Smith M&P or Springfield XD?

Yellowhammer

Yellowhammer

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Staff member
I am not really a pistol guy, although I have a few. I have a Ruger P89 in 9mm, a Taurus model 85 SS hammerless 38+p and a Taurus model 689 .357.

Only the model 85 is really a good cc gun. I have been looking and thinking about getting something along the lines of the Springfield XD, or Smith M&P in 9mm. Or, even maybe a Glock.

Give me some input on the upside of each. The Glock seemed a little bit higher priced.
 
You might consider a Sig Pro...They come in 9mm & .40 s&w... If you can find one, they are not priced very high and have a lot of features standard...

Mine came with Night Sights, a set of interchangeable grips to allow for different size hands, They are Double Action on first shot, Single on follow up...

They are equipped with a 'decocking' lever that allows one carried in the chamber and having shot quite a few handguns over the years, they are very accurate and dependable...



In the quality department, Sigs are among the highest...The Sig-Pro is the standard sidearm of many European police/security departments and for some reason they never caught on here in the U.S. like they should have...Therefore the price is generally less than reasonable, considering the quality...

http://www.gunbroker.com/Auction/ViewItem.aspx?Item=339212909
 
Having owned an XD and now 3 different M&P handguns it shouldnt be hard to tell which I prefer. I dont like the grip shape and angle on the XD, M or the S tyles, just dont seem to fit my hands. My M&P 45c is more accurate and better handling than the identical sized model XD I had.

My wife has the M&P 9c and I recently wanted one in 9mm but wanted a full sized model. Well two things happened, one it was too hard to find, no one had it locally. Plus I found this one at Cabelas here locally and it was a sweet deal brand new in the box.

http://www.smith-wesson.com/webapp/wcs/s...playErrorView_Y

Its a Cabelas exclusive and comes with 3 mags (Full size 16 round mags too, which is important to us Colorado guys) A holster, mag pouch and an Uplula mag loader which is the shizzle. Those are like 35 bucks by themselves. I got the whole thing as pictured for 599 +tax. Very happy with the way it shoots too.

I dont know if you have a Cabelas nearby but it might be worth a try.
 
I have owned and/or shot just about all the poly pistols enough to become a die hard Smith & Wesson M/P fan. Can't recommend the M&P highly enough, it is just an outstanding poly pistol. A lot of LE agencies are making a switch and adopting the M&P guns and having great success with them. If this is a concealed carry gun don't overlook the M&P Shield, very thin and easy to pack.

With that said, I would try to go to a range and rent some of the models that interest you and shoot a couple magazines of ammo through them to get a feel for how they handle. Fit of the handgun is very subjective and the one that fits you best and feels most natural is the one to choose as long as the quality is there in the first place. I think the M&P will be an easy fit for you as it is a very ergonomic design. Be it Smith & Wesson, Springfield, Glock, Walther or Sig they are all good high quality guns that should serve well once you have the right “fit” for you.

My personal M&P 9C...



M&P Pro Series 5" 9mm... (note: my gun does not have a grip sleeve on it.)

 
Shoot 'em both then make your decision.

For me it was the M&P. I've got both an M&P45 and an XD45. I prefer the feel of the grip of the M&P and the overall feel of gun during firing. Had an M&P9 in the stable that went to another family member, although I have plans to purchase another one.

One very annoying trait of the XD45 is that on extended range sessions it puts a blister on my trigger finger where it contacts the tip of the trigger. Likely has something to do with the design of the safety lever inside the trigger and the way it rubs during recoil.

Glocks are out for me as they hammer my metacarpal/phalange joint of my thumb (the joint at the base of the thumb) to where it is uncomfortable to downright painful to shoot them. I believe it is Glock's grip angle responsible for this, as I've shot plenty of makes and models and the Glock's are the only ones that induce this.

 
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I give the same recommendation. Go handle, fondle, and, if possible, shoot both. For me, the M&P didn't feel right in my hand, so I got the XD. That being said, I have since handled the XDM, and didn't like it as much as the original.
 
I shoot Glocks in USPSA events and do well them. Oddly enough, I recommend the M&P to new shooters as it's a great feeling, great functioning and great shooting gun. I've shot a M&P pro and fell hard for it. Unfortunately, with the inflated prices I will be sticking with the Glock for now. Plus I'd have to get new holsters and mag pouches.
 
I first owned a XD40 than sold it to a buddy a year later. Now I have a 4.25" M&P40, and a M&P40 Shield, and in the coming weeks, I will pickup a M&P40L CORE for some competitive shooting. I like the "Feel" of the M&P over the XD, and It is plenty accurate so that about sums it up why I will recommend the M&P to anyone.
 
This is my favorite of my numerous M&P's (m&p pro 9). I don't think you can beat them. I personally don't like xd's much, they don't feel right and the one I had was tempermental. If I were getting a CCW gun, I'd get the M&P Shield...........oh wait, I already did
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Get a Smith and don't look back
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Ok so I have been watching this thread so I will throw one more towards the XDM. I have had one for a few years and have shot it alot. It is a very accurate pistol and has never let me down. I have shot and handled many m&p's. I just did not care for them. The 2 different ones that I shot had some small hick-ups at the range(I think they were due to not being cleaned enough). I felt that I was more accurate with the xdm that I was with the m&p. The xdm pointed more natural for me. The trigger reset felt shorter. I have shot everything from fmj factory through it to my reloads and it stills keeps on ticking. I have the 4.5 XDM40 and it is very hard to conceal. Before all the craziness I was looking for a 3.8xdm compact in 40 but I could not find one locally. I usually carry mine in a crossbread holster which is OK in the winter but stinks in the summer due to being bulky. These are just my observations. Hope it helps.
 
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I've owned a couple of Glocks and currently own a Gen 4 G22. Compared to my M&P 45C, it feels like holding a 2X4. I have my Glock all tricked out with an extended slide release, extended slide stop, etc., and still greatly prefer the ergonomics of the M&P.

The only aspect of the M&P that I don't really care for is the little hump of plastic behind the mag catch button that makes it somewhat difficult to activate the mag catch. It forces me to shift my grip, which I wouldn't have to if it weren't there. I'm building up the nerve to remove that little hump.

I just wish there were more aftermarket goodies for the M&P - especially in .45 ACP.
 
My sons XD shoots everything he loads in it including his lead reloads and is accurate at 50yds for him to plug bowling pins.
 
Originally Posted By: YellowhammerSo far the vote is 7-1 in favor of the M&P. I wonder if you can get that M&P package deal with left hand holsters?

No, only right handed. I feel your pain on the left handed holster though. Fortunately for us there's several quality aftermarket holsters out there to choose from. My current favorite for CC is a leather Blackhawk Compact Askins holster. I have two of them, one for the M&P's and another for 1911's. They work well for me as I'm not much of a IWB holster type of guy. There's also the Serpa styles and various others made of kydex on the market but I'm a fan of leather.

http://www.opticsplanet.com/leather-compact-askins-beretta-92-96-left.html
 
Originally Posted By: Terry N.
The only aspect of the M&P that I don't really care for is the little hump of plastic behind the mag catch button that makes it somewhat difficult to activate the mag catch. It forces me to shift my grip, which I wouldn't have to if it weren't there. I'm building up the nerve to remove that little hump.


That mag release is simple to take out and I'm sure with a small file you could remove just enough material to make it more user friendly. You could do just a little at a time and test it out as you go. You just don't want your grip to be dropping mags. If you did a clean job of it you probably couldn't even tell it was done.
 
I have 2 M&P Smith's-- 9 mm & .22, and an airsoft M&P look-a-like. Never had any problems with any of them. Great guns.

Looking for a Pro 40 with a 5" barrel and plan to mount a dot sight on it.

Can't go wrong with the M&P.
 
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