Safety question about M&P45 from a newb.

It's personal preference and all about what you are used to.



Glock guys, like me, don't want the manual safety because we have not used and trained with one all these years. 1911 guys want one because that's what they are used to. If you are not comfortable without the manual safety get one with it and train with it and you'll be fine.

Thanks for the reply. What would you reccomend to someone who is not used to either type? This will be my first handgun so I have no preference. If you were reccomending a gun to a friend who has never owned one before, would you tell him to get one with a safety or without?

As a complete "newb" to the pistol scene, it really doesnt matter which one you go with. The most important thing would be to suggest that you get started off on the right foot. Which ever version you go with, make sure you attend a basic combat/tactical pistol training course from an instructor in your area who has a good reputation.

As nickdrak said, it really doesn't matter at this point. Whichever one you choose practice, train, practice...you get the picture.



On one hand you might feel more "comfortable" with the manual safety. On the other you might rely on it too much. On another hand you might feel like operating the safety it too cumbersome for a newbie. We could go back and forth on this for days.



Remember, guns don't just go off by themselves. Your brain is your greatest safety and you need to learn, no matter if you have a manual safety or not, that you do not put your finger on the trigger until you are ready to fire.

Guys, Thanks again for all the feedback. I actually went to buy the one with no safeties today but I didn't realize that you can't buy a gun on Sundays since whatever system does the background check is not open. Anyway, the salesman tried steering me away from the M&P and reccomended the XD instead. Both guns felt good in my hand but obviously in the store I had no abilty to test fire either so I can't pass judgement. The XD did feel like a nice gun and the tolerances on the assembly were very tight. The M&P seemed to have larger gaps wherever different parts met, especially between the slide and the chassis where the polymer bends away from the slide. I also liked the grip safety and the loaded chamber indicator on the XD. I'm still leaning toward the M&P though and I will have to go back on a weekday to pick one up. I realize that this in an M&P forum, but does anyone have experience with both the XD and M&P that could offer some commentary on how these two pistols compare?

You can search and find a few threads here re: the XD as it compares to the M&P. Both will work fine. Many find the M&P to have ergonomics superior to most everything else available. This is a pretty big deal. The only downsides to the M&P are that it simply does not have the long-term track record that older pistols have (but it's gonna be fine) and selections of holsters etc. are somewhat limited, but that situation is getting better everyday. Finally, unless you KNOW you can, don't rely on the guy behind the counter. Gun shop counter people are rarely switched on and many are little better than used car salesmen. You are on the right track pitching questions to this board. Good luck.

Bloodnut said:

You can search and find a few threads here re: the XD as it compares to the M&P. Both will work fine. Many find the M&P to have ergonomics superior to most everything else available. This is a pretty big deal. The only downsides to the M&P are that it simply does not have the long-term track record that older pistols have (but it's gonna be fine) and selections of holsters etc. are somewhat limited, but that situation is getting better everyday. Finally, unless you KNOW you can, don't rely on the guy behind the counter. Gun shop counter people are rarely switched on and many are little better than used car salesmen. You are on the right track pitching questions to this board. Good luck.

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I concur.

I have been a Glock guy and converting to M&P. Though keeping and loving my Glocks. I shot the M&P 45 this weekend. I was examining it working all controls including the safety. So I deceided to fire off a mag. Load mag cycle slide lift pistol take dead aim and to my embaressment no bang. Safety was on. DOH!!!!



When I need my gun to go bang I want it to go bang. No external safetys for me!!!! YMMV

MPower

if you're new to shooting I'd recommend getting a M&P 9 over .45 version. 9mm ammo is a bit cheaper so you can more range time for the same money. And don't lisen to people who say 9mm isn't good enough for SD :roll:

I completely agree with Grey Wolf about the 9mm. You'll be able to shoot almost 2X as many rounds of 9mm vs 45acp. It's more important to be a good shot than to shoot bigger bullets. As far as 9mm as a defensive round, read this: http://hipowersandhandguns.com/9mm%20vs%2045.htm



I say go for the M&P9, don't worry about the thumb safety, practice proper gun handling until it's second nature, and shoot as much as possible. Good Luck