I've had mine (9 Compact) for a few months and have only shot about 400 rounds through it. The first thing I noticed at the range was that it is very point-able and more natural to me than any other auto that I've shot, (personal preference). The recoil seems to be less that my Ruger P95.
On the other hand mine also had a very gritty trigger. I used some #7 polishing compound to polish it up a bit and now it's fine. Only took about 15 min to do. If you do some digging around you'll find that not all M&P's have that problem, you should find one that feels smooth at the shop.
To date the only problems I've had, have been that the slide has not stayed open after the last round was fired. This has only happened 2-3 times. I think that it's possibly a ammo issue rather than a problem with the gun.
I looked at the Kahr PM9, Springfield XD, Glock 19, and a CZ 75 compact. All of which are great firearms. For me the selling point of the M&P was how it fit me and the reviews that I read.
Do I like it? Yes. Will you? I don't know.
Check out this forum you can find lots of good info there and won't have to join first.
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