Concealed carry handgun perfection can be tough to come by. When you’re eyeball-deep in the selection process, it helps to remember that everyone has different hand sizes, skill levels, and carry needs. What works perfectly for your best friend might not be a good idea for you at all. The pursuit of concealed carry perfection means considering quite a few different compact pistols. One worth a look at is the Mossberg MC1sc.
What’s the Mossberg MC1sc?
Before we check out the gun, it might be fun to remember where it all started. For decades, Mossberg built a reputation as a long gun manufacturer. That meant that by the time they came out with the Mossberg MC1sc, everyone thought it was a first attempt at a pistol. Spoiler alert: it wasn’t.
The company’s first pistol was the Mossberg Brownie, a tiny .22 LR that enjoyed brief production in the early 1900s. When Mossberg announced the MC1sc in 2019, it was 100 years after the Brownie had been a thing. The MC1sc is a totally new pistol created by the team to acknowledge gun owners focused on defending themselves.
Details of the Mossberg MC1sc
Because it’s a subcompact handgun, you can guess the general dimensions. That is to say, it’s smaller than a compact but bigger than most micros. The MC1sc has a 3.4-inch barrel and an overall length of 6.25 inches. Add the 4.3-inch height and 1.0-inch width to that, and you can see why it’s ideally sized for concealment. It weighs 19 ounces empty, and its standard 6+1 capacity doesn’t add that much weight when it’s loaded.
The MC1sc’s polymer frame is lighter than all-metal gun frames and is, in some ways, more durable. You’re also not going to cry if and when the frame gets worn out from use. This isn’t a safe queen. It’s a carry gun meant to be used.
There are angled serrations at both the front and back of the slide, with an aesthetic cut through the serrations at the back. Textured sections of the grip are designed for purpose and looks. The trigger guard is rounded, as are the edges of the slide, meaning there is far less risk of snagging. There’s a safety blade trigger, and you can get the gun with or without an external thumb safety. If you get a Mossberg pistol with a manual safety, it’s going to be a cross-bolt safety system, meaning you push it over rather than flipping it up and down like a lever.
How does the Mossberg MC1sc shoot?
Speaking as someone with larger hands, I can say it is sometimes a challenge to run smaller pistols. That’s usually, but not always, fixable with some practice. The MC1sc isn’t so tiny you can’t grip it well, but it is short enough that you’re likely to have a dangling pinkie. There’s an extended magazine that serves as a finger rest that can be used to give you a little more grip space. Using that mag doesn’t make it hard to conceal, either, so I definitely recommend it.
Ergonomics and Controllability
Thanks to the grip’s beavertail, you can get a good, high hold on the pistol without issue. The placement of the textured panels works well, and even with wet hands, it’s easy enough to maintain a firm grip.
There are some drawbacks, however. If you’re expecting a subcompact that precisely fits your hands, you’ll probably be disappointed with every model on the market unless your hands are small. This is just a matter of practice and getting accustomed to smaller guns.
The Mossberg MC1sc’s felt recoil and muzzle rise aren’t extreme, but it is a somewhat snappy pistol, which is a result of its length and weight. The recoil isn’t so great that you can’t get right back on target, but it might take getting used to if you’re accustomed to full-size guns.
Accuracy
At closer distances, this is an accurate gun that fits with its size and defensive use. If you’re a fan of playing card drills, which I am, you’ll be happy to see you can nail single-hole, five-shot groups consistently. Moving out to ten yards, you can still maintain a tight group shooting offhand. As you move out to 25, they spread out, but this can be fixed. Switch it up by shooting from the bench, and the groups close back up, hovering under 4.0 inches at 25 yards.
Trigger
One of my favorite things about this gun is the trigger. It’s a flat-faced safety blade design, and it delivers a smooth pull and clean break. The reset is also short, which is useful for rapid fire. I’m a fan of a good trigger, and it’s not uncommon to find excessively stiff triggers or designs that stack ahead of the break. Some go the other way and are mushy on factory polymer pistols. The trigger in this gun is great right out of the box.
Sights
Curious about the factory sights? The gun comes with either standard three-dot sights or an option to upgrade to tritium night sights. Both work well, although the tritium option is better. It’s been a while since three-dot white iron sights were considered the be-all and end-all of pistol sights, so I’d go for the upgrade.
Takedown
Another interesting feature worth talking about is the Safe Takedown System. Mossberg designed it so you can simply remove the firing pin assembly from the back of the slide without pressing the trigger. It’s as easy as dropping the mag on an empty gun and removing the end plate. That’s a nice safety feature for cleaning and maintenance and unique enough that I still find it fascinating five years after the gun was originally released.
Should you get a Mossberg MC1sc?
Here’s the bottom line. If you want a slim polymer subcompact for carrying, the MC1sc is a solid option. It’s reliable, accurate, and durable. You can easily conceal it, which is a big plus, and it’s large enough to be relatively simple for most gun owners to run well. If you want a bigger or next-gen Mossberg pistol, there’s always the MC2sc or the larger MC2c. I was pleasantly surprised that I truly liked this one since I’m usually so skeptical of new pistols. It checks all the necessary boxes for a good carry gun, it’s reasonably priced, and the quality and accuracy outdo the price point.
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