This story ran in our companion service, The Tactical Wire. The Smith & Wesson M&P9 Compact has been around for some years. For those who are "Glock-centric," the M&P9C fits between the Glock 19 (compact) and the Glock 26 (sub-compact). The standard G26 magazine holds ten rounds of 9mm, the 19 holds fifteen and the M&P9C takes 12 rounds in the magazine. The smaller guns in the line of each maker can use the longer magazines of the full-size guns – Glock and M&P. I've used the G19 magazine backing the Glock 26 and used a G17 magazine to back a Glock 19. The M&P works the same way. I've used M&P9 magazines in M&P9C guns. The slide-barrel "upper" of the M&P9C is longer than the Glock 26's upper. It's a little shorter than the Glock 19. It's a genuine "in-between" gun. In a print article done a number of years ago, I had some deputies shoot the 9C. The conclusion was that it could do as a gun for detectives or for uniform service. I had to agree. The sample under examination here is a used gun. It arrived having been fitted with Ameriglo M&P Pro I-dot sights. The front sight is the ProGlo -- .140" wide, with a tritium vial inside a lime-green painted "glow" outline. The rear sight has a rounded .180" wide notch. A tritium vial is mounted at the center bottom of the U-notch. The trigger was unremarkable – it's so-so for a striker fired gun. Easily manageable, it takes a small amount of time to get used to. I decided to take it to the range for a workout. Shooting the current FBI Qualification course cold would tell me what I needed to know. I took enough extra ammo to get some reps in after the qual course. A sixty-round course, the FBI starts the current qual at three yards. I start it at the 25 yard stage, then move up to three yards for those strings of fire. I fire the remainder of the course in order ending at fifteen yards. The ammunition included the excellent Black Hills factory new 115 grain FMJ along with the same maker's remanufactured 147 grain FMJ load. I also supplied Remington Golden Saber in 124 grain and in 147 grain formats. I used the Galco Double Time OWB/IWB holster, a kydex holster that can be used inside-the-waist or outside depending on how you configure it. I used it IWB and used a Comp-Tac single magazine pouch to keep the M&P9c fed. I found that I hadn't loaded up on the FBI QIT-99 targets, but I had some of the Birchwood-Casey "Dirty Bird" BC-19 Silhouette Targets. Made to look like the NRA TQ-19 target, it's smaller – more like the reduced size "50 ft." TQ-20. The TQ-20 is a 12 x 20" target. The BC-19 is 12 x 18". I should have fired the 25 yard stage of the course at 16.6 yards I suppose, but where's the fun in that? I fired the "15 seconds for five rounds" pair of strings (2 rounds standing, then 3 rounds kneeling) at full distance. Why shoot the distance stage first? Because you could "pass" the course if you cleaned it back to fifteen yards and threw every shot at 25. By shooting the 25 yard stage first then closing up to three yards, you get the benefit of seeing what you did. And what I did was put nine hits in the shaded "hit" zone with one just outside on the right. I felt good about that. Another reason I like this course is the reliance on one-handed shooting up close. I had to grand-stand on one of the four- five yard strings. They all call for three hits in three seconds from the holster. I shot the last one as a "failure" drill, putting the last hit in the scoring area on the "skull" of the target. I'd made the times so far. As I got back to seven and fifteen, I had gotten used to the trigger enough that I got to speed up. It was a bad choice as I grabbed one off the silhouette (but still on the paper) at fifteen yards. This was all shooting from an inside the waist holster – the Galco Double Time – worn under a shirt with a variety of ammo to see if the gun was cool with it. The holster was quick, secure and comfortable. The Ameriglo Pro I-dot sights are wonderfully visible. The M&P9c is a great size for concealed carry and handling was intuitive even if the trigger wasn't. I am a fan of the M&P line – auto pistols, revolvers and rifles, including the rimfire part of the family. That I'd like the M&P9c was no real surprise to me. Ameriglo Sights Dirty Bird 12" x 18" BC-19 targets Galco Double Time OWB/IWB Smith & Wesson M&P9c -- Rich Grassi