No, not a faulty gun ... I mean I have gone back to S&W after taking a long sabbatical.
Back in the day, I owned probably a dozen Smiths: various and sundry revolvers - a few .44 Magnums, a .41 Mag, a Lew Horton 3" Model 24 .44 Special, just to name a few - as well as several autos. My favorites were a 469 and a 4567, a 2-tone Commander-length .45 with night sights and a cool bobbed hammer.
But as the years went by, I divested myself of most of my revolvers and DA autos (I always hated the DA/SA transition) and kept only 1911s and Glocks, which had a simple manual of arms and weren't sprouting safety levers way up on the slide that flipped the opposite way John Browning intended ...

Years went by. A divorce. A long-time job lost. Then remarriage, a new job, lots of changes, gray hair. I had a couple of Glocks, a Gen 2 19 and a G36 .45, both of which were (and still are) wonderfully reliable handguns, perfectly suitable for home defense and, eventually, concealed carry.
Still, I kept my eyes and mind open to the changes in the firearms world, including Smith & Wesson, which impressed me with their commitment to quality, new technology and customer service. I had little interest in spending money on a new gun (priorities change and I had a couple of great ones already) but couldn't deny the idea of a slim 9mm designed for concealed carry had a lot of appeal.
And then came the M&P Shield. As soon as it was released, my interest was piqued. I spoke with a shooting buddy about it ... and the son of a gun went out and bought one!
After shooting his, I knew I was doomed.
Last week, for the first time in about 13 years, I bought a gun; a 9mm Shield. It fits my hand perfectly. It's just what I want in a CCW gun, literally perfect. If it proves to be as reliable as I expect, it's going to be my EDC gun for a long time.

Cool story.

Lockback

I owned and sold a Kahr CM9 and Betetta Nano . I was about to give up on the single stack 9 mm. I was convinced a reliable semi auto small enough to conceal in my pocket was not reliable.

I am glad I tried one more and it was the Shield 9 mm. 2,000 flawless rounds.

Russ

I keep reading more and more euphoric reviews about this shield, I need one!

Great story btw.

__________________
Martyrs or Marines, who is gonna get the most virgins?

My Shield had one bobble in its first 130 rounds or so, a stovepipe probably 30 rounds in, firing Federal 115 gr hardball.
No bobbles after that. I'll shoot it again this weekend. Given what I've read here and elsewhere, I don't expect any more failures. But it will have to prove 100% reliable before I depend on it as my EDC gun.
I expect it to do just fine.

A similar journey to the same end. Over a several year period I've owned Kahr PM9, various sub-compact .45's including the latest Springfield XDs .45, none of which ultimately made the grade as a compact carry pistol. I traded the XDs straight across for a brand new Shield 9mm and couldn't be happier. The Shield is the right size and weight and with the new tech 9mm ammo available, it's a terrific every day carry pistol.

Boy I can relate!

I now have 250 rounds through my Shield, ranging from plated bullet handloads to lead to +P factory hollowpoints and Federal Champion hardball. Only 1 bobble; a failure to extract within the first 30 rounds. Since then: completely flawless. And stunningly controllable and amazingly accurate.
My IWB holster should arrive this week and I will start carrying it.
To say I'm impressed would be an understatement.

Now, several months and hundreds of rounds, I declare my Shield a total success. It's been highly reliable, accurate, easy to shoot and very concealable.
A friend, however, has had numerous issues with his Shield, primarily failures to extract.
After three trips back to S&W for repairs (new extractor, polished feed ramp and, finally, a new barrel), Smith agreed to replace his gun. It's on the way to a local gun shop now. I hope he ends up being as satisfied with his Shield as I am with mine.