Before you spend money for ammo sighting in with a laser__
I use a Sight Mark laser to adjust the CT lasers on two of my
380s. The Sight Mark in 9mm in your case. They look like ammo
and slip into the chamber. The Sight Mark laser coming out of the
muzzle is right on. ( Decide what range for your laser dot) Then
adjust your the laser where the Sight Mark laser dot is.
I have both of mine (one Sig and one Bersa) set at twelve yards
for "defensive shots".
You may prefer a longer range. You'll know instantly when the two
laser dots are together__super bright.
I prefer lasers for home defense at night over the night sights I
have on my two Shields. (One Big Dot and the other Amerigo)
If my shields had grip panels and CT made a grip laser for them
I'd have a laser on one of my Shields.
G'luck.

I just had a set of Ameriglo on one Shield and a set of Big Dot on the other by a certified S&W armorer and he said both sights on my two Shields were the hardest to remove he'd ever done. So,
I guess I got two in that "difficult" category.

Mine is stock and seems fine for my needs. It's a carry gun so as long as I pull the trigger and it works I am good. I wouldn't mind trying one but I spend most of my money on my AR.

And what is the likelihood you will be packing your AR when you need to defend yourself?

My first priority for spending is on the gun(s) I am most likely to use for personal defense. My EDC is usually a FS M&P 9; full Apex kit; RMR milled into the slide with cowitnessing suppressor sights; a backup TTI extended mag; Barnes TAC-X 115 gr bullets and Talon grips; adjusted slide release; carried in a custom Kydex AIWB holster. Attachable Surefire X300 light for homework.

I have a backup M&P that is the same but with stock sights. Bladetech yellow plastic barrel for safe dry firing. Having the second gun reduces wear on the primary when at the range.

Then a 9mm Shield for the few times I cannot carry the FS. All have Apex triggers, Talon grips, extended mags, good holsters, etc.

IMO, your EDC is not the gun to cheap out on. I have a total of about $2700 invested in this system. Worth it to me.

AR's are cool to set up specially also, but the priority? Not for me.

I had the local gun smith do a action job on my wife's 9mm shield.
Now has a 5.5 lb trigger pull that is slick.....
She likes it that way.

__________________
Only difference Fool/Mule-ears

I didn't have much of an option living in MA. Stock trigger felt comparable to dragging a 12lb dumbbell through a pile of gravel with your pointer finger.

Apex fixed the shield right up.

__________________
ChanceFavorsThe
Prepared Mind

I have a new Shield in 9 MM and I thought about the Apex kit but it's pretty darn good feeling to me as is, I've only put about 100 rounds throgh her and already feels a bit smoother.
I've added the Talon grips, Pearce mag extensions, and Viridian Green Laser, this thing is awesome !!

Fixed my Shield 9 trigger by buying a P938. Now when I shoot the Shield, it feels like a very light trigger.

I have two Shields. One with a thumb safety and a newer one without. The older one has over 1500 rounds through it and the trigger is definitely smoother than the new one with only 250-300 through it. That being said, I think the stock trigger is more than good enough for a self- defense gun.

Horse ****!!! Never been a case with a legal shoot where trigger modification has been a factor. Why do people continue to perpetrate this lie on here!!!!??? You have NO facts to back up this ridiculous theory!!

NC

I did a Burwell trigger job on my 9c a while ago, and just recently added the Apex poly trigger. I'm happy.

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Randy

Installed myself in less than 45 minutes... had all the required tools though... cheap to get them on ebay.

I was literally a day or two from bringing my shield back and saying it shoots left no matter what I do or who shoots it... then a friend let me shoot his shield with Apex trigger and it was an amazing difference. Indescribable.... it you think you like stock, just try a few shots with an apex shield... you'll come over to the dark side with us and never go without an apex trigger EVER again. I know I won't!

Also check out the brand new ArmaLaser TR4 in this pick that shows my trigger and the laser together... the best combination I think thats out there currently for CCW.

They all shoot left because of the ****** trigger. Dry fire it a couple of times while aiming at something. You'll see the gun move when you finally overcome the last boulder in that gravel pit your dragging the trigger through. And before you say it...I've been shooting handguns for over 40 years, I have my own range on my own property within 50 yards of my house. I've owned,shot and carried 1911's, Glocks, revolvers(Smith and Colt) Kahr, Keltec(the only semi with a worse trigger than the Shield),Beretta, Star BM(a truly under rated pistol),HK, and XD. I dry fire way more than I shoot and I shoot a lot. To say that the Shield has an acceptable trigger is something I just don't understand unless you have no experience with a good trigger. If you want to keep the stock trigger that's fine but to get the best from the Shield it needs an APEX...

[QUOTE=RobzGuns;137794329]

I had an Electroglide, but it's performance (for how I like to highway ride) was lacking. Rather than installing a Screaming Eagle kit to make it acceptable, I traded it for a Gold Wing that was perfect in its Factory setup.

Couldn't agree more. HDs are not what I would consider performance machines (V-rod excepted) Lots of bling, lots of noise - but kind of boring to ride. All show - no go, as they say. In fact, every time I think it's time to get one, and I do a test ride, I just walk away shaking my head. I know I must have and HD at some point, but right now I think I'll wait until I need a walker - if I live that long. LOL Thought it would be nice to get something else going here.....

I wouldn't have an M&P pistol if my only option was stock.

To me, Apex trigger kits are mandatory...

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M&P's and K Frames Pleeze!

The stock trigger is fine in my 9mm Shield.

I have no problem with my stock trigger. I'm sure I would like the Apex more. Stock gets me where I need to be at 10 yards. 15 isn't usually much different.

I would like to case law on your comment. IF your intention was to pull the trigger then you have an obligation to make a good shot and not harm bystanders, etc. We are not talking about an AD here...

Had my Shield about 3 weeks now and the trigger pull felt very gritty and bothered me before I modified it just a bit after searching for a fix for it before investing in another trigger for it. Youtube had this and it worked great taking less that 10 mins to do.

Smith & Wesson M&P stiff slide release / Slide lock fix - M&P 40 trigger fix.
WantedToPost
30,556
Published on Aug 20, 2012

All it took was some very fine sand paper-I used 320 but the Author used 600 to sand the backside of the shiny disc attached to the trigger in the receiver. I could feel a rough surface before I sanded it and smooth after I worked it until the trigger pull smoothed out. Very easy fix.

I have the Apex USB only. Everything else in the trigger group works well.

I just wish that Apex (or somebody) would come up with a high quality recoil spring assembly that worked smoothly. I'd buy one in about two nanoseconds.

Just put in the Apex sear only. Made the trigger perfect for me

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MP9 40c MP22 15Spt 9Shld 15-22

I can't answer because I neither have an Apex trigger installed nor do I prefer the stock. Moreover, I have a Performance Center action, but aside from the short reset, it's not all that great. That said, I probably won't shell out the money to change it.

My M&P9 M2.0 Subcompact, however, is a different story. It has just enough overtravel that my finger gets pinched ever so slightly (but it can be annoying). I am leaning more towards an Apex trigger for this because it will solve that problem and shorten my reset similar to my PC Shield.

M&P9 M2.0 Subcompact (Top)
M&P9 M2.0 Shield


M&P9 M2.0 Shield (Left) M&P9 M2.0 Subcompact (Right)


Look at how small the overtravel stop is on the Subcompact. I am using my pad in the picture, but I actually hook my finger, and some of the skin gets caught between the frame and the trigger. This does not happen on the Shield. If the Subcompact had a similarly large overtravel stop, or better yet, if the trigger was as thick as that of the Shield, I wouldn't need an Apex trigger IMO (though shortening the reset would be nice).

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I can't respond to the poll, because there is no "Both" selection.

My 45 Shield had a wonderful trigger action right out of the box, so there was no need to alter it at all.

My M1.0 9mm Shield could not have been more different, it had the worst gritty, variable weight trigger pull that I have ever encountered on any M&P. I elected to just drop an Apex Carry/Duty trigger kit in it and it made a world of difference. I also found when I went to remove the trigger from the frame that the trigger window in the frame had been molded/cut undersized and the trigger was actually binding within the frame, hence the variable heavy trigger pull.

Had the same experience with my old 1.0 .45 Full Size.


The Apex kit made it a NEW gun! I love this old thing now. Home defense, range gun.

__________________
-Richard

Both my 1.0 Shields in 40 and 45 are stock triggers - can't complain about either.

I heard Shields had good triggers and I wasn't disappointed. Never even considered and apex trigger for it.

__________________
"He was kinda funny lookin'"

JMHO if the stock trigger was sooo bad, wouldn't you think
the factory would have improved it instead of creating an after-
market? They certainly did improve it in the 2.0 series.

Once again, JMHO why is there such a need to monkey with the
stock setup? We see it all the time with AR15/MP15 and here
with the M&P's. How many SD9VE's were destroyed with aftermarket
parts? How many M&P's had problems with aftermarket triggers,
sights etc.?

It seems guys like to modify the stock setup and bemoan the problems
(and expense) of the installations. The aftermarket firms are making a ton of money providing a solution which doesn't exist.

The problem exists. The solutions exist.

The first three Shields I bought for myself and family had horrendous heavy, gritty, unpredictable triggers with a lot of overtravel. It’s hard to shoot small guns well. It’s harder when the firing mechanism sucks.

You ask why S&W didn’t improve the problem, then you point out they did. Must have been something wrong for them to improve it?

The biggest problem was finishing of the parts. Once the parts were polished, one could have a decent factory trigger, although it was often much heavier than a striker fired pistol should be.

However, Apex kits included parts with different dimensions that actually perform better than factory mass produced stuff. They were finished perfectly, had better springs and better engineering.

Your premise is common: if the factory sells it, it’s good to go.

That’s not true any more with mass produced items.

Have had almost the same experience. Both of my 1.0 9mms had awful triggers. But my 45 shield has a very nice trigger. Its not a 1911 but its every bit as good as the 9mms with Apex kits.

CB3

Perhaps I worded that wrong in that the aftermarket is providing
solutions to problems which don't exist. Yes, you're right in that
S&W improved the product in response to problems in the field.
So there was a problem and it was resolved.

Maybe its the 'old school" mentality, or maybe I'm cheap, but
I just can't justify a 160 trigger package, and 75 installation fee
to improve a 600 pistol.

If the owner is that displeased with the stock package, then why not trade it on and find another pistol that suits his needs?
JMHO S&W makes a great product, and stands behind it. Yes,
in all my years with S&W, I most firmly believe stock is better.
One way or another S&W will make every effort to satisfy their
customers if its humanely possible. Call them and explain the
problem. Better still, fire at least 500 rounds through the pistol
to see if the're really is a problem.

I am in CB3's camp. I purchased an early production 1.0 Shield. I put a Talon Grip on it, had a trigger job done and put night sights on it. I prefer flat faced triggers so recently I installed the Apex full kit in my Shield. It is a world of difference. Completely transforms the pistol in my opinion. I also put the "Flatty" full kit in my 2.0 M&P compact.That now has the best striker fired trigger that I have experienced to date. Each to their own!
I to am a trigger snob. After carrying a full custom 1911 for about 25 of my 36+ years in LE I am not satisfied with most if any stock triggers.

My 40 Shield, 40C, .40 Full size, and .40 M2.0 Compact were all fine. My performance Center 9mm CORE had a terrible trigger and I replaced it with an Apex. It was a great improvement, and I was satisfied, but I wouldn’t say it was night & Day difference as I have seen it described as before. But obviously every gun is different.

I have no problem with the 2.0 Shield stock trigger -- it shoots fine for a subcompact SD carry pistol. The friend's 1.0 trigger that I shot sucked imo.

The way S&W Customer Service responded to my complaint that my first Shield had a 9# trigger pull rather than the 5.5-6.5# pull spec’d on the S&W website? They removed the trigger weight from the specs. When I polished the components myself it came down to about 8#.

I installed an Apex kit. 5.5# pull, smooth, shorter take-up and over travel. I can shoot the gun faster and more accurately, which is what I require from a self defense pistol.

S&W designs and manufactures good guns. Most of them are within their broad mass manufacturing, profit-oriented specs, and they are acceptable to the average consumer. Almost all of them can benefit from some customization.

I understand the “shoot it 500 times” mantra. Yes, metal parts wearing against each other slowly smooth out some but hardly ever as much as a good polish job, the results of which are immediate. I don’t care to spend $100 in ammo and a few trips to the range and the time involved to maybe get the results I know I want from a self defense gun.

I also don’t have a problem recognizing that the S&W mass manufactured product is the base for the more expensive pistol I really want. That puts me in a minority. That’s fine. Neither camp is right or wrong.

But it is absolutely true that not everything S&W produces is GTG out of the box or that their CS is always responsive and helpful. Perusing this board confirms that statement.