The M&P 45 is one of the finest plastic fantastics I've ever shot. I don't own one, since I'm a 1911 fud, but if I was looking for a polymer gun that would be in the running.Originally Posted by Bruce Cartwright
The M&P 45 is one of the finest plastic fantastics I've ever shot. I don't own one, since I'm a 1911 fud, but if I was looking for a polymer gun that would be in the running.
We may lose and we may win, but we will never be here again.......
Another vote for the M&P45. I had a "full size" 2.0, and it was as accurate as any 1911 I've ever owned (I can't afford high-end guns, mind you), and very soft shooting. If S&W would reintroduce the Compact version (8-shot grip), especially in an OR version, I'd probably pick one up, even though I've been trying to minimize my "collection..."
I got their email notification and got onto their site as soon as I read it - they were all gone.
Adding nothing to the conversation since 2015....
In 2019 I purchased a PD trade in G21 Gen 4 from AIM Surplus. It’s what I shoot my substantial amount of Russian steel case .45 through and it’s never missed a beat. It has some holster wear but internally it appeared to have been fired very little. I should still probably change the springs but since it’s a dedicated trainer I haven’t bothered.
I’m not sure but the Gen 5 G21 may have a heavier weight recoil spring vs my Gen 4 G21’s. Subjectively it feels like it has a bit less recoil but I would need to shoot them side by side. Shooting my G21 Gen 5 with 230gr standard pressure ammo alongside my G19 shooting 9mm +P, recoil was similar but I was able to control the G21 better. I objectively shoot the G21 better than my G19 and G17, which doesn’t really make sense because 9mm is supposed to be more shootable.
I also find that it is significantly more difficult to purposefully induce a "limp wristing" stoppage with the .45 cal G21 vs the 9mm Glocks. Considering how often I see those types of stoppages in bodycam shooting footage, I do consider the slightly increased split times to be worth the additional "real world" reliability.
Last edited by SwampDweller; 12-15-2023 at 02:04 PM.
Is it possible the recoil spring on the Gen 4 is just more worn than the Gen 5?
If I remember correctly, the 21 gen 5 extended the length of the recoil spring assembly over the gen 4 by changing the locking block geometry. The same thing was done on the .40 Glocks at that time, so it's likely there is at least some change in the recoil.
My understanding is that Glock wanted to have a longer period between spring changes with Gen 5, and increased the recoil spring weight to accomplish that.
Likes pretty much everything in every caliber.
One thing the .45 may not do as well as a spicy 9mm is penetrate sheet metal. Does it matter? IDK, but I’m around cars a lot more than dangerous animals so it earns the caliber one demerit from me.
im strong, i can run faster than train
Maybe. Though the last Gen 4 G21 I shot was a new one I purchased as a spare, and I think the Gen 5 had less recoil than that, but I need to try them again side by side. The slide is definitely stiffer to pull back on the Gen 5 compared to my low round count Gen 4.
Through sheet metal, yeah I think a +P 9mm would do better. However, in my observation .45 does better through windshields in terms of penetration and deflection. I think it'd be more likely to have to shoot through auto glass than sheet metal. IIRC both DocGKR and Chuck Haggard have said that bullets that do well in the auto windshield test also perform well against bone, and vice versa.
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