Recently my father picked up an M&P45c with thumb safety, and I made it to the range with him for the first time since he bought it. I have been interested in this gun for awhile because I prefer mid size handguns (G19, HK45c, P2000, etc) for use in a dual role as a home defense weapon and CCW.

I've been carrying an HK45c since last February when they were released, but I've been looking for something to potentially replace it. I shoot it well, and it's been 100% reliable and feeds any type or shape of JHP without even hinting at slowing down. I do have a few complaints though that I'll rank minor/major:
1. Major: The light rail does not fit any full size light out there. You can make a TLR-1/2 fit by moving the 1913 rail adapter further back in the light and duct taping it in place. This is less than ideal though, and I'd prefer being able to use the set screw with it. Also, while the TLR-1 is a good light, I'd also like to have the option of using other full size lights too.
2. Minor: The mags are expensive and going up. Last rumor I heard said that H&K was increasing them to $60 each.
3. Minor for now, could be major if something breaks: Parts are expensive. I looked into getting a spare recoil assembly and some other critical parts from H&K like a hammer, sear, and other internal springs, and the cost was going to be close to $200 if they even had it in stock. If they didn't, there was no telling how long it would be until they'd get them in from Germany.
4. Minor: There is a serious lack of laser capability for H&K's. If you don't have one mounted to the rail there isn't an option for you. I would prefer to put CT grips on a carry gun, and the M&P makes this very easy because it doesn't add bulk to the grip like the glock version. I'm aware that there is no CT model for the M&P45c yet, but i'm sure it will happen eventually.

When the M&P45c was announced, I thought that it could be a potential replacement here because it addresses each of the issues above. The only potential downside to the M&P is that it is not as "proven" as H&K USP based handguns. Also, I had no idea what the shootability of the M&P45c would be like compared to the H&K which is very accurate and has a very gentle recoil for a polymer .45.

In overall build quality, I feel like the M&P series is as nice as H&K. The internal metal chassis that connects the 4 rails is nice, and the mags "eject" out of the gun the same way that the H&K mags do. This is something I really prefer to the sluggish movement of Glock mags. The mag release is easier for me to activate than the Glock mag release, and I can do it without adjusting my grip. The finish is nice, the machining on this one is very smooth with no weird tool marks on the inside of the slide. The palm swell grip is also something I really prefer, and I've added a hogue universal grip sleeve to the H&K45c to get this feel in that gun. It's nice to have that palm swell inherent in the M&P design.

Yesterday my father and I headed out with about 400 rounds of .45 to work on breaking in the M&P and compare it to the H&K side by side. The M&P is a thumb safety model that is completely stock for now. He has an appointment at Burwell to have the trigger worked on and has a set of Warren tactical 2 dot's to put on it after the first range session if it doesn't have any issues. The H&K has Heinie straight 8 night sights with a 0.140" rear notch. I've found this notch width to be my preference on ~4" barrelled guns as I have a 0.156" notch on my G19 and think that it is too wide, and an older set with 0.125" width notch that was a little too hard to acquire the front sight quickly for follow up shots.

In shooting, I found the recoil of the M&P to be a bit harsher than the H&K. The H&K45c is really in my opinion the softest shooting .45 that I've felt compared to a stock Colt XSE, a sig 220, a G30, an XD45, and now this M&P45c. Something very interesting though was that the muzzle did jump higher than the M&P45c despite the softer recoil. I am used to the way the H&K shoots though after carrying it and shooting with it for the last year, so I was slightly quicker on follow up shots, but the M&P had a lot of potential here. By the end of the ~200 or so rounds I shot through it, I was starting to move pretty quickly with it. I did not have any FTF or FTE's with either gun, but I did have an issue with the safety on the M&P45c. On a few mag changes, when I would drop the slide with the slide stop/release, I unintentionally engaged the safety. On the first occurrence it took me about 3-4 seconds to figure out what was wrong. The safety is very easy to activate or deactivate. Also, about the safeties, I am able to ride the safety on the HK45c and have never an issue decocking it under recoil like some people have, whether i'm shooting one handed or two handed. Also, it is a hard enough safety to activate and the placement of the slide stop levers are far enough out of the way that I have never had the issue of unintentially activating it when manipulating the slide stop.

Accuracy on the M&P45c was also excellent. We started out shooting at paper and it took me a few mags to get adjusted to the trigger, but after that it was very accurate. Shooting 3" plates at 25 yards unsupported was pretty easy (as it is with the HK45c), so I don't think the M&P gives up much accuracy at all to the H&K. I would love to bench rest them both and measure the group size, but if it can I can hit the 3" plates from that far then I'm pretty happy with it.

So after all that, my father has decided he wants to stick to 9mm and is going to sell the M&P. I am considering buying it from him because it does address all of my complaints with the HK45c, and it would serve as a great dual purpose home defense and CCW, especially with the extended 14 round mags in it in the nightstand. I would remove the thumb safety though. It is still a hard decision because the H&K has been absolutely flawless and has a great feel to it. Overall I think these are the two best polymer mid sized .45's available today though and it's tough to go wrong with either one.