Okay, after much research I just bought a 9MM Shield. It has external safety, and not-ported.

I have ordered 350 rounds of CCI Blazer ammo from Palmetto, and its on the way.

So my question is, is there any cleaning or pre-fire I should do on the Shield, or just start busting caps at the range?

Oh, by the way, as of yesterday, Palmetto had S&W OEM Mags (8 round) for the Shield, for $19.99 each. Buy 4 and they throw in free shipping. I did.

Just clean and lube it as per the manual and buy lots and lots of ammo.

Good deal on the mags. Shoot it, clean it, repeat as necessary. YOu may need a mag loader for the magazines but do not despair, after a bit of use they do loosen up noticeably.

The only thing you need to do is clean it, lube it, then shoot it.

Yep as the above all stated and especially the buy more ammo. When you are having fun the inside bottom of the ammo box shows up quick.

I'm with the rest, clean and shoot it..... And shoot it often. I too use an Uplula loader with my PC Shield mags but already had one in the range bag. And i try to stock up on range ammo when i can; as i will go thru plenty when practicing/playing with said Shield and the multiple 8 round mags i use.

Clean and lube and enjoy the "heck" out of it.

Attached Images

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Mike
S&WCA #3065

Practice take-down and reassemble, as the RSA has a history of being a bugger to get properly aligned.

Since lots of people seem to initially have Left/Low-Left problems, Do lots of Dry Fire practice, to get used to the trigger and achieve a straight rearward trigger press. Find a spot on a wall and as the trigger 'breaks', does it move off that spot? if so, you don't have a straight rearward trigger press (yet) and may need to adjust finger placement.

dogbert' sincere congratulations on your new Shield 9. I predict that you will really enjoy owning and shooting the Shield. Majoriety of folks really like how good they shoot and appreciate how accurate the Shield 9 is. I have had several different guns in the last ten years or so and my new Shield 9 (just like yours) is the most accurate pistol I have had. I practice with 10 inch paper plates at 7 yards and most always cut a 3inch ragged hole when the smoke clears. Pretty good for 80 year old "glaucoma eyes" and arthritis hands. I carry a 442 Centenial for back up, but I shoot the Shield 9 much better.
Keep shootin.

I'd definitely get an UpLula. Sure, you should make sure you can load a magazine without it just in case but if you're going to shoot a couple 200 rounds at the range you will find it is worth every penny.

As to cleaning it or not, I didn't clean my fullsize the first time but I did clean my Shield. The FS was fine without cleaning. I'm sure the Shield would have been as well as it didn't have any unreasonable amount of oil or any other crude in it. But, the initial cleaning is a great way to inspect it all and begin to get familiarized with it.

I bought one last week, theoretically for my wife. It is cleaned, lubed and ready to go. Have ammo, need range time.

If "we" really like it I will probably buy a second one. My LGS has them for $379 in both configurations - safety/no safety.

First WELCOME,
You Tube has tons of Cleaning videos on the Shield
Congrats on your new Shield. I love mine. As other say look into the UPLULA Mag loader ,fits a ton of mags
maglula | Tools for loading and unloading magazines
and Talon Grip tape,
TALON Grips for Glock, XD, XDM, Kahr, Ruger and Kel-Tec Pistols. Free Shipping!

For a good IWB Holster at a good price look at the Jel Tech for 25 $ can not be beat , Very well made Kydex. I have 2,my son has 2 and I got 4 for guys at the shop
JelTecHolsters – Budget Minded Products
And look at Alien Gear Holsters, They have a good 2 fer deal around 70$
Concealed Carry Holsters - Alien Gear Holsters - Gun Holsters

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9mm Shield

I've bought two. Shot both straight out of the box, THEN cleaned afterward. No problems.

Happy Shooting!

You're going to enjoy the Shield.

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Stay protected my friends.

Read the manual then lube as indicated. Go shoot. I like the desantis sof tuk holster.

Welcome from North Carolina

What Ranger17 said. the Uplula is a worthwhile investment. Shield mags will loosen with use but this makes it a pleasure to load plus I use mine to load my Glock & H&K mags as well. Your thumbs will thank you.

I don't know if things have changed since I bought mine, but the grips were super slippery so I bought a talon grips wrap and now it's great.

Yes, get the Talon grips. They make a world of difference.

And your thumbs will thank you for the UpLula loader.

Thanks to all who responded. My Palmetto State Armory ammo order still hasn't been shipped so I ordered some ammo from SGAMMO yesterday to get me over the hump until PSA finally came through. The SGAMMO order went out this morning. I read the manual which came with the Shield, field stripped it down and lubed the 7 points they mention and reassembled.

Just waiting on the ammo now, so I can head to the range.

A general rule for any machinery is to clean before lubing, rather than adding lube to grit, which is considered an emergency measure to get it going temporarily.
Also, magazines should be stripped and cleaned when necessary, and reassembled dry (especially in sandy areas like where I shoot).

If this is your first handgun, an NRA basic pistol course would be money well spent, and promote productive practice, rather than repeating mistakes.

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Science plus Art

Get some proper instruction. It will save you money and frustration in the long run.

Invest in quality sights. I have Trijicon HD on all my pistols, but there are other quality guy.

I think you'll enjoy I love mine I may have to buy another one because my wife likes it better that her Lcp 380.

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MP SHIELD 9

Straight out of the box mine was great. But I figured if my life were going to depend on it, there were a few things I'd do to it to enhance an already good platform.

So I added Trijicon night sights, put the Talon grips on, and then, finally went all the way and had the full Apex package installed. Now I shoot it even better and it is among my most accurate pistols at 5 and 7 yards....supposedly the critical distance for self defense.

When dry-firing, use snapcaps. You don't have to eject them out each time you rack the slide, but only pull the slide a little bit.

Uplula loader for sure.

I put Tritium sights on mine and they really improved the gun.

I like the grip just the way it is.

Cleaning and lubing on the Shield is a snap. Not sure what the reassembly issue is that some report; I find it to be very simple and easy.

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Army veteran, NRA Life Member

Go to you rlocal Wal Mart they have Federal 115 Gr. for around 11$ a box and Aluminum about 10$ a box.. carry you till your order arrives.. I have 1000 rounds coming from Freedom Munitions and will have it Friday. but have stock to play with till then

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9mm Shield

I bought my Shield 9mm about 6 months ago, been shooting at least 100 rounds every other week, sometimes more when the wife comes along. I felt it took a little bit to break-in, but has become a favorite piece to take out to the range. It has also become our favorite to carry. I will admit, I was not overwhelmed with the stock trigger, just a personal preference, and recently installed the Appex Hard Sear. Made a huge difference for both of us. Definitely made a great gun much better!

The problem with the Shield is that when you let someone else shoot it, they don't want to give it back!! Ditto with the Bodyguard...S&W makes good products, you should have a trouble free purchase but IF problems occur, the company sure seems to stand by their creations..