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View Full Version : New Era of Carry


Shadi Khalil
January 19, 2014, 05:36 PM
Hello all,

I won't go into the long and sordid tale, but recently I came into a S&W M&P 9c. I've fired a couple different full sized models in the past and while I found them to be accurate and reliable, they never really peaked my interest and I certainly never imagined I'd be the owner of one. I've had the M&P for two days now and it's growing on me by the hour and I'm actually considering carrying the thing. For nearly all my gun totting years, I've carried either j-frame revolvers or single stack 9mm (not including my brief 1911 faze). In fact, I've never even owned a semi auto that held more than 8 rounds in the magazine.

It didn't take me long to realize what I'd been missing. The M&P's standard capacity and ambi controls are something I find to be almost luxurious. When it comes to autos, I've either carried kahr's or my P239 (exclusively the 239 for the last 7 months), neither of which are lefty friendly and both are single stack mags. While I've not had a chance to fire the M&P, I've certainly spent a good amount of time fondling it. With the flat base plate mag and the small back strap installed, the M&P feels great in the holster and hand. I can only imagine how nice it will be on the range.

Luckly, my M&P is a later production model and has the updated trigger. That means an reset you can hear and feel. Over all the trigger feels pretty decent and since it's a defensive gun, it doesn't have to a glass rod. However, the triggers design makes it seem a bit wonky which is a tad off putting but I'm sure it's study enough. The rest of the gun seems really well made and the more I look at it, the more I like it. The fish scale slide serrations have always been something I thought looked awful, until I actually tried them. While they may look horrible, they work beautifully. I also feel the same way about the grip frame, not the most attractive pattern but functional as all get out.

My model came with the Crimson Trace later grip/back strap and much to my dismay, it's practically unusable. While the unit itself functions perfectly, just like every other CT product I've ever owned, it's just too dern big to do anything other than look cool. While I don't have the biggest hands, from what I hear/read/see, people of all shapes and sizes feel the same way. Along with the grips being wide on all sides, the actual laser portion really gets in the way of my thumbs forward grip and 4 out 5 draws found my thumb blocking the laser. I've only owned/used grip lasers but not now that I have a rail (another first for me), I'm considering the other CT options.

All in all, I think the M&P 9c makes for a fine carry weapon. I could have easily been given the Sheild but when comparing the two side by side, it seemed like you lose more than you gain with the Sheild. And, as I mentioned before, all I've owned and carried in the past is Sheild like guns so this will be an interesting and change. My main concern now is getting a nice kydex owb paddle holster. Is usually just go with the old stand by comptac but hear really good things about Bravo and Raven concealment. Any opinions? Thanks for reading, I'll be sure to follow up after I'm able to shoot it. Here's some pics of the the M&P compared to the P239 it will more than likely replace as an edc.

http://i260.photobucket.com/albums/ii22/teif666/mp1-1.jpg (http://s260.photobucket.com/user/teif666/media/mp1-1.jpg.html)

http://i260.photobucket.com/albums/ii22/teif666/mp2-1.jpg (http://s260.photobucket.com/user/teif666/media/mp2-1.jpg.html)

http://i260.photobucket.com/albums/ii22/teif666/MP5.jpg (http://s260.photobucket.com/user/teif666/media/MP5.jpg.html)

http://i260.photobucket.com/albums/ii22/teif666/MP4.jpg (http://s260.photobucket.com/user/teif666/media/MP4.jpg.html)

http://i260.photobucket.com/albums/ii22/teif666/mp3.jpg (http://s260.photobucket.com/user/teif666/media/mp3.jpg.html)

Shadi Khalil
January 19, 2014, 05:38 PM
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