Would like to know what others are using for 9mm practice ammo in their Shield?

Not blasting ammo, rather good to better quality ammo.

Any particular bullet weight recommendations for this specific gun?

I recently purchased a new 9mm Shield and shot a box of Blazer 115gn bullets (brass case)thru it just to get a feel for the gun.

That ammo shot OK.

Blazer is a good choice and whatever 115-124 gr is on sale Federal Remington , Fioochi , Independence sometimes Winchester. My Shield was finicky with HP at first but after a few hundred rounds ball ammo would cycle HP no problem including Truncated Cone

I use regular Winchester White Box (WWB) for plinking. For carry I use Hornady Critical Defense. My Shield has never malfunctioned with ~500 rounds down the pipe.

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.40 S&W = 10mm Kurz

I always shoot 115 grn ball because my carry ammo is the Barnes TAC-XPD all-copper 115 grn bullet.

I buy by the 1000-round case shipped to my home. Sometimes Fiocci, sometimes Sellier & Bellot, sometimes Magtec. I find the European loads a little hotter and cleaner than Winchester White Box and other economy US made ammo. I won’t shoot steel case anything because it is almost always real dirty and low powered.

The gun eats anything, but the above mentioned three loads are economical, consistent, clean and at <$0.18/rnd, affordable.

I like a lot of the Magtech stuff. It's bonded 124 gr. JHP is reasonably priced so you can practice with what you carry and it has very good reviews.

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LIVE FROM THE DAWGHOUSE

I use Speer Lawman 124 gr, for the range.
It closely replicates my carry ammo.

I carry 147 gr. Federal HST so I shoot Federal 147 gr. American Eagle FMJ at the range.

Q4318 NATO can't be beat.

Blazer brass 115gr

Blazer Brass 115gr, Winchester White Box 115gr, Fiocchi 115gr
I'm liking the Shield so much I'm thinking about getting another
Local Gun getting place has another Shield for $228.
Also the deal at PSA on the 5 magazines & ammo is smoking HOT!!

Five (5) Boxes Fiocchi 9mm 115gr FMJ Ammo, 250rds & Five (5) S&W M&P Shield 8rd 9mm Magazines

I totally agree with the above. Winchester NATO 124g is easily the most accurate ammo I shoot with my Shield 9. I've tried just about every major brand and a few minor ones over the 5,800 rounds I've shot with my Shield, and Win NATO is the best. Even better, it's inexpensive.

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What, me worry?

This ^^^^^^^


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I have a PC Shield 1.0 which I found some ammo brands’ fmj rounds list “not for ported use” due to thin plating, etc. Realizing that following those disclaimers or not is for another discussion, I have used Remington UMC, Herters, and American Eagle; all has been 115gn. Mostly the Rem ammo.
Those all have worked well for me and often can be found on sale, and I have 2500 trouble free rounds thru that Shield.

Thought I’d add that i have not found any noticeable difference between 115 and 124 gn ammo in the Shield; have not spent much time with 147 to be able to offer opinions on that.

Ok prepare for all the gasps and fainting. I shoot any ammo I can get through my Shields. In the winter I shoot Wolf steel cased and Blazer Aluminum, so I don't feel compelled to pry the cases out of the mud. Yes I'm a reloader and just can't stand to leave "brass" behind, hence the steel or aluminum cases so I can sleep at night. Other wise I've tried just about everything else throughout the year and mine eat and shoot everything. Granted most of my shooting is quick combat drills at 7 yards or less because to me that's more realistic as to how the gun will be deployed. Secondly, I've been disappointed in the 15+ yard accuracy of this Shield and I haven't felt compelled to buy an aftermarket barrel for it. I can shoot at 15+ yards and still put bullets where they need to go but this gun just does not shoot decent groups at the longer ranges.

European 9mm is loaded to original 9mm specs, not the SAAMI downloaded spec that protects 45 ACP.

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Release the Kraken

Whatever the cheapest ammo you can readily get that runs reliably in your gun (or unreliably if you want to practice a lot of malfunction-clearing drills... ).

I like to keep the bullet weight the same as my carry load, but it's not essential.

Personally, I like Speer Lawman TMJ ammo. It's my first-choice, go-to practice load. I don't have a Shield, but the barrel on my Beretta PX4 Compact is pretty close in length to a Shield's barrel length. I carry 147gr HST and so far have been using Speer 147gr TMJ for practice.

Rob613. Why do you use the heavier bullet?

Mckenney.... Have you tried an assortment of bullet weights at the farther distances to see if the Sheild performs better than what you have seen?

Fellows: Anyone else seeing less than "stellar" results at distances greater than what we usually shoot at (7-10 yards) using the Shield?

For practice ammo, I use 115gr FMJ Fiocchi and 124gr FMJ American Eagle. Both are clean, reliable, and accurate. Fiocchi is a little cheaper so that is what I have used the most.

I have tried all 3 main bullet weights and various brands of ammo with same less than stellar results. Initial testing was done seated with a solid rest for gun and arms. Accuracy of my 9mm Shield is no where near as good as my 45 Shield. I have gotten even worse accuracy from my 5 inch Pro model but I am looking at replacing that 5 inch barrel. All of my other M&P's (5) shoot very well. Inconsistent accuracy and trigger pulls are a known issue in some M&Ps & Shields. Again not a huge issue for me, this is a short range defensive firearm. I am long past the point where I was in a position to take offensive action at longer ranges. The 9mm Shield has been extremely reliable and that is more critical than target grade accuracy.

For what its worth i usually avoid going past 10 yds with my Shield (PC 1.0), but for fun i once tried it at 20-25 yds. Pic shows those results plus my more usual 6-8 yd type results. Frankly with my eyes and skill set i was surprised most of those longer shots hit some part of the target lol. But with a truly skilled shooter i bet the Shield can do pretty well to 25 yds.

Attached Images

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OP, I'd buy a couple boxes of each weight (115, 124, 147) and see which one shoots closest to where you are aiming.
I was hoping to shoot 124 grain, but it shoots really low in my PC Shield (4 to 5 inches) so I'll try some 147 grain, as the heavier bullet will impact higher on the target.
And my Fullsize 9mm will likely need a different weight bullet.
124's in the FS are hitting 2 inches high, so I'm gonna try some 115 grain loads in it.

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U. S. Army Veteran

I shoot all of my guns at 15 yards or more. My Shield 9 is capable of decent accuracy at 15 yards, but every other gun I own is better at that distance. I typically place 40 to 55% of my shots into a 4"x4" square at 15 yards with my Shield 9. If I'm shooting Winchester NATO ammo, results will be on the high end of that range. Beyond 15 yards, my results have been decidedly less than stellar. Not to derail the thread, but with my Shield 45, I routinely place 70 to 80% of my shots into the 4"x4" square at 15 yards. For this reason, my Shield 45 has replaced my Shield 9 as a carry gun. Consequently, I've only shot my Shield 9 seven times in the last three years. If you don't think you'll need to shoot your Shield more than 10 to 15 yards, the 9 should do just fine. If you think you'll need to shoot 15 yards or more, you should definitely consider the much more accurate 45.

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What, me worry?

Doesn't matter.
Shield is not choosy about ammo.
S&B 124gr
Federal black pack
Federal champion
All shot fine...

Thank you all for the info on trying out various ammo. Gives me another reason to get back to the range

I used to think the .45 Shield was the most accurate, back when I first had a Shield in 9mm and one in .45.
At 7 yards, even out to 15 yards the Shields in 9mm, .40 and .45 were about equal. Beyond that the .45 pulled ahead.
I even shot at a silhouette target at 50 yards with the .45 and kept them all center of mass.

A few days ago I got a 9mm conversion barrel for my PC 40 Shield, and yesterday shot a few groups (using Winchester 124 gr. NATO FMJ, and a new load, Sig 124 gr. M17 NATO with a V Crown HP bullet) that put 4 of the 5 shots in 1 inch. But all the groups had a flyer that opened up the groups to 2 1/2", something I'd attribute to load related, not the guns fault.
I think I've found a 9mm Shield that shoots better at longer (25 yard) range than my .45 Shield.

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U. S. Army Veteran

I bought 115, 124 and 147 when I first got my Shield and sent a lot of rounds down range.

Recoil was the main reason, to me the 147 is more of a push than a snap vs 115 and 124. A shot timer told me I can get three shots off and on target faster with 147.

I picked Federal HST because it is on most list I read for reliable expansion out of short barrel guns. Though I also really liked the Winchester Train and Defend, but locally it is more expensive and harder to find for me.

From what I see at my gun club, almost 100% of handgun shooters shoot only at shorter ranges: from three to fifteen yards. At such distances, every ammo is accurate. Shooting at twenty-five yards from a rest will blatantly and quickly show what is really accurate and what shoots poorly.

Pick the most accurate "cheap" ammo and practice with it offhand, but make sure the point of impact coincides with whatever you carry in the gun on a regular basis. Granted, a little work, but one time work that is well worth the expense, time, and effort.

I'm still pretty much a newbie.
I mostly shoot at 7 yards.
Tried 10 yards few times but pretty difficult to focus on the target.
I once tried at 25 yards and it was hard to even see the target with focus on the sights but I landed 2 out of 5 on the A4 size paper.
Need a scope for 25.

rockquarry and others.

Shooting pistols is not my usual "game".

Any other helpful hints for testing for accuracy other than what rockquarry mentions. That to do it at 25 yards and off a ( I assume a very solid) rest?

Looks like sufficient "pratical accuracy" to me.

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Release the Kraken

I'll tell you what ammo NOT to shoot....Brown Bear (Rooskie) ammo! This stuff stinks/smells/dirty. My buddy brought some over and I ran a few mags out of my 9mm Shield. Although it functioned fine, my pistol reeks like an electrical fire and even after a complete break-down/cleaning, I can't get that funky stench to go away.

Same with my experience. Found the 147 a little softer in my shield , I was also more accurate with it.


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