Smith and Wesson M&P 9c Compact

Recently I was offered an amazing deal on a pistol.  The pistol in question, the S&W 9c.  I have fired S&W pistols before, knew about them but never owned one.  It was too good to pass up so I am now the proud new owner of a S&W 9c.  This is a full factory settings gun.  No aftermarket sights, triggers.  No custom coatings, stippling or anything.  Before I owned it my buddy had fired probably 100 rounds though it.  It was clean and solid so I am very happy.

At first sight I liked the lines of the pistol.  It looked mean, it looked smooth and fit my hand well.  The magazine was too short and my pinky finger wrapped around the bottom of the mag, but the rest of the grip felt molded to my hand.  Spoiler alert - This is the only drawback I found for this pistol.  I had been looking for a compact for every day carry but still wanted to keep the full sized punch.  The shield was an option but single stack guns usually get lost in my paws.

The polymer frame and stainless steel slide, covered with a factory Armornite® finish, it fits seamlessly and weighing in at just over 24 ounces it is very well balanced and light enough to shoot for a while comfortably.  The S&W 9c action is smooth, the slide racks and loads flawlessly.  There is a small Picatinny-style rail up front, no light as of yet but it is nice to know its ready.   The ambidextrous slide catch is a nice touch.  As a former tactical pistol instructor I learned a long time ago to shoot and manipulate any weapon with both hands.  It makes teaching South-Paws easier and helps them catch on quicker.  

with the 12 round mag included

 The only downside to this gun was the short 12-round mag.  After a little research I found Xgrips.  These are well basically a spacer between the end of the magazine and mag well.  I nabbed a couple full sized S&W magazines and a couple Xgrips.  The fit makes this a whole different game.  Now this pistol fits my hand like a true glove.  Yes it stick out more and I guess some would not consider it compact anymore, but I am a big guy and I can still strap it in my Muddy River TacticalIWB holster and its still concealed.

Full size mag with the Xgrip

I grabbed some ammo and headed for my local range.  Palmetto State Armory has opened a new store near me in Summerville SC and their indoor range is top notch.  I set up my target at the 15 yard line and lined up the sights and gave her hell.  The recoil was typically 9mm but the recovery seemed instant.  I was able to fire three rounds in quick succession and all the rounds stayed in a small four inch group.  I was slapping the trigger, just seeing what it would do.  I was impressed.  I controlled my breathing, lined up my sights and worked through all the drills I knew.   

At the 15-yard line my grouping was nice.  The gun became an extension and my shots went where I wanted them.  

Love shooting the gun

After about 40 rounds I felt I had a pretty good feel more my new pistol.  I reloaded and finished up an even 100 rounds and there was a bang after each and every trigger pull.  Every round loaded, fired and ejected like clockwork.  Not one stoppage the entire time.  The full sized mags worked seamlessly, the Xgrips made it a perfect fit and gave me that 17+1 round count.  

All in all I give this pistol a 9.9 out of 10 on my personal scale. 

 It is just what I wanted and then some.  If you are interested in checking the S&W M&P 9c out I HIGHLY encourage you to Visit the Summerville PSA, they have them for same and available to shoot on their range.