Girsan MC 9S 9mmp
Turkish polymer 9mmp challenger
Accurate all-purpose polymer pistol from Turkey
IIN 1993, GIRSAN started making firearms in the Turkish city of Giresan. They established their name with the Yavuz 16 and the Regard line of pistols and, in 2014, entered the polymer striker-fired market with the MC28 pistol in three models.
Magnum recently tested Girsan’s latest polymer offering, the MC 9S, a single-action, 15-shot 9mmp that works on the short recoil system. It is 191mm long, 135mm high and 33mm wide. Barrel length is 108mm, and without the magazine it weighs 700g.
Breech locking occurs when the barrel hood moves up into, and bears against, the front of the ejection port. On firing, the slide and barrel recoil together for a short distance until a cam on the underside of the barrel moves onto a shaft in the frame, drawing the barrel down to unlock it from the slide, which continues rearward to extract and eject the case. The single recoil spring on a metal guide-rod pushes the slide forward, which scoops a cartridge from the magazine, raises the barrel and locks up with it on chambering the round.
The side-walls of the steel slide are grooved front and rear, and angled inwards in front to facilitate snag-free holstering. The slide is 27mm wide with a large ejection port and sizeable extractor. Slide-to-frame tolerances are close – free play is minimal. The slide runs on four rails integral to a steel chassis within the polymer frame. The three-dot sight system is dovetailed into the slide, with a sight radius of 165mm. The rear sight’s notch is wide enough for fast and clear reference to the front blade.
THERE ARE SEVERAL safety features: an ambidextrous safety lever which locks the trigger, a firing-pin block, trigger-safety, loaded chamber indicator hole and a red cocking indicator at the back of the slide. The trigger’s polymer blade-safety is 8mm wide. Trigger-pull was a constant 6.5lb and like most striker-fired pistols, the trigger has quite lengthy take-up before it breaks sharply with increasing pressure. The short reset can be felt but not heard.
The MC 9S has an ambidextrous slide release button. The disassembly lever is on the left side of the frame. The controls are all low-profile buttons, grooved for secure contact. The reversible magazine
release button is flat, square and finely grooved – ideal for snag-free concealed carry.
The frame has a Picatinny rail and the broad trigger-guard is squared and grooved for a supporting finger-hold. The grip has textured front and sides for a secure purchase, even with wet hands. Interchangeable back-straps are supplied in three sizes, also textured for grip. The front strap is slightly flared at the bottom to support your pinkie and protect it during fast mag changes which are facilitated by a bevelled magazine well.
The Girsan comes with two Italian-made, steel, doublecolumn Mec-gar magazines. One has a grip extension and 15 witness-holes at the back; the other has only three witness-holes on the right-hand side at the 5th, 10th and 15th rounds. The magazine floorplates and followers are polymer. I found it easy to load 15 rounds in each.
To disassemble the pistol, make it safe then draw the slide fully back and push the slide release button up. Turn the takedown lever clockwise into the upright position. Push the slide stop lever down then carefully move the slide forward while simultaneously pulling the trigger until the slide is drawn off the front of the frame. Remove the recoil spring and barrel from the slide. Re-assemble in reverse order.
For the range session, I took Sellier & Bellot FMJ 115gr, PMP JHP 115gr and CCI JHP 115gr, plus reloads with Bullet Corp coated RN 124gr and Frontier RN CMJ 124gr bullets. I fitted the medium back-strap, rendering the MC 9S comfortable and well-balanced in my hand, with all the controls within easy reach when shooting with one hand only. When applying a two-hand hold on striker-fired polymer pistols, I have an unfortunate habit of riding my thumb on the slide release button, which has taught me to count my shots.
THE STANDARD MAGAZINE dropped freely whether empty or charged. With the extended mag, the bottom of my hand pressed against the extension; this held the magazine in place, forcing me to shift my grip to allow it to fall free. A friend with medium-sized hands, and another with smaller hands, experienced the same problem. I suggest carrying the pistol with the shorter magazine, reserving the extended mag for backup.
I did a double-tap exercise at 7m, placing two controlled shots in the A-zone of an IPSC target as rapidly as possible. When drawing, I got an excellent first-time grip on the pistol, with fast target acquisition. Then I did a failure-tostop drill from concealment, which entails putting two shots in the central A-zone and one to the head’s A-zone as rapidly as possible.
I followed this with an emergency clearance drill, against the clock, including a magazine change, having loaded a dummy round in each magazine to cause stoppages. Here I lost time through having to shift my grip when it impeded the fall of the extended magazine. When clearing the stoppages, I initially used my left thumb and forefinger in a ‘slingshot’ grip to rack the slide, but my thumb became too sensitive. I found that the stronger, overhand push-method afforded a better grip on the slide without my little finger obstructing the ejection port.
During a later session, a fellow shooter and I did several grouping exercises at 7m, 10m and 15m, employing twohanded as well as strong- and weak-hand-only holds. The Girsan proved accurate with the various factory loads and reloads, and my fellow shooter was as impressed as I. All cases were ejected unmarked, landing 2.5m away in the 3-o’clock position.
THE GIRSAN MC 9S retails for R7 800 and is well worth considering for everyday concealed carry, sport shooting and security work. We thank Dave Sheer of Johannesburg for providing the test pistol. Contact them at 011-440-0345.