Is the XD still "better than" the S&W M&P?

[DanTheEldest]

Eh.....I don't really know as I haven't looked into the M&P much. My own personal philosophy is no matter how many fun guns you get, your primary carry gun is the one that should get the "extra" attention. It should be the one you've practiced with so much you can strip it and reassemble it with your eyes closed, and you've put enough rounds through it you know it's reliable and have a pretty good feel for where it points even if it didn't have any sights on it. Whatever model this particular weapon happens to be matters less than it being utterly reliable and you knowing it backwards and forwards. For me, that's my XD45. If it's a Glock or M&P for you, more power to you.

[mity2]

When you guys stop and actually think about it, its hard to tell which is better then which.
there are somethings XD are better then M&P, and visa versa.
There are few things original poster forgot to mention:

XD's safety is better(no grip safety on M&P. But you can get M&P45 with external safety). While i donno why, you can opt M&P with mag safety and internal lock(may be big f youhave small kids)

Noone can argue about M&P's adjustable backstrap. I just donno why XD haven't done that yet.

Takedown is not really that different. BUT with M&P, you have option of(BUT you don't have to) disconnect sear BEFORE you remove the slide. or gohead, pull the trigger to remove the slide. This is nice since even the best can still have ND while dissassembling XD)

XD have easy to see chamber indicater. M&P's are bit hard to see.

You can buy parts for M&P from S&W. while having lifetime warrenty. SA sould learn someting from this. You can send the gun back for repair is nice, but sometimes you just can't give up your gun for 2~3 weeks.

Have anyone ever try to take sight off of M&P? And XD? You'll love M&P for sure on this area if your trying to install new sight.

M&P's Melonite finish - I believe is not up to par with XD's or Glock's. I do read few rust issue with M&P over at M&P forum.

XD have more choices. Tactical, service, compact, and sub compact. With MP, you have choice of full size or compact. you'll also have more finish options then M&P. OD green, earth, or bi-tone. You can get M&P in any color as long as its black(Although i hear their 45 is comming with different color).

M&P45's trigger is odd. its mushy. But not the 40 and 9mm. they are just as crisp as any XD

In general, M&P is cheaper then XD.

so i have to say that XD and M&P are both excellent firearm. i'm just as comfortable shooting XD or M&P. I like M&P9 better then XD9 as i feel M&P's recoil is little softer. But i'd rather have XD45 over their 45. I like choices of finish i have with XD, but I prefer adjustable back strap.

I think only winner here is those of lucky wner who have both of them.
I currently have M&P. As soon as I get little more money, 40service with V10 port here i come!

[jmeister]

Originally Posted by IndianaJones

Are you kidding me? Reliability? From what i've read, the M&P has some serious issues dropping magazines etc.

I do like the look and feel of the M&P, especially the Compact Models, but I'm sorry, I do not believe the M&P series has all the bugs worked out YET.


The XD is by FAR the better pistol, at least at this time.

+1
I've heard of many reliabilty problems from the M&P lineup and a few fit/finish issues as well. Also loved the feel of the M&P but I prefer my mag to stay in the gun when I'm shooting it.

[mullanman]

At this point, I like the M&P better. Stainless slide with melonite that is tough and doesn't rust. XD's have not fared well in the finish department. Easy take down, no need to pull the trigger.

Lower bore axis, higher mag capacity, and less bulky slide that the XD.

My 4" M&P is easier to conceal than my 4" XD. And with the 40 i have more rounds than what the XD can hold in its 12 round magazine.

Spare parts are easy to obtain, not so with the XD.

I saw more M&P's at the USPSA nats than i did XD's. Olhasso was the only prominent shooter using an XD, otherwise it was a toss up between CZ, Glock with the M&P as a strong newcomer to the production game.

[invssgt]

Originally Posted by mullanman

At this point, I like the M&P better. Stainless slide with melonite that is tough and doesn't rust. XD's have not fared well in the finish department. Easy take down, no need to pull the trigger.

Lower bore axis, higher mag capacity, and less bulky slide that the XD.

My 4" M&P is easier to conceal than my 4" XD. And with the 40 i have more rounds than what the XD can hold in its 12 round magazine.

Spare parts are easy to obtain, not so with the XD.

I saw more M&P's at the USPSA nats than i did XD's. Olhasso was the only prominent shooter using an XD, otherwise it was a toss up between CZ, Glock with the M&P as a strong newcomer to the production game.

All good points.

[APismoClam]

Thanks for the invitation to vent! The reason I joined the XD owners club is because I previously owned three M&P pistols (fullsize 40, compact 9 and 40) and all three of them dropped mags when firing. After multiple trips back to S&W to try to fix the problem, the only way I finally resolved the issue for sure was by trading both my M&P compacts in for an XD-9SC and XD-40 Service!

I agree that the M&P's ergonomics are on top, bar none, and I really did like the simplicity of the M&P's design. But I believe they have totally missed the mark in the design of their mag catch. This is the M&P's weak point in reliability, and let me tell you, it's a nasty one to have. Take a look at people's reports at the M&P forum and by their latest poll, 22% of respondents say that they have experienced the mag drop problem. That's a 1 in 5 chance that you will have it too. And the worst part is, many don't experience the problem until they've put hundreds of rounds through the gun. That's exactly what you don't want in a pistol you're trusting your life with.

I'm of the opinion that the XD's mag catch is of a superior design and execution than the M&P's for several reasons that go beyond S&W's claim that the problem is due primarily to improperly treated metal on some of their mag catches. First and foremost, the magazine to magwell tolerances of the M&P is unbelievably sloppy. Try this experiment: take the slide off of an M&P pistol, insert a magazine, now wiggle the top of the magazine with your finger. You won't believe how much that magazine flops around in there! I'd like to have an S&W engineer look me straight in the eye and tell me it's supposed to do that! Horsesqueeze! I was able to push out a fully seated magazine from my M&P 40 Compact by gently wiggling the top of the mag and applying some downward pressure! Try doing that on an XD, and you will see that there is little or no wiggle room between a mag and the magwell. It's impossible to do this on an XD and that's the way it's supposed to be.

Further, many people have commented at the M&P forum that the M&P's mag release button has too little resistance to being inadvertently actuated, and that it protrudes too high above the side of the grip with no protection, and it it requires just the slightest of depression to get the mag to pop out. I believe that these are all true observations and contribute negatively to the M&P's reliability in this area. Especially of note is the M&P owner who lost his magazine in a store while carrying it concealed in a holster and didn't realize it until he got back to his car. I experienced this too but fortunately for me, my M&P compact was in my fanny pack at the time. Imagine my surprise when I got home and took the pistol out and discovered that the mag and pistol had parted company! That's exactly not what you want when you need it the most.

In total, I have now sent my M&Ps back to S&W seven times for this issue, with my one remaining full size 40 currently there for its second (and probably last) trip with me as its owner. The best ergonomics in the world don't mean squat if your gun sh*ts out it's magazine when you need it the most. I have total faith in the reliability of my XDs, but after experiencing this issue in all three of my M&Ps, there's no way in hell I'd trust them with anything. Wait for rev 2.0.

[Talyn]

Lower bore axis, higher mag capacity, and less bulky slide that the XD.

I'll give you the first one, but the XD-45 has a higher mag capacity than the M&P45, 13 vs. 10, and the slide dimensions (thickness) have hardly any differences.

While the feel of the M&P 45 is great I didn't like the large gap between the front of the frame & the slide, and the fact that S&W only has Komiefornia capacity mags.

So I went with an XD-45 & not disappointed.

[GrovenSpringer]

I simply WILL NOT own a gun that requires a tool to take it apart! At least not as a personal protection/fight "The Man" gun! There is no room for discussion here gentlemen.

[Njschad]

Originally Posted by GrovenSpringer

I simply WILL NOT own a gun that requires a tool to take it apart! At least not as a personal protection/fight "The Man" gun! There is no room for discussion here gentlemen.

you can still take the gun apart with out the tool but they say not to.. just the same as the xd lock it back flip the break down lever slide it forward and pull the trigger and it comes right off.. but they tell you to flip the bar down that disengages the sear...

all very good points on why the m&p is not a reliable self defense weapon.. i personally have never carried mine out.. mine is mainly a plinking gun... i dont even keep it as a bedside gun.. thats what my xd is for..

[DMWyatt]

OK it's 1 in the morning, and I have just one thought. If you have a gun that is rusting you're not taking proper care when cleaning, lubing, or storing. I have an old Star b with only 5% of its finish intact, and not once since I bought it has there been rust. Also there has never been rust on my XD, or any other gun I've owned so long as I've owned them. Now this does take a little work to keep up with all of them, but I'm a firm believer in handling your guns, and handling them often. My XD is my home defense gun, so I make sure to handle it every day, even if its just to unload it in the morning when I go to work. I think that any gun, given the right attention can be rust free 24/7/356. Also, the which is better debate ultimately comes down to one question that you, yourself have to answer on your own: In a service pistol what do you trust your life with? The answer to that question will vary, but there is no wrong answer until a gun fails you... Then you have a whole other problem entirely.