When I posted in this thread, I’d been bouncing back and forth between the M&Ps and the same Glock I’m carrying now (A G19Gen4MOS with - at the time - a 1.0MOA RMR). I carried the Glock off duty for a couple months and then went back to the M&P for a couple months.
Soon after those posts we received some T&E holsters and began a pretty in-depth evaluation. The holsters were all for Glocks, so I started carrying Glocks on duty to evaluate the holsters. Add to that we were teaching a lot of outside personnel who were either issued or used Glocks and around a third of our own personnel who were going to optics were shooting Glocks, and it made sense to shoot them. Three of us teach the pistol-optic classes and one is a die-hard M&P guy so that base is covered. Further, the second half of 2020 was a pretty heavy training schedule with a 10-8 Performance red dot class, an FBI Firearm Instructor School, instructing a contract training class with several agencies that used Glocks, and I felt that switching guns wouldn’t be a good idea.
I’m confident with and used to my Glocks, but the reality is that while there are differences they are both reliable and durable pistols. I think factory Glocks are more accurate than factory M&Ps, but the M&P trigger and ergonomics are better. With an Apex barrel, the M&P is a beast. My Agency Glock’s ergonomics with the stippling and half-beaver tail blend rivals the M&P. I only have one M&P with an Apex and it rocks... If I got motivated to throw them in the other guns and had some time to play with them I very well could change my mind.
In short... they are both good guns and it’s personal preference which is better.
As you point out, the OEM barrels are not in the same league as a fitted Apex, but my main complaint is the stock trigger. Not weight, but the light and long pre travel, combined with breaking so far back. I hope they go to the Shield Plus trigger for 2022. In the interim, I am planning to install the same Apex FSS trigger I use in my CO pistols, but use heavy springs for EDC use. Interestingly, I can go from 5 inch CORE to Glock 19/23 with zero refam.
Likes pretty much everything in every caliber.
I seem to remember @Duke coming to a similar conclusion.
The M&P with a thumb safety keeps tempting me.