SHIELD X Series??

Dave686 · Aug 23, 2025

I have a fullsize M&P, M&P Compact 2.0, and a M&P Shield, all in .40S&W. And a M&P 9L CORE thats a range gun.

I also had a M&P40C, but after I bought my M&P Compact 2.0, I sold it, as I had no use for it. The compact 2.0 wasn't much bigger and had 13 or 15 round mags.

I carry my Shield the most, as it's the most concealable. My concern about this new X series is that it might be too big, and offer nothing more than my Compact 2.0.

All this could be moot for me though. It appears S&W has decided after I bought all these 40S&W's from them that I really don't need that anymore. That's not going to work for me, I'm not switching to 9mm. I've had my Shield since around the time they first came out, I was going to buy a new Shield PLUS, but they decided I didn't need that either.

Anyway… has anyone got to do a comparison between the Shield X and a regular Shield or Shield PLUS?

Beju · Aug 23, 2025

FWIW, I handled a new Shield X and a new Shield Plus Carry Comp in a gun store. The Shield X had the rounded face Performance Center striker block, while the Shield Plus CC had the regular flat face, beveled edge striker block. Both had the characteristically rough trigger bars that cause a gritty trigger take-up until they smooth out. The Shield X grip felt slightly slimmer. I'm not sure why they did this, as not too many people have complained about the Shield Plus grip being too thick. I let a 5'1" friend of mine shoot my Shield Plus, and she was quite pleased with it.

I wouldn't worry about the Shield X being too big if you typically carry a Shield with the 7 round mag. The grip length will be almost identical. If you carry AIWB, the slightly longer slide may reduce the 'keel' effect, where the grip wants to rotate away from your body. 0.5" of slide length probably won't be too big of a deal for OWB carry either. It's still a pretty short slide.

With the Shield X vs the Compact 2.0, you gain slimness and a 4-5 oz weight reduction, but lose 2 rounds for a similar length grip. I have a Shield Plus and a 4" Compact, and the Shield Plus is a bit easier to carry and conceal. This may vary by user, but I'm a pretty lean guy. A larger fellow might find there to be less of a practical size difference.

IMO, S&W adding a rail to the X is something that they should have done to the Shield Plus. They made the Shield Plus's dustcover portion of the frame thicker to the point where some original Shield holsters don't work with it. Downside of them adding a rail now is that one will have to wait for holster selection to catch up to the older guns.

seldon14 · Aug 24, 2025

Dave686 said:
I have a fullsize M&P, M&P Compact 2.0, and a M&P Shield, all in .40S&W. And a M&P 9L CORE thats a range gun.

I also had a M&P40C, but after I bought my M&P Compact 2.0, I sold it, as I had no use for it. The compact 2.0 wasn't much bigger and had 13 or 15 round mags.

I carry my Shield the most, as it's the most concealable. My concern about this new X series is that it might be too big, and offer nothing more than my Compact 2.0.

All this could be moot for me though. It appears S&W has decided after I bought all these 40S&W's from them that I really don't need that anymore. That's not going to work for me, I'm not switching to 9mm. I've had my Shield since around the time they first came out, I was going to buy a new Shield PLUS, but they decided I didn't need that either.

Anyway… has anyone got to do a comparison between the Shield X and a regular Shield or Shield PLUS?

You are going to see few to no, new guns released in 40. They do not sell.

Dave686 · Aug 24, 2025

seldon14 said:
You are going to see few to no, new guns released in 40. They do not sell.

That's not true, but that horse has been beat to death time after time in here.

They sure won't sell if they aren't offered.

Beju · Aug 24, 2025

For the past several years, new .40 S&W pistol sales have had a similar problem to new revolver sales in the late 1990s/early 2000s. There are plenty of very reasonably priced LE/security company trade-ins that were carried a lot and generally not shot very much.

seldon14 · Aug 25, 2025

Dave686 said:
That's not true, but that horse has been beat to death time after time in here. They sure won't sell if they aren't offered.

I did the buying and had access to the full sales data for 2 large volume physical store fronts as well as web sales. We stocked 40s in all major models. Glocks gen 3 and 4 in the 27, 23, 22, 35. M&P TS and NTS in compact, full size, and CORE. Shield in TS and NTS regular and 4in. SDVE. Springfield XD, XDM, XDS in each size offered. Sig 224, 229, 226, Beretta 96, FNS 40 in each size, Walther PPQ and PPS. CZ75, Ruger SR40 and Ruger American, Taurus, Hi-point.

Pre FBI switching we averaged 1 40 sold vs every 30 or so 9s.

After?

In the BEST cases (SDVE) we sold one 40 for every 40-50 9s we sold. With the Shield we averaged 1 40 cal for every 400 or so 9. These were stocked in the case (with spare boxed units in the safe) right next to each other, same price, clearly marked prices and calibers.

40 sales went down every year I was there.

Now this IS a limited sample size, but shockingly stores do track what sells and then stock what sells, because they like to sell things.

Amp · Aug 25, 2025

My Shield x is in the mail. My Shield Plus wears a 13 rd mag so that's the same and the longer barrel won't tilt from my beltline as much. I'm chubby

. Also I got the safety because I like them.

M1A4ME · Aug 25, 2025

For me the question is always, "What will that pistol do that mine won't?"

What does the Shield X do my Shield Plus doesn't already do for me? Nothing I've seen so far.

My Shield Plus pistols (three 9MM) have lights, dot optic sights, either 3.1" barrels/slides (1) or 4" barrels/slides (2). Reliable, accurate, 10, 13 or 15 rounds depending on the magazine used.

I'd buy a Shield X in .40 S&W. I don't need one in 9MM.

Beju · Aug 25, 2025

M1A4ME said:
For me the question is always, "What will that pistol do that mine won't?"

What does the Shield X do my Shield Plus doesn't already do for me? Nothing I've seen so far.

My Shield Plus pistols (three 9MM) have lights, dot optic sights, either 3.1" barrels/slides (1) or 4" barrels/slides (2). Reliable, accurate, 10, 13 or 15 rounds depending on the magazine used.

I'd buy a Shield X in .40 S&W. I don't need one in 9MM.

It would let you use a much, much better WML like the TLR-7 HL-X.

I had the 2,000 candela TLR-6 for my first gen Shield. It was so mediocre that I removed it and went without a WML. A WML that lacks the candela to illuminate a potential threat without directly pointing a gun at it has a narrow band of legally permissible use in most places.

Step up to even the 5,000 candela of the original TLR-7 models, and you getting the ability to more reliably to 'splash' light off of walls and floors without directly muzzling unknown threats. I haven't used the 4,250 lumen TLR-6 HL, but I can see it being more viable than the original TLR-6.

Step up to the TLR-7 HL-X with the rechargeable battery, and you get 22,000 candela, more than the TLR-1 HL! That's enough to punch through intermediate light sources (or photonic barriers, if you prefer) like headlamps and overhead lights.

dave148 · Monday at 6:39 PM

It looks like the X has the same trigger shape problem as the Plus. Anyone know the advantage in putting the part of the trigger curve closest to the grip above the trigger safety pivot pin? Depending how the shooter engages the trigger, this can cause the safety to fail releasing. This was not a problem with the original Shield. Two people in my family noticed this problem right away, so they have disqualified using this gun as a CCW. In the first attached image is the Shield Plus. For comparison, I also showed the S&W 2.0 full size with an Apex trigger where the pivot is clearly above the part of the trigger closest to the grip. While personally, I don't happen to engage the trigger very high, I can easily make the safety release on the Shield Plus fail. In contrast, the trigger on the full size gun is very difficult to make fail, since wherever the trigger is engaged, the finger naturally slides down below the pivot. I tried the Apex upgrade for the Shield Plus, but it has a similar problem (...5033 third image)

SHIELD X Series??

Dave686

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