am i the only one who likes the first gen s&w 9c compact pistols?

[greencobra]

i never see them mentioned much except in the classifieds. i picked up one pre-owned at fourseasons several years ago. i was looking for a compact 9, the glock 26 was more than i wanted to pay then, and saw carl had the 9c showing on his used page. the price was too good to be true, i figured it was a typo. iirc, i paid like 329 for it but it came with 4 extra mags and all had those after market pinky extenders. so with the 2 factory mags and 4 extras, all with the extenders...no box...but i thought i did very well. i called smith and they sent a new blue plastic box and all papers that would have came with it. i got a blank box inventory tag also, of course minus the bar code. i had to write in my own info and stick it to the box if i wanted. oh, and in the box were the 3 backstraps. my gun game without a large and small, the med was on it. i fully expected to pay, gave them a card over the phone but they never rolled it. so right off the bat i was happy and hadn't fired a shot yet. oddly, i never carried it because i got a shield soon after. but shot the hell out of it at the range and will start to use it as a daily driver as soon as my new holster comes in.

i then got a bug up my butt for a .357sig m&p compact and hunted around. those seemed to be all down south sitting used in shops. and every shop i contacted wanted a walk in sale, they wouldn't ship to a ffl. i ended up buying a .40c and got a storm lake .357sig barrel. i like the concept of the little compact in .357sig and it's a whipper snapper to shoot with loaded up .357's but a ton of fun. ballistically, (is that a word?) you don't really gain anything but the mentioned fun.

both are super accurate for my purposes out to 25 yards but i wouldn't call either tack drivers. i think next range trip i'll rest them to 50 for fun. my 2 pistols, both the 9 and 357sig, are very reliable feeders and get the spent cases up and out with no strain. factory and reloads. all the 357 sees is reloads now with new starline brass. and mostly reloads in the 9 now also. my plan is to carry with hornady critical defense just because i have a bunch, they feed well and groups are tight. good enough reasons i guess.

and for the record, i hate the full size m&p's. can't pin it down, just never took to them. although i own one of those walther made full size m&p .22's. it's alright as far as plinkers go.

 

[jron]

The only thing I hated on the Gen 1 was the trigger. Awful, I’m not one to replace triggers. But the new trigger in the shield plus is fantastic

 

[StevieP]

Love mine.

M&P9c w/ APEX DCAEK + RAM.

I've got free-state 15-round magazines for it after moving from MA to NC.

EDC in a Crossbreed SuperTuck.

Ultra reliable. Accurate enough.

 

[Echo 225]

I think my SW M&P9c just as good as my G19
Can’t wait to read the reply’s

 

[SeanT]

I got an M&P 9c shortly after they came out and a crossbreed super tuck for it. After getting the Apex trigger kit, it’s my carry when I want one.

I think there are a few reasons they’re not talked about a lot. First off, the factory trigger was atrocious. It was fairly universal that everyone hated it, plus people were frustrated to buy something knowing it would need a fix right out of the box. Second, it felt like not long after the 9c came out they started building up the Shield line. IMO it really pulled the rug out from the regular M&P line. The folks who might have gone for the 9C instead went the Shield route.

 

[LuvDog]

I had one with an apex, traded it and missed it. Bought a new one… immediately sold it because of the awful stock trigger.

Wanted one again and bought a brand new one with an apex and Im still happy with it

 

[AFAR/PFAR]

I think my SW M&P9c just as good as my G19
Can’t wait to read the reply’s

I carried an M&P 9C for years(bought it in 09) and shot it better than my G19s.

Sold the M&Ps as I pretty much pure fleeted to Glocks for winter carry and Sig for summer.

 

[nutsym16]

Yes

 

[wmass]

Had I not come across a g27 at the time I would have got the m&p c. Trigger aside I think it was a solid offering from s&w.

 

[67ray]

I got an M&P 9c shortly after they came out and a crossbreed super tuck for it. After getting the Apex trigger kit, it’s my carry when I want one.

I think there are a few reasons they’re not talked about a lot. First off, the factory trigger was atrocious. It was fairly universal that everyone hated it, plus people were frustrated to buy something knowing it would need a fix right out of the box. Second, it felt like not long after the 9c came out they started building up the Shield line. IMO it really pulled the rug out from the regular M&P line. The folks who might have gone for the 9C instead went the Shield route.

This is the same that happened with the Sig 320 compact and the 365 line

 

[StevieP]

I prefer the double-stack M&P9c vs a shield or many of the other, smaller guns. I have big hands and like that I could change the back of the grip to fit my hands.

Has anyone changed out the sights to something they like?

 

[EJFudd]

I'm a fan as well. Sold my Shields... kept my M&P9c.

 

[Len-2A Training]

I do. I bought an M&P 9c (1st gen) from another NES'r who had Dave Santurri do a 4.5# trigger job on it (long before commercial trggers were available for it). I had Dawson fiber-optic front sights installed on this gun and my other M&Ps. It's been my daily carry for >10 years.

 

[meh]

Has anyone changed out the sights to something they like?

No, but I blacked out the white dots on the rear sight. That helped me a lot. I like the 9c with the Apex DCAEK. I bought it about 6 years ago, I guess. It was the most compact, readily-available choice that gave me 10+1 in Massachusetts at the time. I shot my brother's Glock 19 and liked it, too. I like this size in polymer striker-fired pistols. Smaller ones, like the LC9s I actually carry, can be a bit snappy when you're trying to put double-taps on target. I'm not sure what it is about the pistols larger than the 9c and G19 that I enjoy less, but feel like the longer slide makes me more aware of the cycling action as something other than just a recoil impulse. I'm not sure if that makes sense.

 

[zmd]

I have traded 3 of these pistols off over the years and regretted it every time. Put Apex triggers in all of them. I just picked up my 4th 9c from a great member here about a month ago. Gonna hold onto this one for a while . I know Smith made a million of these pistols,but I feel like they are going to become more and more scarce to come by . Also I am referring to the gen 1 version

 

[mac1911]

i never see them mentioned much except in the classifieds. i picked up one pre-owned at fourseasons several years ago. i was looking for a compact 9, the glock 26 was more than i wanted to pay then, and saw carl had the 9c showing on his used page. the price was too good to be true, i figured it was a typo. iirc, i paid like 329 for it but it came with 4 extra mags and all had those after market pinky extenders. so with the 2 factory mags and 4 extras, all with the extenders...no box...but i thought i did very well. i called smith and they sent a new blue plastic box and all papers that would have came with it. i got a blank box inventory tag also, of course minus the bar code. i had to write in my own info and stick it to the box if i wanted. oh, and in the box were the 3 backstraps. my gun game without a large and small, the med was on it. i fully expected to pay, gave them a card over the phone but they never rolled it. so right off the bat i was happy and hadn't fired a shot yet. oddly, i never carried it because i got a shield soon after. but shot the hell out of it at the range and will start to use it as a daily driver as soon as my new holster comes in.

i then got a bug up my butt for a .357sig m&p compact and hunted around. those seemed to be all down south sitting used in shops. and every shop i contacted wanted a walk in sale, they wouldn't ship to a ffl. i ended up buying a .40c and got a storm lake .357sig barrel. i like the concept of the little compact in .357sig and it's a whipper snapper to shoot with loaded up .357's but a ton of fun. ballistically, (is that a word?) you don't really gain anything but the mentioned fun.

both are super accurate for my purposes out to 25 yards but i wouldn't call either tack drivers. i think next range trip i'll rest them to 50 for fun. my 2 pistols, both the 9 and 357sig, are very reliable feeders and get the spent cases up and out with no strain. factory and reloads. all the 357 sees is reloads now with new starline brass. and mostly reloads in the 9 now also. my plan is to carry with hornady critical defense just because i have a bunch, they feed well and groups are tight. good enough reasons i guess.

and for the record, i hate the full size m&p's. can't pin it down, just never took to them. although i own one of those walther made full size m&p .22's. it's alright as far as plinkers go.

When you say 1st gen I thought of the model 39. Great gun

 

[commodon]

I bought a gen1 40c several years ago, as well as the SW 9mm and .357SIG Stormlake barrels. I subsequently dropped in an Apex trigger and replaced the sights with Trijicon.

I regularly shoot with the 9mm barrel and I've easily put 8,000 rounds through it with only one jam. It fits me well and I find it to be accurate. I periodically swap the barrel to 357 when I feel the need to feel a little more "punch". Rarely do I use the fotay, but it's there if I want it.

It was my daily carry up until I bought a Shield, which I prefer for it's smaller width as a daily carry. I have no complaints. It works for me.

 

[thesyguy]

My first gun purchase was a 9C. Added an Apex trigger, Storm Lake barrel and a Crimson Trace laser grip. Have carried it daily for almost a decade, have fired over 18,000 rounds through it, and still love it. It shoots everything I put in the chamber. My group of shooting buddies refer to it as the garbage disposal. Will never part with it.