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Smith & Wesson M&P45 M2.0 45 Auto (ACP) 4.6in or a Heckler & Koch HK45 V1 45 Auto (ACP) 4.46in. Which one would you select for a woods-carry and casual range shooting 45?

And yes I want the thumb safety…

Whichever ...

Assuming you can shoot both equally well I would go with S&W because it is cheaper to replace (about $400 for used one in very good shape). It might be good idea to check with manufacturer is the gun can take the so called "Bear Loads" ie heavy hard cast lead bullets designed for penetration and knockdown power.

I've had both. The S&W was a 1.0 and felt better ergonomically to me. The S&W safety was real "mushy" and I never felt comfortable it would stay "on". Probably fixable. I loaded some Beartooth Bullets 265gr SWCs that chronoed 921 fps and shot into about 1" rested at 25 yds (only shot four - all I had after chronographing). For whatever reason I could never get comfortable with the S&W striker ignition system.

There's some old HK liturature around that states the USP is rated for 45 Super as issued. We run the Super ammo almost exclusively. You can get 12 round mags for the HK (S&W 10 rnd only that I could find). Felt very comfortable carrying the USP with the hammer down (using decocker) and the safety engaged (first shot transition isn't a problem for me. My gun is very accurate but felt big and somewhat boxy to me. Had its twin converted to 460 Rowland by the Rowland folks. Son carries the Rowland while bow hunting elk here in MT.

Both guns weigh the same unloaded (27 oz). The HK is quite a bit more expensive as are parts.

The above is my personal experience and others might vary (probably will).

Paul

The one that fits your hand and naturally points.

The one that fits your hand and naturally points.

This. For me it’s the M&P but I think it comes down to personal preference.

Yep.

I cannot comment about the H&K as I have never handled one, but I have very recently bought a S&W M&P M2.0 Compact .45 ACP. I am well pleased with this pistol. I was initially concerned about it being striker fired as I have never owned one and have preferred in a semi-auto DA/SA operation, like my Beretta M-92F. The trigger actually is better than I thought it would be. Having said that, I am very "persnickity" and want something a little better than what is standard. Additionally, while the three white dot sights are actually quite good, I wanted something a bit better for very low light shooting. So, I ordered a flat polymer trigger with improved sear and spring kit from Apex (ebay) and a Hi Viz tritium replacement night sights (also on ebay) and dropped it off this weekend with my local gunsmith for installation. In reality, I could have lived quite nicely with the gun as is, but I wanted to tweak it to the best it could be for me. The factory trigger was surprisingly good for a striker fired weapon, but it does have a rather long reset. The Apex replacement kit gives you a much shorter reset and what I think is a better feel of a flat trigger. As to the factory sights, they are pretty good, but my eyes are not near as young as they used to be and I have found that a bright green front sight is much easier to see plainly for me, so I ordered Hi Viz green for the front and red for the rear. Your eyes may not need that extra benefit. So far, I have put about 150 rounds through mine with no issues whatsoever. Accuracy is excellent and consistent at 7 yards, the only distance I have shot it at so far. A lot of this was experimenting with various loads for function and velocity (I hand load my ammo). I really like the multiple grip options it comes with to tailor fit it to your hand. It is easy to change and very secure. No concerns at all about the grip coming loose. I do not have the optional safety lever on mine and it is not an issue for me. It is just like having a double action revolver in that regard. Before making my purchase, which I did online, I wondered about that. I realized that I never used the safety lever on my Beretta except as a decocking device, so there really was no difference. I shoot my Beretta first shot double action just like the M&P does every shot. The M&P actually has a safety built into the trigger pull. The Apex replacement trigger has this as well in a little different configuration. I hope this information is useful to you. Bottom line is that if I had to buy another .45 ACP pistol over again, I would again buy just what I did.

Oh, by the way, I failed to mention that the S&W M&P M2.0 is also rated per S&W manual for +P ammo.

Thank you all for your comments. Very helpful…

I’m kinda partial to the HK-45c, my favorite 45 auto. It’s a bit heavier but another favorite is the CZ-97.

With the 45c, the full size HK-45 mags fit fine for a few more rounds.

I've tried lot of 45 Autos over the years; several 1911s, G30s and 21s, the first run M&P Midsize, the PPQ and some others I'm probably forgetting. They're all good pistols and if they fit your hands and shooting style, it'd be hard to pick a bad one.

In 2004 my wife and I had 40 XD service size pistols and my oldest son had the same model in 9mm. Both 40s are still in the family. They all ran trouble-free and were basically ‘3 inches at 25 yards’ pistols. I later saw reviews indicating the XD 45s were more accurate.

More recently I've handled a couple of the XD mod 2 Pistols and I have to say the grip has been improved substantially. I ran across a used ‘XD Mod.2 45 ACP 3.3 Sub Compact’ last week, which was missing the short magazine. The OEM 13 round mag with the grip adapter felt really good in the hand. I made an offer low enough to cover a replacement mag and kill the sales tax.

Dixie the orange Lab says it passes the smell test-

https://www.thesixgunjournal.net/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/20220118_151603.jpg

To get an idea of the size, here it is with my much-carried (and showing it) Airweight 38

https://www.thesixgunjournal.net/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/20220122_090717.jpg

Comparisons to the Glock 30 are inevitable. Glock internal parts are available everywhere but Springfield is stingy as hell with XD parts. These days Ebay is loaded with XD parts. Both pistols weigh about the same, are essentially the same size and both use a 9 round, flush fit magazine. Both also accept the 13 round mags of their fullsize counterpart. The XD’s trigger guard is larger and definitely more ‘glove friendly’. Most of the grip mods I’ve done to Glock 30s are already here; when I point this pistol at something, the sights are aligned and right on the mark. The factory barrel shoots great and handles lead bullets just fine. Sig 22x sights fit XD dovetails, which opens a lot of options.

After light polishing of contact surfaces and a little oil, the trigger settled at 4 1/2 pounds with a pretty clean break. I test drove it with my bulk +P 45 ACP reload using the Bear Creek 230 grain flat point. Plinking steel to 50 yards showed excellent accuracy with the POI just a tad left. On the off chance I might hit the diamond plate at 100 yards, I fired 5 shots carefully as I could using both hands. It shoots really well for a compact 45 Auto.

https://www.thesixgunjournal.net/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/20220118_151828.jpg

I like it a lot.

Thanks again…

Been messing with an M&P five inch 40. Interesting pistol and cartridge. 200 grain cast at a thousand times sixteen makes a good mountain pistol. Lightweight compared to an all steel 1911 with enough power and penetration for defensive use. Mine needs a taller front sight and maybe an Apex trigger.
The manual safety is good, might need a little work to get it more positive. It’s an easy fix though.
Almost bought a 45 but I was coerced into a 40 by several five gallon buckets of brass. Scott Hill of hill people gear calls the M&P 2.0, a modern 1911.
I have only shot a few pocket pins with the 40 so far but I’m happy.

I decided-Sportsmen Warehouse had Heckler & Koch HK45 V1 45s for sale on line for $769.99 this AM, so I have one coming. I noticed that this pistol was also available at a number of other Sportsman locations too. For whatever reason, the Bozeman store is no longer one of their e-commerce stores, so I have to drive to Helena to pick it up. But, I think I can suffer through the drive to pick this dandy up.

*YES!!*

When somebody gets a new gun, we ALL get a new gun!

Post some gun and target pics!

Congrats!

LoL, so true.

+1

Will do…

I thought I would pass on a brief update on my HK 45. I initially had a few hiccups (FTE and FTFs) with the first box of Fiocchi Shooting Dynamics Ammunition 45 ACP 230 Grain Full Metal Jacket rounds. I switched to Sellier & Bellot Ammunition 45 ACP 230 Grain Full Metal Jacket and Winchester USA Ammunition 45 ACP 230 Grain Full Metal Jacket and it started to run like a good German sewing machine. I really like this pistol-it is genuinely an excellent piece.

Insofar as accuracy is concerned, I am not a Pistolero, but I am routinely destroying soda cans at 20-25yds, and that works for me. Damn this HK 45 is fun.