I've been carrying an M&P9c for about a year now and it's been great. My first pistol was an XD9 service and I really, really liked it but the XDsc just didn't appeal to me since it seemed really boxy. The M&P took a little getting used to since the controls are a little different and I didn't like the plastic "broken" M&P trigger, slide release positioning, lack of grip safety, and lack of extended magazine sleeves.

I've been so focused on NFA stuff lately that I didn't even realize SA released this new XDm compact a few months ago, causing me to miss out on the 3 free mags deal. I went to a local shop to check one out and had to have it! I sold my XD9 service, ordered the XDm9c, and just picked it up today. Unfortunately I wasn't able to make it to the range today but I don't doubt the XDm will perform very well. Once I get a few hundred rounds through it, it may replace my M&P9c as my daily carry piece.

A few things I noticed that may be of some help to others considering these pistols:

Overall size is nearly identical. The XDm9c is about 5/16" taller, .03" wider at the widest point of the frame, .01" narrower slide.


The XDm compact slide is slightly longer, the slide release is a little farther back, and has an ambi mag release. The M&P has an ambi slide release, reversible mag release.


M&P9c on top of XDm9c, the XDm9c is taller by the thickness of the mag baseplate, .25". Sights are very similar, the M&P9c is ~2oz lighter empty


The grip angle is very similar though the M&P's mag baseplate is not parallel to the slide. M&P9c is 12+1, XDm9c is 13+1 with flush mag or 19+1 with extended mag


Both have 3 different backstrap choices to fit your hand. The M&P9c's grip is a little more rounded, less aggressive, and a bit more comfortable IMO. I'm waiting for PRP to come out with rubberized laser cut grip decals for the XDm compact. The XDm has a chamber indicator on top of the slide and a striker indicator at the rear of the slide to aid in identifying a loaded gun. The M&P has a small "window" at the rear of the barrel that lets you see the rim of a chambered round. The XDm series all have grip safties and the M&P compact is available with a manual thumb safety(which I removed from mine).

For me, the XDm9c is the best of both worlds between the M&P and XD series.

If I may be so bold as to point something out about the M&P 9c...

While it doesn't have the 19+1 capacity of the XD's larger mag... the M&P 9c DOES accept the the 17+1 mag which comes with the M&P 9.

I'm sure that M&P 9 17+1 mag comes with an added price to the 9c, but it is possible to increase rounds in the same way as the G26.
There is a product made by xgrip, which fills the void on the M&P 9's slimmer part which extends past the 9c's magazine well.

Thanks for the comparison and I hope you don't mind me pointing this out.

No, I don't mind at all, thank you! I'm not claiming to be an expert on these pistols by any means so if you, or anyone else, have anything to add please post it.

I knew that full sized 17rd mags fit and I looked for a mag sleeve when I first got my M&P but never found such a creation aside from a couple DIY things. $13 surely isn't a bad price either.


top gun supply

i wish they would have sped up the xdm compact series when i bought mine...i think they had the 9mm version out but .40 is my preference.  may end up selling my xdsc and getting the xdm40sc when it comes out.


my xd shoots flawless i have no doubt the xdm series is any different.

I've seen a few dealers take preorders for the XDm40c and they say they expect them any day now. So your wait is just about over...  Most dealers have them on their site just not in stock yet XDM9384CBHC

It sounds like you're a first responder...  THANKS for the sacrafices!

OMBExpress.com offers some pretty smokin' deals for you Folks and here's a link to their xgrip page.  They have the extension grips for a bunch of different compact models.

http://www.ombexpress.com/sf_5277.aspx?r=1

OH yea!  I also wanted to ask you if you had a recommendation for a light that will fit the rails in front of the trigger guard.

Also, the slide release is super stiff on my 9c.  Is this normal?  If not, what's the fix?

I'm not LEO/EMT/FD etc, sorry if I mislead you. I'm just a normal "joe." I guess I'm a first responder in the sense that I'm the first to do an XDm compact vs M&Pc thread

As for lights, I was going to check out the TLR-3 since it's a perfect fit on compacts but I've read too many poor reviews on it. I already have an extra TLR-1 so I'm gonna try that out on the XDm. It doesn't fit on the M&P9c.



I had the same issue with my M&P9c's slide release, posted about it in a related thread, and was told it was not normal. So I took a verrry close look at the slide and slide release to see exactly where it was getting hung up. As it turns out, there was a very small lip on the slide release that I could feel with my finger but couldn't really see. I slowly and carefully filed the edge down and now it's perfect.
I'll likely be keeping the M&P9c around for when my gf gets her CHP; I think it'll be perfect for her and the Xgrip will make it a more range-friendly shooter.

Thanks for the info.  I'll look into that slide release.

Have you shot it yet? I'm taking my CCW class this Sat and put a Raven holster on order last week. I figure the holster will be done
shortly after I actually get my CCW from the Sheriff.... LOL

I bought my wife the XDm 3.8 for Xmas two years ago and I love that pistol. I really want the XDm9c for CCW. That's what I ordered
the holster for.

Have you shot the XDm yet? DO you have a CCW holster for it? Can you show some pictures?

-ZA

Yeah I have an MTAC. I've been carrying my M&P9c but this XDm9c is exactly what I've been wishing for so I'm going to order an XDm 3.8 body for my MTAC. I haven't shot it yet and I'm waiting to shoot it until I get my new upper from AIM so I can't test both since Leeds is about 90min away. I also managed to trade my medium and large mag spacers on XDTalk for smalls and picked up 2 more 19rd mags. I also ordered rubberized grip decals from Xtreme-grips since I didn't really like the XDm grip as it was. I'll post some pics in the morning.

Sweet... can't wait to see the pictures.

-ZA

Here are some new pics with the rubberized Xtreme-grips decals installed(I didn't use all of them).

Man that looks SWEET! Hows the texture of those inserts? Is it a grippy sort of rubber or something or
more like skateboard tape?

-ZA

They're not the skateboard grip tape, though they sell it in that material as well. I wanted something less aggressive and more comfortable. It's rubberized and feels very similar to an M&P's backstrap.

I too missed the extra magazine deal.  I was waiting for SA to release the XDmc but the timing didn't work out for me to buy one when the deal was going on.  Now I'm in the market for one but want to hold out for another deal.

They only do free mag deals like that to clear out inventory (end of year, end of model production) so I think your out of luck. You can find the gun for $499+s/h though!

I finally got the opportunity to shoot it today, ran 100rds of 115gr fmj and 33rds of 124gr+P GDHP through it, not one failure, it shot exactly as I hoped, and will definitely become my new carry gun once I run a couple hundred more rounds through it!

The Xtreme-grip rubberized decals are great. My only complaint now is loading these mags is a b*tch; I actually had to use the mag loader because my thumb was killing me.

I ordered a couple 17rd M&P mags and a couple X-grip extensions. I'll probably end up giving the M&P to my gf once she gets her CHP.