Smith & Wesson recently introduced a new line of comped carry guns and the new Bodyguard 2.0 .380 pistol. To say they’ve been busy is an understatement. With the addition of all these guns, people have even more options to choose from when deciding on a carry gun. With the new line of the Carry Comp, there are three models: the Compact, the Shield Plus, or the Full Size Metal. For this review, I got to test out the Smith & Wesson Compact Carry Comp pistol.
What’s the Big Deal About the Smith & Wesson Compact Carry Comp?
I’m sure many people are wondering what the big deal is about the Carry Comp line of pistols. For starters, a compensator makes a big difference regarding felt recoil. I’m a big fan of compensators for competition pistols, as they improve the gun’s felt recoil. This helps the slide return faster for quicker follow-up shots.
Typically, ports are designed like the new Compact with a single port or, in most competition race-style guns with three ports. Compensators are also designed to work better with hotter (especially +P) ammunition because it makes the compensator work more effectively by using those gases to drive the muzzle down.
This is perfect for defensive ammunition as, typically, the ammo is designed to pack a punch. So, the bullet is usually lighter to move faster. Essentially, the compensator is a value add, especially for those who struggle with felt recoil in smaller, carry-size handguns.
Valuable Features!
As someone who owns an original M&P pistol and used to carry a Shield pistol, I can say that Smith & Wesson has come a long way in upgrading the design of its handguns. The new M&P 2.0 Compact Carry Comp pistol is one of the most aesthetically pleasing guns I’ve seen from them.
Slide serrations on the sides and carried onto the top of the slide are a practical upgrade and a good-looking design. The slide is also ported with an Armornite finish.
The equipped iron sights on this gun are also ones I would install myself if S&W hadn’t already done it. Correspondingly, the rear sight is a serrated blacked-out design with a night sight front sight that pops when aligning them.
The gun is also optic compatible with S&W’s trademarked ClearSight Cut design. The pistol comes with six plastic optic plates. However, I recommend purchasing aftermarket plates made of metal for better durability and to ensure you’re mounting a level optic.
Continuing down the gun, the flat-face trigger feels excellent and is a significant upgrade from previous S&W-designed triggers. They’ve also included a Performance Center-tuned action.
The gun frame is outfitted with a Picatinny rail for easy light/laser installation. The frame’s grip angle is 18 degrees, and the gun comes with four interchangeable palm swell grip inserts. Finally, before diving into the nitty gritty, this pistol holds 15+1 rounds of 9mm ammunition.
Just How Compact?
The Compact Carry Comp pistol is in the middle of the new Carry Comp pistol line in size and weight. However, I think the compact is just a little too close to the full-size gun. It has the same width and length, with only 0.5 inches less height and 2.7 ounces in weight difference. The capacity difference is also just two rounds.
For winter carry, this pistol would be easy to conceal behind a jacket or with thicker clothing. However, for summer concealed carry, I personally wouldn’t be able to keep it from printing.
No External Safety – Hallelujah!
I am not a fan of external safeties on carry guns, particularly for people who don’t train often with the firearm they choose to carry. I have taught hundreds of students in concealed carry permit classes. During that time, I have seen too many people forget to disengage the thumb safety or accidentally activate it by gripping the gun with their strong hand thumb under the safety.
I have also seen many people with smaller-sized hands and not a lot of grip strength, unable to depress the backstrap safety and, therefore, unable to fire their handguns. I like that the Carry Comp pistol is a simple-to-operate, striker-fired handgun with no external safety to worry about in a defensive situation. You just have to remember to draw and pull the trigger.
A Cleaning Kit with the Compact Carry Comp
Smith & Wesson includes a cleaning kit with the gun. This was a nice touch, especially for newer gun owners who might not know what to purchase to clean their gun. It includes tools the new gun owner may not know they need, like brushes, jags, picks, and patch holders. The kit has every tool they need to maintain their pistol.
Streamlight TLR-1
The S&W M&P 2.0 pistol is outfitted with a Picatinny rail to mount your favorite accessory. A weapon light is a necessity for any carry gun. The Streamlight TRL-1 is an excellent option that produces 300 lumens and has a 2.5-hour run time.
What I appreciate about the TRL-1 is that it only adds a little over four ounces to the gun. The additional front-end weight is also beneficial when the gun is fully loaded. It adds more balance to the pistol and can also help reduce felt recoil.
One significant benefit of the TRL-1 is that the rail grip clamp system securely attaches and detaches quickly without tools. So, if you have multiple carry guns, you can easily swap the light between them.
For more information, please visit Streamlight.com.
PHLster Floodlight2 Holster
If you haven’t heard of the PHLster brand, it is one of the most innovative brands designing holsters and systems to carry concealed. The invention of the Enigma is where I first learned about PHLster. I was one of the first users of the original design.
I don’t know how many modifications they have made to it since, but they are constantly improving their designs. This is also why the Floodlight2 is named for its updated second version.
The Floodlight2 puts retention on the weapon light instead of on the trigger guard or gun. This makes it universal and fits many full-size firearms with either the Streamlight TLR-1 or the Surefire X300 light attached.
PHLster designed the ambidextrous Floodlight2 to be slide-mounted optic compatible, for use with suppressor height sights. The DCC steel clips included on the holster are so sturdy that they make it a challenge to remove your holster from your belt, which is a good problem.
Finally, the Floodlight2 holster is designed with PHLster’s exclusive ComfortScape technology. ComfortScape ribs round out the surface of the holster, making it feel like one smooth organic shape against your body. Likewise, it has far fewer pressure points. The ribs allow air flow to keep your skin from being stifled and sweaty. Since they’re molded into the holster, they don’t soak up sweat.
For more information, please visit PHLsterHolsters.com.
Trijicon RMR
Trijicon makes super durable optics, from red dots to scopes. The RMR is the perfect concealed carry gun red dot optic. It is a low-profile optic with the battery mounted underneath the optic and on top of the gun’s slide.
It is easy to sight in for both windage and elevation, with no need for special tools to make the adjustments. The brightness level buttons are on each side of the optic and can easily be depressed with or without gloves. The RMR is the perfect way to round out the Smith & Wesson M&P 2.0 Compact Carry Comp pistol.
For more information, please visit Trijicon.com.
Final Thoughts
You can’t go wrong with a Smith & Wesson pistol or an adequately set up carry gun. The Compact Carry Comp pistol is an accurate shooting pistol that handles various defensive ammunition with no feeding issues. It’s compatible with many aftermarket accessories, holsters, sights, and more, making it easy to find what you need to outfit your carry gun.
The price is one you can’t argue with for the value offered.
For more information, please visit Smith-Wesson.com.
Smith & Wesson Compact Carry Comp Specs
| Caliber | 9mm |
| Capacity | 15 |
| Barrel Length | 4.22 inches |
| Width | 1.4 inches |
| Length | 7.25 inches |
| Height | 5 inches |
| Weight | 25.4 ounces |
| Action | Striker-Fired |
| Sights | Night Sights plus Optic Ready |
| MSRP | $799.00 |
Performance
| Ammunition | Average Velocity (5 Shot Average using the Garmin Chronograph) in Feet Per Second | Accuracy (5 Shot Group 15 Yards) in Inches |
| LeHigh Defense 115 gr CF+P | 1096 | 1.037 |
| Hornady Black 124 gr XTP | 1117 | 0.450 |
| Super Vel 115 gr +P SCHP | 1086 | 2.465 |
| Federal Syntech Defense 138 gr SJHP | 1029 | 1.395 |
| Sierra 124 gr JHP | 1104 | 1.550 |
