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College Gun Club and the M&P9mm

2K views 11 replies 8 participants last post by  TOF 
#1 ·
Hi all, I'd like to request your input. I advise two college gun clubs here in beautiful Santa Barbara, People's Soviet of Kalifornia. Courtesy of the Friends of the NRA we already have 5 Ruger Competition .22s for pistol marksmanship training. A new grant year is coming up and I am interested in adding centerfire pistols to our collection for training with the college students. I have and shoot a few pistols, and have my preferences, which I am sure will not be the ones for the kids (I own 3 Series 70 Colt National Match pistols, so you know what I like). Would you recommend a M&P for new shooters? I examined a S&W M&P last weekend and it looked pretty good to me (and will fit smaller hands [we have a number of young ladies who participate]). Factory reconditioned Glocks have also been suggested, but the grip seems too big. Help?! Thanks.
 
#2 ·
Both the .40 cal and 9mm m&p full size seem to be very popular for both beginners and veterans alike... the same goes for men and women, both small stature and the bigger of the bunch. they all seem to appreciate the 9mm and the .40 similarly.. I personally prefer the 9mm in a poly frame gun especially for its larger cap. You should consider largely the cost of ammunition since you will be practicing on a regular basis with many folks, then go with the 9mm as it is much cheaper then other calibers. if i want a larger caliber i will go the way of Sig, kimber or 1911, 1991a1 and the mock ups...



Whatever you decide good luck with your club...
 
#3 ·
Thanks and you are very kind. Yep, 9mm is half the price of .45 and over time that really adds up. My sense after handling the MP45 was that the MP9 was going to go well for the ladies. One of the few real problems of the gig is that I have to accommodate everyone from rank newbies who have never shot a pistol before to several of our guys who are Iraq combat vets and can shoot quite as good as me (and I hope I'm not bragging there). The cool part is that I get great support from my fellow club members and we are able to bring the kids up from zero at a pretty quick pace. They're smart, focused and generally have good eyes and steady hands. We seriously work on natural point of aim from the first few rounds fired, and drill in safety. Its time for me to get to a range and rent one of these guys for a first hand trial.
 
#6 ·
IMHO a M&P in 9mm would be a good beginners pistol, the 40 has a bit more recoil and might be intimidating to new shooters.
 
#8 ·
Yes, you do want to go back to college!

The kids are great and we have an awesome time. This started about 4 years ago and just keeps getting better. There are plenty of great 9mm handguns out there, I own several in my personal collection, and could just go for Browning Hi-Powers (I own one and it shoots GREAT), except the MP9 is a) $200 less and b) probably easier to take down and maintain. Here's another photo for you all.

 
#9 ·
I've like my M&P 40, and The M&P fits both my wife (small hands) and my firend's wife (VERY small hands). I have pretty large hands with long fingers, and it works well for me.



So it definitely wins points for being usable by a fairly random sampling of people.
 
#11 ·
The M&P is great for the lefties, too (not the the leftists). At the price, the capabilities, and the ever increasing popularity, you're probably not going to go wrong with the M&P. Stick with the 9mm for cost, and maybe have your club leader or sponsors check with Smith about a group deal on mags, gear, and maybe even the guns themselves. I'm sure Smith would love to have a Kalifornia college club sporting their hats and gun. Not to mention to get that guy some new sunglasses.
 
#12 ·
The M&P9 should be an excelent choice for the task at hand. One thing I haven't seen mentioned is the ease of slide operation exhibeted by the M&P9. I had an XD9 Service size and my wife could not operate the slide because of the stout recoil spring. The M&P9 is a piece of cake for her and should be for your smaller students be they girls or boy's.

 
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