New Member Review of M&P 9c

[RRVII]

Hello All. I am a new member to this forum and would like to first say what a valuable resource this is. I have not been a "gun guy", so extensive reviw of the information posted here aided in my decision of what gun, ammuntion and carry method I ultimately chose. I thought I would try to "give back" by posting a review from someone is is relatively new to the gun world of the M&P 9c that I purchased including my experiences in carrying it with a MTAC Minotaur holster.

After reviewing much of the information on this forum, particulary the information posted by DocGKR, I decided that I wanted to go with 9 mm for my carry gun. I felt there were many compelling reasons to go that route (less expensive ammo, easier to shoot, etc.). I narrowed my choices down to a select few and took the advice of the members on this forum by trying them out to see what felt best in my hand and what I shot best.

My final choice ended up being the M&P 9c with no safety and I have to say I could not be happier. I have found this gun to be very accurate and much easier to shoot than the snubnose revolver that I already owned. With practice, I am now able to achieve pretty consistent groupings in the 9 and "x" rings of a sillouette target at 7 and 15 yards. This gun is a pleasure to shoot and pretty easy to fire quick double taps on target due to the mild recoil. I have fired about 500 rounds of WWB, Blazer Brass, and Gold Dot 124 +P through this gun so far and have experienced 0 FTE and 0 FTF. I'm no math whiz, but I think 100% reliability so far is pretty good!!!!! I am fortunate enough to work within 5 minutes of an indoor range, so combined with the fact that 9mm ammo is relatively inexpensive, and this gun is a pleasure to shoot, I am getting in weekly to bi-weekly practice sessions on my lunch break.

As for the Minotaur holster, it is very comfortable and concealable in my opinion with this gun. I should note that while the office I work in doesn't have a formal policy against carrying, it would certainly be frowned upon as most of the staff do not hold "pro-gun" political views. I have worn this combination daily for the past several weeks wearing dress pants and a button downed dress shirt tucked in. I have not once been "made" or had anyone question the black c-clips on my belt. In fact, prior to this set-up I was carrying the snub-nose in a tuckable holster and felt the bulge at the belt loop was more visible than this set-up. I think the Minotaur distributes the "bulge" better across the holster as opposed to it being in one spot. With a tucked in dress shirt, I think it really disappears.

As I stated, I couldn't be happier with my decision. Thanks to all of the fine folks on this board for providing such great information. As I type this, my M&P 9c is loaded with 124 +P Gold Dots and hostered away in my Minotaur. Now, just need to plan for my next practice session.

Humbly Submitted,

Randy V.

[Pistol Shooter]

I'm very glad to read your M&P 9C is working out so well for you RRVII.

It's also a plus you can carry at work and not be "made".

My full size M&P 9 has been an excellent pistol so far: very accurate and reliable.

IMO, S&W hit a homerun with this pistol.

[Beat Trash]

Welcome to the forum.

I think you've made a good choice. While there is not one gun that is "the best for everyone", the M&P series is a very good choice.

My agency was one of the first to use the 9mm M&P's. We've had them over 5 years now, and haven't had any pattern of issues arise.

The fact that you can carry while at work, and practice on a regular basis alludes to the fact that you have the proper mindset.

While the M&P9c is a good gun, please remember that it is merely a tool. It is up to you to develop the proper skills, mindset and use appropriated tactics. Sounds like you're on the right path.

Good luck and stay safe.

[.45fmjoe]

Welcome to the forum.

I think you've made a good choice. While there is not one gun that is "the best for everyone", the M&P series is a very good choice.

My agency was one of the first to use the 9mm M&P's. We've had them over 5 years now, and haven't had any pattern of issues arise.

The fact that you can carry while at work, and practice on a regular basis alludes to the fact that you have the proper mindset.

While the M&P9c is a good gun, please remember that it is merely a tool. It is up to you to develop the proper skills, mindset and use appropriated tactics. Sounds like you're on the right path.

Good luck and stay safe.

The agency I will hopefully be working for come summer issues the M&P 40. But, I've heard from some of the guys that they are having issues with them. Stupid things like magazines falling out, which sound like early production issues long since ironed out and they just received the guns from S&W last year...

[.45fmjoe]

I'm very glad to read your M&P 9C is working out so well for you RRVII.

It's also a plus you can carry at work and not be "made".

My full size M&P 9 has been an excellent pistol so far: very accurate and reliable.

IMO, S&W hit a homerun with this pistol.

My M&P9 is a great gun, and I won the "Top Gun" award in my academy with it. I have ~2,000 rounds through it and I have had one malfunction I attribute to ammo. When I fired the shot, it felt different than the rest. Not quite a "pop" of a squib load, but it felt very weak. The spent case was ejected, but the slide obviously didn't travel rearward enough to pick up the next round so it went click instead of bang. A second gen Glock 19 shooter with the same ammo from the same dealer (PMC bronze) had all kinds of problems.

ETA - I was yelled at a lot in my academy for not having a white glove clean pistol. I didn't bother cleaning it but once in the 8 Saturdays we were at the range and that was the first Saturday because they made us break them down and clean them there, to show the guys who had not a clue how to clean a gun. I just kept it lubricated with Slip 200 EWL, and even then I would usually forget to do it during the week and just squirt a little in the slide and work it back and forth a couple times before walking into the building.

[dirksterg30]

Welcome to the forum, Randy. Glad your 9c is working out for you.

If you are leary of people seeing the c-clips on your holster, you might want to take a look at velcro clips. Due to my work environment, I carry my PM9 daily in a C-TAC, shirt tucked in, using the velcro clips. As long as you blouse your shirt a little bit, the gun is invisible. The clips are essentially invisible. The only downside is you will need to have velcro sewn into the inside of your belt. Since the picture below was taken, I cut off the bottom of the v-clips below the velcro (the clips are slightly taller than my belt is.)

[RRVII]

It is this kind of feedback and dialogue that make this forum such a valuable resource.

@ Beat Trash - I really appreciate and wholeheartedly agree with your comments. One the things that really impressed me about this forum was the emphasis on mindset, training, situational awareness, and shot placement first. As far as the tools, simply picking a reliable firearm that you are able to shoot comfortably and accurately in a caliber with acceptable penetration and expansion was something I saw emphasized over and over and greatly helped in making the choices I did. This was a refreshing change from arguments over the best and newest whizbang instant man stopper. I went with the 9mm and chose a carry ammo from Dr. Roberts' list that was reliable and accurate in my firearm and never looked back.

I also think its important to not only look at your firearm as a tool, but also not the only tool in the box. In the field that I work, I teach classes on verbal de-escalation, conflict resolution, and non-violent crisis intervention techniques. In addition, I also have martial arts training. All of those things may be the right tool in a given situation, but none are the perfect tool for all situations. Situational awareness and the choosing the right tool for the job are critical. Thanks again for your feedback and stimulating this conversation.

@ dirksterg30 - I have considered getting the v-clips and may still do so at some point. Right now I am not too concerned about the c-clips, but if I had it to do over, I may have just gotten the standard clips. I don't think they would be much more visable. For now, no-one has noticed anyway, so we'll see.