Hello,

I just bought a Shield 9mm last night and joined the forums this afternoon during lunch. Maybe this is nothing. I was looking at the rear sight on my new Shield and it looks like it is shifted slightly to the left (looking at it from the rear of the gun).

It's not a lot but I noticed it on close inspection. It this normal? I havn't even fired the gun yet and would hate to have to get something fixed already. Any help and or advice for a new Shield owner is appreciated.

Mine was shifted slightly to the right. There's not much room for adjustment either way. The rear sight on a Shield is so difficult to move that folks advise to always drift the front sight for windage.

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The owners manual instructs to move the front sight for windage adjustment.

This there an easy way for a novice like myself to do this?

While I find this surprising, it is true:

However, and I can't state this emphatically enough, DO NOT MAKE ANY ADJUSTMENTS TO YOUR SIGHTS UNTIL YOU'VE FIRED IT FROM A REST!!! It doesn't matter if the sight is not exactly in the center of the slide. It may be where it is because that's where it needs to be.

New shooters, especially with an M&P, often find they shoot low and to the right (right hand shooters). This is most often caused by the shooter not the gun. It has to do with recoil anticipation, grip and a stiff trigger. Don't be discouraged, all this can be fixed with a little training and practice.

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Freedom isn't free.

I agree do not worry about the sight position. Shoot the gun from a sitting position using a sandbag, heavy pillow, etc., to support and steady the gun. Pull the trigger back very slowly, so that when it fires, it is a surprise to you. No jerking/pulling the trigger back fast, or anticipating when the gun will fire. Pull very slowly, but a steady pull, until the gun fires. If you know or anticipate when the gun will fire, you may flinch, which will throw the point of bullet impact off, from where the gun was aimed. Shoot 10 shots at 12 to 15 yards, and check the grouping, where the majority of shots are hitting. Find a circle about 3 inches in diameter, where most of the bullets have hit. Get a new target and repeat one more time. If both groupings are in the same relative location, you now know where your aim and the resulting point of impact is. This is the point where the sight can be adjusted.

A good practice is to dry fire the gun, and watch the end of the barrel, when the striker drops/releases. If you are holding it steady and pulling the trigger correctly, there should be no barrel movement, when the striker drops. This means there is no flinch or jerk. But dry firing and actual firing are different, because there is no recoil when dry firing. Some people flinch in anticipation of the recoil. Doing wrist curls, grip squeezes, etc., can strengthen the muscles and help with recoil problems.

I know the manual says do not move the rear sight, but I only move the rear sight. I like to keep the front sight always dead center, to the sides of the slide. Good shooting.

Bob

The manual is pretty emphatic about not moving the rear sight. I wonder why?

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Ha. This is exactly where I have been hitting...

S&W probably issues the warning as they don't want someone knocking the rear sight off and losing the parts to the striker blocker, which are under the sight. Also it is harder to move the rear sight, as there is more surface contact area for the rear dovetail, than the front sight dovetail.

Bob

That can't be it. The manual for the other M&Ps specifically instructs you to move the rear sight for windage. It has the same stuff under it as the Shield.

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Thanks everyone for the tips and advice. I took her to the range last night. At 7 yards I'm putting a 3" ish group low and to the left. I went home and did the dry fire practice and sure enough I was jerking the trigger.

At this point I don't think the sights are an issue. It seems to unfortunately be the shooter. At least I know what I need to work on now. I threw off a bit at first. I have a Glock 19 and I think I'm just so used to that trigger that the Shields is giving me a little trouble for now. No biggie though. I like a challenge.

Never shot one till yesterday, chewed the center out fast. Lock wrist hold through shot don't pull it left.

Set screw?...

This is definitely a factor. The Glock has a different grip angle and a lighter trigger. The grip angle of the Glock can mask pulling down as you shoot. The heavier trigger of the M&P can accentuate a jerk as well.

Dry practice is your friend and can cure this issue.

What is your reasoning behind this? All M&P sights have a set screw.

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Freedom isn't free.