Why does S&W place garbage triggers in their shields?
I prefer not purchasing foreign pistols but S&w does does not have the answer for me. Is the problem with their engineers or their bean counters? It’s only the old revolvers that S&w has a name. I’m surprised that they are still in business. For the record, I own S&w revolvers and a S&W shield.

Ps. I should not have to rely on a third party to make a marginally better trigger.

Learn to shoot and the search for "perfect" triggers isn't needed. Aftermarket triggers aren't needed on any generation Shield imo. Just learn how to shoot 'em.

Hmmm.... The Shield design has been around for a while now, and the M&Ps even longer. There don't seem to be all that many complaints. Usually, a little polishing is all they need. After all, like any of the bigger gun makers, these things are mass-produced. The other majors aren't any better, and if you go by the number of aftermarket parts for Glocks, they're worse than S & W.
The companies that fit every part by hand to get the smoothest action possible charge 2 to even 4 times what a Smith and Wesson semi costs. They also make far fewer guns and have far fewer employees and far fewer stockholders, too.
Bottom line is that yes, there could be improvements made, but it's likely that it would cost the company more than it's worth to them. They're using the best possible manufacturing techniques and the best designs they can within the limits of patents (they can't infringe on another company's patents in order to improve their own product without buying the rights to it, not a cheap proposition) in order to sell the best possible guns on the market. Do they succeed? Well, millions of satisfied customers is a good indication. That, and the fact that even though they've been around for 150 years or so, they've managed to keep up with the times (unlike Colt, for example.) Sorry if they aren't "perfect," but IMHO at least, they're pretty darn good.
i get what you're saying, I just wanted to present another side of the story. Have a good weekend, Go Cardinals!

I don’t know about the other Shields (1.0 and 2.0) as I’ve never shot one. But the trigger on my Shield Plus is fantastic.

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Ed

Compared to a ppq or pdp?

Yes, the Plus trigger is outstanding.

[QUOTE=GerSan69;141355315]Hmmm.... The Shield design has been around for a while now, and the M&Ps even longer.
The companies that fit every part by hand to get the smoothest action possible charge 2 to even 4 times what a Smith and Wesson semi costs.

Whom wood that be? I might want one, or seven, or twelve.

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"Don't Give Up the Ship"

Like I said, I own a few S&w revolvers which I absolutely enjoy. However, I purchased a shield many years ago and thought the trigger was horrible next to my Glock. I even tried replacing my shield trigger with a third party which was marginally better. Since then I have purchased a ppq and then a pdp and found what a good stricker should be for a stricker pistol. I just want to purchase American, if I can.



B

Seems to me that the simplicity and reliability of the current M&P platform suits it's roll very well. "Tuning" M&P pistols simply feeds the aftermarket industry, and is neither necessary or desirable when the gun is used in the roll implied by the name itself.

It is, after all, an M&P.....and has proven itself to be a very good one.

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Ret. LE, FA Instr, S&W Armorer

You find Shield triggers horrible but Glocks are fine ?
O.K.
If you say so.

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U. S. Army Veteran

I guess sometimes you just can't apparently.

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John 3:16 .

I guess it is no different than doing trigger jobs on the S&W's and Colt's of yesteryear. Many of the older revolvers benefitted from having an action job. I have a gen-1 Shield that has an Apex kit and an M&P 2.0 Compact with an Apex forward set, flat faced trigger, both are far better than stock. That is what I was trying to achieve so I spent the $$. Once you have fired a nicely tuned 1911 it is difficult to be satisfied with any other trigger and certainly not with a mass produced plastic fantastic.

Ditto. I really like the flat trigger.

Thinking back to before the Shield was released, when someone ordered an M&P, they ordered a new trigger at the same time. I could not bring myself to buy a new pistol which would require a trigger swap in order to make it acceptable. The 2012 (Gen1) Shield was the 1st M&P that people didn't NEED to buy an aftermarket $150+ Trigger Kit for. Yes... some still wanted to, but they didn't need to.
About a Year after the Shield came out, S&W started putting the Shield trigger into ALL the M&Ps.

So, if you think the Shield trigger is Cr@p, imagine how bad the triggers were BEFORE then.
and... If you think the Shield trigger is Cr@p, perhaps the Shield (or M&P line, in general) is not for you.

And yes... I remember stories of people working the actions on their S&W wheel guns too.

People who lack fundamentals and can't shoot worth a darn have to use, depend on, and require short pull, light weight, target/competition like pistols to make up for their shortcomings as a shooter. I shot long heavy DA revolver triggers as well as DA/SA hammer fired guns on a regular basis. I can pick up just about any of the popular semiauto striker fired pistols that that some are whining and complaining about trigger wise, and shoot them no problem. They are duty and self defense grade guns. The triggers aren't supposed to be target gunish. Learn the trigger and how to shoot.

I have owned several shields in different calibers and trims as well as a hinged trigger M&P Compact 2.0. I do not see an issue with the triggers, and I am pretty accurate with them all.

Mongo truth in this. When I came to the US I had no experience of shooting handguns, and one of the first guns I shot was an early gen Glock 23 complete with all the "sproing" you could handle. I shot it OK, because I had no preconceived ideas (and certainly no muscle memory) about a "good" trigger. It was simply a case of adapting to how the machine worked. Sometimes you cannot shoot a gun in a particular way, so don't try. Would you attack corners in a loaded Ram van the same way you would in a Corvette? Not for long.

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Release the Kraken

I can endorse this point of view as well. I had a 1.0 M&P 40c (.40/.357 SIG) in which I'd installed an Apex DCAEK. The Apex was wonderfully smooth, but after 3,000 rounds, I started to have failures to fire. I sent my 40c back to S&W, and they replaced the trigger system and all other moving parts except the extractor. My rebuilt 40c's trigger was stiff and gritty, the worst I ever pulled, worse even than its original factory trigger. I since have fired over 6,000 rounds, and I have experienced NO loss of accuracy due to the newer, crummier trigger. (I score every target and keep detailed accuracy records.) No more failures to fire, either.

I also own a 1.0 Shield 9 and a Shield 45. Both triggers are fine, and I've never felt the need to replace either. My best striker-fired trigger is the SIG-upgraded trigger in my SIG P320 (9mm/.357 SIG) compact. It has minimal takeup, a short reset, and is as smooth as silk. Despite my P320's better trigger (and a longer barrel), I'm more accurate with both my 40c and my Shield 45. So, learn the trigger...

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What, me worry?

Makes sense. I've only had Shields 1,2,+ and loved all the triggers. Easy gun to be accurate with.

I like the pivoting triggers in my original Shields. I don't like triggers with a swinging dingus in them.

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S&W Accumulator

My dad told me the difference between a good shooter and a great shooter was the the great shooter learns to adapt to the weapon they are shooting.

Back in the olden days they aimed rifles by placing them on a bench and smacking the barrel with a wooden hammer. My grandfather showed me this with an old .22LR with an octagon barrel, and it actually worked after doing it a couple times. Rifle had fixed sights.

Just because a customer prefers a fine trigger on their firearms, doesn’t necessarily mean that they have insufficient shooting skills. I, fortunately or unfortunately, have been spoiled by owning firearms with fantastic triggers. My gold trigger standard is of course my 1911 firearms. I have never fired a striker firearm that equals the trigger on my 1911 firearms. Yes, I do expect striker firearms to someday equal that of a 1911 single action or come really close. Some of the manufactures understand this and are starting to produce striker firearms with exceptional triggers. Walther is one of those manufacturers. Persons Believing that exceptional triggers do not happen in cheap firearms have not fired a PPQ or PDP. The S&W M&P 2.0 firearms are pretty pricey. With those prices, I expect S&W to make exceptional triggers and so should you.
BTW, not only 1911 firearms have fantastic triggers. I have a CZ TS with a trigger that equals the 1911 trigger.

Nighthawk, Ed Brown, Korth........

I don’t feel the need to compare the Shield Plus trigger to anything. I just like it.

It's a $500, mass market, defensive handgun. In that context, it has a pretty good trigger. I'm not sure what you were expecting. If you want a target trigger, buy an expensive target gun. Otherwise, shoot it a lot. You and the trigger will get better.

I am kinda uninformed, Whaf do "ppq. & pdp" stand for ? Help !

They’re Walther models.

Using that mentality, a Hi-Point would be the win. Im looking for S&W to up their game and not just make “good enough”.

American Rifleman says the Kimber Mako has, “one of the best factory triggers on any handgun available today.” Maybe that’s what you want. They also got 3/4” groups at 7 yards out of it.

Go to this site order a service pack for $15, order an ejector and firing pin and you will be able to just about rebuild your pistol. These guys have excellent springs. thats all they do and have been around for over 60 years.

https://www.gunsprings.com/SMITH%20&...D58/dID261#905

It is a win. The Hi-Point is a $200, mass market gun. Of course it's built like a $200 gun, which is to say, low quality. That doesn't make it bad. It makes it cheep. My point is, you can't buy a Hi-Point and expect a Wilson trigger. There's a reason why the Wilson is a couple of grand more. What I do expect from a $500 defense gun is reliability, decent accuracy and some durability. The trigger on the Shield is serviceable for it's intended purpose.

Wow, OK. R7 Mako appears to have a constant pull with a clean break. Looks to be just a bit of creep before the break. With 13+1 rounds, I need to try this US made pistol. Thanks.

Good question. I’ve never shot a ppq or a pdp, so I can’t compare it to those two. Admittedly, my trigger pulls are somewhat limited. The best trigger pull I’ve experienced is from my Colt Competition 1911, followed by my Springfield Mil-Spec 1911. But 3rd place would go to my new Shield Plus. In my subjective opinion, it beats the triggers in the following handguns I’ve shot as far as break, crisp reset, and a hard to describe, plain old “feel”:

Beretta 92FS
S&W 3913
S&W PPK/S
Bersa Thunder 380cc

As far as trigger pull weight, I have no idea what it is or what the other trigger weights are on the other handguns. It just “feels” better than the others I just listed, with the exception of the 1911’s I mentioned. Of course, others might have a different subjective opinion on the Shield Plus’s trigger as well as how it compares to triggers on the handguns I listed along with triggers from other comparably sized handguns, like the Sig P365, Springfield Hellcat, etc. I’ve read opinions from other internet sources claiming preference of trigger pull for the P365 compared to the Shield Plus and those claiming the PPQ of having one of the best triggers. But not having shot those, I can’t really compare or give an opinion.

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Ed

The Mk1 Shield I tried years ago had an adequate trigger, but I can say for sure that the trigger in a Walther PPS M2 is vastly superior.

Mind you, the H&K mafia will tell you all Walther triggers are dogs compared to a VP9. I cannot really say because I haven't shot the H&K and only dry fired the Walther. I do own a couple of Canik pistols with very good triggers, certainly better than most striker fired pistols, and darned close to the PPQ.

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Release the Kraken

Which Shield are you talking about? 2.0? I just purchased a M&P 45 shield and the trigger breaks at 5 lbs with very little creep. Try the trigger on a new XP then you will have something to really complain about.

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Doug

Forgot to add my Glock 34 to the list of other handguns I’ve shot whose trigger doesn’t feel as good as my Shield Plus.

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Ed

I like my Shield 1.0, 2.0 9mm's and my .45. I think the triggers are fine and the guns are soft shooting and accurate. I paid $369, $399 and $365 respectively and the .45 came with 2 boxes of premium ammo and a mag loader. I wouldn't mind a Shield Plus, but can't justify it at the moment.

If you think the Shield M&P triggers are bad....
try a Massachusetts trigger! 10+ pounds. Horrible,absolutely, dreadful , trigger pull.

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S&W BG380, S&W 915 9mm

Many aftermarket triggers like Apex had complaints of "Dead triggers" and some who did the 50 cent trigger job on glock triggers ended up with pistols that went full auto

also for a self defense gun, you don' want a trigger to be super light or super heavy. The MP shield is fairly good but more on the excellent especially the plus version

The walther ppq is fantastic but for a carry gun probaby a bit too light

This is a good point. I have 2 Sigmas and shoot dead accurate with them. Have had them both for 20+ years and probably shoot them better than some guns with better triggers. I guess it is just practice.

Rosewood

[quote=pantannojack;141355329]Dan Wesson

Ok. The PDP/PPQ is probably the gold standard in stiker-fired handgun triggers but the Shield Plus is not so far behind.

The PDP/PPQ is also a substantially larger gun.

The Shield Plus is very shootable and this is especially true for a small carry gun.

Could the OP's gun have a trigger worse than the standard Shield? Maybe it is defective? Have you tried another shield to see if yours is abnormally bad?

Rosewood

I have a Shield 9MM EZ and it has a much better trigger than any Glock, as a matter of fact I like it better in every respect than my G19. It doesn't hold as many rounds as the G19 but what the heck, my usual carry is a 642 with only 5 rounds. Gonna carry the EZ in a belt holster.
Note: the EZ has a hammer, that's why the better trigger pull. The grip safety is also a plus.

I know that Apex Tactical is VERY happy with the factory triggers s&w produces.

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7 +1 Rounds of hope & change

my only gripe about the ez is the reset it way too long.

As a revolver shooter, the reset on the EZ is very short, not that reset is an issue for me anyway, I haven't yet figured out what reset has to do with anything anyway.

...aaannnndd cue the reset mafia.

(BTW, I don't do the reset thing much either)

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Release the Kraken

>>I know that Apex Tactical is VERY happy with the factory triggers s&w produces<<

They've been happy with me on a least three different occasions. :-)

I have the Shield Plus and the trigger is fine bone stock. I also have an MP 2.0 compact optics ready and find the stock hinged trigger perfectly fine as well. I also have an m&P 2.0 pro series in 5 in with iron sights. I was contemplating putting a match trigger in my 5-in Pro series but because it has iron sights it's to me at least not worth the $200 upgrade to OverWatch precision. My m&P 2.0 compact could definitely use the OverWatch precision trigger and it would greatly benefit because it has a red dot but I do like lots of pre-travel for a self-defense gun and I am fine with the stock trigger as is but I know the OverWatch would make this for that matter any gun you put that into a much more accurate pistol

Not ANOTHER controvery!