I have been a life long fan of S&W revolvers and own a number of them from 1905 to a new 642 I own a 39-2 that is still in the box although I always carry either the 642 or one of the three model 36's I own things around Birmingham Alabama have been heating up and really want some thing with a little more firepower than a 5 shot revolver. I am a retired LEO (35 years) about 25 of those as a range Officer or Range Master. I really would like opinions on the M&P compact 9mm it seems very comfortable in my hand but would like to hear from folks who have actually shot the guns. Thanks in advance!

In my case, I bought my 9c as a replacement when the Chief said I could no longer carry my 3913. They are roughly the same size and since I got mine from an LE only retailer I was able to get 3, 12 round magazines so since I carry 2 mags off duty, I still have 37 rounds of +P+ Ranger T Series at my fingertips.

Accuracy? It is more accurate than my 3913 and far more accurate than my duty issue Glock 21. At 15 feet (with a rest) I can put 25 rounds into a one to one and a half inch hole ... off hand, during qualifications (timed fire), I group them into an 8 inch circle at ranges from 3 feet (hip shot) to 30 feet (double taps to the chest). My target's "chest" is so full of bullet holes that at 50 feet, I aim for and hit, the lower abdomen, just so the rounds can be seen and scored.

Trustworthy? Foolish, but the first rounds EVER fired from my 9c were during qualification, there wasn't enough time between purchase and requals to properly "break in" the gun. Now two years later, I have had exactly ONE mis-feed due to an oversized reload that only fed halfway into the chamber and had to be persuaded with a wood dowel down the barrel from the muzzle end (AFTER the gun was field stripped). Other than that, not a single hiccup or burp from the plastic fantastic.

I do plan on switching out the stock sights for some TFO sights, but that is just personal preference. With my eyes getting older, I'm starting to really need the high-viz sights. Otherwise there is nothing wrong with the factory trijicon sights (other than to me, they don't glow very well in the dark).

My opinion? Get the 9c, you won't be disappointed.

__________________
Don

My 9c is probably my favorite carry gun. I carry it in a Alien Gear
IWB #3 holster about 5 oclock and forget it's there. With two 17
round full size mags with xgrip adapters in a home made, in the
pocket mag holder, I have 47 rounds of 124 gr Hornady FTX +P
on tap if needed. I have other guns I carry depending on dress
and time of year but the 9c is the one that gets carried the most.
If I could only have one hand gun, the 9c would probably get the
call.
Dano

__________________
70 yr old TET Survivor: 68-69

Yes have been shooting it for about 2 1/2 years, many many rounds the only thing I could find wrong with it is the way it will throw the casing back at my head from time to time.
& thats it , great pistol.

Some complain about the trigger but I find mine quite shootable and a bit easier to carry than a Glock 19

__________________
K & N S&W revolvers

A 9c has been my main carry gun for the last almost 4 years. Got it for $455 w/ night sights and 3 mags from local police supply joint.

__________________
M&P .40, M&P 9c & Shield 45

I just picked up a new M/P com in 9mm it has all the updates and was built mid 2016 came with 3 mags and fact night sights . I think it was a new L/E gun left over .. I had one a while back and it was a tac driver .

M&P .40C here, and nothing but good to say. Thousands of rounds through it without issue.

I bought a Storm Lake 9mm barrel for it, and while it works pretty well, I've had feeding issues and would never rely on it for more than playing around.

The M&PC is top notch! Having used 1911's forever, most all of the plastic guns feel thick to me. I know its not S&W, and its a bit bigger, but a CZPCR has pretty much replaced my M&P for carry. Just throwing it out there, the M&P will do the job!

I rotate my 9C with my shield 9.
I had the trigger done on mine (****** mass triggers)
and once that was done this thing has become a tack driver.
I have nothing but good to say about this firearm, it's easy to shoot , accurate,
easy to carry and has been 100% reliable. In over 1000 shots of all different
brands of ammo and different grains I don't think I can think of one malfunction yet.
My shield is a lot pickier about ammo than this thing is.

I also have a 9 compact and love it. It's one of my carry and house guns. Have shot it successfully in my IDPA matches as well. Good gun for the money IMO.

__________________
Guns + Dogs= Bliss

I always carry a .45 pistol. I do not care for 9 mm.

I am hoping the OP decided back in 2015 which gun to go with. But just in case he didn't the M&P 9C is an excellent gun.

Bought one for my Wife in May of 2014 and it's been fantastic. The M&P grip (angle and comfort) is certainly one of the best, and the pistol is very concealable. I'm guessing we've put about 1000 rounds through it so far (as my wife doesn't shoot very often), and it's been 100% reliable with a mixture of ball and hollow point self-defense ammo. I own a Glock 19, which is very "size efficient" for it's magazine capacity. I'd say the M&P 9c has equivalent size efficiency, as it's a bit smaller and lighter than the G19 and carries a very respectable 12 rounds in a flush fit magazine. The out of the box trigger on hers was decent for the M&P series, but I went ahead and installed an Apex trigger shoe (no springs or sear work done), as I don't care for the M&P hinged trigger design - although it's perfectly functional with the stock trigger. If you're strongly considering the M&P 9c, you might want to wait just a bit to see if S&W updates to the newer m2.0 design of their full size models.

As for the outdated argument of 9mm vs. .40 S&W vs. .45 ACP, well it's just that - outdated. A good modern self-defense 9mm round has been readily demonstrated to be as effective as other common carry pistol calibers. Unless you want to go up in size to 10mm or .44 mag, 9mm will get the job done as good as anything else. I'll take 12 (plus 1) rounds of 9mm in an M&P 9c over 8 rounds of .45 ACP in a 1911 any day. I don't see very many people volunteering to be shot with a .22LR round, let alone a 9mm.

Edit - didn't see this was originally posted way back in 2015 until after I responded. Oh well, the information is still accurate.

Does anyone offer a slightly longer magazine for the Compact? I had a chance to handle one today for the first time, and I really like the gun, but even with the mag with the "pinky" hook, it just doesn't fit my hand. I don't really care about extra capacity.

I think the only other option (besides the pinky extension) is to get a full size M&P 9 magazine and use an X Grip sleeve. However, that will transform the grip height into the same dimension as the full size pistol. I have 3 full size magazines - 2 of which have a grip sleeve. My Wife uses the M&P 9C for home defense with the full size magazine and grip sleeve. Replace the full size mag with the compact mag and it's back to a readily concealable size.

The MecGar +2 extension fit. There is a thread about it on the first or second page of this subforum.

I had to seriously undercut my M&P9C to get it to fit my hand.

Thanks. I'm going back and forth between the full size and the C, and you're right, if I can't make the C fit, I may as well get the full size.

Thanks, I'll check that out.

I am extremely happy w/ my 9c. Wife has a G19 and it has more capacity but it is also larger and heavier. And w/ my 14 rnd mag per Raisin's technique, I am only one rnd short of the G19 now. I much prefer the shape of the M&P grip.

Here are three pictures of my 9c with the Mec-Gar +2 (MAG-380-075) extension modified to fit the 9c and one with my 9c on top of my Shield with 8 round magazine. One of just the gun with extension and one with my hand on it to show how it fits me. With the +2 extension it is the same length as the 9c with the pinky extension. It's perfect for me and I am extremely happy with it. The only other option that I know of is the the 17 round magazine with the X-grip sleeve. Perhaps you should consider the Shield 9 which has a longer grip than the Compact. As you can see in the picture the Shield grip with 8 round magazine is 1/4" longer than my 9c with the +2 grip extension. You can get Hyve +2 extensions for the shield that will extend it even more.
DSC01335.jpg DSC01337.jpg DSC01341.jpg

Thanks for going to that trouble, Raisin - good info. The next time we go to the range, I'm going to shoot my friends Shield and see how it feels to me.

I prefer to shoot my 9c but it is too heavy and bulky for me to carry at only 5' 3" and 135 pounds. I bought the 9c to be my carry gun after shooting 100 rounds through one and thought it would be just great. After carrying it only a couple of times I realized I didn't like to carry it. Then I bought the Shield 9 and it is just super to carry. If I think I need more than the standard 8 +1 rounds in it I can always carry extra magazines, which I mostly think is silly since I don't hang out in areas where I expect a war to break out.