Considering the S&W M&P .45 ACP

[TXGrunt]

Hey guys, I am the new guy. I'm a machine-gunner in the Marines and I hate the fact that I can't carry those in my future career as a L.E.O. I am however looking for my first personal gun. I have never bought my own pistol, always hunting rifles and shotguns, but now that I am getting ready for L.E. I want to buy a gun and get used to it and learn everything about it. I am leaning towards the M&P .45 ACP from S&W and was wondering if any of yall have carried em, or used em for off duty. If you dont recommend this gun, please recommend another. I want a .45 because like most of you I like the bigger round. Im still in the Corps and havent started applying anywhere yet, and my first application will go to Highway Patrol, but I will apply to many departments and want to know if this gun is allowed by most departments. Any advice or info will be much appreciated. Thanks

[DD78]

I've never dealt with the .45 M&P full size. However, I do carry the M&P Compact .40 off duty. I love it. Shoots well, especially for a short barrel gun. I routinely shoot a perfect score with it on the qualification range.

But I'll always love my Sig duty weapon more.

One problem with the M&P series is the tear down. I don't know if this applies with the full size but it does to my compact. Any gun store could tell you. In order to take the slide off I have to put the slide into lockback, remove a pin from the handgrip, and use it to pull out a pin near the firing pin. It only takes a second, but it seems rather unnecessary.

That being said, I've owned my for almost two years and have put several hundred rounds (probably over 1000) through it. Not one failure.

[cherokeegunsmith]

Greetings TXGrunt, the problem with choosing a handgun, is that what YOU like, may NOT be what you're going to carry. Many Depts. mandate what you have to carry (and you have to buy that) or they issue you what you're going to carry. You've indicated your're looking at Texas DPS (Highway Patrol): to the best of my knowledge they're issuing SIG P226 pistols in .357 SIG. They used to issue a choice of SIG P226, 9mm, or SIG P220, .45. On the other hand, a LOT of agencies go with the GLOCK, either mandated, or authorized. I believe the last stat I saw said something like 65% of US law enf are carrying GLOCK's. The best thing would be to get what you're going to carry, and start getting real familiar with that weapon (build muscle memory, etc), but unless you have a real good crystal ball to see into the future, you don't know what you'll be totin'. As to the S&W M&P .45, I don't have any personal experiance with those pistols, but I've heard some good things about them, and at least you're talking the right caliber, at least IMHO. Just my $0.02 worth.

[DD78]

If you're highway patrol and have a choice of .45 or .357 Sig, take the .357 Sig.

It is a smaller round, but it is faster and penetrates car doors, seats, and other obstructions better. A bigger bullet is no good if it gets stuck before hitting the intended target.

Many Highway Patrols use .357 Sig for that very reason.

[Feet]

If you're highway patrol and have a choice of .45 or .357 Sig, take the .357 Sig.

It is a smaller round, but it is faster and penetrates car doors, seats, and other obstructions better. A bigger bullet is no good if it gets stuck before hitting the intended target.

Many Highway Patrols use .357 Sig for that very reason.


+1 on better car penetration by the .357 Sig. An interesting feature is that you can get a .40 S&W weapon and but an extra barrel in .357 and you will have a dual caliber gun. Glock allows this and I believe Sigs and XD's do the same. Example; I have a Glock 22 in .40, I but a .357 Sig drop-in barrel for Glock and I can now shoot .357 Sig in that gun. When I want to switch back to .40 I just swap barrels out.

I have not used the M&P series, I am more of a Glock and XD fan.
I own several Glocks and XD's and I trust my life to them and have for years.
My current carry, Springfield XD 45 Tactical.
Backup, XD 45 Compact (shorter 10 round grip).

http://www.gunweek.com/2002/feature0210.html