in what i believe to be the conclusion of my search for the best 9mm carry pistol, i purchased a new smith & wesson m&p9c yesterday. it fits my hand very well, offers quite manageable felt recoil, features a good compromise between capacity (12 + 1) and size/weight, and well, it’s a smith & wesson, world renowned for their quality and customer service.

 

 

i cleaned it this morning, and armed with a variety of ammo types, i went off to the range. 212 rounds later, with flawless performance and no failures of any kind, i am quite pleased with my choice. while perhaps not quite as accurate as my sig p6 or s&w 5906, i did very well considering it’s shorter 3.5″ barrel, and the fact that this was my first outing. i can imagine i’ll improve with time.

 

 

cleaning went smoothly, as the gun comes apart fairly easily, and went back together without a hitch.

just as a comparison, i took this shot comparing it to my “j” frame revolver, which i’m not nearly as accurate. just slightly larger, with more than double the capacity.

 

 

and this was the best group at 5 yards. interestingly enough, the magazine without the finger rest performed as well as the one with the finger rest.

 

 

next purchase, additional magazines and a holster…