Just got my M&P .45 on "Black Friday", and finally got it to the range last night... after giving it an out of the box cleaning.
For any of you considering this weapon, or even those of you who werent... all of you, go buy this thing. The M&P is an incredible gun in any caliber... however, the 9mm, .357 and .40 had some strong competition when it comes to catching the attention of consumers and LEO. When it comes to anyone looking for .45, Smith and Wesson created the gun that will make the competition sweat.
anyway, i went to the range with 250 rounds of WWB 230 gr FMJ, and 50 rounds of Hornady TAP-FPD 200 gr (+P) JHP.
From the first shot, this thing fired beautifully. the first pull of the trigger was nice, heavier than the pull of my .40, but nothing uncomfortable. within the first 100 rounds, the trigger pull smoothed out even more and i could no longer tell much difference between the two triggers.
As the trigger is pulled, my .45 offered a crisper, cleaner, "break" than the .40... and the recoil was very pleasant. Muzzle Jump was minimal, and by the end of the 300 rounds... jump wasnt even noticable. As stated by others, the recoil pushed into my hand instead of throwing me up and down. Let me add... again, the last 50 rounds where +P defense ammo, and the gun felt seriously no different than the practice ammo. I came from shooting the "snappy recoil" of the .40... in comparison, the .45 was smooth and felt as if little angels where blowing the rounds through the barrel for me. This is the softest shooting .45 I have ever discharged...
It comes with the obvious 3 grips, plus i have the ctc... making 4. i ran through all of the grips, trying to find the best for me. i am still unsure which i like the best for comfort, but they where all rather comfortable... and even with my tiny, thin hands... i shot well even with the largest grip. Everyone tends to think the .45 will require meaty hands, but as i said... i practically have the hands of a girl... and the handle feels almost no different in size than the other calibers of M&P.
For all of these aspects that I'm covering... I obviously had a better shooting session with the .45 than I do with the .40. My groups where much better, especially in rapid fire. my accuracy was significantly better in hitting the 10 spot, during slower shooting.
This gun, makes me wonder why I even like my .40 M&P... I'd be willing to sell off my .40 full and compact because of this .45 (the only reason i dont, is because .40 is still a bit cheaper to shoot, ammo wise)
all in all, I am willing to say that the .45 is the best of the M&P series. Period. For those of you that noticed that I made all of my comparisons to the .40... I have shot the 9mm many times, and really did not like it. The gun was beautiful, I just do not like 9mm, as it's too light in bang for me. However, if you are a 9mm fan... the .45 offers you a bigger projectile, for only a tiny bit more recoil. I think even all of you would handle the .45 very well.
I think I'll stop rambling now...
I'm not a gun reveiw columnist, so if there is anything I should have mentioned that I left out, please point it out in the form of questions... and i'll answer everything i can.
or...
Just go out and buy this gun, and get the answers for yourself. you wont regret it. (I dont work for S&W... but I'll take a job if they want to offer it. :wink: )
For any of you considering this weapon, or even those of you who werent... all of you, go buy this thing. The M&P is an incredible gun in any caliber... however, the 9mm, .357 and .40 had some strong competition when it comes to catching the attention of consumers and LEO. When it comes to anyone looking for .45, Smith and Wesson created the gun that will make the competition sweat.
anyway, i went to the range with 250 rounds of WWB 230 gr FMJ, and 50 rounds of Hornady TAP-FPD 200 gr (+P) JHP.
From the first shot, this thing fired beautifully. the first pull of the trigger was nice, heavier than the pull of my .40, but nothing uncomfortable. within the first 100 rounds, the trigger pull smoothed out even more and i could no longer tell much difference between the two triggers.
As the trigger is pulled, my .45 offered a crisper, cleaner, "break" than the .40... and the recoil was very pleasant. Muzzle Jump was minimal, and by the end of the 300 rounds... jump wasnt even noticable. As stated by others, the recoil pushed into my hand instead of throwing me up and down. Let me add... again, the last 50 rounds where +P defense ammo, and the gun felt seriously no different than the practice ammo. I came from shooting the "snappy recoil" of the .40... in comparison, the .45 was smooth and felt as if little angels where blowing the rounds through the barrel for me. This is the softest shooting .45 I have ever discharged...
It comes with the obvious 3 grips, plus i have the ctc... making 4. i ran through all of the grips, trying to find the best for me. i am still unsure which i like the best for comfort, but they where all rather comfortable... and even with my tiny, thin hands... i shot well even with the largest grip. Everyone tends to think the .45 will require meaty hands, but as i said... i practically have the hands of a girl... and the handle feels almost no different in size than the other calibers of M&P.
For all of these aspects that I'm covering... I obviously had a better shooting session with the .45 than I do with the .40. My groups where much better, especially in rapid fire. my accuracy was significantly better in hitting the 10 spot, during slower shooting.
This gun, makes me wonder why I even like my .40 M&P... I'd be willing to sell off my .40 full and compact because of this .45 (the only reason i dont, is because .40 is still a bit cheaper to shoot, ammo wise)
all in all, I am willing to say that the .45 is the best of the M&P series. Period. For those of you that noticed that I made all of my comparisons to the .40... I have shot the 9mm many times, and really did not like it. The gun was beautiful, I just do not like 9mm, as it's too light in bang for me. However, if you are a 9mm fan... the .45 offers you a bigger projectile, for only a tiny bit more recoil. I think even all of you would handle the .45 very well.
I think I'll stop rambling now...
I'm not a gun reveiw columnist, so if there is anything I should have mentioned that I left out, please point it out in the form of questions... and i'll answer everything i can.
or...
Just go out and buy this gun, and get the answers for yourself. you wont regret it. (I dont work for S&W... but I'll take a job if they want to offer it. :wink: )
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