On the M&P Bangwagon. Have Questions

[GKoenig]

Hey guys...

Thanks in part to Todd and company, I picked up an M&P 45 Compact and have gotten bit by the bug bad. I've found myself traveling to CA a whole lot, and I wanted a weapon to take there that wouldn't make me feel like I neutered my Glock 19 with those abomination 10 round mags. For $530 out the door, with night sights, I think this thing was the firearm bargain of the century!

Couple of questions:

- Where can I get the parts to add the thumb safety? I wanted to give the thumb safety a try as it looks like no frame cutting is necessary to add it.

- I was thinking about switching from carrying a G19 to an M&P 9, but night sights seem not to be in stock. Where can I get them?

- Are there plans for a G19 size M&P? The full size is just a bit too big and the compact seems just a bit too small. IMHO, the Glock 19 is the perfect size/weight/capacity pistol for a CCW. If S&W cooked up the M&P to compare, I would sell 3 of my 4 G19s and move over to the platform immediately! (gotta keep at least one Glock around, just for old time sake).

[John_Wayne777]

1. I don't know if it's possible to buy the M&P safety lever for weapons that didn't come with them. You'll probably have to call S&W directly to order the part. I think (heavy emphasis on think, here) that the same safety levers work for all models.

2. MLE has the excellent Warren 2 dot night sights for the M&P in stock. I prefer them to the stock Novak sights. If you don't have a S&W armorer you can go to you'll need a sight tool to install them.

3. The M&P 9C and 40C are actually smaller than the G19 by a bit. They are in between the G19 and the G26 in size. The 45 compact is the same size as the G19 from what I understand.

[ToddG]

1. What JW777 said.
2. What JW777 said.
3. What JW777 said.

[GKoenig]

3. The M&P 9C and 40C are actually smaller than the G19 by a bit. They are in between the G19 and the G26 in size. The 45 compact is the same size as the G19 from what I understand.

In my book, the M&P Compacts (vice the .45) are more comparable to the Glock 26 and 27 models. To me, S&W calling them "Compacts" is a misnomer, they really fall more into the "SubCompact" category.

When I put a G17, G19 and G26 side by side, the actual differences don't look that great, but small dimensional differences make large practical differences when it comes to every day carry. The G19 set a pretty excellent standard for the perfect blend of size, weight and capacity when it comes to a firearm that a civilian would want to bring with every day.

Call me crazy, but my informal polling of folks tells me that a G19 size M&P would be one hell of a hot seller.

[ToddG]

While the call for G19-sized M&P is commonly seen online, it tends to come from people who think the G19 is some kind of perfect/magic size CCW gun. That group tends to be much different than the broader CCW'ing market.

A number of LE agencies I've dealt with prefer a gun closer to the M&Pc size than the G19 size (the M&Pc is more concealable) and closer to the M&Pc size than the G26 size (the M&Pc gives a full grip on the gun). It's worth noting how many of the G26-carrying folks on this forum carry it with the +2 mag extension.

You also have to remember that the G19 splits the difference between the 4.5" barrel G17 and the 3.5" barrel G26. The full size M&P is already a quarter inch shorter; making a third model that is just one quarter inch shorter still is a small change.

Don't misunderstand, I'm not saying you're wrong or that a mid-size M&P would be bad. But it's appeal would lie primarily with the small subset of shooters who are willing to deal with a bigger gun for improved shootability and capacity but don't want a gun as big as the standard M&P.

[subzero]

I just laid a 17, a 19 a regular M&P9 and a 9 Pro side by side. The M&P9 splits the length of a 17 and 19 and the grip frame is the same length as a 17.

That having been said, I think the reason a lot of folks (myself included) like the 19 is because of the way it sits in the hand. The shorter frame for some reason doesn't make the gun point as high. I don't know why, but it does (for me).

The M&P9 doesn't need that. It points correctly with the full size frame. And since the slide length already splits the difference between a 17 and 19, I can't see a big "need" for a chopped frame M&P9 to get it to the size of a 19.

[John_Wayne777]

M&P 9C vs. G19:

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y16/jwayne_777/IMGP0671.jpg

[HK45]

None of the M&P compacts even come close to fitting my hand. I don't see Smith making a another model in between though.

What is MLE?

[John_Wayne777]

http://www.mle-shootingsports.com/

He's a dealer for Warren Tactical sights.

[HK45]

Thanks. He has a much better selection of front and rears than I have seen anywhere else.