The “1911 vs. Glock” argument is dead. Meet the argument all the cool kids are having now: “M&P vs. Glock” – which is actually sillier than the 1911 vs. Glock argument. You see, with 1911 vs. Glock, there actually were reasons that the Glock was generally a better all around choice, but when you get to choosing between one black polymer pistol or another, it’s like choosing between Nike or New Balance sneakers. There is very little functional difference between the guns, so it’s a matter of whether or not the Nikes fit you better or vice versa.
M&PJG 9mm in Praetor Defense holster
For the longest time I labored under the incorrect assumption that I had small hands. Turns out this was wrong, as I just happened to have the smallest hands in my family of people with giant hands. In part because of the size of my hands, I’ve always really liked the way a Glock fits me better than an M&P. There isn’t anything wrong with an M&P mind you, and Shelley much prefers the fit of an M&P to a Glock.
Which of course is the point of the whole “Glock vs. M&P” debate, and why it’s so much sillier than the 1911 vs. Glock debate ever was. Both Glocks and M&P in their 9mm version carry 17 rounds. They’re both well supported with a wide array of aftermarket parts available. They’re both very popular in competition, both made of polymer, and are generally reliable. If you like adjustable backstraps, the M&P is probably a better choice. If you like the grip angle on a Glock, it’s probably a better choice. Personally, I like my Blackhawk Tanto Light Hiker shoes better for trail running than my Adidas TR2s, because the cushion in the Blackhawk provides better support for my arches than the TR2s. See my point? It’s all subjective.
I tend to shoot Glocks better than I shoot M&Ps. Shelley shoots an M&P better than she shoots a Glock. We are fortunate to live in an age where two of the best handguns ever made can be had for $400-$500 and come with 2 or 3 spare mags, and a world of holsters and great carry gear.
Nothing wrong with the M&P… other than the trigger everybody wants to replace right out of the box? And which still has a springy hinge right in the middle even after you correct the internals? The M&P does get a few things right, but when the SR9 and XD have better triggers, you missed the boat somewhere. The only Glock clone to get it completely right (not screwing something else up in the process of trying to improve on it) is the Walther PPQ. Glock-style trigger with an even better reset, fully ambi controls, a nice stiff slide lock lever, and all the backstraps to keep the pretty princesses who can’t shoot a gun unless it fits them just so happy. Unfortunately, S&W seems to be giving it less marketing than it deserves, probably because it is so much better than their own M&P.
How many police departments have adopted the PPQ?
What do you want? It just came out at SHOT this year. But it’s just the American version of the P99 RADOM, so… the entire Polish military, including the kick-ass GROM. The Finnish military also uses the P99 as its standard sidearm. (Albeit a version with an inferior trigger.) Any gun that passes Finnish standards of abuse is automatically awesome. These are people who think lying in the snow waiting for a Russian tank to pass by so they can shoot it in the ass with a cannon on skis is a good Friday night. They do not tolerate firearms that don’t work at least as hard.
So, one country that shoots less people per year than LAPD has adopted it. Woooo
The Polish military is currently policing a little place called Afghanistan. They know their business.
Again, the PPQ just came out this year. A more fair comparison would be how many police departments had adopted the Glock in 1985. Except that Glock aggressively went after the police market, while Walther is saddled by an importer with a clear conflict-of-interest in that realm. It’s not too late for them to open their own US office, and I sincerely hope they do. The PPQ is far too good to play second string to a pistol designed from the beginning to be the lowest bid on police contracts.
South Korea also has troops deployed to Afghanistan, but that doesn’t mean everyone should run out and buy Daewoos. I liked the PPQ just fine when I played with it at SHOT 2011, but unless a major US police department or federal agency adopts it, it’s DOA here in the States.
I think the deciding factor here is that Glocks blow and M&Ps don’t. So there’s that…
Well-stated, Caleb.
Haters gonna hate – they’re both good guns.
Both are good guns! Are both built by American craftsmen?
This is easy….when have you ever heard anyone use the phrase “M&P Perfection”?…
=D
True Story:
One time two of my coworkers decided to settle a dispute with the old tradition of “Glock, Paper, Scissors.” One chose Glock, one did not. At the end of the game they ended up in a whole new dispute about whether in “Glock, Paper, Scissors” Glock always won or Glock always lost.
I argued that we were using a .40 cal Glock, which of course grenades and kills the user. He argued he was using a 9mm.
But was it a Gen 4 9mm? Because then it acts the same as “rock”.
I would agree on the surface that there is not much difference between the M&P and the Glock. I prefer to look at the competition between the 2 brands at USPSA and other matches. Glocks “need” only 15 minute polish job where all the M&P’s are using $100 + Apex trigger kits . I am also not impressed with the M&P’s extraction and have seen numerous
extraction failures with the M&P up to and including S&W sponsored shooters at the Nationals
When one looks to the people that shoot many thousands of rounds per year the Glock wins IMO.
I actually attended a course over the weekend with a pretty high round count. Of the nine people in the class, two were using M&Ps, four were using Glock 19s, two guys were using XDs, and another was using a 1911. The two instructors were also using M&Ps. The Glocks had problems, including a broken extractor on one. The 1911 was finicky and even the one of the XDs experienced a FTF. My M&P ran through a thousand rounds without a hiccup. The other M&P guys enjoyed the same reliability. I’m not raising this to suggest that Glocks are inferior to M&Ps, but rather to note that no gun is perfectly reliable. I use a Glock 34 in IDPA and have not experieced a single malfunction in nearly five thousand rounds. My carry gun is my M&P.
Caleb,
M&Ps are the best EVAR. For everyone. For every application. J/K…although an M&P chopped down to G19 grip height makes a damn-fine carry gun…just sayin’.
Quick side note: arch support is actually a myth. I know that’s what you *think* is happening, feels best, and what you need. But the need to add “arch support” is merely conjecture. A little architecture 101: an archway is extremely strong when loaded from the top, but the second you push up from beneath it, the whole thing crumbles. The arch in your foot functions basically the same way, if you constantly “support” it from the bottom, then you make it weaker long-term. Just sayin… ;-)
- Alex