XD(M) vs. M&P pro

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  • alucard0822

    For great Justice
    Oct 29, 2007
    17,643
    PA
    Alucard,

    Fantastic review and comparison of both!

    I own an XD(m)9. I did own an M&P in the past but the appearance of the frame "sagging" in the front drove me bananas! Does not effect functionality but sure is distracting! In the end I could not get over it so I sold it. Great pistol with very minimal muzzle flip. Great gun, just wish it looked better! See below (not my gun but typical of the frame "sag")...

    I do see that yours seems to be fine now. That is how mine started out. Got more pronounced over time.

    Phil

    So far as I can tell, the "real" frame sag issue has been mostly limited to the full size 45s, where shooting a lot in each session especially with a light on the rail seems to make it worse. I hope it doesn't happen to the pro (it hasn't happened to my compact over several thousand rounds), but if it does, I'll see if I can come up with a fix, probably heating and bending it back, or if S&W comes up with a design mod, worst case, S&W customer service tends to be very good, and most likely they would fix it. It is a shame though that a pistol that is otherwise great would have such a flaw in design in some models, but the majority of frame sag cases are not sag at all, but normal play in the rails(recoil spring pushes the slide forward and up at rest) and the normal taper of the slide where both the frame and slide are straight, but taper very slightly out from each other as you get near the front as the dust cover narrows giving the illusion of a "sag", it is purely cosmetic though, and mostly functional as the clearance keeps the slide from rubbing the dust cover over a wide range of temperatures and doesn't affect function. There are some cases of honest to goodness heat warping and frame sag, but they are somewhat rare. GLOCK had a similar problem with the first couple generations( warped up instead of down though), but it seems to have been cured in the newer models, and even then it wasn't a "problem" per se.

    for example, my frame and slide are perfectly straight, but change the angle a little, and frame sag "appears", these two pics show it pretty well. Although being the rail is not reinforced it can heat warp, but more often than not, this "widespread phenominon" is not real.

    now you see it:
    S7300494.JPG

    now you don't
    S7300492.JPG
     
    Last edited:

    Fire-4-Effect

    Active Member
    Aug 3, 2008
    658
    Frederick, Md
    alucard0822,

    Agreed on all points!

    The M&P is an absolute wonderful pistol. As I said before I do not believe the frame sag, illusion or reality, effects function. I highly recommend the M&P to anyone who asks. The one I had was very accurate and for a 45 had very minimal recoil because of how low the barrel sits in relation to your grip.

    In the end my decision to sell was purely cosmetic. I just could not get over the "looks". I know it is silly but it is a little quirk I have.

    I believe you have chosen wisely! I still think about how sweet that M&P felt when shooting it...

    Thanks

    Phil
     

    alucard0822

    For great Justice
    Oct 29, 2007
    17,643
    PA
    Shot the pro today in an IDPA match in Thurmont to really get a feel for how well it does in a variety of stages during competition, basically up till now, the pistol has been great, but for the most part the features I described in the OP have been the best I could infer from experience and some shooting at my local range. I am happy to say it has lived up to my expectations and then some. No failures of any kind, and being todays match was almost entirely fired strong hand or weak hand only the light recoil and minimal muzzle flip definitely helped me to shoot much faster than previous one handed strings while using my M&P compact or XD(M). You simply place the big green blob on the front sight over the -0 area of the target, and pull the trigger, wait for the blob to settle back in it's notch and fire again. Using the small backstrap makes the grip very thin, short, and easy to manage with one hand, and I could get a solid grip quickly while drawing. All in all this pistol has a lot of small features and improvements that add up to help me shoot consistently fast.
     

    RobMoore

    The Mad Scientist
    Feb 10, 2007
    4,765
    QA
    How wide is the factory front sight? I use a Dawson precision .010 wide w/ a tiny green dot (I keep the tip of the FO rod inside the front sight, rather than blobbing it out the front).
     

    alucard0822

    For great Justice
    Oct 29, 2007
    17,643
    PA
    How wide is the factory front sight? I use a Dawson precision .010 wide w/ a tiny green dot (I keep the tip of the FO rod inside the front sight, rather than blobbing it out the front).

    .125 wide front with a .085 dia dot .140 wide rear notch, really not too big, but set aggainst the plain black rear sight it really stands out. With the 115gr WWB FMJ ammo I was using I had to cover the dot over my POA, with 124gr ammo it shoots a little higher, and I cut the target with the sights, and it will hit about level with the top of the sights. Same as my other M&P. If I were shooting it past 25 yds, I would definitely want a narrower front sight blade and a narrower notch in the rear, prefferably in an adjustable sight, but for the relatively close shooting in IDPA and PSA, it does fine.
     

    alucard0822

    For great Justice
    Oct 29, 2007
    17,643
    PA
    What holster options have you found for the pro?

    -Russ

    I was using the bladetech SRB for my XD(M), with the adjustment screws tightened up, it works great, and holds the pistol well. I was considering ordering a bladetech for it (they do make one for the pro/L model), but it fits well enough in the XD(M) holster (slide is flush with the bottom of the holster), there is no real reason to spend the money on one. It will fit in most open ended holsters for the full size M&P, but of course some of the slide hangs out the bottom. I know my M&P 9c fits perfectly in the desantis IWB for my GLOCK 30, and it fits in G19 holsters, I haven't tried it, but the pro would probably fit in a holster for a G34/G35.
     

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