Walther PPS vs S&W Shield

[alhambra lion]

I have been debating these two pistols for a while now. I know the Shield is the bees knees right now, but the Walther has a lot of support out there too.

I've had the chance to fire a few hundred rounds through both firearms and am torn! I think both designs have a safety quirk that makes me a little nervous. The PPS with the backstrap disabler and the Shield with its manual safety lever.

A lot of people say to just leave it off on the Shield, but I don't know if I can trust my life that the safety won't get clicked on somehow, however unlikely.

The only other distinguishing factor for me was the trigger. I personally do NOT see what all the fuss is about with that Shield trigger. I know the Apex kit apparently fixes that, but I'm not big on having to mod my CC gun right out of the box.

Otherwise, it is damn close for me. I keep going back and forth. Does anyone have more time on both of these guns? Anyone advocate one over the other for specific reasons?

 

[Bigbuck5]

I don't have much time on the Shield, but I do on the PPS. The Walther is a fantastic gun. I agree with you on the trigger and the Shield.....doesn't seem like much of an improvement over the regular M&P pistols. If you're worried about the blackstrap on the Walther, put a Talon grip on it.....cheap piece of mind. The only downside to the PPS is magazine cost, but if you can find a used one you might get a few extra. I don't remember what caliber you were looking at but mine is a 9. Love it.

 

[throttletony]

A lot of folks will just say "go with Shield" since it is so popular right now. However, I'll say GO WITH THE PPS!!!
the only downside is the mediocre aftermarket support. Look at this vid (below):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9ofRhwcGxyI

fast forward to about 5:50 and look at the custom PPS -- now that's slim!
besides her semi-low grip on the gun, it's a pretty good review.

FYI: It seems like most recent PPS reviews that I see say they ship with one 7 and one 8 rd mag.

In the end, they're both good choices, but I'd prefer the PPS over the Shield (except for the price, but you didn't mention that as a concern in the OP)

 

[Exodus]

Get both!

Also by the time you pull the gun you can have the manual safety turned off. I never had any trouble doing so but I trained to turn it off when pulling.

I dislike any safety other than a manual thumb one. It is what put me off from glocks (besides being damn ugly) and Xd's. Yet I carry a fs mp.

Now since I'm done wasting your time with those last sentences since you have shot both guns and are torn between the two I think you will be satisfied with either gun. Make a list of the things that matter to you and score each gun against each other.

 

[dbrier]

I've shot both and they are both very good guns. If the main goal is CC, the Shield is a smaller but. I like the PPS better in about every other way though. If you can get past the mag release, it's nearly perfect.

One of the biggest advantages of the Shield should be price. In a normal world it is $100-150 cheaper than the PPS. With the inflated prices of the S&W, that advantage isn't as big as it should be.

 

[shibumiseeker]

I've shot both and they are both very good guns. If the main goal is CC, the Shield is a smaller but. I like the PPS better in about every other way though. If you can get past the mag release, it's nearly perfect.

When I was carrying my PPS I came to prefer the mag release. Once I got past 25 years of training to press a button, it quickly became much more intuitive feeling.

 

[menzzer37]

PPS all the way. the bore axis and grip give a very very mild recoil for quick follow up shots. Very ergonomic and a surprisingly nice trigger.

 

[alhambra lion]

PPS all the way. the bore axis and grip give a very very mild recoil for quick follow up shots. Very ergonomic and a surprisingly nice trigger.

I was not impressed with the Shield trigger. All the videos and reading I did in research raved about the improved M&P trigger on the Shield. When I tried it, I felt like there wasn't much travel but when you got to the point right before the break it was like hitting a wall and you really had pull through that heaviness to get it to break. This really effected my accuracy.

The PPS trigger is much better, but not perfect. I felt like there was more take up, and that is was gritty as you pulled it back. The break was nice and clean, though. Very Glock-like.

I'm not worried about adapting to the mag release being on the trigger. In fact, I am worried that it might effect my performance when I go back to shooting a pistol with a "normal" mag release button. I shot the PPS first and definitely was swiping at the Shield trigger guard when I shot that next! Having it on the trigger guard did end up feeling very natural, very quickly.

 

[sig-man]

I guess I will be the odd one out, and vote for the shield. I have shot both and prefer the shield for several reasons.
1.) Price. The shield is less expensive. Yes there are some people out there asking crazy prices, but if you keep your eyes open you will find one. I have come across two in the last couple of weeks. (Yes, 9's) Extra magazines are also cheaper and easier to locate.

2.) Size and comfort. The shield is smaller and more comfortable in my hand. It is thinner and easier to conceal albeit not by much.

3.) Magazine release on the Walther? Not sure about you, but I own plenty of guns and plan on getting more. The odd ball magazine release is a deal breaker in itself. I am not saying its bad, just different then every other gun. To me I want to keep everything the same. Range pieces, play pieces, and self defense gun. I don't want one different than the others. Especially the one I am putting my life behind!

4.) The safety on the Shield? Not a deal breaker to me. Does it need to be there? In my opinion no, But it is. I look at it like this, You can either just not use it, or you can practice sweeping it in your draw. I sometimes carry a 1911 cocked and locked. Sweeping the safety on that is no different than sweeping the safety on the shield, so I am used to it. It is habit.

5.) The trigger? Who cares! Its a self defense gun not a target gun. If you ever draw it to save your life your heart will be beating like you ran a marathon and you will mash the trigger in a panic. I would challenge anyone to discern a 6 lb pull with some stacking versus a 5 lb pull with a short reset. Honestly!? Once again these are not target pistols.

6.). Use the money you save on the gun on ammo, training, and range time. That will make more difference than everything else.

Well......once you can find some ammo that is!!!!

 

[x10]

I've shot the PPS enough to know I'm not on the PPS bandwagon, its a good piece no doubt, you wouldn't be wrong, But in reality we are going to carry an infinite amount more than we shoot, so the shield wins,

I've had my shield for about 3 months now, A cheap Ebay holster is usually all I carry it in, I have a Fox for other times, but the shield nestles in amoungst my fat and disappears and is comfortable for not only all day carry but when I'm working on stuff and in general living my life, I didn't have to change anything for it, It fit into my lifestyle, the only other full time carry I've had that does that is my LCP,

Except for a very few times and at work you will find the Shield or LCP on me, even sitting at home in my recliner surfing Ingo

 

[BehindBlueI's]

I want to find a PPS to play with. We bought my wife a Shield and she really likes it. I found it ok. Its completely acceptable, don't get me wrong, just nothing to blow your mind. The trigger is good for a striker fired pistol, which means its marginal in the grand scheme of handguns. In the 6/10 range.

It did fit both of our hands just fine, and the sight system is bright and easy to acquire. I'd carry a Shield without worry, I just don't think I like it enough to pick up a second one for me.

 

[alhambra lion]

I guess I will be the odd one out, and vote for the shield. I have shot both and prefer the shield for several reasons.
1.) Price. The shield is less expensive. Yes there are some people out there asking crazy prices, but if you keep your eyes open you will find one. I have come across two in the last couple of weeks. (Yes, 9's) Extra magazines are also cheaper and easier to locate.

2.) Size and comfort. The shield is smaller and more comfortable in my hand. It is thinner and easier to conceal albeit not by much.

3.) Magazine release on the Walther? Not sure about you, but I own plenty of guns and plan on getting more. The odd ball magazine release is a deal breaker in itself. I am not saying its bad, just different then every other gun. To me I want to keep everything the same. Range pieces, play pieces, and self defense gun. I don't want one different than the others. Especially the one I am putting my life behind!

4.) The safety on the Shield? Not a deal breaker to me. Does it need to be there? In my opinion no, But it is. I look at it like this, You can either just not use it, or you can practice sweeping it in your draw. I sometimes carry a 1911 cocked and locked. Sweeping the safety on that is no different than sweeping the safety on the shield, so I am used to it. It is habit.

5.) The trigger? Who cares! Its a self defense gun not a target gun. If you ever draw it to save your life your heart will be beating like you ran a marathon and you will mash the trigger in a panic. I would challenge anyone to discern a 6 lb pull with some stacking versus a 5 lb pull with a short reset. Honestly!? Once again these are not target pistols.

6.). Use the money you save on the gun on ammo, training, and range time. That will make more difference than everything else.

Well......once you can find some ammo that is!!!!

Your points on 3 and 4 are related in my mind. I definitely want to maintain similar controls and trigger actions across all guns I have. So the mag release issue is one that has me a little concerned. However, that ties right into how I feel about your point about the manual safety. I only have a couple guns with manual safeties and they rarely see the light of day as a result. Because all my other guns have passive safeties.

Either way I have to compromise, as you most often do when considering a CC weapon.

 

[Exodus]

What about a compact m&p? Yes its larger than the shield but then you won't have the thumb safety.