The responses were interesting and didn’t line up 100 percent with the more objective ranking results. John and Addison both said they would pick the Canik TP9 Elite SC, while Brad and Lincoln both chose the Springfield Hellcat. The TP9 Elite SC was, in fact, ranked the highest, on average, of all the compact pistols by evaluators. However, the Smith & Wesson M&P 9 Compact Optics Ready was ranked second—not the Springfield Hellcat. Their answer to my question could have been an inclination towards bias or simply a conscious choice relating to size and weight when factoring in concealed carry.
Although it might have gotten overlooked when I asked the question, the M&P 9 Compact 2.0 Optics Ready’s features and performance weren’t overlooked during the range trial. Two of the fellows mentioned the excellent suppressor-height sights for co-witnessing, and three of them commented on how the trigger felt improved over the original M&P. I’m a sucker for the pistol’s superb texturing and everyone thought it was a great all-around gun without any real drawbacks, which is why it came in a close second place.
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