MOSSBERG MC1SC 9mmp
Mossberg’s take on the modern pocket gun
OO.F. MOSSBERG AND SONS, who celebrated 100 years in business in 2019, are well-known locally for their shotguns. During their centenary, Mossberg launched their first-ever striker-fired semi-auto pistol, the Mc1sc in 9mmp. The only other pistol Mossberg has offered since their inception was the Brownie, a four-barrelled .22lr pocket pistol (circa 1919) employing a rotating firing pin. Intended solely as a backup gun, it was inexpensive and reliable.
Likewise, the Mc1sc is a sub-compact made specifically for concealed carry, sporting a single-stack magazine and a polymer frame in keeping with modern trends. The pistol follows the traditional Glock striker-fired layout, with a few ingenious changes.
With its 3.4-inch barrel, the Mossberg measures 6.25 inches overall and is 4.3 inches high. The single-stack 6-round magazine ensures that width is limited to an inch (an extra 7-round mag and a laser are supplied). With the longer magazine full and the laser attached, the pistol weighed 644g on my electronic scale. For comparison, my wife’s .38Sp S&W Airweight, loaded with 5 rounds of 148gr wad-cutters, weighs 495g.
The pistol follows the tried-andtested locked-breech, recoil-operated, striker-fire system with a moulded
polymer frame and a steel slide. Its sights (white three-dot type) are dovethe tailed into 416 stainless slide. According to the manufacturer, Sig Sauer pistol sights will fit the dovetails, ensuring that aftermarket sights are freely available. The test pistol came supplied with a Viridian laser sight (red) that attaches to the trigger guard; to detach simply remove two screws.
The slide has narrow, deep cut-outs fore and aft, making for easy operation notwithstanding its diminutive size. The slide and barrel have a DLC (diamond-like carbon) coating which resists wear. Our tests bore out this claim, as weeks of daily carry in an inside waistband holster against my sweaty thigh in blistering summer heat, and firing more than 1 000 rounds, left the slide and barrel in near-new condition.
The frame has a dual texture grip, a slight palm-swell and contoured finger grooves which improve control – a necessity on any pistol, but more so with a small lightweight pistol firing the 9mmp cartridge. A beavertail protects the web of the hand from the slide during cycling.
Controls include a serrated slide stop on the left side and a large, reversible, textured magazine release button. The Mc1sc can be ordered with a manual cross-bolt trigger-safety on the frame behind the trigger. This is not an option I’d consider for a defensive-carry pistol.
The trigger-face is flat with an insert blade-safety, similar to the Glock’s. Trigger-pull is smooth for a striker-fired pistol and broke consistently at 5¼lbs on my Wheeler trigger-pull scale. The reset is short. In a comparative test, several shooters mentioned that the Mossberg trigger is better than a standard Glock trigger, allowing for better control.
The base-plate of the 6-round magazine fits flush, and allowed me only two fingers on the grip, leaving my pinkie dangling; however, the 7-round mag has an extension ensuring that even my large hands have a full grip. I soon learned that, for daily carry, the extended mag is the best option, allowing faster mag changes without my pinkie interfering with the mag’s freefall.
The magazines are translucent (light-grey) polymer, a quick look clearly reveals the rounds within. The follower is bright orange. My initial impression was that the ‘plasticy’ mags would not last. Abuse on the range soon changed my mind and the ability to see the rounds at a glance is an advantage. Moreover, Glock 43 magazines fit and function flawlessly in the Mc1sc and are easy to obtain.
Mossberg opted for a deviation from the usual Glock-type disassembly with their own Safe Takedown System which doesn’t require pulling the trigger for disassembly. To disassemble, remove the magazine, ensure the gun is unloaded, lock back the slide, then press a milled indentation on the small plate at the rear of the slide (see photo on p16) which allows the plate to slide out downwards. Now remove the striker assembly by sliding it rearwards. Release the slide and draw it forward and off the rails, providing access to the barrel and recoil spring.
When fired, initially the pistol intermittently failed to return to battery. I disassembled, cleaned and oiled it, but the failure persisted. I then tried factory ammo only, again to no avail. I experienced 27 stoppages during the first 100 rounds and decided to call it a
day. At home I cleaned the pistol and then proceeded with the tedious task of cycling the action at least 1 000 times. During this procedure I could feel the slide starting to move more freely.
Back at the range, I experienced two more failures to return to battery, but for the next 900+ rounds it devoured anything from low-powered handloads to +P defence ammo – without any cleaning. Clearly, this particular pistol needed some ‘breaking in’, a frustrating exercise, but thereafter, reliability was exemplary.
I fired Maxxtech (124gr FMJ) and Fiocchi (115gr FMJ) ammunition over a chronograph. The heavier Maxxtech ammo averaged 1 110fps for a power factor of 137.64, while the Fiocchi averaged 1 040fps for a factor of 119.60. The only factory carry-loads I had on hand were S&B 115gr JHPS, which averaged 1 090fps (factor of 125.35). Given the short 3.5-inch barrel this is more than adequate for defence purposes.
I tested for accuracy at 10m over a shooting bag. The Fiocchi 115gr ammo printed a 3-shot group measuring 19mm centre-to-centre (c-c). The Maxxtech’s 3-shot group measured 18.91mm c-c. Handloaded 124gr Bullet
Corp lead bullets printed a 21.86mm c-c group. Shooting from the standing position at targets set up at 5, 7, 10, 15 and 20m produced accuracy no different from that of my CZ 75 with its
longer sight radius. Also, a mixture of nine different handloads and factory ammo saw little difference in placement within the A-zone.
The front sight on the test pistol has a large white dot that is slightly brighter than the rear dots, making it easy to pick up during fast shooting, which definitely helped with keeping shots on target. The Mc1sc is definitely
one of the more accurate pistols I have tested.
Most sub-compacts are too small for my hands, but the Mc1sc’s ergonomics aided control and facilitated speedy reloads (though I had to pull the shorter mag out when reloading as my pinkie finger prevented it from dropping). This should not be a problem for those with smaller hands. The pistol’s ergonomics are excellent, pointing naturally, and recoil was manageable for my wife and 20-year-old daughter who have just started out with pistol shooting. Both agreed that it’s a worthy purchase, given its handling and concealability. The pistol is simply a pleasure to carry all day long – I often forgot I had it on me. Also, it fitted perfectly in every holster I use for my CZ.
The supplied Viridian laser is simple to operate with the trigger finger – just touch a button in front of the trigger guard to switch it on. The red laser dramatically improved my ability to hit targets in low light or at night when using a flashlight. However, finding a holster for the laser-fitted pistol was not easy. All I could find was an old Sticky Holster which proved comfortable.
Online, I found the Mc1sc without the laser selling for R8 650.