XDsc or M&Psc for carry gun.

[P-11 shooter]

I'm stuck here guys. Both are quality guns, and I like them both for different reasons.

XD9sc
Pros

* super badass gun that can take a lifetime shooting
* it's made by springfeild armory.
* fits my hand way better than glock
* I can use my brothers mags
* I can get .40 mags and adjust the feed lips for a 13+1 capacity
* comes with "quality" gear

Cons

* it's top heavy
* ergonomics aren't as good as the M&P
* it's generally "blockier"
* higher bore axis

M&P9c

Pros
* great ergonomics
* lower bore axis
* 12+1 mag capacity out of the box
* sleeker design, looks sexy not like a brick

Cons

* IT'S A SMITH AND WESSON!
(seriously, I never thought i'd own one. I HATE my buddy's sigma and while I believe this gun is entirely different I hated the sigma and they have a poor track record with auto's
* stupid mag safeties and locks
* mags are a bit expensive
* questionable long term reliability
* it's a freakin smith and wesson


Both guns could benefit from a trigger job out of box
Both have great customer service
Everyone I know with an M&P LOVES IT!
Everyone I know with an XD loves it!

If springfeild made the M&P it would be a no-brainer. I am uncertian if I can rely on the M&P like I would a glock or XD in the long term. I want something I can shoot alot and while they may have great customer service, I don't want to send my gun back.

Personally, I like the M&P better, I just hate the name on the slide. This is almost too close to call.

[Guns4Fun]

Me---i'd go with the xd.

For whatever reasons, i can not make myself buy a S&W auto loader. I bought one many years ago and hated it (not the m&p). Honestly, i am not that familiar with the m&p---the auto loader s&w i had was a da / sa trigger---again, i hated that. I did not like the transition from the long hard first pull to the light second pull. Now all my auto loaders are glocks and xd's. They have not let me down---unlike the old s&w i owned.


EDIT---if you are considering a .40 you might as well consider an xd-45. I have both the xd-45 compact and service. the service is great for shooting but the compact is easier to conceal. That matters to me because i cc not oc. if you oc, the service would be a great pick.

[P-11 shooter]

Well, tha M&P is striker fired and has a consistant trigger. The sigma's had a terrible trigger, but I heard the new M&P has a much better trigger. I am however, very leery of this gun because I really don't like smith&wesson.

I should have clarified that i'm looking for a new 9mm. Why? because I already own one, my brother owns two and ammo is cheap. Shit's getting expensive these days and I want to be able to practice as much as possible and split ammo costs with my bro.

[4XLT]

P-11 i am in the same quandry i like both but the M&P feels much better, never been a smith fan but i thin i am going to go ( eventually) with a M&P .45..

my CZ 40-P is a great 40 and my every day gun but i want a .45 for every day, not a 9 fan at all but will also get a PF-9 also thanks to pennsy plinkers influence !! and the places i must go for my job....

[P-11 shooter]

It really does feel nice in the hand. If only Glock or Springfeild could make one of those. Without the stupid lock and mag safety.

[nhughesmd]

If I were to choose one of the above, I would go with the M&P. I like the looks of the gun much better than the XD. I have held both and like the feel of the M&P much better, it has a longer barrel, it is lighter, and Crimson Trace makes a very nice set of laser grips that replace the interchangable backstrap on the M&P. I am a big fan of Laser grips on my concealed carry gun.

As far as Smith and Wesson is concerned. I have had two, a CS9 and a J-frame 638. Both were very well made, dead reliable and fun to shoot. I understand your position of not liking smith and wesson because you had a bad experience with one, but it was the cheepest piece of junk they ever made. The majority of their other guns are very well made.

As an illustration, I would not refuse to buy a Corvette because I had a bad experience with a friends old Piece of Junk Cavalier. I am not trying to start a ford vs. chevy vs. dodge etc., and no offence if you own a Cavalier. I'm just saying try not to judge a manufacturer by their lowest product.

Just my .02

[cybrus]

I haven't used the M&P, so I can't really say if one is better than the other. I own a XD 9mm sub-compact and a XD 45 compact. I love both of them. You won't go wrong getting an XD, but you should definitely try to find a place that rents them both and try them out. I was planning on buying a Glock until I rented one along with a XD and found that the XD just felt better in my hands. That's what ended up selling me on the XD.

[Noah_Zark]

Both guns could benefit from a trigger job out of box
Both have great customer service
Everyone I know with an M&P LOVES IT!
Everyone I know with an XD loves it!

If springfeild made the M&P it would be a no-brainer . . . Personally, I like the M&P better, I just hate the name on the slide. This is almost too close to call.

I'm responding because you deserve a "well done" for your analysis. That's the way to work through a tough or expensive decision -- get all the facts on paper. Great job!

On point, while I absolutely agree that S&W has a poor track record with their automatic line, they have made some notably good semi-autos -- The Models 39, 41, 52, 645, 745 come to mind, and even the 422 and 622 .22 semiautos have seen a demand jump after being discontinued. However, S&W did contract a bad case of automaticitis in the late 80s and throughout the 90s, introducing no less than 4,723 different models. It's hurt them. S&W tried to be all things to everyone, and Jacks of all trades are masters of none as the saying goes. And tossed in there was the S&W Smeg . . . er, Sigma and the internal lock farce. Nuff said.

IMO, w.r.t. the M&P, you're making a mountain out of a molehill over the S&W name, no offense intended. I do not own one, but I have fired a few M&Ps and I know probably 15 or 18 M&P owners and the M&P is neither a Sigma nor a Gen 1, 2, or 3 S&W semiauto. IMO S&W has learned from its many mistakes and set out to correct them with the M&P, and they have done so. The M&P is a solid gun, and if I didn't already have an HS2000 (XD9 predecessor) and a couple XD45 ACPs, I'd most definitely buy an M&P.

That said, I'll put my XD hat on and say that you can't go wrong there, either. But I do agree with your analysis of the XD pistols, and some of those "con" points about the XD are not present in the M&P.

Subaru cars in the 70s and 80s were rust buckets but that didn't stop me from buying a (barely) used 2008 Legacy sedan earlier this summer. Current Subarus are like the Volvo 240 of 20-25 years ago -- rock solid dependable and exceptionally long-lived.

Bottom line, either way you choose you'll be fine. If you like the M&P better than the XD, buy the M&P. After all, "It's not your father's S&W semiauto."

Noah

[Kaos]

free to try my xd-sc out as much as you want sir!

Im facing the dilemma of................

XD9 in 4"/5" barrel
Pro:
Same 9mm as my SC, less dif ammo to buy
9mm is cheaper than 45
Mags interchangeable
Accessories I have (holsters etc) are interchangeable.
weight is better for carry - though I plan on keeping my SC as well.

Cons:
Not a 1911, still not ideal grip for me, but best I've found so far.

1911 - Preferably 9mm for ammo concerns, but would go .45 if I had to

Pro:
it's a 1911
Perfect grip angle and thickness (adjustable with diff grips)
Tried and true design.
Many possibilities for tinkering (im a tinkerer)

Cons:
Out of the box no ambi mag release (though $40 solves this)
not normally in 9mm in a standard price range
Weight is a concern for daily carry

----

Lately been leaning towards the RIA Tactical 5" in .45 (about $400)...much time to decide though.

[crakkajakka15]

ummmm.... Smith and Wesson M&P 2007 handgun of the year

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aiMZfYkK3Qs


I love my M&P9c