M&P .45 or 9mm? help me decide

[Ohdoom]

My searches didn't find a thread on this, so shoot me if I'm double posting.
I need help deciding between calibers on a full size m&p. I already shoot 9mm, and its obviously cheaper. However, I am considering a .45. I like the .45 round. I hear good things about the m&p in .45. Without having shot either, what you say to steer me either way?

[operator81]

They're both great pistols. I would personally opt for the 9mm. You're really not giving anything up in terms of ballistics, cheaper round, higher mag capacity, less cost and less recoil.

[Ohdoom]

Those were my thoughts as well. I don't think ill be missing out on too much without the .45. I'm sure ill be happy with the 9.

[NCPatrolAR]

What are you going to use the gun for? If personal protection, get the 9mm and some quality JHP rounds.

[ralph]

I have both, A midsize .45 and a FS 9mm, I also reload, so ammo's not a problem for either..that said, I like the .45 better than the 9mm, It feels better in my hands (to me,anyway) I shoot the .45 alot better as well. One thing I have noticed..Both of these pistols shoot more accurately with warmer loads, I don't know why, but they both do, I shot a few different loads with both pistols, and always, the tighter groups are with the warmer loads..YMMV..

[calvin118]

I have both, and would get the 9mm first.

[MikeCLeonard]

I vote 9mm also. Greater capacity, cheaper, less recoil, faster follow-up shots, and kills stuff just fine!

[DocGKR]

First off, all common service calibers work well: https://www.m4carbine.net/showthread.php?t=19887.

Do you live in a state with a 10 rd magazine limit?

Are you likely to need to shoot through vehicle windshields?

If the answer is yes to either of the above questions, get the M&P45; if not then get the M&P9, as it offer greater magazine capacity, less recoil, and cheaper ammunition allowing more practice. You could also get the M&P40 and split the difference...

[Ohdoom]

thanks for all the replies. I think Im going to for the 9mm first. And I hope I never have to shoot through my windshield, but there are bonded 9mm rounds that should work fine for that. No?

[Joeywhat]

Just get what you're comfortable with. I prefer 9mm because I like the larger capacity, less muzzle flip and cheaper ammo costs - at $200/case 9mm is already putting a big enough hurt on my bank account.

[m98evolution]

+1 for the 9mm for all the reasons listed above. I think the M&P really shines in the 9mm and is the gun that converted me from Glock. For .45, I'm still love my HK45.

[Ohdoom]

Thanks for all the input. I went with the 9 and couldn't be happier with my purchase. Its going to be a challenge not to neglect my 19! I love the m&p. Got a full size fyi. Now maybe an apex kit? Hmm. Thanks all.

[Palmguy]

Now maybe an apex kit? Hmm.

Absolutely. You won't be disappointed.

[RogerinTPA]

Thanks for all the input. I went with the 9 and couldn't be happier with my purchase. Its going to be a challenge not to neglect my 19! I love the m&p. Got a full size fyi. Now maybe an apex kit? Hmm. Thanks all.

Another vote for the Apex sear and striker block. Very high quality parts and the most inexpensive custom job out there.

[HowardCohodas]

Zen and the art of picking a caliber.

Shoot them both. Which one feel most like an extension of you. Everyone is different. Body mass, muscle strength, mass distribution, muscle tone, etc. All of these go into making up what will feel right.

Fire multiple shot sequences. Are you fighting it to make you multiple shots or does it sync to your natural rhythm.

If that doesn't work for you than consider cost and availability of ammo. :D

[John_Wayne777]

My searches didn't find a thread on this, so shoot me if I'm double posting.
I need help deciding between calibers on a full size m&p. I already shoot 9mm, and its obviously cheaper. However, I am considering a .45. I like the .45 round. I hear good things about the m&p in .45. Without having shot either, what you say to steer me either way?

I own the .45 and the 9mm. As polymer .45's go, the M&P is a pretty darn good one. It has, by most reports, inherent mechanical accuracy that is superb. An example from my unremarkable, no tricks from S&W for an internet guy for advertising, picked right off of a gunshow table specimen:

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y16/jwayne_777/TueJan05185842AmericaNew_York2010.jpg

The flyer is 100% on me. The group was fired at a legitimate 25 yards using Remington 230 grain ball bought from a local gunstore at outrageous prices during the peak of the Obama panic. Again, no exotic ammo given on the sly to an internet dude for the purposes of advertising. Now I'm sure that somebody who actually knows how to shoot and who uses ammo that a particular example of M&P .45 likes could come up with a better group without too much trouble.

So having said all of those nice things about the M&P .45, I'll also tell you that if I had to pair down my collection of firearms the M&P .45 would go long before the 9mm versions. Why? The expense of shooting .45 is just too much these days. In the before time when ammo was reasonable I didn't really mind the bite of .45 ACP too much...but now? It would limit the training and practice I could do to run a .45 as my primary.

[HK45]

I'm a long time .45 guy mostly because the .45 and 1911 were considered holy relics in the Marine Corps. After 30+ years of .45 in 1911 and various pistols I have reached the point where I am quite happy carrying 9mm. JHP's have gotten so good that I don't feel like I am giving up much if anything. My current carry round of choice is the Corbon DPX 115gr and I am also partial to Gold Dot 124gr +P. I can shoot the 9mm more quickly and accurately than .45, it's cheaper, and is easier on my aging wrists.

[decodeddiesel]

Lots of good threads to guide you here:

https://www.m4carbine.net/showthread.php?t=30221

Really hard to go wrong with either of those picks. Personally if it were my only handgun I would go with a 9mm.

[Biggy]

With todays top rated JHP pistol ammo and correct bullet placement the 9mm can get the job done. The M&P 9mm's gripframe will also be a little smaller than the 45 M&P. And last but not least, the 9mm holds 7 more rds in its magazine which may give you an edge in the outcome of a situation. An oldtimer using a wheelgun once said, six are plenty for me. Well IMHO maybe or maybe not, there is no penalty for having an extra 7 rds. Also in todays world vs 20-30 years ago you are probably more likely to be facing more than one individual at a time. So using the current FBI bonded HP load or anyone of the other loadings on DocGKR's reccomended list that functions 100% in your pistol, I vote 9mm.