GLOCK 19 vs. the new S&W M&P 9mm

[Fsorrent]

What is a gun forum without a versus forum? I am looking into getting one of these two fine handguns very soon. The most likely situation will be that I am getting both eventually, but was just curious to here the advantages and disadvantages of each firearm from user's who have had experience with both.

 

[drgrant]

Some might argue it's not even really a fair comparison- a G19 is
more of a "mid size" gun and an M+P full is more comparable to a
G17.

Ignoring that for the moment, I think an M+P with the normal
trigger (read, not the POS MA one!) is more shootable than your
average glock; although for those that game the reset, they may
have some issues unless they have some mods done to improve the
reset. (The M+P doesn't seem to have a well-defined reset)

Ergonomically speaking, it's no contest... M+P wins hands down
due to better point-ability and interchangeable backstrap inserts.

Course in MA capacity wise a G19/G17 wins hands down- you can
still get preban mags for the Glocks, with the M+P you're stuck
with 10 round cripple mags... which is an atrocity for something
that nominally carries like (17?!?) rounds of ammo in any free
state.

The M+P fulls are good range toys/game guns for MA residents but
I'd never carry one (except for the 45- because it's not crippled)
because I don't like carrying guns with mags that are neutered to
that degree. If I lived in "free america" it would be a different
story... then there would be some parity.

-Mike

 

[vellnueve]

I can speak from personal experience between the G22 and the M&P40. The M&P with the trigger worked on easily beats the Glock in all phases.

And I must disagree with drgrant on the never carry one with a 10 round mag issue. I would do so in a heartbeat if my LTC allowed and it wasn't absurdly hot outside.

 

[ReplicaX]

A Vs thread let alone a Vs forum is a pointless waste of time and only brings manufacturer fanboys posting pages of crap about how great that gun is.

my 2 cents

 

[TY43215]

I have owned both a M&P 9MM and a G17. The Glock 17 was the only Glock I have been able to shoot well but was a generation 3. Something different about the grip and the way it fit me. I liked the Glock but it was really not for me.

Along comes the M&P. I have one in 40 and had one in 9MM. I believe The Goose has it now . The M&P seems to fit my hand better than any Glock I have had. The M&P had a decent trigger but since I had the Glock worked on, I also had the M&P worked on.

Of the 2, the M&P was more to my liking and seemed like a better fit for me. Both were accurate, both had decent controls, both had a good finish, both functioned flawlessly.

 

[TonyDedo]

The question remains, are you asking from Free America, or from within the People's Republic?

Assuming that we're not discussing a MA gun, here are my thoughts:

The M&P has a terrible trigger, even without the 10lb MA requirement. Of course, there are some 'smiths out there who have a great reputation for solving this problem, but any gun loses points if you have to add $150 of gunsmithing & shipping to the price tag.
+1 GLOCK

The M&P has amazing ergonomics, especially relative to the GLOCK.
+1 M&P

The GLOCK has a proven reputation for reliability, whereas the M&P is still unproven. That's not to say the M&P is unreliable (I've yet to hear a report of issues), but GLOCK has 20+ years, while the M&P has been out 1 (?) year.
+1 GLOCK

WARRANTY
You can't beat S&W's lifetime warranty (actually, isn't it two lifetimes now?).
+1 M&P

Bottom line: Both are reliable tools which perform well. Some people have an emotional attachment to GLOCKs. Some people love the ergonomics of the M&P. So go shoot both of them and ask yourself, which model are you more comfortable carrying/holding/shooting?

Interesting MA notes:

If you get the M&P, you'r probably going to want to send it to a 'smith, regardless of whether it's the MA model or not.

You cannot buy new GLOCKs in MA, so you'll be getting something with an unknown history. How many rounds, modifications, refurbished, etc will be unknown. Also, you'll pay a MA premium for a GLOCK.

M&P mags will be NEW (and for a limited time you get four mags with a M&P purchase), but limited to 10 rounds. Preban high-cap GLOCK mags are available, but there's a lot of grey area as to whether or not they're actually preban, and along with the gun, they're used.

 

[Cross-X]

I started out with a Glock 17 and fell in love with it, then, years later, I shot the M&P at the S&W IDPA Winter Nationals, and I knew I had to get one.

Now, when I shoot SSP in IDPA, I do it with my full-sized 9mm M&P, and have never looked back.

Try both and get the one that works best for you.

 

[Fsorrent]

Knowing me, I'll probably get neither (immediately) and go with a Sig P229 chambered in 9mm, unless someone has testamony regarding that decision being a bad one.

ps. The DA/ SA control is not a problem. At least not that I've experienced.

 

[drgrant]

Knowing me, I'll probably get neither (immediately) and go with a Sig P229 chambered in 9mm, unless someone has testamony regarding that decision being a bad one.

ps. The DA/ SA control is not a problem. At least not that I've experienced.

The P229 is an excellent handgun, but IMO it's not as carryable
as a G19 or M+P is going to be; mainly due to it being in the "over
30 ounces" category. If you do decide to carry it, you
-must- have a good belt and holster for it... the heavier the gun
gets, it seems like holster/belt selection becomes more critical.

-Mike

 

[Fsorrent]

Is the p229 still as excellent chambered for 9mm (although it is designed for .40, i would rather 9mm because of ammo prices). If i purchased the p229, i would definately make sure that I had the belt nad holster to support it.

 

[drgrant]

Is the p229 still as excellent chambered for 9mm (although it is designed for .40, i would rather 9mm because of ammo prices). If i purchased the p229, i would definately make sure that I had the belt nad holster to support it.

Yes, all the P229/9 is, is a P228 with a heavier slide, more or
less. It works just as well as it's larger counterparts. Additionally,
you can use preban P228 mags in it to get your
capacity up to 13 rounds.

In 9mm I prefer the P228, because it is a hair lighter and balances
better, but for all practical purposes there isnt that much of a
difference between the P228 and the P229/9mm. (Well, if you
buy a new P229/9, it comes with a light rail on it... but thats
the only real difference. )

-Mike

 

[Chris]

The M&P trigger responds fantastic to a good gunsmith job. Mine breaks just a hair over the 4# mark and has a fairly positive reset. I can't compare it to a Glock because every Glock but the model 36 doesn't fit my hand, so in my book they just are a horrible choice for me.

Oh, and if you look at the compacts, the magazine capacity isn't as much an issue (actually none if you look at the 40c as it's a 10 rounder in every state). Depending on how it fits your hand, the compacts are pretty good shooters too. The M&P 40c has a lot less felt recoil than a Sig 239 in the same caliber and is actually slightly smaller to boot.

I highly suggest you try the guns by either renting or borrowing them at your local range (or come to a NES shoot) and see what you prefer. When it comes to carry, everything I've seen says that they all carry roughly the same.

Your all metal guns are going to be heavier. That can be noticeable after 8-10 hours. Swapping out an all stainless J frame to an airweight of the exact same size was an amazing difference over time. The same applies when you look at steel vs. plastic.

 

[Jay G]

{nitpick mode=on}

Glock (and the old S&W SW99 series, I don't know about the new M&Ps) compacts and subcompacts have the ability to accept magazines for the full-framed guns. This means that you can carry a subcompact well-concealed and a full-sized, full-capacity magazine for back-up. While the compact mag may only have 10 rounds, the full-size mag may have as many as 19... 10+1+19+19 (if one carries two spare magazines) is a pretty hefty increase over 10+1+10+10...

{nitpick mode=off}

The M&P trigger responds fantastic to a good gunsmith job. Mine breaks just a hair over the 4# mark and has a fairly positive reset. I can't compare it to a Glock because every Glock but the model 36 doesn't fit my hand, so in my book they just are a horrible choice for me.

Oh, and if you look at the compacts, the magazine capacity isn't as much an issue (actually none if you look at the 40c as it's a 10 rounder in every state). Depending on how it fits your hand, the compacts are pretty good shooters too. The M&P 40c has a lot less felt recoil than a Sig 239 in the same caliber and is actually slightly smaller to boot.

I highly suggest you try the guns by either renting or borrowing them at your local range (or come to a NES shoot) and see what you prefer. When it comes to carry, everything I've seen says that they all carry roughly the same.

Your all metal guns are going to be heavier. That can be noticeable after 8-10 hours. Swapping out an all stainless J frame to an airweight of the exact same size was an amazing difference over time. The same applies when you look at steel vs. plastic.

 

[Chris]

I've seen an adapter you can put on the full size M&P mags so they fit into the Compacts properly.

 

[Jay G]

Fascinating. Then it appears that S&W has taken a step backwards - I have both a full-sized SW99 and a SW99C, and the full-sized mags fit in the compact without adapters...

Not to mention that Glocks have done this for years...

(Note: I am not disputing you, Chris. Just shaking my head at S&W...)

I've seen an adapter you can put on the full size M&P mags so they fit into the Compacts properly.

 

[vellnueve]

The mag will fit. The adapter makes it into a full grip rather than the compact grip and then the longer mag hanging out.

 

[pdm]

Fascinating. Then it appears that S&W has taken a step backwards - I have both a full-sized SW99 and a SW99C, and the full-sized mags fit in the compact without adapters...

Not to mention that Glocks have done this for years...

(Note: I am not disputing you, Chris. Just shaking my head at S&W...)

It should be noted that the SW99/SW99c is really a Walther design that Smith sells in the USA.