Right out of the box, I cannot easily load the two mags provided with the weapon. Looking for ideas to make this a smooth operation.

I'd move this over to the M&P sub-forum, which is where most of the Shield experts are...

But, a short response related to the Shield (I have a new one) is, those mags come with tight springs but they will lighten up as you use them. Leave them filled with rounds for a few days, and see if they aren't a bit easier to load. Also, consider getting an Uplula to make loading them easier!

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S&W Rover

Rover is right on. My shield 40 mags where very tight too. It is my edc so as soon as I got it it was loaded and stayed that way. After a free days I noticed they started to feel a little loose. It also helped to cycle some rounds through it every once and a while.

Friends don't let friends buy Taurus.