S&W 9mm Shield

[PRasko]

I was apart of the "Never buying a shield 9mm" crowd as I already owned the full size and compact models.

I can tell you, after actually handling a shield, I love it, for one simple fact.

The front strap of the grip is the..."correct" length for me. On the compact, without the pinky extension, it's barely a two finger grip for me.

The shield is two fingers with room to spare.

I own all three now. Still debating on selling the compact or not.

 

[gregkl]

It's a little off topic, but I would like to ask those that have m&p and shields what do you see as the difference. I have a 40 full size and compact. I like them both, but can see where a slimmer gun would be nice to carry. Will the shield use the m&p mag?

Not sure what you are asking; if you are asking if a full size M&P 40 mag will fit a M&P Shield 40, then the answer is no.

 

[wtburnette]

I'll echo this. It is like most every other subcompact in that it isn't meant to be a 250-rounds-per-day range toy. It is thin, so the recoil is focus on a smaller area of your hand. My wife will shoot about 100 rounds of hers before he move onto something else.

With that being said, it is one of, if not the, best CC pistols available.

I agree, but for a subcompact, I think the recoil is actually pretty good. It's certainly not one of the soft shooting .380's, but for a subcompact 9mm, it's not bad. I quite enjoy shooting it, but rarely put more than ~50 rounds through it during any trip to the range.

 

[gregkl]

I agree, but for a subcompact, I think the recoil is actually pretty good. It's certainly not one of the soft shooting .380's, but for a subcompact 9mm, it's not bad. I quite enjoy shooting it, but rarely put more than ~50 rounds through it during any trip to the range.

I usually put 30 rounds per trip. On occasion, 60. I don't think the recoil is as harsh as my brothers .380 PPK.

 

[Paul30]

I purchased one a while back because I wanted a smaller carry gun that I still believe will get the job done. It carries very well, I barely know it is there in my IWB holster. Shooting with sights it is very accurate, I can shoot several rounds quickly at 15 yards and get a good group. It point shoots very well, which is very important for a carry gun that may well not have the time to use the sights in a violent attack. I practice drawing and point shooting at realistic ranges to simulate a real encounter, and I feel very comfortable that I would save my life. All in all, for a handgun it it's class it is probably one of the best. I like how thin it is and how well it carries, yet it also feels normal and shoots like a normal gun. My only complaint is it is a striker fired gun and I would rather have a DA/SA gun this size. Since they don't make a DA/SA in this size yet I can't say it's a valid complaint and will use this one. Love my full size sig sauer, wish they made the P229 the size of the shield. Until then, the shield is what I carry as an EDC.

 

[Denny347]

I'll echo this. It is like most every other subcompact in that it isn't meant to be a 250-rounds-per-day range toy. It is thin, so the recoil is focus on a smaller area of your hand. My wife will shoot about 100 rounds of hers before he move onto something else.

With that being said, it is one of, if not the, best CC pistols available.

Really, I put about 100-150rds per range trip though my Shield .40. Shoot 'em like you stole 'em.

 

[OakRiver]

I tried the Shield at Midwest Gun and Range, and fell in love with it instantly. It pointed naturally, fit in my hand well, recoil was gentle, and follow up shots were easy.

 

[rbMPSH12]

Love my Shield. I also have a full size M&P. I love both of them.

 

[redpitbull44]

I carry a 9mm Shield AIWB. Great little gun. Highly recommend it. Get the 8 round mags though. They make a world of difference on the ergos.

 

[gregkl]

If you are wanting more mags for your Shield, Quantico Tactical seems to have a pretty decent price on 3. I have bought from them before. No worries.

Quantico Tactical   --    Apparel * Gear * Weapons

 

[wassup61]

Anyone have night sights fitted? I cant seem to locate any specific to the shield and it concerns me that the recoil impulse may fracture the ampules

 

[gregkl]

I have a set of Ameriglo CAP sights. Not sure if they qualify for night sights but the work great for me.

But then again, I don't shoot at night so I don't know how they will perform specifically in a low light situation.

 

[EricG]

If you plan on shooting it a moderate amount, consider a Glock. I love my M&P, however, S&W dropped the ball with not supplying adequate OEM parts to its customers.

 

[loony1]

I think the shield is one of the l built, single stack, striker fired handguns on the market. We have a hard time keeping them in stock, and at a price point of $350 it is hard to argue with.

 

[KJW]

Love my Shield in 9mm with Crimson Trace laser and Apex trigger. It is very accurate and utterly reliable. It's comfortable to shoot, in my opinion, relative to the other sub-compacts on the market. Mine has a safety, which I really don't want on a carry gun, but it is small and unobtrusive, and has never "accidentally" engaged. I also have a Kahr PM9 that's had a carry job (package 1) by Cylinder & Slide and also has a Crimson Trace laser. I like the Shield more, I shoot it better- more accurate and quicker follow-up shots, and my total investment in the Shield is way less than half of what I've got in the Kahr PM9.

 

[TopDog]

Yeah shields are great, once you rip all the guts out, replace the springs and various parts including the trigger, then they are fantastic. Decent out of the box, not as good as say a PPS (which costs more). Once you put enough parts into a shield to make them truly nice guns you could have bought something like a PPS. Just saying make sure you handle and shoot as many guns in the relative platform as a shield before you commit.

 

[Bfish]

Hey TopDog just curious but how many shields have you had your hands on? You may personally just hate their triggers but I have had my hands on one or two shields that just had they worst triggers I have ever felt on a M&P ever... And then I have gotten ahold of a several that had triggers that I found to be perfectly acceptable and what I expected out of the box. I was shooting one late last week that I find exceptional a bit heavier than I would like, but that's all I can say negative. I can just say "I like it"

So for that reason I was wondered if you had gotten a bad one. A friend of my brothers bought a shield in 40 and the trigger was atrocious!

 

[Denny347]

Hey TopDog just curious but how many shields have you had your hands on? You may personally just hate their triggers but I have had my hands on one or two shields that just had they worst triggers I have ever felt on a M&P ever... And then I have gotten ahold of a several that had triggers that I found to be perfectly acceptable and what I expected out of the box. I was shooting one late last week that I find exceptional a bit heavier than I would like, but that's all I can say negative. I can just say "I like it"

So for that reason I was wondered if you had gotten a bad one. A friend of my brothers bought a shield in 40 and the trigger was atrocious!

They've recently upgraded their triggers, something like 17 changes. That is why they feel better now.

 

[TopDog]

They've recently upgraded their triggers, something like 17 changes. That is why they feel better now.

Yeah what Denny said. I have fired a few, over a year ago, maybe two years ago. Then kind of shied away from them. This year I shot one that was really sweet. So I bought one. The one I bought was not as good as the other one I shot so I had a Apex Tactical M&P Shield Action Enhancement AET & Duty Carry Kit installed. Man it's really nice now. So Nice I bought another shield and had the same kit installed in it. Now I really love those suckers.

Note: I beleive that as a model, M&P's come with the worst triggers on any smiauto model from any manufacturer. I feel you must replace parts to make them really good guns. If S&W would just team up with Apex and put decent parts into them to start with they would be the best guns on the market.

 

[Phoenix1]

I'm contemplating a 9mm Shield, so I borrowed a buddies. I could not get used to the trigger - it's got so much take up before it fires! When did S&W make the trigger changes?