Glock or S&W?

[rollmyown]

Am in the process of deciding which to buy. Do I get the M&P 9L or the Glock 17? (both will have 5" barrels)
I see the Glock gaurantee is voided if you shoot reloads or cast, dunno about the M&P. Is one likely to shoot cast better than the other or will there be little difference.

Price is about the same for both.

My preference wuold have been for a 40 S&W instead of the 9, but license wise it's MUCH less hastle to go for a 9mm

Thanks in advance Rob.

[Lloyd Smale]

im not a fan of glocks so this recomendation does have some predudice in it. Glocks are good reliable guns but so are m&ps and the smith feels better in my hand and points better.

[Forester]

Am in the process of deciding which to buy. Do I get the M&P 9L or the Glock 17? (both will have 5" barrels)
I see the Glock guarantee is voided if you shoot reloads or cast, dunno about the M&P. Is one likely to shoot cast better than the other or will there be little difference.

Price is about the same for both.

My preference would have been for a 40 S&W instead of the 9, but license wise it's MUCH less hassle to go for a 9mm

Thanks in advance Rob.

Shoot both if you can and see what shoots better for you. I have shot both aplenty and for me the M&P is head and shoulders above the Glock.

I hold Master classification in IDPA, and A Class in USPSA so I know at least a little about making a semi-auto sing, I never actually competed much with either of these guns to be fair. Though I very nearly carried an M&P to USPSA Nationals one year, practiced plenty with it ahead of time and just did not get to make the trip for other reasons.

My reasons for picking the M&P are:

-Fits my hand better, and with interchangeable backstraps probably yours too
-Better trigger out of the box, and potentially much better with a good trigger job
-More accurate in my experience
-I see fewer M&Ps coming apart under high round counts...may not be the case, but its my observation
-M&Ps seem to handle heavy for caliber bullets better than the Glock
-More cartridge support in the chamber in the M&P--no"Glocked" brass to deal with
-Rather Support an American Company


No manufacturer is going to recommend reloads, if the gun breaks and its not your fault, don't tell them thats what you shot.

I hear stories about Glocks and cast boolits, but then I see Glocks shooting tons of the things so I don't know how real that issue is.

[Muddy Creek Sam]

If someone gave me a Glock, I would trade it in. That tell's you my decision. A Cop I know well had a brand new Glock, that had only been to the police range for 100 rounds, Blow up in his hand when he was facing a perp. He was shot 5 times, luckily he lived.

Sam :D

[Three-Fifty-Seven]

I had a Glock Model 19 (1st generation, and a smaller version of the 17) for 20 years, I never shot cast through it, but it was a very reliable gun, I loaded middle of the road loads for it . . . I only sold it because I prefer to have a revolver, and can't see having a gun I don't shoot.

If I had a job that required me carry an auto, I'd buy another Glock.

I also always try to buy American, as long as they make what I want!

[smilie=s:

[HeavyMetal]

I dislike any gun that has a "safety??" in the trigger, it just doesn't make sense!

A Glock handed to me would go down the road so fast the poly frame would melt!

Haven't trusted S&W since the Clinton ( ya, ya, I know it's "different" management) deal.

Have you looked at the CZ-75 / 85? This is available in 40 as well as several of the 9mm's and feels veery good plus has condition one carry option

[bdutro]

I'll gladly sell you my Glock so's I can go get a Sig.

[pdawg_shooter]

+1 on the Sig. Get a P220 and you are set!

[Windy City Kid]

I have owned both M&P and Glock 17, I like the M&P better.

The M&P 9L is a real good shooting pistol, very accurate.

Apex Tactical sells a drop in sear for the M&P, it's like a drop in trigger job. It will be a 4 lbs. trigger pull.

I would go with the M&P 9L.

[orangezuk]

Try 'em both and see.
Not a fan of the glock, only because it dose not feel great in MY hand. Haven't shot the M&P, i hope it would drasticly differ from the Sigma (shot my partners Sigma .40*horrible*)

I'm lucky my "employer" lets ERT carry what we wish, Para LDA .40 converted to 10mm rests in the duty belt.

[NickSS]

I have not tried the S&W M&P but I do have a Glock 17. Mine shoots as good as I do and has never had a malfunction in the time I have owned it. I must admit that it does have an unusual grip feel to it but I found it easy to adapt to. As for shooting lead I have fired many hundreds through mine and have not noticed a problem but then I do not load hot loads. Mostly I shoot 120 gr TC bullets at around 1150 fps in mine.

[BarryinIN]

Rather than type it again, I'm just cutting and pasting my reply on another board to a similar question of Glock/S&W M&P/XD in .45, so some may not apply directly:

I've had 12 Glocks (though never more than maybe four at one time). I don't have any now.
I've never had an XD.
I have one M&P, and plan on keeping it. I also have no real plans of adding another, which I suppose means I like them OK but can't say I went crazy over them.

As polymer framed pistols go, IF I were shopping for one right now, I'd get another M&P. I like them better than other polymer pistols I've tried.

The grip feels better than Glock grips to me, especially comparing the .45s (the price for the Glock holding more ammmo). Even if the M&P didn't have changeable backstraps and were all made in one-size-fits-all medium, I'd still like it's grip better.

The M&P's metal magazine body fixes one of my main Glock complaints: Their plastic-encased mags are a lot fatter than they need to be and make carrying spares a little clumsier. I don't know if all that many people think about that (or maybe they don't carry spare mags). The slimmer mag also allows the grip to be smaller. Their metal magazine was the big advantage XDs had over Glocks to me, and I like it on the M&P too.

After having a couple break a hook off, I'm not real happy with the standard Glock trigger return spring. I'm no engineer, but it always seemed to me that a coil spring with hooks on the end caused the hooks to bear the stress of the entire spring, and the sharp bend to form the hook would be the weak point. Growing up on the farm, there was never a shortage of springs in the trash barrel that came off some piece of farm equipment after breaking off a hook.
The S&W M&P still uses a similar arrangement. Their spring, however, has a rubbery insert in the coils that supposedly dampens the vibrations that leads to breakage. I don't know about that, but at least they did something, and mine hasn't snapped yet. I'd rather see something else, but it's a start.
It also muffles the "sproinggg" sound when dry firing.

The M&P comes with metal sights.
I've never had a Glock plastic front sight shear off, but I've seen it happen to others a couple of times (although at least once, I think it came from crowding cover and banging it off the edge of that cover). But I have carried one until the front sight became worn and misshapen. I know it's easily replaced, but I'd rather not have to.
Maybe most people get night sights or change to them ASAP, which naturally fixes that anyway. But regardless of that also, the M&P comes with metal sights.

Overall, I guess I'm saying the M&P fixes most of my complaints about Glocks.

I got my M&P because of hearing how great they were and seeing so many of them in use in classes and matches. That usually isn't enough reason for me to get something new, but two things helped:
-I knew of several people who switched to M&Ps that I thought would never consider changing from what they carried for years. Nothing else swayed them, so they saw something in the M&P.
-Some of the better instructors liked them. I always pay attention to the opinion of good instructors, since they see so many guns and see more shots fired in a month than most people do in a lifetime.
-I wanted to try a hi-cap .45 that fit a human hand. Although at 10 rds, many would not call the M&P 45 a hi-cap.

So I went shopping for an M&P.
I wanted either a 9mm or .45. The shop had them in all variations. Comparing the 9 and .45, the .45 looked only a little bigger in some places and the same in others, so I eliminated the 9mm. I wish now I had compared slide width closer, as I think the .45 is way too wide. It's maybe no wider than a Glock or XD in 9/40, but still too wide for me.

They had the M&P .45 with and without the manual safety. I didn't think the manual safety was necessary, but when I handled the "safety-less" one, my thumb kept looking for a place to rest. Too much 1911/HiPower use, I guess. So I got the safety.

The gun works fine and shoots great, but I seldom carry it. I shoot 1911s and HiPowers better and find them easier to carry. I only carry the M&P on those rare days when I might be someplace where I can't take a gun. If I might have to leave a gun in the car, I'd rather leave a $550 gun I can probably replace on the way home than one of the HiPowers or 1911s I usually carry. Those are a little harder to replace. (Yes, I run a lock behind the trigger, and I disassemble it and stash the parts around. I carry part of it with me if I can.)

If doing my M&P shopping trip over, I'd look harder at the 9mm. That wide slide of the .45 drives me nuts. Truthfully though, I don't know if the .45 M&P is any less comfortable than a 9/40 Glock because the Glocks are blockier. I'm just used to carrying the slimmer 1911s and HiPowers.

[ANeat]

The Glocks in 9 and 40 can be real finicky with cast. I think they are good guns but a regular rifled barrel is easier to work with shooting cast.

Dont forget the XD's, another good choice.

Ive had plenty of Glocks and XD's, liked em all really, but I like all kinds of guns ;)

Wouldnt mind trying an M&P also

[anachronism]

Think seriously about Springfields XD Series.

[Combat Diver]

I've shot the Glocks before and don't like them and prefer the Smith's. Go with what feels best in your hands. However as much as I prefer the Smiths do have a G19 on the way that isn't for sale. My son is presenting this one to me this summer and he knows my opition on the Glocks before he ordered this. (he got himself a G30 and me this G19 when he was in Iraq this year and me in Astan, and we're both SF)
http://www.hunt101.com/data/500/medium/DSCN0341_G19.JPG

[Lloyd Smale]

Im to more of a 1911 guy. I never owned a black handgun till this spring. Ive shot many and have a few opinions on them but am far from an expert. I know the glocks sigs and s&ws ive shot go bang every time even with cast ammo and the few springfields i shot would choke on the same cast ammo i loaded for my 1911s. the one i picked up was a beretta storm in 40. Ive put probably a 1000 rounds though it and its combat accurate with any load ive tried and hasnt missed a beat yet and other they taking it apart new to oil it has never been taken down or oiled since. Believe me it needs it but id kind of like to know what kind of a round count it will take to stop it. All but a few of these rounds have been dirty cast not jacketed ammo. It fits my hand better then a glock but not quite as well as the smith does. It came with a 4lb trigger which is rare in today sue happy world. i wouldnt have probably bought it if it werent for the giveaway price i picked it up for. It will do duty as a truck gun or be stuffled somewhere in the home as when i carry a gun its a 1911. I know them and they work for me without thought.

[Forester]

Try 'em both and see.
Not a fan of the glock, only because it dose not feel great in MY hand. Haven't shot the M&P, i hope it would drasticly differ from the Sigma (shot my partners Sigma .40*horrible*)

I'm lucky my "employer" lets ERT carry what we wish, Para LDA .40 converted to 10mm rests in the duty belt.

You can rest assured the M&P and Sigma are on opposite ends of the spectrum from each other for sure.

[piwo]

Just bought a Glock 27 Subcompact after shooting the closest highly regarded rivals in that category. Chose the Glock cause for me it pointed better, felt better, and I shot it better or at least just as well as the others. Folks tend to flame the Glock or claim it's the Holy Grail: doesn't seem to be too many who are indifferent. Read dozens and dozens of threads on the topic and when you add them up, it's usually about 50 / 50. As some of the others said, shoot both. Go to a range that has "rentals" and try them, several times if necessary. It was worth it for me because after I shot most of the rivals, with a good feeling I plopped down my money and now have the pistol that's all but an extension of my being. I only say all that because everyone has an opinion of how something feels "TO THEM", and that's how it should be remembered. Some despise the fact that most can only get two fingers on the grip of the G27: I find it an improvement. Just as all politics is local, all opinions and feelings are personal......:bigsmyl2: ... including mine!


Now, getting to the question at hand...none of the poly type barrels are recommended for Lead, though many do it. I bought a Lone Wolf Replacement barrel for $100 delivered and never looked back.

[dogbert41]

Go to a range where you can try them both out side by side and see which one is best for you. I really like my M&Ps, Springfield XDm 3.8, and sure have a hankering for another Glock. Can't tell anymore what is best. I'm just a spoiled American who has too much of a good thing when it comes to choices.:violin:

[deerslayer]

I own two Glocks a .40 and a .45 and the .40 has functioned flawlessly every time all the time true to glocks "perfection". On the other hand the .45 is so unpredictable I refuse to carry it. It was a used gun but it had several issues such as what glock called bad clips(which they replaced free of charge), slide rail slightly tweaked, and I had to put a heavier firing pin spring in it for it to function properly and fire every time the trigger was pulled. Now that I have it straightened out I want it to function perfectly for at least 3000 rounds before I would even think of carrying it. I do however love the feel and it is as accurate as I am.

For A carry gun I have chose a taurus millenium .45 and I am extremely happy with this gun so far and it made it through my initial 1000 round test flawlessly with the same cast reloads that the glock was choking on.

If you are gonna carry it, the glocks thickness makes it a little more bulky and harder to conceal IMHO and personally I like a gun with more than a trigger safety but that is up to the user.

[Bret4207]

Go get a Smith 19 and be happy.