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Smith & Wesson M&P Pistols All Variants of the Smith & Wesson M&P Auto Pistols


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  #1  
Old 09-14-2012, 07:30 PM
fran m fran m is offline
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I just got an M&P 9mm Shield. I know the larger sized M&P Semi Autos have been issued to departments as their duty gun and apparently are tough enough for this task.

Guns like the LC9 and Kel Tec 9mm and the small Taurus don't seem as tough to me even though the fill the same niche. I realize the Shield is a little larger and has limits to it's capacity. I know they can be dependable but for how many rounds? To me, these aren't duty quality guns.

My question is can the M&P Shield 9mm handle nearly the amount of rounds as their larger counterparts? Was it built as a small duty quality gun?

It seems like it could be a good detective or admin gun if it can withstand the rigors of real duty use.

Opinions please.

Fran M

Last edited by fran m; 09-14-2012 at 07:35 PM.
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Old 09-14-2012, 07:33 PM
ken158 ken158 is offline
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In answer to your question... I have been a detective and administrator and no doubt a Shield could handle the job! A couple yearly qualifications and riding on a belt and in a desk drawer would not tire it out at all.
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Old 09-14-2012, 09:07 PM
shawn mccarver shawn mccarver is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by fran m View Post
I just got an M&P 9mm Shield. I know the larger sized M&P Semi Autos have been issued to departments as their duty gun and apparently are tough enough for this task.

Guns like the LC9 and Kel Tec 9mm and the small Taurus don't seem as tough to me even though the fill the same niche. I realize the Shield is a little larger and has limits to it's capacity. I know they can be dependable but for how many rounds? To me, these aren't duty quality guns.

My question is can the M&P Shield 9mm handle nearly the amount of rounds as their larger counterparts? Was it built as a small duty quality gun?

It seems like it could be a good detective or admin gun if it can withstand the rigors of real duty use.

Opinions please.

Fran M
What rigors? Seriously, are you getting into that many gunfights? Are you doing scuba with your department issued firearm, jumping up out of the water and shooting the crack house sentry with a water filled barrel?

Are you rolling up in the SWAT van, jumping out and crawling through mud for a hundred yards to go under the drug house trip wires to avoid the IEDs and other booby-traps, and then having a gun fight with a barrel full of mud?

The Shield is a well-built gun and can handle any police use, except the one that seems most common among police. That is abuse of the firearm and neglect of the firearm. Most of the department issued firearms I have seen look like they were dragged behind the police car on a logging chain to each call. Many officers just do not take care of their stuff, whether it be guns or radios or any other gear.

With proper care, it will be fine for any police use at any department.
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Old 09-14-2012, 09:10 PM
NucPhysics NucPhysics is offline
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Even though it's a bit early to say for sure as the Shield hasn't been out long, my opinion based my experience so far, I believe it will outlast most of the subcompact handguns such as the Kel-tecs, Kahrs, LC9s, etc.

Compared to the full-sized M&Ps, I believe it would do very well (especially the 9mm), but not quite as long because smaller guns take a little more of a beating than their big brothers. I would expect it to last nearly as long though. It seems to be built very very well.

This is my opinion based on experience, but still opinion. Time will tell for sure.
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Old 09-14-2012, 09:54 PM
fran m fran m is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by shawn mccarver View Post
What rigors? Seriously, are you getting into that many gunfights? Are you doing scuba with your department issued firearm, jumping up out of the water and shooting the crack house sentry with a water filled barrel?

Are you rolling up in the SWAT van, jumping out and crawling through mud for a hundred yards to go under the drug house trip wires to avoid the IEDs and other booby-traps, and then having a gun fight with a barrel full of mud?

The Shield is a well-built gun and can handle any police use, except the one that seems most common among police. That is abuse of the firearm and neglect of the firearm. Most of the department issued firearms I have seen look like they were dragged behind the police car on a logging chain to each call. Many officers just do not take care of their stuff, whether it be guns or radios or any other gear.

With proper care, it will be fine for any police use at any department.

I am trying to gauge if this gun is made with similar durability and quality as their larger duty guns. All Glocks could be a duty gun and withstand thousands upon thousands of rounds through them with no problem. Full sized Sigs, HK's Beretta, the same thing. A gun like a Kel Tec or Ruger LC9 I feel, is not made to be fired a whole heck of a lot but are good carry guns. I'm hoping the Shield is tougher.

My thinking is that some guns are not built tough enough or are trustworthy enough for police duty use. I do realize that most guns will go bang when the trigger is pulled, at least for a little while.

I don't trust all guns. I will not stake my life on any Taurus except the PT99 I once had. Anyone carrying a Department owned Taurus?

Last edited by fran m; 09-14-2012 at 10:02 PM.
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Old 09-14-2012, 10:02 PM
shield shield is offline
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I have close to 3000 rounds through mine and it's as good as new, if anything it's improved. Very durable. I also have the 9FS, and no difference in quality to me.

Last edited by shield; 09-14-2012 at 10:04 PM.
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Old 09-14-2012, 10:05 PM
bonjorno2 bonjorno2 is offline
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i don't see why not... my buddy has over 30k rounds in a kahr pm9 why would the shield be any different?
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Old 09-14-2012, 10:09 PM
fran m fran m is offline
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I guess another way to put it would be, would it make a department approved weapons list as a duty gun?

And, thank you for the replies.

Last edited by fran m; 09-14-2012 at 10:24 PM.
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Old 09-14-2012, 10:14 PM
shield shield is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by fran m View Post
I guess another way to put it would be, would it make a department approved weapons list as a duty gun

And, thank you for the replies.
I guess it would depend on their criteria. I think the larger guns would get preference as a primary weapon mainly for their larger capacity.
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Old 09-14-2012, 10:55 PM
shawn mccarver shawn mccarver is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by fran m View Post
I guess another way to put it would be, would it make a department approved weapons list as a duty gun?

And, thank you for the replies.
There is no reason why the Shield will not hold up as well as any other similarly sized weapon. I believe it is all M&P in the important details. It does not have the interchangeable grip inserts, but who cares?

In addition, after 40+ years of shooting, I am not convinced that a "department approved weapons list" really means much. There are many factors that go into agency selection of weapons either for issue or for individual purchase, and only occasionally does real world performance intersect with budget and "political" or "publicity" issues.

The truth of the matter is that the Shield has not been out long enough to have the kind of track record you are looking for in this type of pistol. It is certainly promising, but the only way to compare is to ask again in 25 years as that is about how long Glock has been around.

If it makes a difference, all of the people I know who have the Shield have complete confidence and have not had any of the issues that are reported here with some regularity by a few.

So, is it a gamble? Yes. What are the odds of malfunction? Probably pretty low.

Good luck in making your decision.

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  #11  
Old 09-14-2012, 11:09 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by shawn mccarver View Post
What rigors? Seriously, are you getting into that many gunfights? Are you doing scuba with your department issued firearm, jumping up out of the water and shooting the crack house sentry with a water filled barrel?

Are you rolling up in the SWAT van, jumping out and crawling through mud for a hundred yards to go under the drug house trip wires to avoid the IEDs and other booby-traps, and then having a gun fight with a barrel full of mud?

The Shield is a well-built gun and can handle any police use, except the one that seems most common among police. That is abuse of the firearm and neglect of the firearm. Most of the department issued firearms I have seen look like they were dragged behind the police car on a logging chain to each call. Many officers just do not take care of their stuff, whether it be guns or radios or any other gear.

With proper care, it will be fine for any police use at any department.
Its not that we dont take care of it....sometimes you hit the ground or make someone else hit the ground. You get wet on duty and wet brings in dirt. lol ill admitt ive taken a few falls taking someone down or someone fighting back, hell one of the times a fellow officer tripped me(he dint mean to)!! lol and some of the ground ur walking on looking for interesting people is about as stable as the person your looking for
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  #12  
Old 09-15-2012, 10:36 AM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by fran m View Post
I just got an M&P 9mm Shield. I know the larger sized M&P Semi Autos have been issued to departments as their duty gun and apparently are tough enough for this task.

Guns like the LC9 and Kel Tec 9mm and the small Taurus don't seem as tough to me even though the fill the same niche. I realize the Shield is a little larger and has limits to it's capacity. I know they can be dependable but for how many rounds? To me, these aren't duty quality guns.

My question is can the M&P Shield 9mm handle nearly the amount of rounds as their larger counterparts? Was it built as a small duty quality gun?

It seems like it could be a good detective or admin gun if it can withstand the rigors of real duty use.

Opinions please.

Fran M
Fran

The M&P Shield was designed to fill a military need

From what I have read that is why there is a manual safety because it is a requirement before the military would issue the weapon.

If the Shield was built for the military I have no question the weapon was built at a quality standard that will exceed law enforcement standards otherwise military would not accept the firearm as a piece of equipment.

The Shield as a CCW for civilians was a bonus for S&W. The military was the targeted audience for the Shield.

Russ

Last edited by RussC; 09-15-2012 at 10:43 AM.
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  #13  
Old 09-15-2012, 12:12 PM
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Originally Posted by RussC View Post
The military was the targeted audience for the Shield.
I would sure like to see some documentation to back that up. I can't imagine any military issuing the M&P Shield.
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  #14  
Old 09-15-2012, 02:38 PM
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I would sure like to see some documentation to back that up. I can't imagine any military issuing the M&P Shield.
Photon44

I recalled reading several months ago a story that the S&W Shield was designed to fill a need for a military personnel to conceal while in dress uniform.

I took some time after your post to verify what I read if it was accurate and to date I am unable to determine with certainty if the claim is true.

I stand corrected due to the fact I cannot verify the story which has been posted on the Internet as factual.

My apologies for posting without fact checking.

I can say M&P stands for Military & Police and the full size version has been issued to some law enforcement agencies.

Is the Shield built to the standards of a duty weapon like the full size version?

I have no idea but this much I know the Shield is the first CCW I have owned that has gone bang everytime I have pulled the trigger.

Maybe in a couple years someone will post their 25k round review and at that time we will know if the Shield is worthy to carry the M&P logo.

Russ
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Old 09-15-2012, 02:47 PM
NucPhysics NucPhysics is offline
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I don't believe the Military would have much of any interest in the Shield. The Shield is a single-stack with a low capacity designed specifically for concealing. The military hardly has a reason to conceal a back-up-gun and if they did, they wouldn't accept a low capacity gun when there are options available with much higher capacity that would still be compact enough for a secondary carry.

I believe the Shield was specifically designed as a CCW gun and a back up gun for Law Enforcement (and certainly an encouragement for LE to use the full-sized M&Ps as duty guns to maintain same platform).

Not trying to start an argument, I just don't see the Shield for Military use.
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Old 09-15-2012, 02:59 PM
NucPhysics NucPhysics is offline
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RussC, Your response posted while I was writing. There is always information jumping around on the internet and no one can dig every bit of it up, no matter how hard you try to fact check. Sometimes the craziest or most difficult things to prove can turn out to be true. Forums are a place for sharing experience, knowledge and sometimes myth busting. It's all good.
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Old 09-15-2012, 04:37 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by RussC View Post
Photon44

I recalled reading several months ago a story that the S&W Shield was designed to fill a need for a military personnel to conceal while in dress uniform.

I took some time after your post to verify what I read if it was accurate and to date I am unable to determine with certainty if the claim is true.

I stand corrected due to the fact I cannot verify the story which has been posted on the Internet as factual.

My apologies for posting without fact checking.

I can say M&P stands for Military & Police and the full size version has been issued to some law enforcement agencies.

Is the Shield built to the standards of a duty weapon like the full size version?

I have no idea but this much I know the Shield is the first CCW I have owned that has gone bang everytime I have pulled the trigger.

Maybe in a couple years someone will post their 25k round review and at that time we will know if the Shield is worthy to carry the M&P logo.

Russ

I appreciate your integrity Russ. Something that is rarely found on the internet!

While I doubt the military would be interested, from all accounts that I can find, the Shield is an excellent design and should hold up quite well to any amount of concealed carry.
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Old 10-01-2012, 05:49 PM
messer454 messer454 is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by bonjorno2 View Post
i don't see why not... my buddy has over 30k rounds in a kahr pm9 why would the shield be any different?
Wow! I have a Kahr PM9 and like it but I never would have believed it would last 30K. Have any parts been replaced?

Concerning the OP's question. My initial impression is that my Shield is much more durable than my Kahr PM9. I have been carrying a Kahr for backup and off duty for about 6 years off the top of my head and I have only had a handful of malfunctions that were the slide locking back on weak hand only shooting. No strong hand or 2 hand malfunctions. Shield still seems more well built. However it is bigger and not as much as a pocket gun IMO.
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Old 10-01-2012, 11:17 PM
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I have no doubt that the Shield will hold up quite well. I bought my Shield 9mm as a backup and off-duty during warmer weather. I've carried it all summer and qualified with it on my Department's qualification course. I scored 100% with it on our 25 round course using GDHP125gr. +p using only A-zone hits as scores on an IPSC target. I've shot it a lot now, and see no signs of wear. I also have a Ruger LC9 and have compared them closely. The LC9 does not appear to be as sturdy and well-made as the Shield. The Shield just feels more substantial in my hand. It's a keeper.
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Old 10-01-2012, 11:28 PM
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Originally Posted by snowman.45 View Post
I have no doubt that the Shield will hold up quite well. I bought my Shield 9mm as a backup and off-duty during warmer weather. I've carried it all summer and qualified with it on my Department's qualification course. I scored 100% with it on our 25 round course using GDHP125gr. +p using only A-zone hits as scores on an IPSC target. I've shot it a lot now, and see no signs of wear. I also have a Ruger LC9 and have compared them closely. The LC9 does not appear to be as sturdy and well-made as the Shield. The Shield just feels more substantial in my hand. It's a keeper.
That's the first thing I noticed. It beats out many on that basis alone. I think it will have a long service life. IMO
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Old 10-01-2012, 11:56 PM
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It's laughable that you are trying to compare the shield to anything Kel Tec makes.
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Old 10-02-2012, 08:45 AM
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Shielded

I concur when it comes to comparing the Shield with the Ruger LC9. The Shield feels more solid in my hand.

Great to read you qualified using the Shield.

I agree the Shield is a keeper and when you compare the price of the Shield with a Sig that is a few more Franklin's it makes you appreciate it that much more as the gun of the year.

Russ

P.S. Before Ruger fans go nuts I own a Ruger and I enjoy their revolvers but it is what it Is and the Shield is a better made handgun.
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Old 10-02-2012, 12:53 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by RussC View Post
Shielded

I concur when it comes to comparing the Shield with the Ruger LC9. The Shield feels more solid in my hand.

Great to read you qualified using the Shield.

I agree the Shield is a keeper and when you compare the price of the Shield with a Sig that is a few more Franklin's it makes you appreciate it that much more as the gun of the year.

Russ

P.S. Before Ruger fans go nuts I own a Ruger and I enjoy their revolvers but it is what it Is and the Shield is a better made handgun.
Thanks Russ, but it wasn't me it was Snowman.45 I just quoted him.
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