It amazes me how many people haven’t heard of the Mossberg MC2SC handgun. I’ve had this gun for exactly a year now and am continuously impressed by its performance. I know the majority of gun owners hardly ever venture beyond the giant brands like Glock, Smith & Wesson, and Heckler & Koch, to name a few, but Mossberg isn’t exactly new to the scene. They have been around since 1919, and while shotguns are their bread and butter, this pistol is worth a look.
The Mossberg MC2SC Features
Capacity
Mossberg did it right with this pistol by including 11-round and 14-round magazines. The 11-round magazine is more flush-fit, while the 14-round adds length to the pistol grip, which is great for people with bigger hands. I prefer to carry this gun with the 14-round magazine loaded and the 11-round as a backup. When most people hear 14 rounds of capacity, they think of a full-size gun, but the MC2SC is not. The slim, sub-compact design is one of the most easily concealed handguns, and yet still capable of carrying 14 rounds.
Optic Ready
All handguns should come optic-ready. I feel strongly about this as more and more people are moving to use red dot optics for carry, competition, and enjoyment. Red dot optics make it easier for shooters to understand what is happening when they jerk the trigger or anticipate recoil, for example. They see the red dot move and can communicate where the sight is moving, which makes it easier for them to correct their issues. Iron sights are doing the exact same thing, but it is much harder for people to see where the front sight moved when they shot the gun.
Too often, I know gun owners who have to go out and buy a new pistol that is optic-ready or optic cut by a gunsmith just to mount a red dot optic to a gun. I will continue to support manufacturers who give the gun owner an option to leave it with iron sights or mount a red dot. This switch could also come years later, but it should be an option. The Mossberg MC2SC is optic-ready with a J-Point/Shield RMSc footprint. No optic plate is needed; red dots mount directly to the slide.
I mounted the Burris FastFire C optic onto the MC2SC and think this red dot optic is the perfect match for a carry pistol. Because the optic sits low into the gun’s slide, the iron sights still co-witness through the glass. You don’t want a bulky red dot when trying to conceal a handgun inside the waistband or even outside. Red dots can be one of the reasons people print more. The FastFire C is available in a 3 MOA or 8 MOA dot. It has three extremely simple manual brightness settings. You click the same button to turn up the brightness and cycle back to the lowest setting. It automatically times out after eight hours to preserve the battery for up to five years.
Flat Faced Trigger
The Mossberg MC2SC has a built-in trigger safety just like Glock, Walther, HK, and other manufacturers’ guns. This integrated blade safety prevents you from firing the gun until you have your finger on the trigger and pull it to the rear. Once you go flat-faced trigger, I don’t think you can ever go back. I moved over to flat-faced triggers in all of my firearms – my competition double stack 1911, my pistol caliber carbines, PRS rifle, 3 Gun rifle, essentially every trigger I own. The fact that the MC2SC is outfitted with a flat-faced trigger makes this gun an easy decision for me to carry. It feels more natural to pull, resets cleanly, and is one of the better stock carry pistol triggers I’ve felt.
Unique Take Down Design
The Mossberg MC2SC pistol does not require you to pull the trigger to complete the disassembly. The slide plate holds the striker assembly in place. The entire striker assembly is removed from the rear of the slide, and then the slide moves forward towards the muzzle, coming off the frame. I like the uniqueness of this design and the safety of not having to pull the trigger to remove the slide.
Ammunition Selection
Carry ammunition is not the same as practice ammunition. You should always carry hollow points in your concealed carry pistols and never full metal jackets. Defensive ammunition was made with the purpose of neutralizing the threat without injuring bystanders behind the threat. Full metal jackets can continue through a person versus a hollow point, which is designed to stop and expand on impact.
It’s important to test carry ammunition through your gun to ensure it feeds reliably, ejects properly, and is accurate through your carry gun’s barrel. These are a few ammunition types I tested through the Mossberg MC2SC that checked all the boxes. These were Federal Personal Punch 124 grain, Super Vel +P 115 grain SCHP, LEHIGH Defense 115 grain CF+P, and Hornady Critical Defense 115 grain FTX 9mm ammo.
Conclusion
If you have the opportunity to demo the Mossberg MC2SC at a range near you, I highly recommend giving it a try. The gun’s texture feels great in the hand. The capacity is where it needs to be for a concealed-carry gun. The most important feature is that the gun is optic-ready with a popular optic footprint. You can trust the gun’s performance and reliability. Great job Mossberg!
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Kenzie Fitzpatrick is a professional competitive shooter and an active blogger for many firearm websites. As an NRA-certified instructor and National Range Officer Institute Chief Range Officer, Kenzie trains new shooters on basic firearm safety, brings new shooters to competitive shooting and works major matches across the country. She has a passion for teaching people how to carry concealed and is a positive ambassador for the Second Amendment. Kenzie is also the host of the Reticle Up Podcast, where she interviews competitive shooters, hunters, anglers, archers, entrepreneurs, and outdoorsmen.
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