WWhunter

I'm in the market for a new CCW handgun. I have looked at the S&W M&P's and the various Glocks. I will state that I have never really been a Glock lover. But they are starting to look better. I usually carry my Colt Officer's model but it is on the heavy side and a little bulky for carry in the summer. So I am looking for something fairly small (G19-G26 size), 9mm or larger, actually perfer 40sw (G23-G27)or .45acp(G30-G36). In the S&W, I am looking at the Sigma series, M&P Compacts, and the S&W 990 types.

I am willing to look at some of the 9's because I believe bullet technology has gotten better. But my prefernce is definetly on the 40S&W and the .45ACP. I was on the Aif Force SP Marksmanship team when they were testing the 9mm for the military and even the guys doing the testing had very little good to say about any of the 9mm's. Only good side of the 9 is that ammo can be bought relatively cheap for plinking. But I do reload so it isn't that much of a factor.

I may even be interested in the .357sig caliber since its ballistics look very good.

Thanks for any info.
WW

barrabas74

I think it is all preference, have you had an opportunity to shoot the M&P? I own that and a Glock 22 and I prefer the M&P in .40 myself. The switchable hand grips make finding the size that fits you very easy. The M&P I recieved has a pretty crisp trigger pull where as my glocks is a little heavier (not sure the weight). I would say you should test fire them both at a range if possible. I wasnt sure I would like the M&P until I did now I prefer it over the glock, but thats me.

WWhunter

barrabas74,

I haven't been able to find a place locally that has the S&W compacts yet but I have tried to Glocks for fit and it feels okay but just not perfect....if you know what I mean. I used to shoot competition and I know fit and feel has a lot to do with shooting good and the Glock feels okay, but when I snap it up...it just isn't pointing like it should to me. I know this can be changed with grip adjustment. My friends has a wrap around finger groove add-on on his Glock 19 and it made a big difference.

Thanks,
WW

barrabas74

I know what you mean by snap up and that was a big deal to me in buying the M&P. I too have the grips on my glock and it did make a difference but it still does not feel as good in my hands as the smith. My glock comes up a tad to the left when I bring it up and it makes me have to do a quick adjust.

What type of competition and what positions? I too used to shoot. Right now I mostly play around though and work on defensive shooting.

RugerM77.270

The M&P is going to be my next pistol. I have spoke with several people and all prefer the M&P over the Glock. S&W designed it to be a service pistol and with the interchangable grips you will surely have a great grip. I read an article online that compared the M&P, XD, Glock 17 & HK USP. They came in that order with the M&P and XD nearly tied.

WWhunter

I had a similar problem with the Glock...it pointed down and a little to the left.

When I was competeing it was the police style stuff...right, left, over barricade, standing, 25 and 50 yd. Pistol and Rifle were pretty much the same for rifle except for the distances. Things have changed alot since then. I was on the AF TAC SP Marksmanship Team (Tactical Security Police ). I won 1ST place for the TAC competition and then competed in the WorldWide Championships in 1980...Dang, I'm getting old!! LOL

I did look at the XD...didn't really like it...kind of top heavy and blocky.

shepdogwv

I was looking at both types a few months back and decided to go with the glock. The main thing I liked was the fact that the Glock 23 was kinda a midsize pistol. I have fairly small hands and both company's full size models were fairly big for me and definitley more than I wanted to carry. The compacts (subcompact in the Glock) would both have been nice guns to carry, but I couldn't fit my whole hand on either grip so I decided to go with the 23. Of course I am in school now and can't carry everyday so I wanted something that was more comfortable to shoot.

stalkingbear

Just to throw my .02 in,check out the para ordnance Lda series. They are available in aluminum alloy frame,real lifetime warranty that's not even needed,and have the smoothest,lightest dao trigger on this planet!
If you want something even smaller,the rohrbaugh 9mm is 12.8 oz,and size of a big seecamp (actually smaller than most .380s),and make excellent "Jesus" guns. By that I mean that if it comes down to point that I have to draw this gun-SOMEBODY'S gunna meet Jesus quickly! lol

Power

I have a Sigma in 40 cal. I really like it for a $300 new pistol I bought a number of years ago but probably wouldnt' recommond it again unless you really were on a budget. Very similar to the glocks but the trigger is crappy and heavy. It's only saving grace is that it is supprisingly accurate (I can hit bowling pins at 100 yards on occasion). But it jams fairly often and is ok at best.

I like the glocks and would consider one myself. But you guys have made me think about the M&P and the XD, which I see adds for all the time. I guess it depends on how it comes up naturally as well as grip options. I also like the Crimson Trace options for some so that would be a deciding factor if I was shopping as well, and I saw a very cool light with a laser in the middle on a friends pistol the other day, that was very cool. Might check that out too, perfect for night time protection I believe.

xd9x19

Just an FYI. You might do some research on the M&P. While stuff on the internet does not always reflect the real world, I've read about the M&P's having problems with dropped mags while shooting. I don't have either a Glock or an M&P; however, I do have a Springfield XD9 and have run across discussions on the issue at XDtalk.com. I don't know much about the issue and it may affect only a very small number of guns, but thought I'd bring it up so you can check it out. The guys over at XDtalk are usually not "anti-everything-but-an-XD" when it comes to discussing such issues.