M&P45 Vs. Glock 21SF, Which to buy?

[Denali]

I personally am a Smith & Wesson fan. I carry an M&P40 and the wife carries a M&P9c. For the last 6 years I have been in law enforcement and my agency carries the Glock 22, with mine being a Gen 2. You may say that this is an old gun and I shouldn't be carrying it on patrol but it works just as well as when it was new, with the exception of being able to utilize a gun mounted light. I understand that there are old school guys who say "who needs a light", but in my experiences I feel more comfortable utilizing one when needed and it can be hard in some situations and impossible while carrying a shield. I could trade in my service weapon for a newer model but it has sentimental value with me being the first firearm I was issued when I got into law enforcement.
I have now moved to a unit where I am able to carry an additional handgun if I prefer. In this new position, I now find myslf in those situations where a gun mounted light could be utilized with more frequency. I would like to move up to a .45, due to previous experiences shooting a G21SF. I shot well with the 21 and really enjoyed the reduced recoil from the G22. The G21SF also fit my hand well. On the other hand I am partial to the M&P series of pistols from owning them in my personal life. I enjoy the grip, and overall feel of the M&P series and trust in the handguns with my M&P40 having around 5,000+ rounds through it.
I plan on going to a local gun range sometime in the future to get some shooting time on the M&P45 but with an extremely hectic schedule i am not sure when that will be possible. So in the meantime I am looking for input from you ladies and gentleman who have shot both.
Thanks for any replies.

If you're happy with the M&P why not then error on the side of caution and stick with what you know, aside from that I have rather extensive experience with the G21, both the standard and the SF frames, but not the Gen4 frames. The Glock is a more proven design, it holds more ammo, and has a much better trigger out of the box, it also has an enormous amount of aftermarket support, with the M&P starting to narrow the gap somewhat. Then again I've never had an M&P blow up in my hands, which I definitely had happen with the last 21SF I owned. Such an experience tends to sour one's disposition, even if it may not have been entirely the Glock's fault. I have never heard of a KaBoomed M&P 45 auto...

[masakari]

Both are great guns, but the ergonomics of the M&P are far better than the G21. It is also made in America.

[Sensei]

I have 3 M&P45's and very much enjoy the platform. However, I am among the significant few who continue to experience the dreaded "sticky follower" phenomenon with my full size 10-round magazines. This is a big issue for me, and I refuse to trust my life to a gun that has this type of malfunction. S&W needs to take a close look at this problem, fix it, and make the M&P45 one of the most accurate and comfortable polymer 45's on the market.

[021411]

First of all hand size is a non-issue for me. I have smallish hands and wear S sized gloves and have no issues with the Gen4 G21 (no backstrap). It's the same as the G21SF. I carry the G21 for duty and did quite well with it during qualifications. I'm also running an Inforce APL on it. No issues as well toggling the light on and off even with the grip size.
Ok so what about the controls? No issues either releasing the mag or working the slide stop.
I don't have any experience with the M&P45 but I did finger bang one. Grip size was nice.

[KentuckyWindage]

I have 3 M&P45's and very much enjoy the platform. However, I am among the significant few who continue to experience the dreaded "sticky follower" phenomenon with my full size 10-round magazines. This is a big issue for me, and I refuse to trust my life to a gun that has this type of malfunction. S&W needs to take a close look at this problem, fix it, and make the M&P45 one of the most accurate and comfortable polymer 45's on the market.

I agree with you and have had the failing mag springs in my 10 round and 14 round mags. Wolfff springs have came out with magizine springs for the m&p 45 mags and I feel they fix the problem of the "sticking follower" phenomenon.
Link
http://www.gunsprings.com/Semi-Auto%...1/mID58/dID419

[Sensei]

I agree with you and have had the failing mag springs in my 10 round and 14 round mags. Wolfff springs have came out with magizine springs for the m&p 45 mags and I feel they fix the problem of the "sticking follower" phenomenon.
Link
http://www.gunsprings.com/Semi-Auto%...1/mID58/dID419

Thank you. A link on PF.com suggests that S&W has a new spring (painted black on one end) and follower that MAY fix the problem. Thus, it sounds like the spring is only part of the problem.

A quick test of your magazines for this problem is to load them to capacity, wait 2 weeks, and unload them to see if the follower sticks halfway through the mag.

[teutonicpolymer]

Basically all of the .45 Glocks are incredibly easý to shoot

Even the little G36 is super easy to control

So yeah my vote is Glock

As an aside if you ever want to try 10mm and have a G21 you can just get a G20 which is arguably the best 10mm out there and then yoh have holsters and mag pouches usable for both guns

[S. Kelly]

Go with a Glock 21 gen4, get Glock NS with it, add whatever light you favor and you're GTG.

[Sabre675]

Both are great. I carried a 21 for most of my career. But switched to the M&P in 10' due to it feeling and shooting a bit better. It feels like a glove. Still carry the 21 occasionally as I enjoy each pistol. However if it weren't for apex sears I don't think I would have ever considered the M&P. Ergos great, trigger sux. With apex they're are truly a great trigger. However I recently started carrying an HK45. Love it too. I like em all. Get both. Or start with an HK 200 rebate in Nov n December

[cop1211]

My duty gun is a Glock 21 SF, I'd rather carry the 9mm, but we don't have the option, I hate 40cal.