M&P Shield 9 first impression

[Stratajema]

Just because you all have a Shield that works, why is it necessary to discount the opinion of the Shield owners who have identified problems?

The terrible truth is that S&W does not do a final quality control review of the Shield after it is assembled. (Unlike the Ulm proof house used in Germany by H&K and Walther.) The Shield gets shot once, maybe more and that's it. That is why a Shield shows up in the customer's hands with an out-of-spec recoil spring, a poorly drilled hole for the striker safety block that causes the gritty trigger feeling (and in turn causes people to buy the Apex trigger kit which by the way doesn't fix this underlying problem), tooling marks on the barrel from the use of dull cutting tools, a trigger safety that does not return freely, an overcut feed ramp entering the barrel on the 40 S&W models (have a happy kaboom), etc.

The Shield is a budget gun. I own one. But I will never be in denial about its quality or lack of quality.

 

[moddler]

I have a question about the Shield trigger. I recently purchased an M&P 9mm full size. The trigger is hard compared to any of the other semi autos I own or have ever owned. I would guess it is in the 7lb. range or higher. If the Shield has the same hard trigger mechanism then I won't buy one. I am going to install a trigger kit in the M&P and don't want to have to do that to a Shield as well. I've read the comments in a different forum that say all you need to do is shoot it a lot and the trigger will eventually improve. I say you shouldn't have to shoot any gun 500 or even 200 rounds to make it work properly and have a reasonable trigger pull. So my question is what is the average trigger pull weight of the Shield and how does it compare to the M&P? Thanks

 

[sgmann69]

I would say the average trigger pull would be 7# if you're lucky. There seems to be a wide variety of trigger pull weight out of the box. My Shield's trigger pull was around 7# when I bought it in 2013. I put in an Apex sear, which lowered it to 4.5#'s. I've fired over 2,000 rounds, and it's like butter now.

 

[gertieguy]

It's the internet so it must be true. Right?

Seems that I must be in the minority of Shield owners who have never had a problem, the trigger feels good and it groups within 3" at 50 feet. Must not be true.

I think I also saw a quote from Ben Franklin about the the internet should not be trusted.

 

[gertieguy]

I also have a 9mm Shield- one of the first when they came out and never a problem. They must be a great gun since you can never find one. Mine is a great shooter and very accurate (not a target gun) but I take it to the range and at 7-15 yards have not problem taking 8" metal plates out. Accuracy varies depending on ammo brand- Tula seems to shoot low, Remy and Win POA, Feds a bit high. Mine runs great with my hand load of 115gr Plated Xtreme RN and 5gr of Unique, OAL 1.15. Light load and no cycle problems.

 

[Dewy]

I, like many others, wasn't on the fence...when I saw it I had to have it - then a second...both of mine are 9mm.

I am a bit miffed over all the troubles others have said they're having with theirs, but so far mine have demonstrated the reliability one demands from something that could potentially save your life.

Not only that, these Shields are the cutest little things to come along since Selena Gomez!

Please don't be miffed, that said my new Shield has that recoil spring problem. I think people should know and post the problem that way S&W will get on the BALL and fix it before it hurts sales. Would you want one with a spring that will-not let you lock the slide back, or make it impossible to clean? Remember we are carrying these things for self defense, who want's a gun you cant rack? NOT ME my LIFE or my WIFE'S LIFE may depend on it!!

 

[Haldir]

Just bought a Shield 9 this weekend. I am anxious to get it out to the range. I have to admit I bought it because I thought it was going to be smaller than my M&P 40C. It is a bit smaller but not as much as I assumed it would be, going to a single stack.

 

[MarTay6]

I took my wife shopping for her first handgun... I thought she'd end up with some kind of a compact .380- but her choice ended up being a M&P full-size 9mm, and she hasn't looked back. She loves it, better than any of a dozen other guns she's shot since then. Not one FTF with it, either. The trigger's a bit gritty, but she doesn't care.
When I got my C/C permit, I went looking for a C/C gun- and I assumed it'd be a Glock 26 9mm compact.... but when I held one- it was NOT comfortable in my hand... the trigger was just in the wrong place... after looking at many others, I bought a Shield. Put an Apex trigger in it, and a set of Trijicon sights (what a PAIN! Their biggest gorilla put those sights in- broke a sight pusher with it!)- and it's a superb little gun, and the Apex trigger kit cured the grittiness. Not had one problem with it, either- a great gun. I'm convinced S&W has a winner (for a plastic pistol!) in the M&P series.
Just bought/awaiting on shipment of a 99% Model 14-3 .38 cal revolver, anxious to have some of that old-school S&W quality now!
Wes

 

[Buckshot195]

I really like the Shield but I cannot get pas one thing. The manual safety. I carry and have trained on guns without a manual safety. As most of you know you fight how you train. If you have been ingrained with a gun that all you need to do is pull a trigger and it goes bang and you switch to a gun with a safety you will have a problem in a high stress situation. I wish they offered it sans the manual safety like the other M&P pistols.

 

[Bozz10mm]

I really like the Shield but I cannot get pas one thing. The manual safety. I carry and have trained on guns without a manual safety. As most of you know you fight how you train. If you have been ingrained with a gun that all you need to do is pull a trigger and it goes bang and you switch to a gun with a safety you will have a problem in a high stress situation. I wish they offered it sans the manual safety like the other M&P pistols.

You don't have to use the safety if you don't want to. Just ignore it and all will be good.

 

[Bozz10mm]

So my question is what is the average trigger pull weight of the Shield and how does it compare to the M&P? Thanks

Can't compare it to the M&P 9, but my Shield trigger pull was 7.5 lbs. That is after 650 rounds fired and probably just as many dry fires. So, I don't subscribe to the theory that the trigger pull will lighten up after a number of rounds fired. It might help to reduce the grittiness tho, which mine never had anyway.

I did install the Apex sear a couple of weeks ago. That reduced the pull weight to a nice 5 lbs.

 

[moddler]

Thanks guys for answering my question regarding trigger pull. I'm also glad to hear that some of you have installed the Apex trigger and are happy with it. That is what I'll do with my M&P. I should also say that aside from the trigger pull I am very pleased with the fit & function of my M&P. Nice detail in the aesthetics as well.

 

[NEtracker]

Let me take another angle on the Shield.

I bought it, walked out to the range. Checked that the barrel wasn't obstructed and then proceeded to put 200 rounds down range. No oiling, no cleaning, nada. Not the recommended way, but I don't have time to "baby" a gun. It fired all flawlessly, btw. which I think speaks for its construction and reliability.

I've yet to break it down, yet to clean it and have put about 500 hundred rounds through it without a hitch.

Accuracy? Given the gun is for concealed carry, 90% of my shooting with it is done at 3 to 5 yards. And most of it one-handed. Almost all shots as fast as I could fire them. All shots in center of mass. 0 and -1 zones for IDPA shooters.

I'm not saying my way of testing is better (or even good), just a different take on it. A "harsh" take on it. Same results. Great gun for a sub-compact 9mm.

Normally, I clean & lube all my new firearms before using them. For my Shield, I ran a bore snake through the barrel, then took it to the range, but still have not field stripped it.
True, I only have about 200 rounds through it, but no issues.
Seems like it will be a great CCW tool, but I need to exercise it more. I've had a PPS for years, so wanted to compare them.

 

[PHolster]

I recently purchased the MP Compact 9mm and I originally came to the store to buy a Glock 19. But after the sales person showed me that the shield was only a hair smaller than the MP Compact 9, and he also showed how the MP 9mmc printed less than the Glock 19, I decided to go with the MP Compact 9mm. he also said many who own the shield said it hurt their hand after 50 rounds. The only thing I didnt' like about the MC is the trigger seems too heavy .

I think he wanted to sell the MP Compact 9mm. I shoot my Shield a lot, and have put 200 rounds though it in one session, I felt nothing. It is a very soft shooting gun, even with +P.