Smith and Wesson question

[Rob454]

hey what do you guys thing about this gun? Smith and wesson M&P .45 acp
I just stopped at Turners with a buddy who wanted one and wanted my opinion on it. unfortunately I couldnt give him much info except I thought it was too much for a home defense due to the caliber ( he lives in a apartment) . I know it would easily go thorugh a wall. He wants to buy it he put a deposit down but I told him I woudl get back to him about the info. Anyone own or has any comments on the gun? i know S&W is a good gun brand but is he simply buying a name? I could sell him my Ruger .45 cause i want to get a XD 45. also is there somethign wrong with rugers? I havent had any problems. the guy at turners tried to tell me that he dropped his dads ruger and the frame broke. I just said yeah ok. I havent had any problems with any of my rugers? Are theyhard to sell? anyway please let me know about the S&W if possible
thanx
Rob

[Casual Observer]

hey what do you guys thing about this gun? Smith and wesson M&P .45 acp
I just stopped at Turners with a buddy who wanted one and wanted my opinion on it. unfortunately I couldnt give him much info except I thought it was too much for a home defense due to the caliber ( he lives in a apartment) . I know it would easily go thorugh a wall. He wants to buy it he put a deposit down but I told him I woudl get back to him about the info. Anyone own or has any comments on the gun? i know S&W is a good gun brand but is he simply buying a name? I could sell him my Ruger .45 cause i want to get a XD 45. also is there somethign wrong with rugers? I havent had any problems. the guy at turners tried to tell me that he dropped his dads ruger and the frame broke. I just said yeah ok. I havent had any problems with any of my rugers? Are theyhard to sell? anyway please let me know about the S&W if possible
thanx
Rob

.45 isn't too much for home defense. It's probably better actually since you're 99.9999% likely to use it against someone at extremely close range (about 6-10ft) who's not wearing body armor, so the high velocity and penetration of other calibers like .40 and 9mm are moot. The large mass of the .45 would help deliver more kinetic energy on impact.

As for living in an apartment, I used to load up Glaser Safety Rounds. They advertise they won't go through drywall and have been issued to Federal Air Marshals before for use on airliners at altitude. Good rounds there.

If he's worried about over-penetration, I'd also recommend some low brass bird shot out of a 18" 12ga. A Remington 700 or Mossberg 500 ought to do the trick.

As for handguns, my advice would be to take him to the range and see what feels good to him. After all, it's his @ss that's going to be on the line and since shot placement is much more important than caliber, something reliable he can shoot well, under stress, is what he should go with regardless of manufacturer or price.

Don't rule out revolvers either. Smaller ammo capacity but they never jam.

[Rob454]

Thanx for the info. i never thought about Glasser rounds. he doesnt have a shotgun or any gun for that matter. I just took him to the range the other day and he had fun. I was thinking maybe a 357 since revolvers are pretty simple and dont require a lot to get them ready. Im gonna bring up the points you made up to him
thanx
Rob

[SmithAndJohnson]

First question about the M&P45:
I have an M&P40 and I love it. It is extremely solid and way more accurate than I am. ~1000 rounds of practice at the range so far has resulted in *zero* failures whatsoever. If I carried, I would trust my life to this gun.

The $50 + 2 magazine rebate offer is good till the end of the month, too, which makes this a pretty remarkable deal for new handguns.

Everything I've read about the .45 says it's just as great as the 9mm and .40, so I give it an implicit thumbs up.

Second question about home defense, over penetration, etc:
I think that for home defense, a 12ga is the way to go for the reasons previously mentioned.

I was thinking maybe a 357 since revolvers are pretty simple and dont require a lot to get them ready

I love revolvers. Simple and probably slightly more reliable than pistols, no matter what semi-auto fanboys will say. Plus they are works of art and fun to look at

However, for someone concerned about the over-penetration potential of .45acp, .357mag is a silly alternative. Most .357 loads have a substantially higher energy and muzzle velocity than most .45acp loads. Another issue with .357 + revolvers for home defense is at night, there will be significant muzzle flash and this will ruin your night vision.

If he's stuck on a handgun for HD, I say go with the M&P45. Otherwise, encourage exploring a shotgun.

Just my $0.02 - I'm sure plenty of opinions will vary

[lead chucker]

You might want to check out this web site... some interesting info regarding penetration.

http://www.theboxotruth.com/

[Fate]

I love my M&P .45. It' s my primary HD weapon now. Very accurate, low perceived recoil and fast reacquisition of target too. I too, trust my life to the M&P.

[Ironchef]

The new M&P 45 also has a thumb safety now i believe.

[Rob454]

Well I talked him into a S&W 357 mag. I looked into it and I told him he can shoot 38s as a alternative for when he goes to the range. He agreed with me about the more "simple" to use revolver VS a semi auto.
i also brought up the shotgun as a HD weapon and I told him to get the mossberg combo when it goes on sale. One reason for thatis this way he can go hunting with me and also keep the gun for self defense.
his wife hates me now. Shes a anti gun nut. She sure as hell didnt have any trouble at the range though. If the shotgun doesnt go on sale soon Ill probably sell him my mossberg combo
Thanx guys.
Rob