I own a 9mm and 45acp Shield and one thing they have in common is that they are both TIGHT. The feel good, shoot great, and are very accurate. However they are very TIGHT. Is there any way of loosening up this tightness?

Shoot it...
500 rounds of Federal HST +P through each one.
Loosens right up!

How many rounds have you sent downrange in each gun? All M&P Shield models have pretty tight tolerances, they should loosen up with use and time. I hope this helps.

Question.
Does tight equate to accurate and loose equate to less accurate?
Will M&Ps become less accurate as they loosen up?

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Shield 45, SW40VE, 586, 1000

I assume you've cleaned and lubed them properly...right?

If so, leave the slides locked back for a while and then shoot the hell out of them.

Couldn't resist

^^^^^This....go to the range and loosen them up



Thats two questions

Id have to go with no and no. YMMV

for what it's worth, I tend to become more accurate with my various M&P's as I continue to run rounds thru them. From getting more comfortable with the grips/features to getting accustomed to the nuances each model has. But each one i own has over 1k rounds in it and i can firmly say they have not become less accurate.

I would say that the recoil spring is quite 'firm' at first. I would say the fit 0f the slide to the frame is snug but not binding. I will confirm that my 45 Shield has come around nicely after something in the area of 350+ rounds.

No complaints, not at all
Karl

The only tightness I've seen on both my Shield's is the slide stop on my .45.
When I insert a loaded magazine into my .40, I can pull back slightly on the back of my slide and let it go forward, chambering a round.
The .45 won't do that. I have to cup my hand (right hand as I'm left handed) over the top of the slide, and as I pull the slide back slightly, push the slide stop down with my finger tips.
I lubed the slide stop a few times, I'm hoping more rounds through it will
get it to drop down when I sling shot the slide..

Shoot, shoot, and shoot some more. Works for me.

Hmmm. Seems to me that much premium ammo might cost nearly the cost of the gun itself....

I guess if we want the tiger to roar, we have to feed it....

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CERAKOTE Svcs.
Class 01 FFL

Really shooting a gun is not cheap - even when you reload. We should all expect to spend several times the cost of the gun on ammunition over the gun's lifetime. Not if we're one-box-a-year shooters, of course. But with a gun like the Shield which is both easy to carry and easy to shoot, it ought to be something that we LIKE to shoot a LOT - both because we need to keep training with it, and because it's just fun to do.

And if you look for it, you can sometimes find that premium ammunition in 50 round boxes for the same as or even less than what the usual suspects want for 20.

In my case, I just made up a bunch of coated lead bullet rounds that match the velocity of the premium stuff, and I use that as my break in and practice ammo. Alternatively, if you can't or don't want to reload, you can also use the same company's less-expensive FMJ blasting ammo for break in and practice, although I admit you may not be able to find +P blasting ammo. (I use standard pressure 147g HSTs as my carry load, and Federal's American Eagle stuff is a good match for practice purposes.)

My .45 Shield does the exact same thing. In fact I was concerned it might not chamber properly before I shot it, but, it ran flawless my one and only time to the range with it (100 rounds). My 9mm Shield does not do that, although it also is very tight. Shields have reputations for being very tight, very hard to rack for arthritic people. I've read in a lot of forums from elderly people inquiring on the forum if other people have problems racking back the slide on their 9mm and 40 Shields.

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I buy most of my ammo is case lots (1000 rd. cases), often multiple cases at a time. It's the most economical. That's relative, of course, and I prioritize those purchases; I don't waste money on counterproductive stuff like a boat or a bigger vehicle than I need, etc.

After running a modest amount of ball ammo (300-500 rounds) to look for any manufacturing flaws, it is simply prudent to test a serious pistol with carry ammo. The general recommendation from serious sources is at least 500 rounds of duty ammo without a malfunction. (And it should not need cleaning in so few rounds. I may add lube, but just a bit of SLIP on the rails.) I had over 700 rounds, most of it duty ammo, through my last issued pistol before I even took it to the qual course.

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NHI, 10-8.

there's a compromise. just get Aguila 124 grain +P FMJ.... hot as HST and costs the same price as range ammo.