Specs & Features
Tipping the scales at only 3.7 pounds and measuring just 14 inches long, the Angstadt Arms MDP-9 is a lightweight and ultra-compact firearm that operates with a roller-delayed action. This allows the gun to stay compact while also delivering a soft recoil for a flat-shooting experience, but more on that in a minute.
The gun comes with a bevy of other features that would make any fan of the PCC platform gush with anticipation. Here's a quick rundown of some basic specs so you can get a feel for the gun up front:
- Caliber: 9mm
- Capacity: 17+ rounds (compatible with any OEM Glock mags)
- Length: 14 inches
- Barrel Length: 5.85 inches
- Action: Roller-delayed blowback
- Weight: 3.7 lbs
- Weight in current build, minus suppressor, with fully loaded mag: 6.1 lbs
One of the first things that stood out for me was the mag release, which is extended, nicely textured, and easy to actuate even when doing speed reloads. The mag well is nicely flared and aids with those speedy refills, and the gun ships with two 17-round OEM Glock mags.
I love any PCC that runs with Glock mags because it opens a whole world of aftermarket magazines you can use. Plus, it ensures there is a level of built-in quality and reliability to the gun’s mag design. The charging handle also manipulates easily when working at speed and can be swapped from the standard left side to the right if you are a southpaw.
A Picatinny rail crests the entire top of the gun and the end rail, making brace options plentiful, while M-LOK fills in the rest of the handguard. The whole gun, including the handguard, sports multiple mounting points for accessories.
One notable feature of the handguard is the Angstadt Arms hand stop that comes standard with the gun. Small PCCs like this should always come standard with a hand stop – in my humble opinion. It's really just a safety feature with a gun like this. I also think every gun should come standard with three magazines, but that’s a separate gripe that isn’t specific to Angstadt.
Additions
I knew from the start that I didn’t want to run this gun slick without any attachments. For one thing, it’s not really set up for that, lacking any sort of optics or sights right out of the box. However, before I dive into any of the extras I added, let’s take a second and give some praise to the included upgrades Angstadt delivered with this gun.
First, I’ll never be mad to find a B5 Systems part added to a gun. Angstadt recognized one of the best grip makers out there and pre-installed the Type 23 pistol grip. Second, they also leaned into the Radian trend and went with a Talon ambi safety, which was installed with a 45-degree throw. I like a short-throw safety selector, and I think Radian makes the best one available, so kudos to Angstadt for the collab.
Yet, this gun still begs for upgrades, so let’s start with a couple of the most basic. The Vortex Crossfire Green Dot has been on top of the gun and has never left. I prefer green dots, and this 2-MOA dot has been rock solid. It boasts nine brightness settings, with the lowest two designed for night-vision compatibility, which I hope to test someday soon.
It’s also advertised as having a battery life of 50,000 hours. I can attest to the fact that I haven’t changed the battery yet, but I have left the optic on a time or two when putting it away. I’m not sure how many hours passed between those range sessions, but it hasn’t failed yet after months. That brings up what is perhaps the only complaint I have about the optic, which is that I wish it were a shake-awake design.
I added a Magpul single-point sling as well for most of my shooting. It's a comfortable and convenient sling that makes range time a lot easier. I shot the first 300ish rounds using only the Magpul sling before upgrading this large-format pistol with a Midwest Industries folding pistol brace.
Here is where the magic and attention to detail from Angstadt come into play. Because the rail at the back end of the receiver also features a QD attachment point, I can run the same single-point sling on the gun while using the brace in a very easy and natural way. The kicker, though, is that the brace and gun combine to give you a total of 12 QD attachment points, which allows the end user to run whatever type of sling configuration they could dream up.
Finally, I turned to Midwest Industries again to help me with mounting my Holosun RAID flashlight. The RAID has proven to be a great flashlight. I especially like how the mounting system for the pressure pad works for this particular gun, and the rechargeable battery is a fantastic way to go.
Overall, the RAID is bright enough for any home defense needs I have while also being user-friendly and easy to install. I’ve only had this on the gun for the past 500 rounds but haven’t noticed any dip in performance or screws walking free.
Now, enough about the build. Let’s get to the shooting.
First Shots
When I first took the Angstadt Arms MDP-9 Gen 2 out to the range, I shot it with two hands and no sling, just to get a feel for it. Even as awkward as I find that practice, the gun shot well, and the roller-delayed action made the recoil impulse almost non-existent.
Still, it didn’t take long for the Magpul sling to make its way onto the gun, and then my groups started to tighten up.
I ran 200 rounds through the gun this way, unsuppressed. That included a couple of times around the block with the Magpul D-50 GL9 PCC drum mag, which is always a blast. While the drummy mag doesn’t balance this gun all that well, it did prove to be both reliable and accurate enough out to 30 feet on some cheap Turkish ammo.
I wouldn’t say I love the trigger. It's perfectly suitable for the job, but it comes across as a bit of a refined mil-spec-like trigger, if that’s a thing. Again, there’s nothing wrong with that, and it's perfectly suitable for getting the job done.
However, for the price, I would’ve liked to see Angstadt team up with a company like Hiperfire or Timney to overdeliver on the trigger as well. That said, Angstadt advertises that the MDP-9 is compatible with most aftermarket 9mm PCC triggers if you want to drop in something different.
After warming up with a few hundred rounds unsuppressed, it only made sense to quiet it down a bit. For that task, I turned to my trusty B&T RBS SQD Compact suppressor. This quiet-time can has been a rock star on a lot of guns for me, including my APC9, and it never skipped a beat as I ran up the shot counter over the next several hundred rounds of reliability testing.
Reliability Testing
In addition to some of the cheap 9mm Turkish ammo I’ve been torture testing this gun with, I’ve also run 200 rounds of Federal Syntech PCC, 150 rounds of PMC Bronze, 150 rounds of Blazer Brass, 100 rounds of S&B Tactical Subsonic, and 100 rounds of various JHP ammo, like Speer Gold Dot Carbine. Overall, the gun ran very well and was a smooth operator.
It did have two malfunctions, which were both failures to eject with PMC Bronze. To be fair, this same case of ammo has been giving me problems with a few handguns, so I blame the ammo more than I blame the gun. I would also point out that the cheap Turkish stuff I shot through it gave me many problems in many other guns, but the MDP ate it all up.
I thoroughly enjoyed shooting this gun, and I look forward to taking it to the range and training with it more. The roller-delayed action and recoil impulse are smooth, and the operation is easy. Taking this thing to the range is refreshing, like cracking a cool can of Coke on a hot summer day.
The addition of the Midwest Industries brace and the B&T suppressor really ups the enjoyability factor. I also appreciate that Angstadt decided to stick with the tri-lug barrel mounting system. I wish all PCCs had this muzzle device.
Finally, I should note that Angstadt Arms sent this gun to me for testing, and all testing has occurred on this one gun. It should also be noted that the gun hasn’t been broken down for cleaning and probably won’t be until I hit 2,000 rounds.
Accuracy
It’s no secret that I love PCCs, and I think they make for some great home defense options. That being said, the best ones I’ve shot can easily chew out the heart of a target at 30 to 40 feet without issue. Any PCC I’m going to consider for home defense or as a “truck gun” should be able to do the same with relative ease.
Related: The Case for PCCs as Home Defense Guns
The MDP-9 delivers on that accuracy, even under rapid fire. Not to beat a dead horse, but the smoothness of the roller-delayed action almost brings you back to the target. The closest thing I can compare it to would be the buffer system used in the ADP9. Both are great guns, but there is a fluidity to that roller-delayed action that manifests in good times and laughter, especially when you’re banging out hit after hit on steel targets.
Pros & Cons
Here are my main pros and cons for the Angstadt Arms MDP-9 Gen 2. I confess, I had to get nitpicky when it came time to find things I didn’t like.
Pros:
- Very reliable
- Very accurate
- Roller-delayed action has very soft recoil
- Nimble and easy to maneuver
- Lots of QD points for slings
- Uses Glock mags – includes two 17-round OEM mags
- Oversized mag release works great
- Tons of fun to shoot
- Tri-lug makes suppressed shooting easy
Cons:
- Pricey, on the higher end for PCCs
- Wish it had a slightly better trigger
- Wish it came with three mags
Conclusion
If you are looking to get into the roller-delayed game, you could do a lot worse than the MDP-9 Gen 2. This gun has a robust build and sweet operation. I love a good PCC, and the MDP-9 is a great PCC just begging to be set up as your next home defense gun or personal plinker.
While the price tag may not be for the faint of heart, it comes with a ton of perks and a reliable design that hasn’t let me down yet. I’m looking forward to running up the round count a bit more with some training classes in the future.
