I was looking for a carry gun for my 19 year old daughter and came across the M&P Shield 1.0. I loved this gun so much that I bought 2 2.0 Shields. One for me and one for my wife. I have already put a ct laser on mine. The ladies didn't like the grip with a laser so I kept it. I have been looking around for the best upgrades for both generations besides
the laser. I know the trigger on the 1.0 is lacking so is it better to replace with a trigger spring kit or the actual trigger as well? Is there a trigger for the 2.0 out there going to make a large enough difference to justify $160 upgrade? Are aftermarket "match barrells" really worth it? If so which ones are the best?

First of all welcome to the forum. I currently own three 1.0 Shields, two in 9mm and one in .40. As far as upgrades I would suggest shooting the pistol for awhile to see if you really need or want to upgrade anything. If you do decide to change something one of the first is usually the sights. Some of the ones I personally like are TruGlo, Trijicon HD, Ameriglo, and XS Big Dots. As far as triggers, Apex is the primary for the M&P. I usually leave the trigger stock in my carry gun. If the grip on the 1.0 is too slick a set of Talon grips are in order. I like the pinky base plate on my 7 round magazine that is made by NDZPerformance. Magguts also makes a good magazine extension for the Shield. The slide one the Shield can be hard to rack so I installed a TacRack slide racker on the wife's Shield. I hope this helps and gives you some ideas.

1.0 here, I added Mag guts plus 1, tritium front sight and stippled the grip. As a personal defense pistol I left the trigger alone.

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Made it, Ma! Top of the world!

Upgraded my Shield 40 to Truglo TFO sights. Would put them on every handgun I have if they made them and I could afford it. I added the Hogue slip on grip to mine. The grip was too narrow and slick for my taste. You have to "shoe horn" the Hogue on it, but it really makes the grip nice and it stays put.

Rosewood

+1 for the Hogue HandAll grip sleeve.

Tru-Glo TFO sights on every M&P I have.
My Shield has a Streamlight TRL-6, a 100 lumen light and a laser for less than $100. Added Talon grip decal to my .40, and bought a 9mm barrel for it.

The 9mm Shield I gave to my daughter is set up the same way.
My Shield triggers were fine the way they are, especially the .45 Shield.

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U. S. Army Veteran

Had the gunsmith at my LGS smooth out the internals on my Gen 1 9c and Shield. Don't know how they'd match up to an Apex conversion, sure did make the stock trigger a lot smoother.

No internal work on a SD/HD pistol for me.

Night sights, MagGuts +2 in two factory 8 round mags so I can carry 21 rounds in a small package.

I just picked up a LaserMax light/laser combo for it but haven’t installed it yet as I’m waiting on a holster I ordered for the combo.

You don’t need trigger work and match barrels in a short barrel carry gun, in my opinion.

I put the Apex trigger in my 9mm Shield 1.0, no other mods. It has been 100% reliable with any ammo I use and amazingly accurate. I shoot in an informal match each month, 15 yards on a standard NRA bullseye target. When I do my part, the Shield will put all ten rounds in the ten ring. Plenty good for a 3” carry pistol!

Exactly. These aren't competition bullseye guns.
Improve the sights or grips and call it good.

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U. S. Army Veteran

Sights. I used Ameriglo I-Dots. First did a trigger job and then put in an Apex duty/carry kit, the way to go if you don't mind the expense. mine is a 1-0 so I put a Talon Grip on it as well. Plan on keeping it or not getting the money back out of it if you decide to sell later but all of the upgrades are worth the money and transform the little pistol.

Shield .45 here. Fiber optic front site and she's good to go.

All I did for the 3 I have is buy/make ammo for them.

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S&W Accumulator

Everyone is unique. What suits one person may not suit another. Is there one eye popping, difference making, improvement? Completely in the eye of the beholder.

To me, the apex trigger kit made noticeable difference in the 9mm Shield, and it sure didn't cost $160. The Shield 45s only needed some polishing and the Apex trigger. They all wear Ameriglo I-Dots and have stainless steel one piece guide rods. Matched with the right ammo, they are very accurate, by my standard, and shoot point of aim with both reloads and factory SD ammo.

Note I said "by my standard" when referring to accuracy. Your standard will dictate what changes are eventually made, according to your abilities. There are no magic fixes to poor technique or trigger control other than training and practice.

Ugh! I tried putting that grip sleeve once. It's still in the box.

LOL! Oh yeah.. I followed the instructions and got nowhere. Then gave the task to hubby, and lost track of how many times he cursed it. But he prevailed, and it was worth the effort, since now the Shield stays planted in my hand.

Sent from my Moto G (5) Plus using Tapatalk

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Off topic, but I just wanted to say that I've never been a fan of FDE, but I have to admit that gun looks pretty good.

I would ask how much shooting have you done with these guns? What kind of performance are you getting with your guns?

I would suggest that you really look at how much shooting you've done and what kind of performance you're getting before looking into any kind of custom modifications. When considering some kind of modification, ask yourself, "What problem/issue is this addressing?"

I'm not against doing custom work on a carry gun, but I think it's best to have a good idea of what you want to achieve. Speaking from experience, I've had custom work done on a 1911 before I really knew what I wanted/needed. While the results were satisfactory, the gun would likely be better off if I had given it some thought before modifying it for the sake of modifying it.

With that said...

As was mentioned, sights and grips are a good place to start. I prefer simple sights. Either plain black, plain black rear/colored front, or plain black rear/tritium front. I think night sights can be useful, but don't believe they're essential. That said, my EDC PX4 Compact has a plain black rear sight with an orange and tritium front sight.

If the grips are less than satisfactory, there are options. Stippling can be good, but it's also permanent. I'm a fan of Talon Grips. I think they're effective without adding much bulk. Slip-on grips can be useful, but my experience with them is limited.

You mentioned the trigger. It's fine to have a trigger job done, but again, is it really going to be enough to improve your performance? Now, if the trigger pull is gritty, or maybe extraordinarily heavy, some minimal work to smooth and lighten can be effective. Personally, I'm not a fan of spring kits, but I know they can be helpful for some people. 3 suggestions for the trigger: 1) safety must not be compromised, 2) reliability must not be compromised, and 3) keep the trigger pull within factory specs.

Regarding match barrels...

For the most part, I don't believe they're necessary on a defensive pistol. Most people who don't shoot guns for a living, myself included, can't shoot a factory barreled gun to it's full potential, let alone a match barrel. Any difference in resulting accuracy is likely to be insignificant for us mere mortals. One possible exception I can think of is if the factory barrel is just so loose that it negatively impacts reliability and/or shootability. Having a match barrel fitted could fix that, but so could properly installing/fitting a regular factory barrel.

Now, if you just have to have a match barrel, regardless of whatever benefit it may or may not provide, make sure safety and reliability aren't compromised.

TL;DR: Custom modifications are best made when they address actual problems/issues one may have with a particular gun.

Just my opinion.

Seems like I warmed it up with a hair dryer, then lubed with alcohol to get mine on. The instructions said it was difficult and it definitely was.

Rosewood

So I can convert my 9mm to a .40 by buying a .40 barrell and nothing else?

You’d have to have the .40 barrel machined a bit to fit and you’d need .40 magazines.

I’d just buy a .40 if it was my choice.

I may be wrong, but I don't think you can convert a 9mm to a .40. In most guns, it won't fit largely because of differences in the breech face and extractor. There may be some magazine incompatibility, too. Not to mention the recoil spring assembly. One meant for a 9mm may not be able to handle .40.

There are barrels to convert a .40 to a 9mm, but it usually doesn't work the other way around. However, I'll admit I'm not very familiar with the Shield, so I could be mistaken.

In reference to conversions, you can go from 40 to 9 but not 9 to 40. If you have a Shield 9 and want to go to 40 you would need a complete 40 slide and barrel. However if you have a Shield 40 you can get a 40 to 9 conversion barrel and use 9mm magazines. If you have a Shield 9 you are basically stuck with 9mm. If you have a Shield 40 with the proper conversion barrel and magazines you can shoot 9 or 40. Lone Wolf Distributors and TR Enabling make conversion barrels for the Shield 40. I hope this helps to clear up the question of conversion barrels.

9mm to .40 conversion?

This thread, post 12...will tell you how to take a 9mm to 40...it has been done.

How much recoil do you get with a .45 that small? That much power in that small of a frame just seems like it would take STRONG hands to control.
I've shot a Glock 23 and didn't care for it but the 19 was nice.

I agree with this. For me the Shield is a tool, nothing fancy. You can put a lot of doodads on guns, but a much of it is just lipstick on a pig.

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I echo everybody who says just shoot it a lot before you do an anything. I have a full size and it's great as is. I also have a 2.0 Shield, I put the Apex on it and love it. But the thing that made the biggest difference for me, was adding a red dot. I'm quicker and much much more accurate. Going to the range is fun again. Of course my eye sight is terrible. I could focus on the front sight, but anything past 5 yards was a blur. Not anymore, now I'm just focusing on target.

The key to the Shield 45 is match the ammo to the firearm. It's a lightweight polymer/short barreled 45. My Shield 45s love 185 JHPs pushing ~800 fps. Recoil is very manageable and accuracy is also good. All the above with a SS guide rod, which isn't as stiff as the stock two stage guide rod.

As far as the .45 Shield, you know it when it goes off, but the recoil isn't as bad as you'd expect from a small .45. As many others have said in other threads, it's more of a push than a snap. It's certainly more pleasant than the recoil from my .40 Shield.

It's also way more accurate than you'd expect from a small .45. It shoots well with just about any load or weight.

The trigger on the .45 is great just the way it is, better than the one on my PC Shield, and better than the Apex triggers I've put on my two fullsize M&Ps.
All I did to mine is TFO sights, and I Cerakoted it in FDE to match my fullsize 9mm and .45.

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U. S. Army Veteran

Just curious, what state do you live in where it is legal for a 19 year old to carry a pistol? I believe it is legal to have it in the vehicle, but not so sure about on person in most states is it? Unless LEO or military?

Rosewood

The only thing I did to my 9mm Shield 1.0 was install an Apex sear and Talon grips. My .45 Shield doesn't really need either of those things.

Without much research, I can tell you it's possible for 19 year olds to carry concealed in Idaho, Kentucky, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, North Dakota, New Hampshire, North Dakota, South Dakota, West Virginia, Wyoming (with Sheriff recommendation) and Vermont, as well as being legal for 18+ year olds to open carry in a lot of other states.

My 9mm V1 has just a few upgrades. The Talon grip, rubberized version, the Tru Glo sights and looking to add the Apex sear due to the trigger pull. Have gone other directions for a while so the M&P has been sitting until I get some time to finish it. Have a Sig 238 Nitron that I have added the Tru Glo sights to and really like them on both weapons.

I am a .40 fan, always have been. Like the 10mm even better. However, The Shield is too light for the .40 cartridge. It literally tires your hand out after a few rounds at the range. This is the main reason I swapped to the 3913 for my EDC. It is quite pleasant to shoot. I did shoot a buddies Shield 9 and it is nice to shoot especially when compared to the .40. Now, with heavier guns, I still favor the .40.

Rosewood

There are some Youtube videos to make the trigger better that you can do yourself that are reportedly pretty easy to do. I don't want a light trigger on a defensive weapon, the 5-1/2 lb factory pull is OK for me and also for most police officers with their striker fired M&P, Glock, or Springfield. The factory sights are fine but those Ameriglo sights are looking tempting the older my eyes get.

Nobody likes factory stuff, the need to immediately change everything, sometimes before even shooting the gun seems paramount. Why don't the guys having this mindset get factory jobs, then the guns would be just like we want them right off the shelf. Reminds me of the guy who had Abe Lincoln's original ax he split rails with. It only had been upgraded over time with three new heads and seven handles. And that's why I like my .22 Victory just the way it came from the factory after I added about 12 upgrades.

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