Howdy All,
I am in the market for a shield and am Left-Handed. I would really like one if they came with the safety for a left-handed shooter... Does anyone know if S&W is considering bringing out the next model with either an ambi safety or a lefty safety??? I'm holding off on getting one while I consider the safety issue... I would like to carry with one in the chamber with the safety on... I don't think I'll be able to operate the safety in it's present configuration with my left hand...

Thanks in advance,

Kevin Orcutt

Nope, never. :-D

Just kidding. Fact is, nobody here knows for sure. The Shield is too new and in too much demand to even keep in stock. I'm sure S&W has plans for a left handed/ambi evolution, but when? Only S&W would know.

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M&P40c/15-22/SD9VE/Mossy500

Im a lefty also and i don't really mind it. I could still flip it with my thumb and then re grip.

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Tony
MT Holsters

There are YouTube videos on how to remove the safety.

If you use a holster which covers the trigger the weapon is just as safe to carry as a Glock without a safety.



Russ

Best bet for carry will be a compact. If/when they release the shield, it will probably be in the next year or so most likely. As stated above, they are having a difficult time stocking the normal models.

Me too. I found that they safety isn't too much of a concern. I'm able to disengage the safety with the side of my thumb and then regrip without any issues. I would like one with lefty controls, but couldn't wait to buy it and don't regret it at all.

Why do you feel that you need a safety on a carry gun in the first place? The M&P is totally safe without one.

Randy

I'm sure it's personal preference. S&W wouldn't have put one on if they didn't feel it served a purpose. Different strokes for different folks.

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M&P40c/15-22/SD9VE/Mossy500

I'm a lefty who owns a Shield and would prefer to not have a safety at all. I've never had a problem without a safety on my GLOCKs and they even have a lighter trigger.

Edmo

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TRUTH: Don't delete my posts!

It is.

I don't know if S&W put a safety on the Shield to make it comply with certain state recommendations, or because it is really designed as a carry gun that they felt that most would want one. (I do.) It is so small and unobtrusive (unlike the rest of the M&P line) that it is easy to ignore it and not use it if you don't want to...if you do want a safety, then it is there and you can use it.

I wish the rest of the M&Ps came with the Shield-style safety.

The only reason S&W added a mechanical thumb safety is public opinion. Same with the hinged trigger thing.

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Freedom isn't free.

I'm not one to carry with the safety on, but I do like having it there for certain occasions. I know it was one of the main arguing points when the gun was released because there are people who refuse to have a safety, and I'm sure some day they will release one without it. It is by far one of my favorite manual safeties because of how minimal it is and very hard to engage accidnetally. Having always had guns made for right-handed people, I've just come to terms with learning ways to use a non-ambo safety. I actually prefer my mag release on the "right-handed side"

A manual safety is a matter of personal preference. Some like them, some don't, and others don't care one way or the other. The Shield manual safety is very easy to disable, check the YouTube videos. The chance of a left handed Shield version is likely a long ways away, if ever. Right now S&W cannot produce enough Shields to keep up with demand, so they have no reason to offer a left handed Shield. If sales ever slow down, then they may try a left handed version to spur additional sales. I am a right handed shooter, but a left handed golfer. Same thing with golf, lefties are last to get the latest equipment, if ever. In the USA it is estimated only 15% of the population is left handed. Breaks down to 20% male and 10% female.

Bob

I would be all over the Shield if it weren't for the non-ambi safety. The safety is the dealbreaker for me as a leftie. The reason being, the sole purpose of the Shield is a self defense weapon, and I will not carry a gun with a safety I cannot access in a natural manner being left-handed. Yes, I COULD just carry it without the safety on, but if that safety gets bumped on while carrying and I god-forbid ever have to use the thing, I would be absolutely screwed as far as flipping the safety off in a timely manner.

Because human beings aren't perfect and we all make mistakes, and on a striker fired gun without a hammer to cover as you holster, the odds of an ND are higher. There was some off duty cop who shot a woman at a party last year when his M&P "fell out of his pants".

I just got a Sheild. really nice gun. Haven't even fired it yet. I can manipulate the safety no problem as I draw. If it didn't have a safety, I wouldn't have gotten it. The trigger on the M&P is very short and light.

I passed on the chance to buy a Shield when they first come out because I'm left-handed and it has the right-hand only safety. I have an M&P9C with no safety that I like quite a bit, but don't carry often because it is a little too bulky. I have a competitor's single-stack 9mm that I really like and has become my EDC.

I know some will say "just leave the safety off" and while that might work for some I won't. I'm concerned the safety could be inadvertently switched on and when it's needed most that could be very costly. Other's might suggest removing the safety, but I also would rather avoid potential legal ramifications to altering a carry pistol.

I realize the possibilities of either of these scenarios happening are very small. However, given the opportunity to have a different EDC that I'm satisfied with, why should I? I just think S&W would benefit by making the Shield even a little more like the rest of the M&P line if they did.

Of course at this point and in my case I wouldn't get one because I'm very happy with my current pistol. But for others considering the Shield, it might help them.

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M&PC FS BG Shield+ 642 686+

The estimates I've seen run from 7% up towards 15% with 10% being a commonly estimated percentage in the US.

One thing they say about lefties is the ability to visualize three-dimensional and spatially oriented concepts better than the common knuckle dragging right-handers. As a retired USAF pilot I noted there seemed to be a higher percentage of lefties flying airplanes than the 10% number.

Mark your calendars, 13 August is International Left Handed Day.

Edmo

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TRUTH: Don't delete my posts!

Again stating that those that don't want a manual safety and worry it could get accidentally bumped on, the manual safety can easily be disabled/disconnected. I made this video many months ago, showing how to do it, very easily. I always use the manual safety and by the time my gun just starts raising up, the safety is off, again my preference. Is the gun safe without the manual safety? Sure it is, but my preference is it is an additional safety, for those "how could that of happened" situations. Just read a post on this Forum, last week, how an experienced shooter managed to shoot himself, with a non- manual safety gun.

The post about the cop that dropped his gun and shot someone accidentally must have put his finger on the trigger and pulled. All modern name brand guns come with an internal safety that will not allow the gun to fire unless the trigger is pulled to close to the break point. They don't fire when dropped.

Bob



M&P Shield Manual Safety Removal - YouTube



M&P Shield Manual Safety Removal - YouTube

I'd bet a lot that there is a better chance of a no safety version before a left handed one. I would not mind a left handed one with a safety, but like Linejudgemick, I would not like to have it activated by error and have a 3 armed cluster trying to use it for serious purposes.

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NHI, 10-8.