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tpdavis89
12-05-10, 17:27
Review for S&W M&P 9c.

I don't post much and this is my first review…so be gentle ;)
.
I’ve been searching for a new carry weapon for EDC/CCW. After much research including snooping around on way too many forums, I decided to go the Striker fired polymer frame route.

Nothing wrong with my Sig P226R, just looking for something lighter, more compact, and with a consistent trigger pull.

As far as weapon choices, I settled on either a M&P 9c or a Glock 19. Spend a lot of time renting and shooting back and forth between the Glock and the M&P, but eventually settled on the M&P due to a number of reasons: #1 Size: The M&P Compact was perfect for CCW applications, I could get a full grip on the gun with the extended base plate, #2 Capacity: 12 rounds of 9mm is a lot of firepower in a small package. #3 Fit: the Medium Grip on the M&P just seemed made for my hands!

Now let’s fast forward to last week:

I bought an M&P9c from Buds Police Supply and had it transferred to a brand new Gun Store just a few minutes away from my house…can you spell trouble. Ha ha. Anyway the transfer went without a hitch, which was a relief considering it was my first time buying a firearm sight unseen, much less off a website.

Initial Impressions:
Wow! I forgot how light weight this Pistol was! The fit and finish are great, as to be expected. Trigger was not bad at all. A little gritty, but the trigger pull was very reasonable for a fighting/EDC weapon. Magazines are nice; this M&P is the law enforcement version which came with night sights and three mags.
http://i573.photobucket.com/albums/ss173/tpdavis89/Weapons/PC043210.jpg

Range time:
Today I took the M&P to the range for the first time. The goal was to see which ammo fed reliably and overall build my confidence in my future carry weapon.
Ammo for the tests:
http://i573.photobucket.com/albums/ss173/tpdavis89/Weapons/PC053214.jpg
Now I don’t normally count exact amounts of ammo I fire, however for the purpose of this evaluation I did.

Here is a picture of the ammo chart used at the range:
http://i573.photobucket.com/albums/ss173/tpdavis89/Weapons/PC053215.jpg
http://i573.photobucket.com/albums/ss173/tpdavis89/Weapons/PC053230.jpg


Overall I fired 232 flawless rounds through the M&P9c without a hitch.

100 Rounds: Winchester 115 Gr. White box Target/Range FMJ
50 Rounds: Winchester 124 Gr. NATO FMJ
50 Rounds: Federal 115 Gr. Champion FMJ
7 Rounds: Speer 147 Gr. Gold Dot JHP
25 Rounds Winchester 147 Gr. Personal Protection JHP

Not a single FTF/FTE during the course of fire.

The recoil was almost nonexistent considering how compact and light weight this pistol is.

The extended base plates were a huge plus when shooting the M&P, however I had no trouble with the flush base plate that was installed on one of the three magazines.

Here are three of my targets from today:
1st 3 Magazines through the gun at 20 Feet:
http://i573.photobucket.com/albums/ss173/tpdavis89/Weapons/PC053226.jpg
12 Rounds from 40 Feet:
http://i573.photobucket.com/albums/ss173/tpdavis89/Weapons/PC053227.jpg
50 Rounds of 124Gr. 9mm NATO at 20 Feet:
http://i573.photobucket.com/albums/ss173/tpdavis89/Weapons/PC053228.jpg


Conclusion:

Overall I am extremely happy with my new M&P9c!

As soon as I can get another 250 rounds or so through the gun, and when my Raven Concealment holster gets here new week I plan on retiring the Sig as a CCW Weapon and strapping on the M&P for the foreseeable future.

Special thanks to Budspolicesupply.com and Seminole Firearms in Oviedo, FL for making my purchase and transfer such a good experience.

-Regards
tpdavis89

Irish10
12-05-10, 17:52
Nice work. I traded a S&W 99 compact for a like new M&P 9c from a Seattle PD Detective when they first came out and I think I got the better part of the deal! So far over 8k flawless rounds thru the compact so I'm going to invest in a 357sig compact and give the 9 to my wife for her carry gun. I have the full size 357 with 40 and 9 conversion barrels and absolutely love it. Of course the Apex kit makes a big difference and you might want to consider investing in same. It's a drop in kit that can be done in under a 1/2 hour and will give you an unbelieveable trigger. Enjoy and BTW I bought both my full size LE guns from Buds also. Great service and prices. FWIW, the most accurate JHP round I have found for the 9c is Federal HST 124 or 124+P.

G34Shooter
12-05-10, 18:10
I pick mine up Tuesday :cool:

tpdavis89
12-05-10, 18:17
Irish 10,

After I get a couple more trouble free range sessions in, an Apex DCEAK may be going in and possibly a stipple job down the road too.

I need a Full Size Big Brother for this guy sometime soon too!

h20man
12-05-10, 19:31
Nice, I just got a M&P 9 fullsize froms Budspolicesupply.com on Friday. $409 shipped was the best deal I could find and I am very happy with the gun and service from Buds. So far all I have bought has been 115gr ammo.

96 SS
12-05-10, 19:42
I need a Full Size Big Brother for this guy sometime soon too!
I keep telling myself this as well.

G34Shooter
12-05-10, 20:01
Irish 10,

After I get a couple more trouble free range sessions in, an Apex DCEAK may be going in and possibly a stipple job down the road too.

I need a Full Size Big Brother for this guy sometime soon too!


Yes you do :big_boss:

http://i941.photobucket.com/albums/ad251/SShenaniguns/47e5dd33.jpg

tpdavis89
12-05-10, 20:15
Yes you do :big_boss:

http://i941.photobucket.com/albums/ad251/SShenaniguns/47e5dd33.jpg

Great looking M&P G34Shooter!

This is definitely on my next buy list...then hopefully a BCM Middy :D

RogerinTPA
12-05-10, 20:35
Congrats on your purchase. I've had an M&P9c for a few years now and it is a joy to shoot. I was just about to buy another when I decided to get a DD Light weight middy instead. When you can, I highly advise adding a Crimson Trace laser grip.

GFan
12-05-10, 20:57
I am about to purchase a new M&P Compact but I am having difficulty deciding between the 9c and 40c. A lot of people who have the 40c say the recoil is very minimal . I just wonder if the difference between the 9c and 40c M&P is that noticeable?

dc202
12-05-10, 22:29
I converted my 40c to a 9c after having numerous occasions when the slide would lock back with rounds still in the magazine. A trip back to SW helped but did not eliminate the problem (they installed a stronger slide lock spring). Per postings on the MP forum, I am not the only one who has had this problem with the 40c. Why this is a problem with some 40c guns and not all, cannot say. But I am happy now with this gun in 9mm.

citizensoldier16
12-05-10, 23:14
I sent mine back to S&W for the trigger being gritty and because it was shooting waaaaay high and right at 21 feet. It took them about a week, and when I got it back it shot POA-POI at 21 feet and the trigger feels almost identical to the APEX trigger in my friend's 9c. I'm more than pleased, especially since it was all covered under warranty, including shipping both ways.

Problems identified by S&W included:
1) barrel crowning not to standard (replaced barrel)
2) sights misaligned (aligned to my specs)
3) gritty trigger (trigger job done by S&W tech)

tpdavis89
12-06-10, 07:38
I am about to purchase a new M&P Compact but I am having difficulty deciding between the 9c and 40c. A lot of people who have the 40c say the recoil is very minimal . I just wonder if the difference between the 9c and 40c M&P is that noticeable?

GFan, I think caliber all comes down to preference.

For me 9mm was an easy choice. Recoil with 9mm is noticeably less (which is nice in a small gun), practice FMJ ammo around here is $10 for 9mm and almost $15 for .40s&w, so from a financial standpoint you are basically getting every third box of 9mm for free. Lastly with with the M&P compact you get an extra 2 rounds in 9mm verses the .40 which is also a big plus.

gsxr-fan
12-06-10, 19:56
For your first review, it was very nicely done! Your new M&P will serve you well. I would strongly suggest that you look into stippling the grip and back strap; it doesn't have to be complicated or fancy and you can do it yourself! When you consider all of the mods that you can do (sight, sear, etc), stippling will provide immediate and dramatic improvement when gripping your firearm. And did I mention that you can do this yourself?!?

SWATcop556
12-07-10, 05:49
Thank you for taking the time to put together the write-up. The M&P has quickly become one of my favorite handguns to carry. I have found that the 9mm FS and C I have both prefer and are more accurate with hotter NATO and +p ammo. The single most important mod I have done to my pistols has been a home brewed stipple job. Worlds of difference.

tpdavis89
12-07-10, 08:13
Thanks for the kind words everybody. I really do appreciate this site and all the wealth of knowledge that flows through it.

As soon as Finals are over this week, I'm going to try and update the T&E as I get some more rounds down range. Hopefully the M&P will continue to be as boringly reliable as it was the first 232 rounds :D

So far though I think I've got a winner!

M4arc
12-07-10, 08:15
Nice review! Thanks for sharing.

noops
12-07-10, 11:33
Yah good review. I'm also switching to the 9c. This makes me feel a little better about that. Mostly I carry an old 228 or P7M13, and both have a lot of rounds. Heck, the P7 is 21 now. I'll miss it, but I'm getting a little older and looking for something lighter and easier to carry.

N

redfernsoljah
12-08-10, 23:46
Great review. Now even more out the door just got the full size ordered now need a smaller for carry on light days.

G34Shooter
12-09-10, 07:07
Great looking M&P G34Shooter!

This is definitely on my next buy list...then hopefully a BCM Middy :D


Thanks! I know have my compact and need to have it added to my CCW before I can carry it.

http://i941.photobucket.com/albums/ad251/SShenaniguns/7423502d.jpg

tpdavis89
12-09-10, 08:14
Thanks! I know have my compact and need to have it added to my CCW before I can carry it.

http://i941.photobucket.com/albums/ad251/SShenaniguns/7423502d.jpg

The fact that you have to register which firearms you carry as a CCW in California never made any sense to me. Glad you got a new carry piece though!

On a side note, are you planning on installing the apex parts yourself, and if so how difficult is it?

Whether or not I honestly install the parts myself and not screw up my weapon is the only thing that is stopping me from ordering the apex parts right now.

G34Shooter
12-09-10, 08:17
The fact that you have to register which firearms you carry as a CCW in California never made any sense to me. Glad you got a new carry piece though!

On a side note, are you planning on installing the apex parts yourself, and if so how difficult is it?

Whether or not I honestly install the parts myself and not screw up my weapon is the only thing that is stopping me from ordering the apex parts right now.


The full size was done by Randy at Apex, this one will be installed and recorded by my buddy at www.thepackingrat.net . He did the installation of the RAM and recoded it here:
http://thepackingrat.net/2010/11/02/apex-tactical-specialties-ram-2/


California laws suck but are improving, I rather register my gun on my CCW then not have a CCW like many other areas that can't even get a CCW yet.

tpdavis89
12-09-10, 13:02
Thanks for the link man. I will check out the video as soon as it gets posted. I guess i just need to work up the courage to try it myself.

DoctorTran
02-01-12, 00:02
Thanks for the review. I'm really excited to buy mine.

JSantoro
02-01-12, 17:30
If you didn't have anything to add to the thread besides "thanks," then there was no reason to post in a thread that's over a year old.

Next time, have something to say, and not just the desire to say something. There's a big difference.

DoctorTran
02-01-12, 23:09
Well, Sorry man. I didn't notice the latest post date.