alucard0822
For great Justice
I have been getting into handgun competitions more and more as time goes on, especially IDPA and have been looking into various pistols to use, and evaluating their strengths and weaknesses. I have always been in search of that one pistol that fit me and my shooting style and can help me build my skills while giving me a decent edge. These two models are enhanced by Springfield and S&W for that purpose, a factory pistol that is geared twards action pistol shooting, based on reliable and proven platforms, and complete with many bells and whistles to help a novice shooter build solid skills, yet capable enough in the hands of an experienced shooter that they will not be readily outgrown.
The numbers help show the differences amongst the models, my XD(M) is chambered in 40S&W and takes a little imagination to compare it with the M&P pro currently offered only in 9mm. Externally the XD(M) 40 and XD(M)9 are identical, and outside of the caliber, and associated recoil, the only other difference is capacity, where the 40 holds 16 rounds, and the 9mm holds 19, the M&P pro holds 17. Both have a similar action, basically a striker fired DAO mechanism that uses a precocked striker and sear that is lowered as the trigger is pulled.
XD(M)40
barrel length
4.5"
overall length
7.5"
width
1.5"
height
5.75"
weight
32oz
trigger pull
5lb 2oz#
standard features
ambi mag release, oversized slide release, grip safety, striker indicator, loaded chamber indicator, 3 white dot sights, front and rear serrations, 3 interchangeable back straps.
modifications
PDP trigger stop and sear lever, internal polishing, solid guide rod(+1.5oz)
tested with 155gr rainier flat point handloads 950fps 310fpe 147PF
M&P pro 9mm
barrel length
5"
overall length
8.5"
width
1.25"
height
5.5
weight
26oz
trigger pull
4lb 6oz
standard features
ambi slide release, reversible mag release, loaded chamber witness hole, tru-glo green front sight/ solid black rear sight, 3 interchangeable palm swells.
modifications
internal polishing
tested with 115gr UMC FMJ 1135fps 328fpe 130PF
The trigger on the M&P pro is quite good out of the box, except for a little bit of a gritty feeling, the pro model uses a performance center sear that is shaped differently and coated with a slick feeling tan coating that seems to reduce friction, it has a lighter reset spring than the standard model, and the pull weight is noticeably lighter, with a shorter reset. The trigger has a very light takeup, then a short and very crisp break with minimal overtravel, it is leaps and bounds better than the standard M&P trigger and the factory XD(M) trigger, after some light polishing and 100 rounds down range, the grit is gone, and it is quite smooth. Comparitively the XD(M) trigger is almost a pound heavier, but because of the additional takup weight it feels far heavier than the M&P, and in factory form has comprable takeup. The XD(M) trigger has a lot of overtravel and a long reset out of the box, and the PDP trigger job gets rid of most of it, and reduces the takeup distance considerably, making for a short pull, but with a fairly soft break, where the M&P has a much crisper release.
The sights on the M&P lend themselves well to competition, the green fiber insert on the front was very bright in daylight, and the flat plain black rear sight really makes the front sight easy to focus on, making for a quick and precise alignment, the XD(M) on the other hand uses a 3 dot setup, not as precise as the excellent M&P sights, but very quick to get close to alignment after the draw, although they are a little more cluttered and harder to focus on the front sight for precise shooting, under low light conditions the XD(M) sights have a distinct advantage as it was hard to line the M&P sights up without the bright green dot out front, this is true at dusk, or when shooting from the relatively dark covered range and enclosed pistol station into full daylight at my local range. In this case, the bright white dots of the XD(M) sights have an advantage.
The controls on both pistols are large enough to operate easily, yet not so big they snag, or inadvertently release the mag, or lock the slide open. They both have some ambi and some single sided controls, the slide release on the M&P and the mag release on the XD(M) are ambi and work well, for me, I find the ambi mag release more useful being I mostly rack the slide overhand, although the XD(M) mag release is much harder to press than the M&P, and it gives up a lot of the advantage because of this. The M&P controls are lighter and smoother than the XD(M)s, although the XD(M) places the controls in a better spot, and they are more agressively checkered making them easier to feel and use. The striker and loaded chamber indicators on the XD(M) are much better than on the M&P. The M&P does not have a striker cock indicator, and has a small hole in the barrel hood that you can see a glint of brass in well lit conditions, most of the time however you have to pull the slide back a little to see if the chamber is loaded, with the XD(M) there is no question, if you see or feel the tab on top of the slide sticking up, it is loaded. The striker indicator has little to no usefulness though IMO, if the chamber is loaded, then you can infer the striker is cocked, or you have had a misfire, there is no way to decock it, and if the chamber isn't loaded, you have to rack the slide thereby cocking the striker anyway. The XD(M) does add a grip safety in addition to the GLOCK style padde safety though, making some people rest easier with a little more margin of safety than the M&Ps simple hinged trigger safety.
The shape of the M&P is a very smooth organic shape, and it feels very comfortable in my hands, it is a collection of smooth curves and rouded edges compared the the XD(M)s squared off lines and corners, both have a comfortable grip, although the M&P has a little bit more palm swell, and the beavertail makes it easy to locate for fast draw and easy to place a consistent high hold on the pistol. The M&P sits lower in the hand and by swapping grip pannels changes the sides and backstrap of the grip in addition to the trigger reach with the large grip, the XD(M) uses backstraps that only change the bottom 2/3 of the pistol's backstrap, this adjusts the height that the pistol points more so than the size and shape of the grips, but does not change the width, grip pocket or trigger reach. The XD(M) has mostly flat sides except for deep scallops that hold your thumbs in the "thumbs forward" firing position as opposed to the "thumbs up" that I prefer, it does have much more agressive checkering, and while shooting stays planted in your hand while the mild stippling of the M&P does slide around a little bit in sweaty hands. The M&P has one of the lowest bore axis's of any pistol on the market, and even in 40S&W controls recoil and muzzle climb very well. The bore axis on the XD(M) is noticeably higher and produces more muzzle flip although with a slower and softer recoil given the ammo I was using and the substantial difference in weight. The pistols have a gigantic difference in feel and weight, the M&P is slim and light compared to the XD(M) and with a more rounded shape and shorter grip it feels like a much smaller gun, even though it has a 1/2" longer slide and barrel, this makes it easy to move fast from target to target, and quick to point.
The XD(M) is simply a solid chunk of gun and with most of the weight above the hand, an aftermarket solid spring guide helps to move the balance forward to better steady the gun and control recoil, but at the expense of even more weight. The M&P is balanced very well, outside of being 20% lighter(23% lighter compared to my XD(M) with solid guide rod), the weight is placed further forward, and coupled with the high grip cuts recoil and helps steady aim.
Shooting both back to back really gives you an appreciation of how far polymer pistols have come, both were 100% reliable and felt solid, there is very little frame flex in either and all primers showed solid deep dents, both are extremely accurate and grouped about 1.5" off a rest at 25 yards, although the M&P was faster to align the sights after recoil, this could be partially due to the difference in caliber although the soft shooting 40S&W handloads I was using in the XD(M) actually have less FPE than the factory 9mm ammo I was using in the M&P. With the M&P I could simply get a good grip on the pistol, and pull the trigger almost as fast as I could placing all shots right on target, the XD(M) had a bit softer felt recoil, but between the greater muzzle flip, lower hold/higher bore axis and worse sights it took a hair bit more time to get back on target after a shot.
After shooting both, I have to say the M&P was easier to shoot, and while just as accurate as the XD(M) it can print comparable groups faster, under ideal daylight conditions with dry hands it is a formideable pistol, and should serve me well for a lot of IDPA and PSA matches. Another bonus is that the M&P is classified as a stock service pistol in IDPA and competes aggainst GLOCKs and other DAO pistols only, where the XD(M) is classified as an enhanced service pistol, and has to go toe to toe with accurized double stack 1911s and other SAO and SA/DA pistols like sig P-series and tuned CZ75s. The only real detractors are the small slide release, and generally mild stippling that could cause the pistol to slip with sweaty hands, or if it were covered in mud. The longer slide and 1" greater overall length due to the beavertail also take a little more effort to draw from a holster, or shoot around cover in some situations, but these do not really play into it's strong suit as the near ideal action pistol gun. The XD(M) however has much better checkering and a much easier to grip slide, making it stay put in my hands in sweaty or muddy conditions and despite the slower follow up shots, it is still faster than most any other 9mm pistol I own, including my much loved M&P 9 compact, it is a solid, rugged and reliable pistol with a host of modern safety features and with minor modifications has become near perfection. Given the choice, I would prefer to take the M&P to the range, or to the IDPA match, and keep the XD(M) loaded on my bedstand, or in an open carry rig, it is the better working gun in adverse or low light conditions.
The numbers help show the differences amongst the models, my XD(M) is chambered in 40S&W and takes a little imagination to compare it with the M&P pro currently offered only in 9mm. Externally the XD(M) 40 and XD(M)9 are identical, and outside of the caliber, and associated recoil, the only other difference is capacity, where the 40 holds 16 rounds, and the 9mm holds 19, the M&P pro holds 17. Both have a similar action, basically a striker fired DAO mechanism that uses a precocked striker and sear that is lowered as the trigger is pulled.
XD(M)40
barrel length
4.5"
overall length
7.5"
width
1.5"
height
5.75"
weight
32oz
trigger pull
5lb 2oz#
standard features
ambi mag release, oversized slide release, grip safety, striker indicator, loaded chamber indicator, 3 white dot sights, front and rear serrations, 3 interchangeable back straps.
modifications
PDP trigger stop and sear lever, internal polishing, solid guide rod(+1.5oz)
tested with 155gr rainier flat point handloads 950fps 310fpe 147PF
M&P pro 9mm
barrel length
5"
overall length
8.5"
width
1.25"
height
5.5
weight
26oz
trigger pull
4lb 6oz
standard features
ambi slide release, reversible mag release, loaded chamber witness hole, tru-glo green front sight/ solid black rear sight, 3 interchangeable palm swells.
modifications
internal polishing
tested with 115gr UMC FMJ 1135fps 328fpe 130PF
The trigger on the M&P pro is quite good out of the box, except for a little bit of a gritty feeling, the pro model uses a performance center sear that is shaped differently and coated with a slick feeling tan coating that seems to reduce friction, it has a lighter reset spring than the standard model, and the pull weight is noticeably lighter, with a shorter reset. The trigger has a very light takeup, then a short and very crisp break with minimal overtravel, it is leaps and bounds better than the standard M&P trigger and the factory XD(M) trigger, after some light polishing and 100 rounds down range, the grit is gone, and it is quite smooth. Comparitively the XD(M) trigger is almost a pound heavier, but because of the additional takup weight it feels far heavier than the M&P, and in factory form has comprable takeup. The XD(M) trigger has a lot of overtravel and a long reset out of the box, and the PDP trigger job gets rid of most of it, and reduces the takeup distance considerably, making for a short pull, but with a fairly soft break, where the M&P has a much crisper release.
The sights on the M&P lend themselves well to competition, the green fiber insert on the front was very bright in daylight, and the flat plain black rear sight really makes the front sight easy to focus on, making for a quick and precise alignment, the XD(M) on the other hand uses a 3 dot setup, not as precise as the excellent M&P sights, but very quick to get close to alignment after the draw, although they are a little more cluttered and harder to focus on the front sight for precise shooting, under low light conditions the XD(M) sights have a distinct advantage as it was hard to line the M&P sights up without the bright green dot out front, this is true at dusk, or when shooting from the relatively dark covered range and enclosed pistol station into full daylight at my local range. In this case, the bright white dots of the XD(M) sights have an advantage.
The controls on both pistols are large enough to operate easily, yet not so big they snag, or inadvertently release the mag, or lock the slide open. They both have some ambi and some single sided controls, the slide release on the M&P and the mag release on the XD(M) are ambi and work well, for me, I find the ambi mag release more useful being I mostly rack the slide overhand, although the XD(M) mag release is much harder to press than the M&P, and it gives up a lot of the advantage because of this. The M&P controls are lighter and smoother than the XD(M)s, although the XD(M) places the controls in a better spot, and they are more agressively checkered making them easier to feel and use. The striker and loaded chamber indicators on the XD(M) are much better than on the M&P. The M&P does not have a striker cock indicator, and has a small hole in the barrel hood that you can see a glint of brass in well lit conditions, most of the time however you have to pull the slide back a little to see if the chamber is loaded, with the XD(M) there is no question, if you see or feel the tab on top of the slide sticking up, it is loaded. The striker indicator has little to no usefulness though IMO, if the chamber is loaded, then you can infer the striker is cocked, or you have had a misfire, there is no way to decock it, and if the chamber isn't loaded, you have to rack the slide thereby cocking the striker anyway. The XD(M) does add a grip safety in addition to the GLOCK style padde safety though, making some people rest easier with a little more margin of safety than the M&Ps simple hinged trigger safety.
The shape of the M&P is a very smooth organic shape, and it feels very comfortable in my hands, it is a collection of smooth curves and rouded edges compared the the XD(M)s squared off lines and corners, both have a comfortable grip, although the M&P has a little bit more palm swell, and the beavertail makes it easy to locate for fast draw and easy to place a consistent high hold on the pistol. The M&P sits lower in the hand and by swapping grip pannels changes the sides and backstrap of the grip in addition to the trigger reach with the large grip, the XD(M) uses backstraps that only change the bottom 2/3 of the pistol's backstrap, this adjusts the height that the pistol points more so than the size and shape of the grips, but does not change the width, grip pocket or trigger reach. The XD(M) has mostly flat sides except for deep scallops that hold your thumbs in the "thumbs forward" firing position as opposed to the "thumbs up" that I prefer, it does have much more agressive checkering, and while shooting stays planted in your hand while the mild stippling of the M&P does slide around a little bit in sweaty hands. The M&P has one of the lowest bore axis's of any pistol on the market, and even in 40S&W controls recoil and muzzle climb very well. The bore axis on the XD(M) is noticeably higher and produces more muzzle flip although with a slower and softer recoil given the ammo I was using and the substantial difference in weight. The pistols have a gigantic difference in feel and weight, the M&P is slim and light compared to the XD(M) and with a more rounded shape and shorter grip it feels like a much smaller gun, even though it has a 1/2" longer slide and barrel, this makes it easy to move fast from target to target, and quick to point.
The XD(M) is simply a solid chunk of gun and with most of the weight above the hand, an aftermarket solid spring guide helps to move the balance forward to better steady the gun and control recoil, but at the expense of even more weight. The M&P is balanced very well, outside of being 20% lighter(23% lighter compared to my XD(M) with solid guide rod), the weight is placed further forward, and coupled with the high grip cuts recoil and helps steady aim.
Shooting both back to back really gives you an appreciation of how far polymer pistols have come, both were 100% reliable and felt solid, there is very little frame flex in either and all primers showed solid deep dents, both are extremely accurate and grouped about 1.5" off a rest at 25 yards, although the M&P was faster to align the sights after recoil, this could be partially due to the difference in caliber although the soft shooting 40S&W handloads I was using in the XD(M) actually have less FPE than the factory 9mm ammo I was using in the M&P. With the M&P I could simply get a good grip on the pistol, and pull the trigger almost as fast as I could placing all shots right on target, the XD(M) had a bit softer felt recoil, but between the greater muzzle flip, lower hold/higher bore axis and worse sights it took a hair bit more time to get back on target after a shot.
After shooting both, I have to say the M&P was easier to shoot, and while just as accurate as the XD(M) it can print comparable groups faster, under ideal daylight conditions with dry hands it is a formideable pistol, and should serve me well for a lot of IDPA and PSA matches. Another bonus is that the M&P is classified as a stock service pistol in IDPA and competes aggainst GLOCKs and other DAO pistols only, where the XD(M) is classified as an enhanced service pistol, and has to go toe to toe with accurized double stack 1911s and other SAO and SA/DA pistols like sig P-series and tuned CZ75s. The only real detractors are the small slide release, and generally mild stippling that could cause the pistol to slip with sweaty hands, or if it were covered in mud. The longer slide and 1" greater overall length due to the beavertail also take a little more effort to draw from a holster, or shoot around cover in some situations, but these do not really play into it's strong suit as the near ideal action pistol gun. The XD(M) however has much better checkering and a much easier to grip slide, making it stay put in my hands in sweaty or muddy conditions and despite the slower follow up shots, it is still faster than most any other 9mm pistol I own, including my much loved M&P 9 compact, it is a solid, rugged and reliable pistol with a host of modern safety features and with minor modifications has become near perfection. Given the choice, I would prefer to take the M&P to the range, or to the IDPA match, and keep the XD(M) loaded on my bedstand, or in an open carry rig, it is the better working gun in adverse or low light conditions.