How about an M&P 22 and an M&P 9c

[HoughMade]

I'm sitting here with some cash burning a hole and I would like to get a .22lr pistol and a carry gun that are similar. That is why I am considering the M&P pistols in .22 and 9mm (compact), respectively.

I will be practicing with the carry gun often, but more practice is better and more is reasonably priced with a .22. Other than practice and training, I would like to use the .22 for plinking and teaching my kids (4 kids, ages 7-15). The 15 year old is a very proficient rifle shooter and has shot handguns several times, the rest are ready to move on from air to gunpowder.

So, here are my questions:

1. General impressions of these guns?
2. Is the M&P .22 too large for smaller hands? (I suppose the best answer is to have the 7 year old with me at the store next time)
3. How is the 9c as a CCW?
4. How is the 9c for just blasting away at plates informally?
5. Is the .22 reliable with a variety of ammo?
6. What else do I need to know about these?

Thanks for the input.

 

[EdC]

Here's my two cents, regarding the 9c:



3. How is the 9c as a CCW? Great for me. Works well in a Remora and a Theis. It's thick, of course. Size wise, it's smaller than a Glock 19 and bigger than a Glock 26. Holds 12 +1 with the flush fit magazine. Good, reliable and accurate gun, and feels very good in my hand with the medium backstrap.

4. How is the 9c for just blasting away at plates informally? Fun. Not real significant felt recoil. I did try some +P self defense ammo, and felt recoil was still good, but the slide was really banging away. I didn't like it, and stick with regular 9mm ammo.

Don't know anything about the .22, personally. There are good reviews on Youtube.

 

[RobbyMaQ]

My 9yr old can handle and manipulate the m&p22 easily. The slide is very easy to rack. He still has not shot it yet, claiming it is too loud for him. A buddy commented on how loud it was for a .22, so maybe there is some merit there.
I've not run many types of ammo through it. Ran into a malfunction early with bulk winchester ammo, switched to CCI upon recommendation and haven't had issues with it since the switch.
The grip may be large for a 4yr old. Iffy on the 7 yr old. It does not have interchangeable backstraps. It's 'fixed' grip compares to the small backstrap on an M&P9.

 

[rugertoter]

I don't have any personal experience with either of the two pistols, but from everything I have heard/read about, they are very good guns.

 

[the1kidd03]

So, here are my questions:

1. General impressions of these guns? Both are ultra-reliable and incredibly similar. An excellent way to combine affordable practice with defensive capability.
2. Is the M&P .22 too large for smaller hands? (I suppose the best answer is to have the 7 year old with me at the store next time) No generally. This of course depends on the size of the child but I have used it for a number of youngster 1st timers and they loved the gun. Smaller hands would work better with a Ruger 22/45 though.

3. How is the 9c as a CCW? I carry a full size Beretta and sometimes a G23. I'm not a big guy and can effectively conceal when I need to with them. You shouldn't have a problem with the M&P.
4. How is the 9c for just blasting away at plates informally?
9mm is a lot cheaper than 40 or 45. Buy ammo and have fun.

5. Is the .22 reliable with a variety of ammo?
I've seen DOZENS of them at the range. They are incredibly reliable with almost any ammo. I've not seen any feeding or extractions issues. The ONLY issue I have is that for some reason they tend to foul out the barrel pretty quick with lead. I don't know why, but if you stick to some type of jacketed ammo you can't go wrong with this gun. At the very least put a mag of jacketed through every couple or so mags of lead.
6. What else do I need to know about these?
No other major issues that I've seen/familiar with. Excellent choice for your purpose IMO.

Thanks for the input.

Answers above in RED

 

[Dorky_D]

The 22 does not really like Winchester 555 or 333 (same stuff). I have had no trouble with Remington bulk (tested about 50 rounds). I have not heard good about Remington bulk.
It will eat CCI Stingers with no issues.
It ate Aguila 60 Grain Sniper Super Subsonic.

I am going to try some Federal and CCI minimags, but I want to use up some of the ugly nasty Winchester that neither a rifle or pistol will eat reliably.

I know bulk is not know for its quality and I am OK with that. I do want to find the bulk ammo that works the best and use it.

I will agree that the slide is easy to manupulate. The grip may be big, but the recoil is low, so that will be more forgiving on a smaller shooter anyway.

I like the feel of the Walther 22, and the Ruger SR22 is similar. I would imagine it would be better for a smaller shooter, but I prefer to have a full size pistol to train with.

I will say that I took it out last week and probably shot 200 rounds through it. That alone is worth its weight in gold. Being able to shoot 200 rounds and have it not even cost me $20 is huge. It is more practice on the cheap. The time I went to the range before that, I warmed up with the 22 and then switched to a 9mm. I got my warm up out of the way. Fixed what I was doing wrong and got some of my learning curve out of the way before shooting the more expensive ammo. I would love to be able to shoot awesome the first magazine and that is what I am working toward, but until I am there, it is nice to be able to get more trigger time without worrrying about how much that one flier where I had crappy trigger control cost me. With the .22, it costs about .45 per magazine. Shoot 200 rounds of that and it is about $8.00. 200 rounds of 9mm costs about $50. Practice on the cheap is good! It is not a substitute, but I can work on trigger control, grip, stance, pushing out technique, sight picture and to a lesser degree getting the sights back on target for followup shots.

 

[HoughMade]

I'm liking the info I'm getting. Thanks.

I think I will prefer the 9c, but anyone have experience handling both the Shield and 9c? It's tough to find a Shield to actually handle. What is the real difference in concealability and shootability?

 

[bfaves]

i have a m&p9 shield and a m&p9c and do not shoot thgem as much as my glocks.. although they are still holding up but we will see 26 years from now how they stack up. Also i have around 4,000 rounds through the 9c and it shows a lot more wear than my g19 gen 2 with 12,000 rounds!

 

[bartb]

I love my M&P22. Its always a hit when I go with friends/family to the range. I have had problems with the Winchester and Federal Bulk. (Winchestr was worse than Federal) I have shot CCI in it and never had any problems. I tend to give my M&P22 a steady diet of Remington Golden Bullets. I have had a few issues but mostly when the gun is really dirty.

 

[74J10]

I can't speak for the sheild, but being that it is thinner then the 9c I would think you could wear it with virtually any shirt without worrying about concealment. I have the 9c and I can wear well over half my t-shirts with it and not worry. Only the tighter fitting ones cause problems. Since the 9c is so easy, the shield has got to be cake. I have heard it just a blast to shoot as well. I want one, but haven't even seen one yet. Before I got my 9c I wanted one a lot more. Since I got the 9c and realized how small yet comfortable it is I am not as driven to find a shield. 9c's are great!

 

[DustyDawg48]

I think a big factor in going for the 9c and M&P22 combo is the ease of moving up to a full-size M&P9 later on. The M&P9 is the same size as the M&P22 although the 22 does clock in several ounces lighter. The 9c will accept the full-size 9's 17-round magazines where the Shield can only use Shield mags. Not a deal breaker, but the last thing you want to do is spend a ton on extra mags where you could just buy the 9c, 17-round mags and when you later move up to the full-size M&P9 you already have a stash of mags available.

I own 4 M&Ps and will add the M&P22 as my 5th. The 9c I own runs neck and neck with the full-size M&P9 as my favorite 9mm to shoot, it is that fun/good. I like having a dedicated .22 caliber version of my larger guns versus the slide conversion kits where you have to swap parts out.

Be sure to let us know what you go with and pics are always appreciated!

 

[WebSnyper]

I'm liking the info I'm getting. Thanks.

I think I will prefer the 9c, but anyone have experience handling both the Shield and 9c? It's tough to find a Shield to actually handle. What is the real difference in concealability and shootability?

My thought is this (for disclosure I have a 9c, but not a Shield although I have handled a Shield. I routinely carry my Glocks 27/23 and have not started carrying my 9c), that the Shield is too big to be a pocket gun and therefore it will likely be carried either OWB or IWB on a belt for most folks. If that is the case, then the 9c is just as easy to conceal as the Shield, and has the advantage of higher capacity and can share mags with the larger M&P 9.

I'd stay with the 9c over the Shield.

 

[HoughMade]

Thanks! Hoping to get some looky and touchy time tomorrow....maybe buy time.

 

[HoughMade]

OK, took a close look at the M&P 9c and Shield as well as M&P 22, Ruger SR22 and Walther P22. Long story short, I think I'll b going with my original choices of the M&P 9c and M&P 22.

As for the comparison of the Shield and 9c, length is virtually identical and the width difference is not as great as I would have thought. The Shield s nice (and less expensive, though hard to find, I was looking at a rental), but the 9c fits my hand better and I prefer the increased capacity. I can see the appeal, but I preferred the 9c.

As for the 22s, I much preferred the feel of the SR22 over the P22 and I absolutely hated the trigger guard mag release on the P22. I did not care for the up to fire safety on the SR22, but otherwise, it would be a contender is I were not getting the 9c. The M&P 22 is remarkably similar to the full size M&P and very similar to the 9c. I am a big guy with big hands so a small gun feels really small to me (probably why I liked the 9c so much better than the Shield). The M&Ps (both) point naturally for me. The M&P 22 fits my hand and I had my 15 year old with me and it fit him also.

However, I seldom look, choose and spend just south of a grand in one day, so it looks like tomorrow or Monday. Anything over about $2.99 and I like to sleep on it (this is why I own something other than debt )

 

[nascarfantoo]

I have the M&P22 and am happy. Only thing I want to change are the sights. Hard to get focus while wearing my bifocals. So far I have better than 1000 rounds through it with no issues. It does not like Federals though. (Walmart price special.) Had as many as 5 FTE per mag. But so far seems good with Win, Aquila, CCI and Remington. Slide is easy to pull so probably would be good for younger hands.

 

[HoughMade]

Got 'em- the M&P 9c and 22, that is. My local shop seems to like when people buy two guns at the same time. Pics and range report to follow.

 

[DustyDawg48]

Congrats on the new acquisitions! Always a joyous time when new members arrive! Can't wait to see pics and get a range report!

 

[HoughMade]

 

[bfaves]

the m&p9c is a very nice weopan and regret trading mine for a glock 23 nuff said!