Ok, so I'm paying off all my credit cards and rolling my pennies. The reward is a new 45 acp stupid-high cap plastic wonder pistol, bought in cash, in about six months when I pay my bills off. I have a glock 36 for concealed carry, and I'm selling everything else right now and starting over. That said, how do these pistols compare for people that have shot/own all of them?

I axed the FN because I handled it and it was not comfortable at all. I've owned an HK USP 45 and it didn't do much for me. Again, too big. Was accurate, but not comfortable. I'm not considering the HK45 because of the price and cost of mags. Maybe one day, but not anytime soon.

Glock 21 SF; I've never shot or held one. Usually doublestack Glocks (except the 19) are too thick for me to get my hands around and shoot well. I like my Glock 36 and shoot it well, but only, I think, because it is so thin. The plus is the lower cost, wide assortment of aftermarket parts and accessories, and now, the Kriss manufactured mag extensions that make reliable 30 rnd mags a possibility.

XDM 45; Shot an original XD 45 at a SA Inc clinic a few years ago. Shot it well. Felt more comfortable and I shot it better than regular double stack glocks. It looks like there are aftermarket parts, with accessories slowly becoming more widely available. Again, there are mag extensions available to make 16 rnd mags. As a plus, I've already had positive experience with SA Inc customer service with my 1911, so I have confidence if I have any trouble with one, they will take care of it.

M&P 45; I shot one, and was underwhelmed. Only got to fire one round though, so I might be willing to give it another shot. I also don't know which grip insert was installed. With this one, I know there are aftermarket parts and accessories readily available. Capacity is kind of weak. Made in US is nice.

Am I missing an angle? Does anyone else have any input?

Of those three to choose, I would choose M&P. I sold off all the Glocks and switched to M&P's and will never look back. For those who shoot the Glocks nice, more power to you. The point-ability of Glocks are non existent, for me. The M&P again, for me, is the closest thing to a 1911 grip I know of. It's point-ability is so natural. My M&P pistols have never failed in thousands of rounds out of a .40fs and .40c. I couldn't say the same for my .40 caliber Glocks. With the advent of Apex, their trigger upgrades make the M&P trigger the closest thing to a 1911 trigger available in a polymer pistol. With the Apex Ram the reset is solid. XD, I wouldn't even consider an XD for anything other than a range toy. I don't like that you cannot manipulate the slide without pressing the grip safety. That's a killer for me. Maybe not to you. Good luck and let us know which one you get.

I went from XD to Glock to M&P.  I still have Glocks, but unless they come out with something completely new, I'll be buying more M&Ps.

no  sounds like you have it all

Yeah, the magazine capacity sucks for the M&P, and the extended mags are the most retarded-looking abominations out there. That said, they're totally reliable and I have one loaded in my basement for home defense.

I don't have any experience with the XD(m) in .45acp but I do love mine in 9mm.

I have two G21SFs and both are awesome. No complaints, but if you don't like Glock double-stacks, you certainly aren't going to be comfortable with the 21sf. It's not much smaller a circumference than the regular 21, which is the largest gun the Glock makes.

For me, I vote G21sf, but you gotta check 'em all out.

I had an xd9sc which SEEMED heavier empty than a g19 loaded.  It shot great and everything, but I prefer a Glock.  You won't go wrong with any of your choices.  Just try them all and see which you like best


Edited due to auto correct :(

I was going to get a G 21sf. Right up until I found out the local store had no g21's and i couldn't get a decent grip on it.They then said that they could get an sf for me but there wasen't a huge difference in the grips,  So if you feel the double stack 9mms are too wide your not going to like the 21. I ended up getting a m&p .45 and with the small insert its great.

Owned all you mentioned and the M&P 45 was my favorite. I agree similar to a 1911 grip which is my favorite. ALL are good choices and will serve you well, pick what YOU like the best!

Have had both Glock and S&W.  Prefer the Glock but the grip on the S&W fits a lot more people.  Shoot the Smith some more, it will grow on you.  Both are great guns.  Don't
know anything about the Springers, have always had glocks and a couple of SW M&Ps.

I have only shot the M&P 45. Give it another try, it grew on me quickly.

Faced with a similar decision between G21SF and M&P midsize 45, I went with an HK45C.

A little more money, but a damn nice shooting pistol. If you want full size, consider the HK45.
It was definitely worth the extra cost in my opinion.

Oddly enough, I had one and couldn't shoot it worth a damn versus my 1911. However, I only put about a hundred rounds through it. Maybe I was just not used to the sight picture? I might try the HK45 eventually, I just wanted to try some other Kool-aid for awhile. Looks like everyone is pointing towards the M&P...

personally, I would keep it to one platform, and since you have a 36 the practical choice would be the 21SF (in RTF2 if you can find one).

The M&P would be my 2nd choice, but for the reason above I kept with the Glock, a platform i know and trust.

If size is an issue, I think the M&P45 is going to be the best fit.  With the medium backstrap, it is feels like a full-size 9mm like a 92FS/M9.   It is more of a mid-size gun than the G21 or FNP-45.

I've owned the FNP-45 and now own the G21SF.  THe FNP-45 size wasn't that bad, but the trigger reach was too long even for my monkey-hands.  It was fine in single-action though.

The G21SF obviously has the best trigger reach.  The 21 does feel like a 2x4, but the 21sf really does feel much better in all the right places.  Still a large gun, but really an improvement.  I also prefer keeping everything one platform, and it compliments my G19 quite well.

Rough Texture Frame

G21SF has better capacity than a M&P 45, feels good in the hands, many parts and accessories in the market and even a caveman can smith it. The M&P feels a bit better in the hand but has a 10 round mag capacity vs the G21SF 13 round mag and you can't smith it yourself. HK45 feels great in hand and the HK45C feels better, but I don't like that the HK45 has a 10rd capacity and magazine prices are ridiculous. I have a HK 45 USP and for me it is a great gun and very accurate.

I have zero experience with the S&W, but own an XD(m) in both 9mm and .45 ACP and a G21SF.  

The XD(m) in 9mm is one of my all-time favorite handguns and has been very reliable and accurate.  

The .45 ACP version has also been accurate and reliable, and also feels very good to my large (size 12) hands.  However, the recoil of the XD(m) in .45 ACP feel significantly harsher than the recoil of the G21SF, when shooting the exact same loads.  Not enough to be troublesome, but I can personally shoot the Glock more quickly on multiple shots, controlled pairs, and hammers.  I am not certain why this is, but it may be the higher relationship of the bore to the grip on the XD(m) that creates this condition for me.  Keep in mind that I have large hands and the G21SF fits my hand quite well.

When shooting my XD(m) in 9mm and comparing it to my G17 and/or G34, I don't notice as much difference in recoil.

Either the Glock or the Springfield are good guns in .45 ACP caliber.  Given your comment about having difficulty with larger grip sizes, your personal best bet might be the Springfield with the "small" backstrap installed.  However, you may find recoil harder to deal with than the G21SF.  Another advantage to the Glock is staying with the same operating platform, since you carry a G36 on a daily basis.  Looking at it from a different perspective, expanding your skill set with more than one operating platform is always a good thing.  

If you can arrange it, I would suggest making a side by side comparison of the pistols you are considering and them go with the one you personally feel you can shoot best.  I don't think any of the pistols you mentioned would be a bad choice, as long as you can perform with them.  The rime spent doing comparison shopping will be well worth it.

Afterthought:  Isn't Glock making the G21 in the Gen4 version now?  If so, it should have the option of a smaller backstrap, which might solve the problem you have experienced with the Gen3  version.  To my knowledge, Glock doesn't plan on making wholesale changes to the .45 pistols in Gen4 like they did the smaller frame 9mm and .40 S&W versions, so a purchaser of a Gen4 .45 ACP should be able to avoid that rodeo.  I'm not certain of that, and would recommend following up and checking details regarding the particulars of the Gen4 G21 before making a purchase decision.

I got this far and decided you need to buy the G21SF.



If you had a different carry pistol, I'd suggest the M&P 9/10 times, but since your muscle memory is already Glockified, that's what I'd go with in your shoes.

From what you've said right there, you've already decided.

There is a reason this gun is getting the fanfare and accolades it is.

HK45C even better.

I agree.  I have one too and its my favorite.

Go to the range and rent all 3 guns. its only about 10.00 to rent a pistol and just buy one box of ammo from them. thats a total of 50.00 to know which one to buy. you dont know what fits until you shoot it. Youre losing 50.00 but at least you'll know which one you love most.

G21SF is good to go

I personally like the FNP45 over all

I have 2 identical 21SFs with standard mag release and standard glock rail.  They fit my hand like a glove.



However, if you say that the G19 is slightly too big for your hands, then the G21, even the SF is going to be way too big.



I hate the M&P but only because it has a 10 round capacity, that leaves the XDm.  I have never held the .45 version, but the 9/40 is pretty small in the grip.