M&P9 vs Glock 19 vs XDm 9

[MilitaryArms]

For what's it's worth, James Yeager over at Tactical Response was asked about several pistols by someone considering a purchase for CCW and for taking one of his pistol classes. Here's his response (edited to remove 4 letter word).

Posted September 19, 2011 22:10
XD/M - The 9s "work" kinda all other calibers suck.
Px4 - Sh*tty design. Runs though.
SR9 - Not enough data
P250 - They work.
M&P - M&Ps are the only gun on the list I would carry willingly.
Hi Point - Better than XD

The pistols he's commenting on were singled out by the OP of the thread and is why the list isn't all inclusive. The inclusion of the Hi-Point was commented as "just kidding" by the OP, however Yeager commented on the pistol anyway.

From my own personal experience, I had nothing but trouble from a XD40 that I ultimately returned to the shop. I've owned two 9mm XD's and one .45 ACP XD. The 9mm's ran fine with only a few failures with WWB. The .45 ACP was particular what ammo it was fed. If it didn't like the ammo, it would fail. With 230gr ball it ran perfectly, but that's not an ideal defensive cartridge. I traded it off and have since decided the XD line of pistols aren't for me.

I've found the Glock to be boringly reliable and the M&P to be reliable. I don't have nearly as much trigger time with the M&P, but so far the pistol has impressed me quite a bit. If the M&P continues to impress me, I will retire the EXO G19 as my daily carry and replace it with the M&P. Why? The M&P is one of the most ergonomic pistols I've owned. It has ambi-controls and holds the same number of rounds as a G17.

 

[SMHurt]

Just pick a reliable gun you can fall deeply in love with to the point you want to spend your free time learning how to shoot accurately and smooth. Speed will come.

 

[MilitaryArms]

As a qualifier, there are two types of reliable in my narrow view of the word.

1) Square range reliable
2) Combat reliable

The Beretta 92 is a beautiful range weapon. I love my M92's. Elegant, purposeful, fun to shoot and great for suppressors. Get them wet, silty, muddy, sandy, and they stop working. It's a great square range pistol, it's not such a good military pistol.

The Glock is an acquired taste in terms of ergonomics. It's not elegant. It's purposeful and absolutely reliable. You can get it wet, muddy, silty, sandy and it will work as good or better than other designs. It's a combat worthy pistol.

By combat I mean it's reliable enough that you don't have to worry about it failing you under most conditions, even less than desirable conditions.

By square range reliable I mean for a Saturday afternoon at the range in a controlled environment where the weapon won't get wet, muddy, silty, sandy or covered in blood it will run flawlessly. Again, my M92's never have a bobble on the range. If I dip them in Kankakee River muck, they stop working pretty quickly.

 

[HICKMAN]

Reliablity trumps all in my book. I've shot Glocks, M&Ps, high and low end 1911's... they all shoot where you put the sights. I tested out my cousins Ruger SR9c recently and it was a pretty good shooting carry gun. I still carry a Glock because I know it inside and out and have shot nothing but Glocks for years.

If Smith & Wesson shipped the M&P with all the Apex parts installed, I'd probably own one of them by now. I don't mind adding parts to a competition gun, but don't really get in to upgrading parts in a carry gun.

For a guy looking for his very first carry gun, I'd suggest a Glock 19, M&P9 or Ruger SR9c.

Shoot them all and buy what you will carry, that's the bottom line. A gun left at home is useless.

 

[pocketpistolpete]

Handle all 3 and make a pick. They will all shoot very similarly. Ergonomics are a big + for any gun purchase!

 

[Deet]

The S&W M&P has 3 different sized backstraps, slide stop on both sides, and magazine release that can be switched for left hand use. It is as close to a left handed semi-auto of the three. I really like the M&P, it is a well built, sturdy and reliable. The other two (xd & glock) were ok, but the M&P felt right in my hands.

Here is mine in .45 ACP.

 

[Jdalton765]

I gotta second the M&P, the moment i picked one up i loved the grip of it, my glock never felt the same, and the capability of it able to be a left handed pistol too is a plus.

 

[gearhead101]

Thanks everyone. I'm taking a NRA Basic Pistol course next month and hopefully they'll have at least two of the models. Unless I find a great deal on here I'm not purchasing anything until I do go through a course.

From what everyone's saying on here along with a strong recommendation from a coworker the M&P will be the first one I check out.

I'll let you all know what I get when I do make my purchase

 

[U.S. Patriot]

As a qualifier, there are two types of reliable in my narrow view of the word.

1) Square range reliable
2) Combat reliable

The Beretta 92 is a beautiful range weapon. I love my M92's. Elegant, purposeful, fun to shoot and great for suppressors. Get them wet, silty, muddy, sandy, and they stop working. It's a great square range pistol, it's not such a good military pistol.

I have to disagree with the following statement. We carried them in the Coast Guard. I can remember times coming back with a soaking wet pistol. I never once saw one fail.

 

[indymeh]

I love my XD 9mm sub compact although it is not a "M" model but I have recently spent some time with a Glock G19 and think I will be picking one up soon. They both have there pro' and con's. Both work well on the range and make good CC weapons in my op.

 

[IndyGunner]

It all boils down to your personal preference. Shoot all three and decide which you like best.

+1

 

[ftwphilly]

A 4.5 XDm 9mm prints a tad more than its Glock 17 counterpart. I imagine its the 2 round difference in magazines for grip length. Both feed and function reliably. I'd imagine it would come down to personal preferance and which trigger you like better. The M&P? I have no idea. I have heard their triggers are less desirable of all three. Having never handled one personally I could be mistaken.

 

[Boost Lee]

The very same 3 weapons were on my choice list for my EDC firearm...

After handling and shooting all of them - I chose the M&P9.

I couldn't be happier with it.
Honestly, as everyone else has stated, suit what fits your best.
At the end of the day, if it's not comfortable in your hand and YOU are not comfortable with it, How can you trust it with your life?

If I had to make the decision again, I'd buy another M&P.
I've honestly never been happier with an EDC weapon... and it's a great weapon to shoot at the range.

Good luck with your decision,

 

[Txlur]

G19. Buy a Gen2 or early Gen3 used for less than $400, change out any necessary springs and learn a bit about your firearm in the process, look for used holster/accessory gear in GREAT shape (and it is plentiful for the G19), and buy it cheap. Mags are inexpensive and plentiful, parts and accessories are easy to get, the guns run like dogs on fire.. what's not to like? No ambi controls is one thing.

IMHO, G19 also has a better trigger than the M&P that I handled briefly at the static range, which would be my second choice.

Sell it for more than what you paid if you don't like it.

 

[Boost Lee]

G19. Buy a Gen2 or early Gen3 used for less than $400, change out any necessary springs and learn a bit about your firearm in the process, look for used holster/accessory gear in GREAT shape (and it is plentiful for the G19), and buy it cheap. Mags are inexpensive and plentiful, parts and accessories are easy to get, the guns run like dogs on fire.. what's not to like? No ambi controls is one thing.

IMHO, G19 also has a better trigger than the M&P that I handled briefly at the static range, which would be my second choice.

Sell it for more than what you paid if you don't like it.

I'll second a good majority of Txlur's post.
I'd hope I never see a dog on fire, but if I did... I'm sure they'd run like a Glock would.

And regarding the trigger on the M&P... The physical trigger coming out of the frame is generally the only CON to their design.
Although they can be easily upgraded to most standards, the actual firing mechanism used in M&P series firearms are top notch.
Apex just makes it a little more enjoyable.

 

[gearhead101]

Went to a local store today and handled a G19, M&P9 and the XD9. I can say the Block is out of the running. Just not quite enough room on the grip for my liking and the middle finger was butted against the trigger guard a bit too much.

So its down to the M&P and XD. I'm taking a class mid January so i will likely not purchase anything until after then unless a good deal comes up here.

A friend of mine suggested going the M&P Pro or XDm instead of the standards. Anybjody know the main differences between the regular and Pro or m models?

 

[windellmc]

m&p pro either comes with a 4.25" barrel and night sights or a 5" barrel and fiber optic front and blacked out rear sights. They also both come with a pro series trigger. I have heard those are a little better than stock but have never felt one.

I have an m&p 9mm FS and finally shot a G17 today. I did not care for the Glock. I did not feel like the trigger was any better and probably worse than the m&p. Accuracy was quite a bit worse for me with the Glock. The grip did not bother me too much though.

 

[dondavis3]

Shoot all three and decide which you like best.

I personally like the S&W M&P Pro

I do not care for the grip angle of my Glocks - so they get shot very little.

I like my XDm a lot, but the M&P gets the most range time by far.

 

[Fire824]

I really like the M&p platform

 

[Boost Lee]

Funny, had a good friend (Glock lover) and a retired Marine shoot my M&P9 last week... (We all went to the range).

Complete coincidence that they're first comments were, "Maaan that trigger pull is smooth as butter!" and "That makes mine feel so clunky"...?

I think not. ;-)