Smith & Wesson LE M&P9C 9mm Fixed Sights NMS - Blue/Black, 3.5" Barrel, 12 Rounds, Polymer Grips

Great pistol that shoots well, feels good in the hand and has the characteristic fit and finish quality I have come to expect from all of my Smith and Wesson products. I took it to the range yesterday for its maiden voyage and after an initial cleaning (in order to clean off the packing grease and otherwise prepare the pistol for firing) I sent 50 rounds of ball/FMJ 115 grain, followed by 50 rounds of hollow point, ammo down range. The pistol shot/performed flawlessly. What follows below are my detailed observations on the Smith & Wesson LE M&P9C. Mind you, I had never fired this, nor have even held this particular model, before I bought it online. In fact, the closest gun to it I had ever shot before was an M&P 2.0 compact (which is the next larger size than the subcompact here) I had rented about a year and half ago. Now, I do also own a 1st generation M&P Shield and it does also have some similarities to this pistol, too, which I will talk about later.
First, I like the fit and feel of this pistol. It is a little bit larger than both my Gen 5 G26 and my Taurus G2C. Both of which are similar capacity, 13-round pistols--with the use of the extended magazine in the case of the G26. The little extra size and weight of the M&P subcompact does help with recoil and provides a fuller feel in the hand as compared to both those guns. Of course, being an M&P, it has the same 18-degree grip angle as both my Shield and also my SD9VE. The grip angle being similar to the 1911 platform, does make the M&P a more natural pointing pistol. The finish and craftsmanship on the gun are top notch, no visible tool marks as far as I can tell, and I would put it on par with the finish and craftsmanship of my Glocks. The M&P9C came standard with a real nice set of 3-dot sights, which was very easy for me to see and use; and are similar to those on the Shield and SD9VE. The sights are also of steel construction and are very rugged.
Second, the trigger on the M&P9C is nothing to brag about but it works and feels similar to the trigger on my Shield, which is also a 1st generation M&P. The trigger, too, is certainly heavier than the trigger on either of my Glocks or my Taurus but not as heavy as the trigger on my SD9VE. I think the specs for the 1st generation M&Ps include a 6.5 lb. trigger (which sounds about right from my impression shooting this pistol). Although the trigger does have a pretty good break and a block in the trigger guard that prevents over-travel that helps for cleaner and quicker follow up shots. Obviously, being a brand-new firearm, I suspect the trigger will smooth out once the gun is broken in.
One of the annoying things about the pistol (well, actually the magazines) is that it is difficult to load the first round in all 3 of the magazines that came with the gun. I remember this being the same experience with the magazines that came with a M&P Compact 2.0 I had rented and shot a while back at my LGS. In fact, at that time, thinking it was a defect with that particular gun, I brought the matter up to the store owner who confirmed the issue. But said it was normal, explaining it had to do with the way the M&P magazines were designed and also something to do with the feed ramp on the pistol and the magazine follower being such to where it makes for more reliable feeding. Obviously, this is not a deal breaker and perhaps it may get easier to load the first round once the magazines get broken in. Only time will tell.
Overall, I am very pleased with this pistol. Being an unfamiliar firearm, it will take some getting accustomed to/more practice with before I hopefully get dialed in with this gun. But I think S&W has a winner with not only the Here are my observations on the Smith & Wesson LE M&P9C. Mind you, I had never fired this, nor have even held this particular model, before I bought it. In fact, the closest gun I had ever shot before was an M&P 2.0 compact (which is the next size larger than the subcompact here) I had rented about a year and half ago. Now, I do also own a 1st generation M&P Shield and it does also have some similarities to this pistol, too, which I will talk about later.
First, I like the fit and feel of this pistol. It is a little bit larger than both my G26 and my Taurus G2C. Both of which are similar capacity, 13-round pistols--with the use of the extended magazine in the case of the G26. The little extra size and weight does help with recoil and provides a fuller feel in the hand as compared to both those guns. Of course, being an M&P, it has the same 18-degree grip angle as both my Shield and SD9VE. The grip angle being similar to the 1911, does make the M&P a more natural pointing pistol. The finish and craftsmanship on the gun are top notch, too (no visible tool marks as far as I can tell). I put it on par with both my Glocks and well above my Taurus G2C--which has quickly shown wear to the finish and the craftsmanship on that gun isn’t nothing special either. But, after all, the Taurus is a budget gun.
The M&P9C came standard with a real nice set of 3-dot sights, which was very easy for me to see and use; and are similar to those on my Shield and SD9VE. The sights are also of steel construction and are very rugged.
Second, the trigger on the M&P9C is nothing to brag about but it works and feels similar to the trigger on my S&W Shield. The trigger, too, is certainly heavier than the trigger on either of my Glocks or my Taurus but not as heavy as the trigger on my SD9VE. [I think the specs for the 1st generation M&Ps include a 6.5 lb. trigger (which sounds about right from my impression today), which has since been lightened up to the point where the weight (as well as other trigger improvements) is now similar to a Glock for the M&P 2.0 series.] Although the trigger does have a pretty good break to it and an overtravel block built into the rear of the trigger guard, which prevents overtravel and helps for cleaner and quicker follow up shots. Obviously, too, being a brand-new firearm, I suspect the trigger will smooth out once the gun is broken in.
One of the annoying things about the pistol (well, actually the magazines) is that it is difficult to load the first round in all 3 of the magazines. I remember this being the same with the magazines that came with the M&P Compact 2.0 I had rented and shot a while back. In fact, at that time, thinking it was a defect with that particular gun, I brought the matter up to the LGS owner who confirmed the issue. But said it was normal, explaining it had to do with the way the M&P magazines were designed and thought it had something to do with the feed ramp on the pistol and the magazine follower being such to where it makes for more reliable feeding. Obviously, this is not a deal breaker and perhaps it may get easier to load the first round once the magazines get broken in more. Only time will tell.
Overall, I am pretty pleased with the pistol even though my targets today might not show it. Being an unfamiliar firearm, it will take some getting accustomed to/more practice with before I hopefully get dialed in with this gun. But I think S&W has a winner with not only the M&P9C, but the entire M&P series. Especially, for all that you get in terms of features, quality, performance and reliability--all for a price that can’t be beat. Best of all, it is an American firearm made by an American company.

Buds Guns not only have the best prices also the best service, also fast delivery. I'm very satisfied and I will recommended 100%

The S&W M&P 9c is an excellent CCW, especially with the flat baseplate. The pistol virtually disappeared while I carried it. The 12 round capacity was a huge plus, 20% more capacity and $140 cheaper than it's competitor. This pistol is excellent!

LE models come with a really nice trigger stock as well as 3 mags. Have had this M&P for a while now and I have never had an issue with it.

Great deal, shipping was a lot faster than I expected. Ordered on a Wednesday and it arrived on Saturday.

Picked up my 2nd and 3rd copies of this gun. I have an older version and it appears that the reset is much better on these to say the least. Not sure how you can not get one with the 3 mags and LE discount from S&W not sure there are better sub $350 guns. Buds had these to me in 3 days - not bad at all!

I have a S&W shield 8, S&W model 67 and now the S&W M&P9c along with 3 glocks. I love the trigger pull on this pistol very similar to the glocks and much better than the Shield. Great looking pistol great price and was easy purchase through Buds. Thanks

Cannot say enough about Buds so far. An earlier dealing on a police trade in M&P40 was fantastic. I ordered this gun on Monday morning at 9AM and had it in my hands the next day at 4PM!! Unbelievable service and shipping! Gun is in fantastic shape obviously being brand new. Feels great in the hand and is a balanced size for the 12+1 capacity that it offers. Looking forward to some range time but I am already impressed with this firearm!!