Honest Outlaw’s S&W M&P Metal Carry Comp Review: Is a Factory Carry Comp Better Than a Glock Gen 6?

Is a factory metal-frame Carry Comp actually better than a Glock Gen 6 for everyday carry, or are you just paying for slide cuts and a port? Honest Outlaw put the Smith & Wesson M&P Metal Carry Comp through a long range stretch to find out.

The short version of what he covers: this is the S&W M&P Carry Comp 9mm — aluminum metal frame with polymer grip inserts, about 28 oz, 4.2-inch barrel with a large single-port compensator and relief cuts on the slide. Optics-ready with multiple factory plates (plastic plates in the box; he has not broken one), HD front with blacked-out rear, ambi slide releases, reversible mag release, Pic rail, and the familiar M2.0 trigger. Capacity he quotes from 15 up to 26 depending on mag. Made in Maryville, Tennessee. He ran about 2,000 consecutive rounds with zero malfunctions. His closer: for roughly $900–$1,000 MSRP, the comp, slide work, and trigger are worth it if you want one gun that carries and still shoots like a fight gun. Reliability and value claims are his, not ours.

Here’s our take. A metal-frame Carry Comp is a weight-and-port argument, not a new action. Two thousand clean rounds is what you want to hear before you trust a ported carry gun. Buy it if you want the factory single-port and metal frame in one box and you already like the M2.0 trigger. Skip it if you want a lighter polymer carry gun or you are shopping Gen 6 money for a Glock ecosystem. Watch his reliability stretch before you treat the street price as a done deal.

We stock the Metal Carry Comp he is talking about. On the shelf: the S&W M&P9 M2.0 Metal OR Carry Comp — 4.2-inch, Performance Center, optics-ready. Related: the M&P9 M2.0 PC Metal OR Comp if you want another metal-frame compensated M2.0 configuration. Complete firearms. Transfer through your FFL.