Pistols

Mossberg MC1sc – A New 9mm Pistol with 100 Year Roots

Ahead of the 2019 SHOT Show, Mossberg announced a new pistol: the MC1sc.

The Mossberg MC1sc is a subcompact 9mm handgun that is designed for the concealed carry and self-defense markets. It offers a range of features that make it worth considering.

The Basics

One hundred years ago, O.F. Mossberg & Sons opened its doors and started selling firearms. The first gun it offered was a handgun called the Brownie – a .22 caliber pistol with four barrels that looked similar to, but operated differently from, some pepperbox pistols of the era.

Fast forward from 1919 to 2019 and Mossberg has become the 6th largest firearm manufacturer in the United States. Even though the company is better known for its shotguns and rifles, it returned to its handgun roots with the new MC1sc pistol.

The MC1sc is a striker-fired, polymer-framed handgun that is an obvious candidate for concealed carry duty. Three years of development and testing suggest the engineers have had ample opportunity to work all of the bugs out of the new design.

Shooters may wonder if the “sc” in the name stand for “subcompact.” It does. Using this naming convention makes one wonder what else may be in the pipeline. Also, this gun is chambered in 9mm only. Other caliber options may also be in the works.

The MC1sc or MC1 subcompact is relatively small and lightweight. It has a 3.4″ barrel, and with an empty magazine, it weighs a little more than one pound.

Today’s shooter has a broad selection of subcompact pistols from which to choose. Mossberg seems to have recognized this as the company attempts to differentiate itself with a number of features such as:

Clear-Count Magazines: Mossberg uses Clear-Count magazines with translucent bodies that allow the shooter the ability to quickly assess round count. According to the company, the magazine bodies are made from a “lubricious polymer compound” that offers very good wear resistance and low friction. Mossberg also states the floor plates are easy to remove. Bright red followers also help owners quickly ID when a magazine is completely unloaded.
Mossberg STS: One of the complaints I’ve heard about Glock pistols relates to the need to depress the trigger to field strip the pistol. While I don’t feel the complaint has much merit, I recognize that perception is reality for most consumers. So, I completely understand Mossberg’s use of the STS, or Safe Takedown System, that negates the need for a trigger press to disassemble the pistol.
DLC Finish: Diamond-like carbon coatings (DLC) have become quite popular for shooters that want excellent wear and corrosion resistance on their firearms. Mossberg uses a black DLC as standard to reduce wear and improve durability of the MC1sc. Both the barrel and slide have a DLC finish.
Flat Faced Trigger: Mossberg uses a flat faced trigger with a blade trigger safety. The company states the trigger pull weight is between 5 and 6 pounds.

Mossberg includes two magazines with each pistol: a flush fitting 6-round magazine and an extended 7-round magazine. Additional features include 3-dot sights, an oversized trigger guard, reversible magazine release button and forward slide serrations.

CONFIRMATION: A Mossberg representative confirmed that the MC1sc will feed from Glock 43 magazines.

Specifications & Variations

At launch, there are five different versions of the MC1sc that can be purchased.

Standard MC1sc Specifications

caliber	9mm
magazine capacity	6 (flush), 7 (extended)
weight	19 oz unloaded
barrel length	3.4"
overall length	6.45"
action/firing system	striker-fired
sights	3-dot
finish	matte black
MSRP	$421.00

A variation of the basic model is a version with a cross bolt safety. This safety is located on the frame and directly behind the trigger. I wonder how well this configuration works as it looks like a shooter’s trigger finger may activate or deactivate the safety simply by grasping the gun. This variation is otherwise identical to the basic MC1sc pistol.

If the standard 3-dot sights aren’t ideal for you, Mossberg offers two other aiming options. The first has a set of Truglo Tritum Pro sights installed.

The second optional sighting system leaves the basic 3-dot sights in place, but adds a Viridian E-Series laser unit. This unit attaches to the front of the trigger guard and uses a red aiming laser.

The final variation is the Centennial Limited Edition MC1sc. Recognizing the company’s 100th anniversary, this is a limited run of 1000 pistols with sequential serial numbers. It features 24k gold accents on the engraved slide and a titanium nitride finish on the barrel and other metal parts.

Pricing

Mossberg aims to keep this gun affordable. The basic models have a suggested retail price of $421. This beats the wildly popular Smith & Wesson M&P Shield 2.0 by more than $50. It is, however, priced more than $100 above the Ruger EC9s pistols.

Stepping up to the model with the Truglo Tritium Pro sights, the suggested retail price increases to $526. If you opt for the Viridian laser sight with standard 3-dot sights, the price is $514.

As one might expect, the limited edition gold plated pistol is the most expensive at $686.

Holsters

When the gun launched, several companies announced concealed carry rigs that are made for the guns. Since then, more companies have announced fits. See our full list of Mossberg MC1sc holsters here.

Final Thoughts

It will be interesting to see what the public’s response to this new gun will be.Â A gun designed for personal protection must be reliable. For it to be a commercial success, however, it has to feel good in the hand and look good enough to catch people’s attention.

The use of “sc” to indicate “subcompact” certainly suggests that a MC1 or MC1c might also be in development. If this gun sells well enough, Mossberg may have an entire line of pistols on the market by this time next year.

In my experience, Mossberg makes quality firearms. So, I have high expectations for how well this gun performs. Time will tell.

Update: Brownells is now selling these guns here.

You Asked, They Delivered: The PF940CL 80% Pistol Frame

by: Richard Johnson 2 Comments

Polymer80 announced a new Glock-compatible 80% pistol frame called the PF940CL. This new user-completed frame combines a full-size slide and barrel with the company’s short grip. The result is a gun with a longer sight radius and increased velocity with the improved concealability of a compact handgun.

(Ed. note: The above photo is of the PF940CL and is from Polymer80. The other photos are of me building and shooting a handgun made with a prior generation Polymer80 frame.)

The Basics

The new Polymer80 PF940CL is a non-firearm part that can be finished by the end user to make a functioning handgun. It is fully compatible with “3 pin” Glock parts.

When completed, the gun will safely shoot 9mm, .40 S&W or .357 SIG depending on the slide and barrel assembly you install. Slide assemblies for the G17, G17L, G22, G24, G31, G34 and G35 pistols are all compatible with the frame. This means you can run a long slide on one of these frames if you like.

While the top of the frame is full sized, the grip portion is cut down to the compact length for easier concealment. Since Glock magazines are fully compatible within a pistol series, you simply use a Glock-compatible compact magazine in this gun. For example, you would use a Glock 19 magazine with a Glock 17 slide assembly.

Some people might question the usefulness of this setup. However, a chopped grip with a full length barrel has been popular for decades.

For concealed carry, the extra grip length of the full size pistol increases the likelihood of printing. A shortened grip length reduces this possibility while still allowing you to carry a respectable amount of ammunition: 15 rounds in the 9mm.

When Can I Get One?

Polymer80 says it expects to begin shipping the new 80% frames around the beginning of October, 2018. I expect initial demand to be strong, so finding one at launch may be a bit difficult depending on how many Polymer80 can get into the pipeline. I expect plenty to be available in time for Christmas.

What’s Included?

Unlike some companies, Polymer80 is good at including almost everything you need to complete the receiver and turn it into a working gun.

In the kit, you will get an 80% frame plus the company’s locking block and rear rail system. Also included are drill bits and an end mill. The drill bits and end mill are needed to make the necessary holes and remove material to make this a legitimate receiver.

Whoa – Did Someone Say Ghost Gun?

Wait…you mean that theÂ Polymer80 PF940CL is one of them ghost guns?

Well, without getting into a detailed explanation of why it is completely legal to build a firearm for your own personal use, yes – this kit will (with your labor, tools and the missing Glock parts like a barrel and slide) allow you to build your own pistol.

Big Notable Caveat: It is completely legal to build your own gun under US federal law. Some states in the US might have their own laws that govern this. Likewise, readers outside of the United States are likely to run into issues.

For more on this topic, I’d suggest reading my article on the legality of building and owning your own gun without serial numbers.

My Thoughts

I’ve built a Polymer80 gun in the past, and I highly recommend that others try it out for themselves. I found the creation process was enjoyable. The final result was quite pleasing.

Unlike the pistol I built, this one is improved with rear metal rails. My pistol was an older design with the rear plastic rails. These required a great degree of hand fitting. The new system on theÂ Polymer80 PF940CL is superior.

The photo above shows me shooting my personally owned and made Glock compatible pistol that uses an earlier generation Polymer80 frame.

These kinds of kits run about $150, though I’ve occasionally seen them go on sale. By the time you add in the finishing parts, you are not saving much money (if any) on a factory Glock pistol.

However, if you enjoying building things, I found the price is more than worth it. Before it fell off of my fishing boat, it was a great shooting pistol.

Disclosures

Polymer80 is not an advertiser nor have they “sponsored” this article.*

I have no business interest in any firearm manufacturer and accept no advertising from them. In fact, you will not find any pop-ups, pop-unders, auto-playing videos or other annoying foolishness on this site.

GunsHolstersAndGear.com is a for-profit website.Â I do not charge readers a dime to access the information I provide.

Some of the links on this page and site are affiliate links to companies like Amazon and Palmetto State Armory. These links take you to the products mentioned in the article. Should you decide to purchase something from one of those companies, I make a small commission.

The links do not change your purchase price. I do not get to see what any individual purchases.

*Sponsored articles are often nothing more than a direct payment for a site to publish an article about the product in question. Sometimes the article is even written by the company and not by the website publishing it.

There are quite a few sites that take the money and publish the content without ever disclosing this to their readers. Be careful where you invest your time.

Walther PPQ Subcompact

by: Richard Johnson 16 Comments

Walther Arms announced its latest pistol: the Walther PPQ SubCompact. This new 9mm handgun takes all of the popular features of the PPQ M2 and puts them into a more concealable platform. This announcement was made at the 2018 SHOT Show where the guns were on display at the Industry Day at the Range event.

The Basics

In many ways the Walther PPQ SSC is just a chopped PPQ M2. However, that description diminishes how good this pistol could be. Nevertheless, it shares many of the iconic features of the larger gun just in a smaller package.

The PPQ Sub Compact has a 3.5″ barrel with a 1:10″ twist. This is 0.5″ shorter than the standard PPQ M2. One of the key measurements of a concealable handgun is the grip length. While Walther doesn’t give a measurement for the grip alone, the height of the gun is listed as 4.4″. This is a drop of 0.9″ from the full size pistol.

In more concrete terms, this means that the subcompact version of the gun is not long enough for the pinky to wrap around the grip. With the gun chambered in 9mm, 10 rounds fit into a flush seating magazine.

What is very nice is full compatibility with the larger 15-round and 17-round magazines of the larger PPQ guns. These mags use a spacer sleeve to provide a full grip on the gun. Also, the spacer sleeve prevents the magazine from striking the ejector when inserted into the pistol.

There is no immediate word if a .40 S&W chambered gun will be offered in the future. I doubt that adding the .40 S&W is a priority for Walther Arms since theÂ 9mm is the most popular self-defense cartridge in existence. However, I could see them introducing it as it could be used as a backup gun for law enforcement agencies in a manner similar to how Glock positions the G17/G22 and G26/G27 pistols.

Walther continues the use of a push button style magazine release on this pistol. While I prefer this, I know there are many Walther fans who like the lever style release. While not truly ambidextrous, the button can be moved to the right side of the gun if you prefer.

Keeping with the idea of matching the gun to the shooter, Walther Arms retains the ambidextrous slide stop lever. Additionally, the grip has backstrap panels that are swappable.

Specifications

caliber	9mm
capacity	10 rounds, 15 rounds in extended magazine
action	Quick Defense trigger
barrel length	3.5"
overall length	5.4"
weight	21.2 ounces unloaded
height	4.4"
width	1.3"
grip	polymer
finish	black
MSRP	$649

Price and Shipping

The PPQ SC has a suggested retail price of $649.

Walther Arms states the PPQ Sub Compact is shipping now. You should be able to slide by your local gun shop and order one up today. I would expect demand to be heavy for these initially, so you may have a delay depending on how many your dealer can get.

While I will likely keep my Walther PPS M2 as my daily carry gun, I am very interested in this gun. Having additional rounds on tap is certainly a good thing. The ability to use larger magazines in the PPQ SubCompact is also very interesting to me.

I look forward to trying one of these out in the near future.

Special thanks to Paul Carlson of the Safety Solutions Academy. Carlson is a top notch defensive firearms instructor and an honorable man. If you ever have a chance to shoot with Carlson, jump at the opportunity. You won’t regret it.

While I haven’t yet had a chance to shoot this pistol, Carlson did and was able to provide these photos. Later today, he will have a video that I will post here.

FERRO 9mm Pistol from DRD Tactical: Steel Frame Glock

by: Richard Johnson 18 Comments

DRD Tactical announced it would show the new FERRO 9mm pistol at the 2018 SHOT Show. The new pistol is fed from Glock compatible magazines, but unlike a Glock pistol, it has a significant twist: it has a steel frame.

A stainless steel frame is a bit heretical for many fans of the Glock system. Even though it wasn’t the first gun with a polymer frame, Glock popularized the concept back in the 1980s. Since then, there has been a significant trend toward polymer frames in military, law enforcement and self-defense handguns.

However, there are many shooters who prefer to have a steel frame from which to launch projectiles. If you are of a like mind, it would seem the DRD Tactical FERRO is one possibility for you to consider.

In addition to the frame, DRD Tactical uses stainless steel for the barrel and slide as well. As shown in the above photograph, the FERRO can ship with a threaded 4.88″ barrel. You can also purchase it with a non-threaded 4.48″ barrel – the identical length to a standard Glock 17 pistol.

The trigger is provided by Apex Tactical Specialties. Additionally, the gun comes with an extended slide lock and magazine release. On top is a set of night sights.

DRD Tactical will ship the gun with three Magpul 17-round GL9 magazines.

Exactly how compatible this gun is with a Glock remains to be seen. I suspect that a lot of the parts interchange between a G17 and the FERRO. However, there may be some that do not.

The DRD FERRO 9mm will be offered with a black nitride finish and with a NiB Battleworn finish as is shown in the photo. DRD Tactical expects to ship the gun by spring of 2018. I do not have word on a price yet.

For those that are not familiar, DRD Tactical is a Georgia based company that is known for building high quality rifles like the APTUS, KIVAARI and quick takedown Paratus.

New Beretta APX Pistols for 2018

by: Richard Johnson 10 Comments

Beretta USA is expected to announce three new APX pistols at the 2018 SHOT Show in January. The new pistols are the APX RDO, APX Combat and APX Flat Dark Earth. These guns are an expansion of the line that was only recently introduced to the US commercial market. (Update: Shooters that like the APX line might want to read the 2019 SHOT Show rumors…)

Beretta APX RDO

RDO stands for “red dot optics” and likely tells you what makes this gun different from the standard APX. The slide of the APX RDO is cut to allow for the quick installation of four different optics including the Trijicon RMR.

Many people are moving toward adding a red dot sight on their self-defense pistols. As the APX is designed to be a combat handgun, it makes sense that the company would want to accommodate shooters adopting this trend.

It is not likely that these new models will fit most, if any, of the existing Beretta APX holsters.

Beretta APX Combat

One step farther than the RDO model would be the Combat model. The APX Combat is said to be a pistol with a red dot optic cut and a threaded barrel. The threaded barrel would allow for the addition of a sound suppressor.

For a home defense gun, this is ideal. The reduced muzzle blast would potentially allow you to still hear other threats, the shouts of family members and responding law enforcement officers.

Of course, a sound suppressor is also desirable for military units and law enforcement officers for many of the same reasons. I feel this is a “no-brainer” for Beretta to offer.

Beretta APX Flat Dark Earth

Unlike a previously seen APX with a FDE colored frame, this gun is all flat dark earth. It has both a frame and slide with an FDE finish. Other bits, like the trigger and magazine release, remain black.

Additional Information

These guns will be shown at the SHOT Show, but some have already started to appear on sales sites around the country. When they begin to ship is anyone’s guess. However, I would expect that Beretta is very close to getting these out to the public now.

Also, I’m working on getting photos of the guns mentioned above. While I’ve seen what these new guns look like, I have not yet secured permission to use the photos I have seen. Once I do, I will post them for you as well.

Good News – Taurus Now Shipping the Spectrum

by: Richard Johnson 5 Comments

Taurus USA announced on its Facebook page that the company is now shipping the Spectrum pistol. (Update: You can read my Taurus Spectrum review here. At the 2019 SHOT Show, I will try to track down someone at Taurus who will be willing to comment on the problems I’ve experienced with the gun.)

Taurus made the announcement on December 22, narrowly beating an “end of the year” deadline that I was told the company was working toward.

The Spectrum was officially announced at the 2017 SHOT Show, though I previously broke the news about the gun last December. The gun was slated for a first quarter release, but was delayed. I spoke with a company representative about the delays and was told that Taurus decided to make some improvements to the pistol prior to shipping. These improvements required additional testing to ensure customers would be happy with the end result.

It was at that time I was told the company was hoping to have them out by year’s end.

It is a .380 ACP pistol that has a number of design elements that may appeal to shooters. This includes a shape based on extensive ergonomic testing and research, the use of soft overmolds and the use of a magazine extension that works with the size of a pinky.

However, the most eye catching feature of these new guns is the wide variety of color options available. When announced the basic colors would cost only $289.

I have been critical of Taurus in the past, but I also judge every gun based on its own merits. I look forward to testing these and hope Taurus has a winner on its hands. Regardless, you will get an honest gun review from me on it.

Update: My local gun shop was able to order me an all black version of the Spectrum. I have it in my safe now, and will be testing it in the coming weeks.