I love my M&P's. My standard 9FS has been my duty gun for 6 years, my 9L is pure shooting awesomeness, the Shield carries like a dream and the 9C...well the 9C is where I think S&W missed the boat. The Glock 19 is not the most popular selling mid-sized handgun because people hate being able to get all 3 fingers the grip. Maybe if I had little hands or someone would make a decent magazine extension for it, but I don't and they don't. Regardless of how the 9C fits you, it does not fit me well. I can make a go of it with a flat full-sized base plate, but I definitely don't love it. The "extended" weird base plate has no hook to it and is still too short for me to get that 3rd finger on. I started trying everything from a MecGar +2/3 for a Beretta 92, to Pearce extension for a Browning HP, to offerings from Taran Tactical and Arredondo. Nothing worked very and none of them felt like a natural extension of the grip. I picked up an Xgrip sleeve (not a fan, too loose and slides around) and an A&G grip sleeve (much better but not very grippy), but both just make my 9C into a 9FS which I already have a couple of. I even contacted a number of extension makers asking for their help, no one was willing. I decided I was just going to trade off the 9C and become an XDm 3.8 Compact fan or maybe a Ruger SR9C owner (if I could keep that safety lever from ever switching on).
Then one day I started comparing a base plate from a SA XD-9 to that of my M&P 9. My gears started turning and I ordered up a Pearce Grip PG-XD+ magazine extension. Some trimming, some sanding, more trimming and more sanding and I got it on. The big obstacle is sanding the top of the plate so the magazine will lock into the gun. It is not as stable as a factory base plate, but not really loose either. Definitely secure enough IMO for defensive use and as tight as the MecGar extension was. I trimmed and sanded some more to try and make it line up cosmetically and so there were no sharp protrusions. It still needs some beautification work but it's on. It feels very good in the hand, very similar to the XDm 3.8 compact with an extension. I loaded it up to 13 rounds with out much effort. I am pretty sure I could have put in that 14th round too (maybe 15th), just didn't have the urge. I tossed it on the carpeted floor and nothing bad happened. I dropped it on the tile flooring, no mass ejection of rounds. I let it sit overnight and the mag did not explode. I hand cycled the 13 rounds through it (safely) and loaded it up again.
Next week I intend to take it out and put 100-150 rounds through it, although I have no reason to believe it won't function just fine. If it works well I might start work on a couple more. If not, well then I might have to go to a local gun shop and just trade it in. Or maybe I will get my fellow 9C owners to make a run at Pearce Grip and request they make a dedicated +2/3 extension for the 9C. Even if the 9C fits your hands, who wouldn't want a 14/15 round mag for their 9C?
Then one day I started comparing a base plate from a SA XD-9 to that of my M&P 9. My gears started turning and I ordered up a Pearce Grip PG-XD+ magazine extension. Some trimming, some sanding, more trimming and more sanding and I got it on. The big obstacle is sanding the top of the plate so the magazine will lock into the gun. It is not as stable as a factory base plate, but not really loose either. Definitely secure enough IMO for defensive use and as tight as the MecGar extension was. I trimmed and sanded some more to try and make it line up cosmetically and so there were no sharp protrusions. It still needs some beautification work but it's on. It feels very good in the hand, very similar to the XDm 3.8 compact with an extension. I loaded it up to 13 rounds with out much effort. I am pretty sure I could have put in that 14th round too (maybe 15th), just didn't have the urge. I tossed it on the carpeted floor and nothing bad happened. I dropped it on the tile flooring, no mass ejection of rounds. I let it sit overnight and the mag did not explode. I hand cycled the 13 rounds through it (safely) and loaded it up again.
Next week I intend to take it out and put 100-150 rounds through it, although I have no reason to believe it won't function just fine. If it works well I might start work on a couple more. If not, well then I might have to go to a local gun shop and just trade it in. Or maybe I will get my fellow 9C owners to make a run at Pearce Grip and request they make a dedicated +2/3 extension for the 9C. Even if the 9C fits your hands, who wouldn't want a 14/15 round mag for their 9C?
