Smith & Wesson's New Metal Carry Comp is the Most Refined Full-size M&P Yet

Affiliate Disclosure: This page contains affiliate links. We earn from qualifying purchases.

The Smith & Wesson M&P9 series of striker-fired semiauto pistols emerged in 2005, and since that time Smith & Wesson has stayed at the forefront of semiauto carry/duty pistol design. The newest member of the M&P9 family is the Performance Center M&P9 M2.0 Metal Carry Comp, and while the Metal Carry Comp certainly shares some DNA with the original M&P9, this one is far more evolved.

The slide cuts are the most dramatic difference between the new Metal Carry Comp pistol and all the M&P9s that have come before. Gone are the characteristic fish scale slide serrations which, while they were loved by some and loathed by others, were a signature of Smith & Wesson M&P9s. The new serrations feature aggressive S-cuts front and rear that offer a bold new look and plenty of texture to help operate the slide efficiently. There are even some chevron-shaped cuts on the top of the slide in front of and behind the center slide lightening cut that add a little more texture and give the gun a modern look.

The new slide cuts will certainly catch your eye, but the most dramatic functional difference between this new M&P9 and previous iterations of the gun is the inclusion of a compensator that helps keep the muzzle flat while firing. Smith & Wesson calls this feature Carry Comp, and it revolves around the Power Port located on the top of the barrel.

The objective of the Power Port is to vent gases upward during firing, which helps to keep the muzzle flat for quick, accurate follow-up shots. It’s similar in concept to the Springfield Hellcat’s Pro Comp compensator and the slide-integrated expansion chambers on various new SIG pistols.

Capacity Offerings

New M&P9 Carry Comp pistols are available with full-size (17-round) and compact (15-round) grip frames, and the full-size Performance Center version I tested receives special tuning and upgrades via Smith & Wesson’s Performance Center, as well as the metal frame that adds a bit of weight and further helps tamp down on muzzle rise.

While you’ll immediately recognize the new slide cuts and the compensator ahead of the front sight, one thing you may not notice right away is the slight angle machined into the rear portion of the chamber. Smith & Wesson calls this little dimple its ClearSight Cut, and it’s a simple solution to an irritating problem.

Today’s semiauto pistols are generally cut for optics, especially full-size, duty-oriented guns like the M&P9 M2.0 Metal Carry Comp. If you’ve shot very many semiauto pistols with a red-dot optic in place, you’ve undoubtedly noticed a dark cloud of particulates forming on the objective lens of your optic—a greasy film left behind by the expulsion of powder and debris when you fire your gun.

While I’ve never had a sight completely crap out on me because of this buildup of gunk, I can assure you that exposing your reflex sight to clouds of residue day after day after day is not ideal. The ClearSight Cut offers a simple solution to this: debris is diverted forward and away from the lens of the optic when firing, which saves a lot of clean-up time and may extend the life of your sight.

Optics Mounting

As I mentioned, modern semiauto pistols generally offer slides cut for optics, and the Carry Comp series pistols come with Smith & Wesson’s system of spacer plates and screws that allows the operator to install a variety of red-dot sights on the gun. It’s simply a matter of choosing the right filler plate and screws to mount your sight.

Every writer at Handguns installs and removes optics regularly, and while I won’t speak for my colleagues, I always appreciate the simplicity and convenience of the Smith & Wesson system. Some don’t like the use of polymer for the plates, but I haven’t had issues with the setup and find it simple and effective to use.

But Smith & Wesson didn’t overlook the iron sights. The black-out U-notch rear sight/tritium and fiber-optic front night sight are an effective combo if you’re running the pistol sans optics.

The M&P9 M2.0 Metal Carry Comp has a 4.22-inch stainless steel barrel with a 1:10 twist and a steel slide with a protective Armornite finish. In addition to the opening above the Power Port, there are a trio of lightening cuts on both the left and right sides of the slide. There is also a pair of “ears” at the rear of the slide that offer an optional gripping point when operating the slide.

The Right Balance

As I said, the test gun features an aluminum frame that results in a total weight of 28.1 ounces. It’s a few ounces heavier than most polymer-frame counterparts but considerably lighter than a steel-frame Commander 1911, which may weigh close to 40 ounces. The Metal series, then, offers the right balance of added weight for recoil reduction and improved handling without all the mass of a steel-frame gun. Plus, many shooters—myself included—just plain like the look and feel of the metal.

The frame comes with four interchangeable backstraps with Smith & Wesson’s signature M2.0 texturing, which isn’t as fine as Springfield’s Adaptive Grip texture but still functions well. Backstrap module sizes include small, medium, medium-large and large, and there’s a tool built into the mag well that allows you to punch the pin from the grip and remove the backstrap.

Speaking of the mag well, the Metal Carry Comp’s magazine well strikes that just-right balance in the intermediary between no mag well at all and the oversize robot boots some gun companies affix to their “carry” pistols. The S&W’s mag well is large enough that you can feel it at the base of your hand—provided your hand is wide enough to do so—and perform mag changes without looking. It’s concealable but functional.

On the dust cover of the M&P9 M2.0 Metal Carry Comp there’s a three-slot rail for mounting accessories, and there’s a machined cutout on the left and right sides of the frame that just happens to serve as a handy “gas pedal” for consistent thumb positioning and even better control of the muzzle.

Control Package

Part of the Performance Center package upgrade includes a tuned flat-face trigger. With this gun, Smith & Wesson has gone to great lengths to help keep the muzzle from rising under recoil, but a heavy trigger can have just the opposite effect, causing the muzzle to plunge when the shooter loses focus on that straight-back break.

There’s no reason to worry about such nonsense with the Metal Carry Comp. Average trigger break weight was 4.5 pounds for an average of 10 pulls on an RCBS gauge. While there’s substantial take-up, the trigger “wall” is well-defined, and the reset is short.

The controls on the new metal Carry Comp are similar to M&P9 pistols that have come before. There’s an ambidextrous slide stop that’s just large enough to operate reliably without being so big that it interferes with your draw. The mag release button is tucked just behind the trigger and sits in a molded portion of the frame that prevents incidental contact from dropping the magazine. Smith & Wesson outfits its M&P pistols with an easy-to-operate rotating takedown lever that makes field-stripping a snap.

The Metal Carry Comp does not have a manual safety for now, but Smith & Wesson has been good about giving their customers what they want, and if demand warrants, I’d expect a thumb safety version eventually. The pistol has the requisite passive internal safeties—trigger, drop and striker block—found in previous M&P9 pistols and most competing striker-fired pistols. There’s also a crescent-shaped cutout in the chamber that serves as a loaded-chamber indicator.

Size

With its 4.22-inch barrel, the Performance Center M&P9 M2.0 Metal Carry Comp measures 7.25 inches long and has a height of 5.5 inches without an optic. At its widest point (across the slide stops) the pistol measures 1.4 inches, and the slide maxes out at 1.1 inches wide. Dimensionally, the Smith & Wesson is very close to the Walther PDP Compact Steel Frame, but the Smith & Wesson’s aluminum frame keeps this pistol’s weight (28.1 ounces) well below the Walther’s total weight of 40 ounces.

The Performance Center M&P9 M2.0 Metal Carry Comp is not radically different than previous M&P9s. Unlike Smith & Wesson’s new Bodyguard 2.0 .380, which is a near-complete redesign of the original (Ed. note: Watch for this review in our next issue.), the M&P9 needed very little fine-tuning to keep it at the front of the striker-fired pistol pack. So how do the new additions to this pistol reshuffle its position among competing pistols?

First and foremost, the M&P9 Metal Carry Comp strikes a just-right balance between shooting comfort and portability. Police agencies looking for a service gun that every officer can shoot well will appreciate the Smith & Wesson’s design, as will those outside the law-enforcement field who simply want a 9mm that’s pleasant to shoot.

The Power Port, metal frame, customizable grip and pseudo gas pedal make this a gun that can be shot very quickly and accurately. The choice of aluminum for the frame makes perfect sense. It’s not as light as some polymer guns, which can be snappy with hot loads, but it’s not as heavy as steel-frame guns—be they full-size striker-fired guns or Government 1911s.

Effective Design

The Carry Comp design is effective, and it doesn’t substantially increase muzzle blast. The ClearSight Cut might be my favorite addition to this gun, though, and it’s proof that Smith & Wesson is making wise decisions based on real-world feedback. The lens of the Holosun green-dot optic on the pistol was never clouded by a film of debris.

Overall, the gun’s performance was above average. The interchangeable backstraps are a nice touch, but there’s sometimes a crease between the grip insert and the frame that’s imperfect, and I don’t like the texturing as much as I do the Walther’s grip surface.

The optic plate system is versatile, but I don’t think it’s as good as Springfield Armory’s Variable Interface System.

Smith & Wesson put a light trigger in this pistol, but take-up is a bit gritty and long. So perhaps the Smith & Wesson isn’t the best in any single category, but it does so well across the board that it’s impossible to knock this gun out of the upper echelon of striker-fired pistols. The new slide serrations and the compensator make it even more appealing.

Accuracy and Reliability

The gun performed well on the range. By now I’ve come to the realization that, unless you get your M&P9 excessively dirty or there’s a mechanical breakage, it will probably run perfectly well with typical 9mm ammunition. The Metal Carry Comp had zero feeding, extraction or ejection issues—just like the previous M&P9 I tested, and the one before that. In today’s saturated 9mm market, a gun that won’t run consistently is going to get drop-kicked out of contention, but Smith & Wesson doesn’t have that issue.

Accuracy ranged from good—0.86 inch for one five-shot group with Hornady’s Critical Defense load and a couple groups around the one-inch mark—to a more average two to three inches. The Metal Carry Comp’s overall accuracy was, at the very least, above average for the class and may be one of the most accurate guns in this category of pistols.

Where this gun really shines, though, is off the bench. I don’t geek out about split times on every trip to the range, but this is a smooth, fast-shooting 9mm with minimal recoil and a better-than-average trigger. Translation: It’s fun to shoot and makes the operator look as good as possible. That’s great at an IDPA match, but it’s far more important when you’re considering a self-defense or duty gun.

Like I said, this M&P might not be No. 1 in any particular feature category, but taken as a whole it is excellent. Are the changes with the new one dramatic? No, but Smith & Wesson has done such a great job of refining this model over the years that a few updates and upgrades propel it right back into a leading spot among 9mm striker-fired pistols available today.

S&W Performance Center M&P9 M2.0 Metal Carry Comp Specs

• Type: striker-fired semiauto
• Caliber: 9mm Luger
• Capacity: 17
• Barrel: 4.22 in., 1:10 twist
• OAL/Height/Width: 7.25/5.5/1.4 in.
• Weight: 28.1 oz.
• Construction: Armornite finished steel slide w/Power Port compensator; aluminum frame w/interchangeable backstraps
• Trigger: 4 lb., 8 oz. pull (measured)
• Sights: U-notch rear, night front; slide cut for optics
• Safeties: trigger, drop, striker block
• MSRP: $999
• Manufacturer: Smith & Wesson, smith-wesson.com

---