Mossberg has been well known for producing high-quality shotguns and rifles for years and only reentered the handgun market fairly recently. But when I got the chance to test out the company’s MC2c pistol a couple years back, I liked it so much that I ended up buying it and have recently started carrying it a bit. Then, in October of last year, Mossberg announced that they had entered the subcompact game with the MC2sc. I was curious if it still held up to the same standards set by its bigger brother. After approximately 500 rounds, here is what I’ve found.

What I Love About It

The gun boasts an impressive capacity, hitting you with 14+1 of 9mm in the extended magazine and 11+1 capacity with the flush-fit mag. It comes in a half inch shorter than its bigger brother while only sacrificing a round in the capacity department. That’s a big plus for those of us who carry appendix. 

The grip texture has carried over from the MC2c as well. I happen to really like this grip texture. It’s very aggressive in all the right places. I like how both the front and backstrap of the gun are textured as well, places that can often be overlooked. This all adds up to a very positive weld to the hand. Even during strings of rapid fire, the gun always felt very controllable and comfortable in the hand. Though I wish there would a little more grip texture for my thumb on the strong hand, I still chalk it up as a win.
 

The trigger profile is another carryover from the big bro, but the trigger construction is slightly different – more on that in a minute. Overall, it’s a very nice trigger with a short take up, a nice clean break that Mossberg rates at 5.5 pounds, and a short and very tactile reset. I happen to really like the reset on this gun. It’s incredibly easy to find, and there is no doubt that you are there when you hit it. As someone who likes to ride the reset of the trigger, I really appreciate this feature. It makes for easy follow-up shots and fun plinking.
 

Finally, the MC2sc gives you the option to add an MRD to the top of it should you so choose. Sadly, I never got around to putting a dot on top of this pistol during my time reviewing it. My pistol came with pretty standard snag-free three-dot white sights, but Mossberg does offer the option to upgrade to TruGlo Tritium Pro night sights for about an extra $100.

How It Fits In

Being a compact, lightweight, large-capacity handgun, it obviously lends itself well to concealed carry. I think the MC2sc is also a great choice for beginners who are new to shooting or concealed carry. I have two reasons that I think that is particularly true.
 

First, it’s a soft-shooting 9mm handgun that is very controllable. We’ll get to range time in a minute, but I felt like that grip texture really made for a nice shooting experience, and I think a beginner would appreciate that. The second reason I say it fits in nicely for beginners is because of the Safe Takedown System. I’ve been at many gun shows and heard complaints from various people about how they don’t like pulling the trigger to takedown a gun. With these Mossbergs, you don’t have to. 

While that isn’t a huge bonus for me, it may be for you or someone who worries about these sorts of things. Either way, it also allows easy access to the striker assembly for cleaning as well. That’s a huge plus if you’re someone who likes to really get in and clean your firearms.

I’ve put together some more specs for you to see how this gun compares to its bigger brother below: 

Range Time

It took me a little longer to get acclimated to the MC2sc. While dry firing it in my house, I first noticed that this was not the same exact trigger as the bigger brother. There was a little something different that was hard to pinpoint, but my trigger finger didn’t lie. When I inquired with Mossberg about it, they did in fact tell me that the two triggers are not identical. 
 

Perhaps it was the trigger, perhaps it was the longer sight radius on the bigger brother MC2c, but for whatever reason my groups were not even close to the same in the first 250 rounds with the subcompact MC2sc. I used the same ammo and shoot both guns back-to-back, and I would consistently put up tighter groups with the MC2c. The sights are slightly different as well, with the MC2sc sporting a U-notch rear sight while the bigger brother has a more traditional squared-off rear.

All that said, after that 250-round mark, I started to figure out the subcompact a bit more. I started to find success and got to a place where I was consistently happy with the results at 25 feet, firing at as fast a cadence as the range would allow. At the 500-round mark, I found myself being pleasantly surprised when shooting it.
 

Finally, I found that this gun, in line with the MC2c that I own, was 100 percent reliable. I’ve run all sorts of ammo through it, from Federal American Eagle and remanufactured cheapo stuff to Wolf steel case and Winchester White Box, to name a few. Between the two guns, I’m somewhere between 1,500 and 2,000 rounds, and they will feed on anything and everything. 
 

Conclusion

Eventually, I had to pass up buying this gun simply for the fact that I already own the MC2c and shoot it a little better now. However, I think that the MC2sc is a really great option for concealed carry or personal defense. It offers lots of great features, with minimal drawbacks, and has been a workhorse for me so far. I’ve enjoyed shooting both pistols and encourage you to get your hands on one if you’re looking for a new concealed carry option.