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Smith & Wesson M&P Pistols All Variants of the Smith & Wesson M&P Auto Pistols


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Old 06-15-2019, 04:44 PM
malph malph is offline
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Default Shield 2.0 Optics Ready

I saw an optics ready 4" Shield today.

Any idea who's RDS Smith is using on the gun?

My eyesight has deteriorated to where a handgun equipped with and RDS is just way easier to shoot without worrying having the right reading glasses with me.
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Old 06-15-2019, 05:32 PM
gonerydin gonerydin is offline
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Default Shield 2.0 Optics Ready

Quote:
Originally Posted by malph View Post
I saw an optics ready 4" Shield today.



Any idea who's RDS Smith is using on the gun?



My eyesight has deteriorated to where a handgun equipped with and RDS is just way easier to shoot without worrying having the right reading glasses with me.


I’m going to guess Crimson Trace because S&W owns them.

Edit: I guessed wrong!

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Last edited by gonerydin; 06-15-2019 at 11:43 PM.
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Old 06-15-2019, 08:07 PM
bcj128 bcj128 is offline
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It’s the Shield RDS.


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Old 06-15-2019, 11:39 PM
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Shield is an English company that has been manufacturing red dot sights for a long time.

https://www.shieldpsd.com/

The J-Point is one of their models, and they have manufactured similar sights marked for other retailers. It is a “miniature” red dot with a smaller footprint, both in width and length, than most competing red dot sights, like the Trij RMR, Vortex, Deltapoint, etc.

The Shield RMS (Reflex Mini Sight) is an advancement over the J-Point but with the same footprint. The first version looked similar to the J-Point but with open sides and better quality and features that made it cost over $100 more, about $400 retail when you could find them. I have one custom milled on my Shield 1.0.



The RMS 2 is waterproof and has some different improved features. It also has open sides that differentiate it from the J-Point. Still the same small footprint. And another $100 higher price tag at about $500 when you can find them at American retailers.

So what is S&W using? I have not handled one so these are just my opinions from the photos I see and the rather obvious lack of pride S&W is displaying by not telling anyone what the sight really is.

It’s a low end J-Point specially manufactured for S&W by Shield in England. There are no markings on it. That would be impossible for a good sight manufacturer to do without a special contract calling for it. I don’t know the features, but at a S&W price point of ~$285, it’s not one of Shield’s better sights.

The good news is the slide cut will fit the other better Shield models. The bad news is they are all red dots, and S&W Performance Center made the rather foolish (IMO) decision to put fiber optics on the milled slide with a yellow front light tube. So, when adding a Shield RDS you will see three red dots and a yellow dot in the sight window. Confetti sights are confusing, to say the least. The FO sights would be the first thing I would replace on the optics ready slide, and I would not buy the cheap “off brand” optic S&W is offering, at least not for personal defense. As an expensive toy, OK.

So what is S&W really offering? A poorly thought out handgun with whistles and bells that the whistle and bell buyers will buy because there are whistles and bells. The way it is set up it is not a serious self defense pistol, IMO.

The 4” tube is great; improved grip = great; improved trigger = wonderful; not screwing with the slide stop (like FS 2.0 versions) = a big plus; optic cut is the right one for this gun. Buy just those features and you will have a good gun to build into a great CC gun by adding better iron sights and a higher end optic.

Last edited by CB3; 06-16-2019 at 09:18 AM.
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Old 06-16-2019, 12:43 PM
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Will an RMR fit that cut, or is one better off the buy a standard 4" and have it tweaked? I agree, fiber optic sights on this are just dumb. A plain black suppressor height sight is probably the way to go.
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Old 06-16-2019, 06:41 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Doug M. View Post
Will an RMR fit that cut, or is one better off the buy a standard 4" and have it tweaked? I agree, fiber optic sights on this are just dumb. A plain black suppressor height sight is probably the way to go.
The advantage to Shield red dots is their reduced dimensions compared to other sights like the Trij RMR. So, no. Other sights will not fit the S&W cut. They are longer, wider (hang over the slide, increasing slide width), and taller, requiring suppressor height sights in most cases to cowitness.

Also, the Shield sights sit low enough in the cut that standard height sights will cowitness. Not the case with the bigger RDS sights.

S&W got on the right road and took a wrong turn about 2/3 the way to the destination.

Last edited by CB3; 06-16-2019 at 06:47 PM.
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Old 06-16-2019, 07:07 PM
jbtrucker jbtrucker is offline
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sooch00 has a new video on the optics ready 4" Shield
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Old 06-16-2019, 08:05 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by jbtrucker View Post
sooch00 has a new video on the optics ready 4" Shield
I saw that. I have no opinion on this type of optic - too pricey for me and makes a pistol larger on top than I would want to carry (if I could).

I did not like S&W's decision to put the green lite-tube in the front sight and two red tubes in the rear sight. I would have done the opposite: red up front, and green in the rear.

Better yet - night sights! Just my opinion.
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Old 06-16-2019, 09:18 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by jbtrucker View Post
sooch00 has a new video on the optics ready 4" Shield
The ‘Tuber says this is the Shield SMS red dot sight. It is made of polycarbonate, both the body and the lens. Here is a link that refers to the SMS as the foreign nomenclature for the J-Point made by Shield but sold in the US.

Gear Review: Shield Sights RMS (Reflex Mini Sight) - The Truth About Guns

JP Rifles

Shield’s better RDS versions, costing more, with more features, are made of aluminum like most of the rest of the big boy competitors. Marketing can hype polycarbonate all day long, but aluminum and glass units rule for durability and reliability. Price does often reflect quality.

There is a market price point for a good entry level RDS, and the J-Point/SMS fits that niche ($300). Entry level anything does not interest me for serious use where my life is on the line.

Last edited by CB3; 06-16-2019 at 09:20 PM.
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  #10  
Old 06-17-2019, 04:18 PM
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Thanks to all the info in this thread I've lost interest in this version of the Shield.
I don't want a plastic sight with a plastic lens.
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  #11  
Old 06-18-2019, 12:47 AM
sotexas sotexas is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Not Getting Any Younger View Post
I saw that. I have no opinion on this type of optic - too pricey for me and makes a pistol larger on top than I would want to carry (if I could).

I did not like S&W's decision to put the green lite-tube in the front sight and two red tubes in the rear sight. I would have done the opposite: red up front, and green in the rear.

Better yet - night sights! Just my opinion.
Night Sights for sure but my eyes prefer the green on front although my night sights there is an outer orange ring on the front for daylight. Not for sure if the optic appeals to me either, on a EDC.
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Old 06-18-2019, 08:33 AM
Real Old Navy Real Old Navy is offline
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Do you really need a reflex sight on a Shield 3.1" or 4"? I have a 1.0 9mm with a green CT laser and TruGlo TFO's and a 3.6" threaded stainless steel barrel...still very concealable. I bought a 2nd slide with the intent of installing a reflex sight...very reputable gun dealer talked me out of doing it...I'm glad they did. I'm not opposed to reflex sights on larger models for target shooting at longer distances.. but a Shield is a self defense conceal carry close distance gun not a target gun. Putting a reflex sight on it just makes it easier to snag on clothing. With the CT laser I can shoot from any position and from around things without exposing my body, and with the TFO night sights I can still visually line up the shot without energizing the laser and giving away my position.

Last edited by Real Old Navy; 06-18-2019 at 09:06 AM.
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  #13  
Old 06-18-2019, 12:07 PM
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If you are going to shoot an adversary two principles rule: speed and accuracy. Putting aside instinctive bad breath close range point shooting when you don’t need to use sights at all, an RDS gives most shooters a distinct advantage in both speed and accuracy. See Aaron Cowan’s White Paper on pistol mounted MRDS, toward the end.

Especially with eyes challenged to see the three focal planes required for standard sight shooting, focusing on the front sight blurrs the target—not something anyone is really likely to do.

An RDS is a modern, improved sighting system. A small RDS (Shield Sights) works fine on a small gun (Shield). It does change the profile of the gun. If carried on the belt and the covering garment is properly cleared, there is no issue with it snagging.
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