehigh Xtreme Defense +P load. I occasionally shoot this gun in USPSA Limited and really trust my life to this gun. It didn't require all the stuff it has done to it but I shoot it better in the end so it's worth it.

I have a 9mm Shield, it has XS standard Dot sights and some fitting/polishing to the trigger, still about 6lb break but smooth and no grit. Might Apex it at some point. I primarily got it for my dad to carry.

My hot rod, an M&P 9L Performance Center CORE/Ported turned into a USPSA "OPEN Division" gun. Heavily modified. KKM 5.5" Match barrel, Carver 3-port compensator, Trijicon RM04, Dual-Illuminated 7-moa Amber dot optic, Same Apex trigger as the Compact but with full competition spring kit + fit & polish, breaks at 1.5lbs pull weight! Apex extractor, barrel/extractor I had TiN coated, Tungsten guide rod, ISMI springs, Springer Precision slide racker & ext mag release, Speed Shooter Specialties brass "open class" magwell, and probably a few other goodies im forgetting. It's fast, its loud, it drives tacks! I have had most of our club's top shooters run some rounds through my 9L, guys that are 1911/2011 types with 4-5 thousand dollar STI's, Infinity's, etc. Guys that like all metal guns. They were all very surprised and very impressed with the M&P.

I also have a little tricked out M&P Bodyguard 380 non-laser model, pretty good pocket rocket. Probably add a Smith J-frame or .38 BG to the family soon. I might get another 9L to make a Carry-optics division gun.

As you can see, I'm all for the M&P! I like the 9mm's, with today's ammo, you get good performance and the big capacity.

***Info for those considering a weapon light: The Surefire XC-1 will NOT fit an M&P Compact. It is really only going to fit duty size guns and larger. It will fit a G19 and that's about the smallest it will go and the 1913 rail the rest of the world uses is too small for the XC-1, it was essentially made to fit prefect on a Glock and that's about it. It will fit other duty size guns but the fit to the dovetail of the 1913 Picatinny is sloppy loose. Shame because it is a really nice light. Surefire's info blurb about it on their page leads you to believe otherwise on what it fits. Rude customer service too. This was the 1st and last Surefire product I will buy***

[brettb75]

good answer bonz as thew wil both be coming out of a full sized pipe yhe 9mm should have plenty of performance

[brettb75]

But you justcant put a price on that extra 3 inches of pecker with the 45 lol. I think Ill go withthe 9

[brettb75]

mttymouse if you ever feel generous you are more than welcome to donate that tricked out m&p to me lol

[Lloyd Smale]

depends on what you mean by doing good. for the most part any black gun is doing well at 3 inch groups at 20 yards. I have a 9 full sized and a 45 compact M&P and a 40 shield. All are a 100 percent reliable with cast. None lead up to any point where it effects accuracy. All will do 3 inch or better. Well maybe not the shield but that's probably more a matter of its size and my old eyes. The full sized 9 has become my replacement for a 22 pistol for plinking. It just runs and runs, has no recoil to speak of and even the wife and grandkids love it. I just picked up a ar15 in 9mm to be a companion gun to it. Now this is from a guy who a few years back had no use for a 9. I found out I like them more then I thought. Even my main carry gun is now a glock 43. by the way I really like that compact 45 too. I always said if glock would make a 23 sized gun in 45 id be all over it and I found it in this compact smith. I'm a big fan of the M&Ps there every bit as good of a gun as a glock.

[Bonz]

Hate to put this out there but I just picked up the S&W Performance Center 9mm Shield and I absolutely love it. Ported barrel & slide, trigger job and fiber sights all from S&W's Performance Center. Usually whip out my CZ 75bd for 9mm target shooting at the range but lately have been shooting this new Shield a lot. And with the ported barrel & slide, I can empty that magazine very fast on target. Short carry mag holds 7 rounds plus one in the pipe. If you guys see one at the range, ask them if you can try a few shots with it. You will be impressed. I always loved the original 9mm Shield but the Performance Center version is so much better.

[sixshot]

I sure like my M&P 9 & I'm a life time revolver guy. Had my son drop an Apex trigger in it, put a fiber optic front sight on & its 100% with powder coated 140's & a good dose of 231.

Dick

[Lefty Red]

But you justcant put a price on that extra 3 inches of pecker with the 45 lol. I think Ill go withthe 9

i always wondered way the lady friend wants me to shoot the 45 when I go to the range....... :)

[flyingrhino]

Don't have an M&P. My 2 cents are strictly on caliber. I carry the 45 because it makes a much bigger hole. This argument has been around for years. BUT....from my hunting experience, the 45 does a lot more damage than the 9mm. Just my opinion, and you know what they say about opinions!

[zomby woof]

I have a full size 45, 9mm Pro and 9C. I have the apex kits in all three. The 45 shoots cast very well, has a hard time feeding the H+G68. The recoil is a bit more than say a 1911 because of the weight difference. The 9 Pro also shoots cast very well. I have turned it into a USPSA carry optics gun. I love shooting it. The 9C is my bug gun and CCP gun for IDPA. This gun also shoots cast well. It is surprising how well this little gun shoots. Overall the M&P line are nice guns. There are better game guns. These do OK.

[MtGun44]

Never get a 9mm when a .45 is available.

[Lloyd Smale]

agree if killing is whats on the table but for cheap shooting a 9mm with cast is about as inexpensive as it comes. Proably no more to shoot then a 22 at todays ammo prices. Bottom line is if I was in trouble and had my choise of a guy with a 45 that only shot his gun a hundred rounds a month or a guy with a 9 that shot 500 rounds a month I know who id be picking. Bottom line is theres probably not a single civilian on this fourm that had to actually pull the trigger on his gun to defend himself so most of these posts are just something to talk about. But bottom line is just like a well placed 3030 is going to kill better then a pourly placed 300 ultra mag a well placed 9 is going to do better then a pourly placed 45. I used to really dislike the 9mm. I thought it was nothing but a pop gun and carried nothing but a 45. Got tired of dragging around a heavy gun like a 1911 and really like carrying a smaller gun like a shield or 43 glock. I know if I ever do have to use it that I'm competent enough with it that it will give whoever I use it on a real bad day. I know that a 9 loaded with gold dots or another good self defense bullet on my hip is a lot better then a 45 back in the truck! I have no argument with you wanting to use a 45 but will ask why stop there. My 4 inch 500 linebaugh doesn't weight any more then a full sized 1911. Why not really step up:bigsmyl2:
Never get a 9mm when a .45 is available.

[Schrag4]

Lloyd, I saw this thread a few days ago, and was going to say basically what you said. I'm a big believer that the 9mm is generally a better choice for a variety of reasons. The biggest reason is that no matter what you get, you should shoot it A LOT, so ammo expense is high on the list. But if he's casting, then there's not a whole lot of difference between the two when it comes to cost, like 10 or 15 bucks per 1000 rounds. I haven't casted for both, but I suspect it's a little easier to get everything working when casting for 45.

I do agree with you that shot placement is key, and the 9mm provides you with faster accurate followup shots, and more of them. That's why I always advocate for the 9mm over the 45.

[w5pv]

I own a 380/9mm but shoot the 45 acp and the 45C more.I just like the bigger slow bullet more.

[Lloyd Smale]

id bet the cost is more different then you think. Once fired brass is about half the cost for 9 vs a 45 and you use at least half again as much powder and a bullet that uses twice as much lead. Don't get me wrong here. I love my 45acps and I love my 40s too. I just tire of the 9 getting a bad rap all the time and to be honest I used to be one of the bashers myself. For someone that wants cheap fun plinking a full sized 9 like an m&p or glock is hard to beat for a bang for the buck in ammo and gun costs.
Lloyd, I saw this thread a few days ago, and was going to say basically what you said. I'm a big believer that the 9mm is generally a better choice for a variety of reasons. The biggest reason is that no matter what you get, you should shoot it A LOT, so ammo expense is high on the list. But if he's casting, then there's not a whole lot of difference between the two when it comes to cost, like 10 or 15 bucks per 1000 rounds. I haven't casted for both, but I suspect it's a little easier to get everything working when casting for 45.

I do agree with you that shot placement is key, and the 9mm provides you with faster accurate followup shots, and more of them. That's why I always advocate for the 9mm over the 45.

[Mike in Reedley]

Not comparing 9 to 45, comparing M&P 9 to M&P 45. The 9 M&P as it comes from the factory is not as accurate as the 45. Apex is selling 9 barrels hand over fist. $200 later and once installed, the 9 shoots great. In 40+ years of shooting pistols, the M&P 9 was the least accurate 9 I've seen. After the barrel swap, it became the most accurate. If you don't mind minute of pie plate at 25 yards, go with the un modified 9.

[Lloyd Smale]

my 9 isn't to bad. I actually only benched it with one bullet. A 125 flat point (small flat point) group buy mold I have cast out of an alloy that goes about 15bhn using 4 grains of pr200 (surplus aa2) sized to 358 it did 2.5 inch for 5 shoots and I repeated it 3 times. Ive had 1911s that didn't shoot that well and its as good as most of my glocks will do. My compact 45 m&p does do a touch better at 2 inch but a lot more load development was done to settle on that load and its a very mild target load that isn't much more powerful then the 9 is. No its not match accuracy but I'm not running out to buy a new 200 dollar barrel either. For the most part if they shot even 4 inch that's combat accurate and that's what those guns are. They are not competition guns. To claim so is about like taking an out of the box adl Remington 700 and expecting it to win 1000 yard bench rest competition. For what there intended for ANY black gun that does 3-4inch at 25 yards is plenty accurate.

[garym1a2]

My experance is with glocks but I find the 45s to be too heavy to carry all the time. I got rid of my G30S in faver to the G19. With the M&Ps I would check loaded weights.

[Lloyd Smale]

the 19/23 glock and the compact 9-40-45 m&p are about identical it size and weight. At least comparing my compact 45 to my glock 23 it is anyway. The full sized M&P is about the same as a full sized glock.

[Lead Fred]

165365165366

[zomby woof]

Never get a 9mm when a .45 is available. Bigger hole is always better. However, I would bet most people can run a USPSA course faster and better with a 9 than 45.

[robertbank]

To the OP you are going to have to carry the gun. Lighter is better. The 9MM has been doing an effective job longer than the 45acp. The M&P accuracy issues have largely been solved by S&W switch to a 1 -10 twist barrel. I know my PRO in 9MM saw a huge difference in accuracy when I had a new 1-10 twist barrel in the gun. At 7 yards the 1.5" hole has shrunk to 1/25" at least. I have shot close to 50K rounds through my two M&P nines. I broke an early striker after about 7K rounds. S&W improved the design of their strikers and the problem has not reappeared.

If there was any advantage the 45acp had over the 9MM more departments and militarizes would use it. There isn't and they don't.

Take Care

Bob

[garym1a2]

My G21SF is much heavier than my G22 and G19 when loaded.

the 19/23 glock and the compact 9-40-45 m&p are about identical it size and weight. At least comparing my compact 45 to my glock 23 it is anyway. The full sized M&P is about the same as a full sized glock.

[Schrag4]

...If there was any advantage the 45acp had over the 9MM more departments and militarizes would use it. There isn't and they don't.

Take Care

Bob

The way you worded it might be a bit inflammatory. There are advantages - they're marginal-at best, and they're few and far between, but they're there. In exchange for those marginal advantages, you get a heaping serving of disadvantages, and that's why I would choose the 9.

[Groo]

Groo here
You should look at gun and shell as a system.
Some people get a high cap 9mm with extended mags and wonder why it is as heavy as a 45 light weight single stack.
The thing is , if a 9mm and 45 are shot in the same weight gun , many will shoot the 9mm better.
But that is not what happens.
The 9mm will be a lighter gun, the 45 a heaver one.
The 9mm snaps and has a faster slide speed, the 45 is a push and has a slower one.
All of a sudden some people start shooting the 45 better.
If you want something VERY small and thin , a 9mm will be your ticket.
If you want something VERY light ,because of lower pressure, the 45 should be looked.
Round count is personal preference.
I use a 9mm shield ,or a Robaugh R9s, for super small , both are ruff to shoot due to lack of weight.
A 3in SW1911 Pro subcompact 45 [26oz] which is much easier to shoot for belt or shoulder holster.
Full size is just that , big and sometimes heavy but you can shoot them all day.
Pick both as a system to do what you need / want.

[C. Latch]

I recently bought a 5" M&P 9Pro.

It must be one of the newer models that shoots well, because I can't miss with it. Only problem is that it has the all-too-common short throat and doesn't like cast bullets unless they're really crammed in the case.

I sent the barrel off to DougGuy this morning and he'll fix that.

[Lloyd Smale]

I'm talking my m&p compact 45 compared to my 23
My G21SF is much heavier than my G22 and G19 when loaded.

[zomby woof]

I recently bought a 5" M&P 9Pro. It must be one of the newer models that shoots well, because I can't miss with it. Only problem is that it has the all-too-common short throat and doesn't like cast bullets unless they're really crammed in the case. I sent the barrel off to DougGuy this morning and he'll fix that. Barrel's are made of hard stainless

[arthury]

I would go with the M&P45. It may not be as accurate as a 1911 or a Beretta 92-series but it is predictable and the groupings are closer simply because the cartridge is intrinsically an accurate round.

I have bad experience with the M&P9 (regular 4.25" & Pro) and swapped out the factory bbl with KKM bbl, changed ammo, nothing worked when I shoot longer than 50 ft. OK, the KKM bbl and the new OEM bbl designed helped some but it's still finicky when I shot them later. The M&P9 accuracy just simply cannot match a Glock or a CZ at that distance. I worked on this issue for a few months and with S&W and it cannot be resolved. Eventually, I gave on the M&P9. I still own both my M&P9.

See my sorrowful story here. (http://www.brianenos.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=157995&hl=)

[C. Latch]

I recently bought a 5" M&P 9Pro.

It must be one of the newer models that shoots well, because I can't miss with it. Only problem is that it has the all-too-common short throat and doesn't like cast bullets unless they're really crammed in the case.

I sent the barrel off to DougGuy this morning and he'll fix that.

Barrel came back from Doug today.

It now eats anything. Including 170-grain flat points from a Mihec 358-165rf.