When the gun bug bites...

Shot a few handguns at the local range and just spent about 2 hours in the gun store. I want to make my first gun purchase and have a few questions for the gun gurus here. This gun is primarily for HD and range practice.

1) I don't know why, but none of the Glocks I held and shot were comfortable.

Shot a G17 Gen 4 and a G23(?) Gen 3. Didn't like how they held in my hand at all. I do love the reliability as far as the research I have done - can they be made more comfortable?

2) I absolutely LOVE the S&W M&P 40 that I shot. Very comfortable, fits my hand like a glove. Felt a tad lighter than the Glock, but for some reason had a bit more kick to it.

Is there a reason for that?

3) I also shot a friends PX4(?) Beretta and it felt great in my hand though not as great as the M&P. But for some reason, I love the trigger on it. Not soft like the M&P, but not too hard to pull.

Anyone have experience with it? The guy at the store seems to have a vendetta against Beretta.

Other than that, I was hoping to get some opinions and experiences.

Please keep in mind, complete noob to anything gun related until ~2 weeks ago when a friend educated me.


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Nothing wrong with M&P. Check out the 9mm versions. You may like them even more.

Get what feels comfortable in your hand. You need to know what your going to use it for ex ccw, home defense, range toy, etc

Lots of choices...can also buy online and ship to a ffl. Usually costs less but takes longer.

Have fun and be safe. Fun hobby but can get expensive and addicting like modding.

There's nothing wrong with not liking the feel of a Glock. Each person is different. When you have other options on the market with better feeling ergos to you, then certainly look into the other options.

The M&P is quickly becoming THE gun. It is proving to be just as reliable and durable as the Glock, though it's not as simple in the construction, but that's inconsequential. If you liked the M&P, I would recommend getting one. I would recommend the M&P9 as opposed to the 40. The .40S&W is much more expensive to shoot, has a higher and more abrupt recoil, and the overall weight is heavier. 9mm is a much better cartridge for the beginner since it's easy to find, relatively inexpensive, and lower recoil. A lot of advanced shooters use the 9mm also, so don't think it's just a beginner round.

Beretta is a good company, but their pistols are a lot different than the striker-fired hammerless guns like the Glock and M&P. The PX4 is sort of the "M9 of the future". You either love it or hate it. I used a Beretta M9 for years in the Army, and I hated it with a passion. I will never own or buy a Beretta pistol as a result, because I just don't like their pistols. Still, Beretta is a quality company and their guns are decent quality. If you buy one, you won't get junk.

Everything is personal preference. I would suggest shooting an M&P9 and seeing how you like it. I think the M&P might be the best option for you, given what you've shared.

Thanks Reedo. You always seems to have very in-depth answers. Let me ask you, what did you not like about the Beretta?

Also, I thought that .40 had more "stopping power" than 9mm. Is that not the case? As mentioned, this is primarily an HD gun. Though Reedo mentioned 9mm is cheaper to shoot.

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Originally Posted by got_e46

Thanks Reedo. You always seems to have very in-depth answers. Let me ask you, what did you not like about the Beretta?

Also, I thought that .40 had more "stopping power" than 9mm. Is that not the case? As mentioned, this is primarily an HD gun. Though Reedo mentioned 9mm is cheaper to shoot.

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"Stopping power" is a myth.. If you get a good HD 9mm round it will be fine. Shot placement is most important.

I, like Reedo, shot an M9 for years in the military. I, however, liked it. I've shot Glocks and had the same impression you did, I just didn't care for how they felt. Good guns, just not for me. I also have shot XD's and XDM's, again they are solid guns, just not my preference, same with the M&P's I've shot. I have a PX4 9mm full size and a PX4 sub-compact and I like them both, though I honestly prefer the full size. Though lately I've had a 1911 bug bite me and I've been carrying my Kimber instead (though after I pick up my Colt officers series 80 tomorrow I may change which gun I normally carry ). I reserve the Bersa thunder to car carry or when I am dressing very lightly.

Get what shoots most comfortably for you with accuracy. That's the gun you will be most effective with and most likely to practice with. As for ammo, as mentioned, I have .380/9mm/45ACP carry guns and I'm confident in all of their abilities because I only carry with quality defensive rounds. Sure, it costs a bit more, but well worth it to ensure they will be ready and able to do their job if I ever need them to.

Thanks for the amazing answers guys. I just got out of the range again. Shot a M&P9, full box of ammo to see how I would do. I was told I had excellent groupings in the 9 and red rings. That M&P is just super comfortable. I think I was set on it right after I shot it

The gun store down here will be running some S&W specials at the end of this month, so I will be exercising some patience until then.
Now - is there anything else that I should know? Again, noob here so I have to start asking somewhere.

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just realized you were in MD PM Sent.

For things you should know, just get used to shooting it. Don't worry about putting on extra parts until you are more comfortable behind the gun. Eventually though, you may want to look into an Apex trigger kit. I have heard a lot of positive things about this pistol. The M&P9 that I have on the way will get the Apex treatment.

I think that's pretty fair advice. I'm just getting into this, so I'm not too worried about sights and whatnot right now. I'm sure the gun mod bug will bite later, but for now I just want to be safe and proficient with it. I did do some research on the Apex kit though and it seems it makes the trigger VERY light. I don't have experience with it, but I would want to shoot a box with that trigger to see if I it's something I like or not.

The Apex DCAEK is not as light. It's a Duty/Carry kit. Again, just for the future, because the mod bug WILL strike.

if you want an ultra slim 9mm pistol go for the Ruger sr9. very comfortable in the hand. I've had it for 2 years now. Very nice trigger. seems almost as reliable as my glock 17...never jams.

FYI i just bought a M&P 40c and have been informed that you can buy a 9mm M&P barrel for ~$60 and drop it in. I plan to do this so that I can shoot 9mm at the range and have a .40 for CC. If I'm not mistaken you can still use your .40 mags for the 9mm ammo. I don't know nearly as much about guns as others on here but for the price of 60 more than just the gun itself you can essentially have two in one, a 9mm and .40c. Just my .02

Originally Posted by jlaroc1990

FYI i just bought a M&P 40c and have been informed that you can buy a 9mm M&P barrel for ~$60 and drop it in. I plan to do this so that I can shoot 9mm at the range and have a .40 for CC. If I'm not mistaken you can still use your .40 mags for the 9mm ammo. I don't know nearly as much about guns as others on here but for the price of 60 more than just the gun itself you can essentially have two in one, a 9mm and .40c. Just my .02

I thought that the M&P 40 mags could only carry the .380 round, because of the shell casing (Because the 9mm is not a 10mm round casing).

Correct me if I'm wrong.

As well, I'm pretty sure you're going to have to change out the recoil spring when you swap the barrel, because the 9mm isn't as high of a pressure round like the 40 is.

Final note. Why would you shoot 9mm when you're going to carry a .40 round? If it ever comes time for you to use your .40 you're going to have a very nice surprise if you need to go for a follow shot. The price between 9mm and 40 isn't much...only a couple bucks a box. Is that really worth it?

.380ACP is a 9x17mm, while 9mm Para/Luger is 9x19mm. If the .380 works in that mag, the 9mm will too. Neither are based on the same casing as the .40S&W, which is a shortened 10mm casing.
You likely can shoot 9mm out of the .40, but don't be surprised if you have extraction issues. The M&P9 and M&P40 have different extractors.

Check out this link:
http://smith-wessonforum.com/smith-w...mm-barrel.html

Originally Posted by Reedo302

.380ACP is a 9x17mm, while 9mm Para/Luger is 9x19mm. If the .380 works in that mag, the 9mm will too. Neither are based on the same casing as the .40S&W, which is a shortened 10mm casing.
You likely can shoot 9mm out of the .40, but don't be surprised if you have extraction issues. The M&P9 and M&P40 have different extractors.

Check out this link:
http://smith-wessonforum.com/smith-w...mm-barrel.html

This exactly. People have informed me that It will likely jam once in a while, but that's a problem I will fix by just ponying up 25 for a 9mm mag. The reason to do this would be to 1. Have a more diverse gun that in a SHTF scenario, you would be able to use two type of ammo. The 9mm is extremely common and therefore cheap so it would likely be easier to come by. 2. Range days would become cheaper. I understand that you need to shoot what you will carry but for the days were you just want to pop off rounds, it would cost nearly half as much. Like I said before just use this as food for thought.

Also to answer you final question locutus, I believe that paying 60-90 dollars to have both a .40c and 9mm is definitely worth it. Most gun people own multiple calibers and often pay the full price to have both a separate .40c and a 9mm. that means they are spending ~$1000.00 for the same thing that you can essentially get for ~$100 more than what you payed for the M&P .40c.

Off the subject a bit, the 9mm barrels for the M&P are on backorder for around a month from everywhere i have looked.

Originally Posted by jlaroc1990

This exactly. People have informed me that It will likely jam once in a while, but that's a problem I will fix by just ponying up 25 for a 9mm mag. The reason to do this would be to 1. Have a more diverse gun that in a SHTF scenario, you would be able to use two type of ammo. The 9mm is extremely common and therefore cheap so it would likely be easier to come by. 2. Range days would become cheaper. I understand that you need to shoot what you will carry but for the days were you just want to pop off rounds, it would cost nearly half as much. Like I said before just use this as food for thought.

Also to answer you final question locutus, I believe that paying 60-90 dollars to have both a .40c and 9mm is definitely worth it. Most gun people own multiple calibers and often pay the full price to have both a separate .40c and a 9mm. that means they are spending ~$1000.00 for the same thing that you can essentially get for ~$100 more than what you payed for the M&P .40c.

Off the subject a bit, the 9mm barrels for the M&P are on backorder for around a month from everywhere i have looked.

True, I take that as a valid point. I guess I get lucky where my dad carries a M&P9c and I have a M&P40c, we just swap and shoot.

Benelli M4

Just shot a Full Size M&P 9mm tonight, it was pretty comfortable and shot fairly consistent.

Not sure if it was the rental gun or me (probably me) or both but everything was shooting low at 5-7 yard.