New Shield Models

Performance Center | Smith & Wesson

Interesting.



I was really hoping they would come out with a Shield with a slightly wider grip that held 10/11 rounds versus 7/8.

A 4 inch shield with full slide adding weight and longer sight radius while retaining the thin single stack I think is great idea.

There is already after market +1 and +2 mag conversion kits that have proven extremely reliable.

So can now have a 10+1 single stack 4” gun for carry. That is I think a great combination. And half way between the current 3” single stack shield and the double stack and still significantly heavier 15+1 compact model.

mlk18 said:

Interesting.



I was really hoping they would come out with a Shield with a slightly wider grip that held 10/11 rounds versus 7/8.

Click to expand...

Wouldn't that just be the M&P 9?

I think the key here is the thinner slide of the shield models vs. the full-size M&Ps. Even though the M2.0 slides are slimmer and lighter than the 1.0's, they're still much thicker than Shield slides.

Just like Glock discovered with their 30S (and put into practice in their 43X and 48 models), people don't prefer a wide, heavy slide in a concealed-carry gun (if a thinner alternative is reliable and available).

These new models look great. Now, where is the rest of Smith's optic-ready M2.0 line...?

mlk18 said:

Interesting.



I was really hoping they would come out with a Shield with a slightly wider grip that held 10/11 rounds versus 7/8.

Click to expand...

They do. It's called a Compact. Sorry, couldn't resist.

I have a 1.0 9mm PC Shield and LOVE it. I’ve been eyeing up a 2.0 .40 PC, but I think I’ll wait and grab one of these.

This looks phenomenal.

anyone know which optic they are shipping with ?

Looks,good. Still offering the 3.1” barrel I hope.

I predict more shooting low and left with more weight out front and a short grip.

I couldn’t wait so I did it my way.

Joe4d said:

anyone know which optic they are shipping with ?

Click to expand...

I'm thinking it's an iteration of the RMSc by Shield Sights (whom I believe is also the OEM for the Jpoint JP Rifles), which is small enough to fit the slim profile of the M&P Shield slide.

Reflex Mini Sight Compact – SHIELD SIGHTS

New models of a winning design are a good thing!

Joe4d said:

anyone know which optic they are shipping with ?

Click to expand...

The S&W Performance Center website linked in the first post is showing a JPoint 4MOA sight I believe.

JP Rifles

This sight was formerly (maybe still?) made by Shield Sights, an English company that has been around quite a while. The JPoint has a small footprint, but at $299 MSRP in the US, it is an inexpensive and not particularly robust sight.

A better choice, IMO, would have been the Shield RMSc. This is an upgraded JPoint that is more robust and with a slightly smaller footprint I believe. I have had the Shield RMS (not the “c” or “compact”) on my 9mm Shield pictured above for over two years. I like it. Both of these Shield sights have open sides, so that is not what is showing on the PC website. I’m pretty sure the RMSc is water resistant, but the RMS is not.

I would not use a JPoint for serious defensive tasks. The Shield sight is the lowest threshold for me, but no other more robust sight is small enough to fit the small space, width and length, of the Shield (gun) slide.

The RMSc, when you can find one, has a MSRP of $499. The older RMS was $399.

Buying the Optic Ready version would allow one to use any of these three sights. Note also that with the properly cut slide depth, the height of each of these sights allows for co-witnessing BUIS that are standard height. That’s another great feature.

For serious defensive uses I would not want FO sights with their attendant colors (green/orange) messing up the small sight window along with the 4 MOA red dot. Four dots in three colors in one window? Nah. This shows the PC really hasn’t figured out the correct combination for this new sighting system. FO sights typically have more problems than regular irons.

I also would not get the ported version. I don’t see any need (especially with a hard to clean FO front sight).

So what do you get for MSRP $826? A $300-350 M2.0 4” barrel Shield (Street price) with some internal polishing and FO sights (worth $50), an optic slide cut worth about $125 (specifically for only a Shield product?), and a $300 relatively low end optic. OH! And a $12 CLEANING KIT!! Of course S&W manufacturing and accessory costs are lower than these retail estimates, but if you do it yourself to get a real robust fighting handgun, you are looking at $900-$1,000.

It’s a compromise. Decent entry price for an incorrectly, but perhaps barely adequate for some, set up.

Personally, I’d look at getting the new 4” gun with standard (even night) sights, mill the slide for and mount an RMSc, polish the internals myself. It might cost about $100 more but would give me a much more serviceable and easier to shoot gun.

I do find their standard model (non-ported with FO sights) at an MSRP of $532.00 to be interesting. It will have to wait since I bought a Shield 2.0 9mm and M&P40 PRO 5" in the last two months.

Performance Center(R) M&P(R)9 SHIELD™ M2.0™ 4" Barrel | Smith & Wesson

I agree on the interest for the 4” non ported model. I have a 1.0 PC Shield that overall I really like...and if being able to get PC upgrades without the ported barrel is now an option then yep it will move to the top of my list.

Meh...I think they're defeating the whole purpose for the Shields existence.

I could see me getting one in the future. But for now I have a 9mm Shield 1.0 with a CT green laser and TruGlo TFO sights with a 3.6" threaded stainless barrel and 10rd extended mags as my CCW. I aslo have a 2nd slide which I plan on putting a RMS mini Shield on with a co-witness front sight when target shooting. I also put a Hogue grip on my 1.0 Shield to make the grip a little wider...good feel.

I'm really hoping they offer the slide assemblies separate on these.

Where is a Shield-sized S&W pistol with a hammer?

And a Shield holding 10 rounds makes a lot of sense; that's the magazine size limit in many jurisdictions now and probably many more in the future. A slightly wider grip would be all it takes. (10 rounds is enough for most concealed carry folks; after all, that's twice as many rounds as a J frame!).

A variant with a slightly longer (up to 1 inch longer) barrel makes sense too. It's the grip that is hard to hide; a longer barrel is generally not as much of a problem to conceal.

The Shield is a successful platform, but newer offerings from other companies (Sig and Glock) edge it out in some areas. Refresh the design, amp up to a 10 round mag, and think about a version with a hammer and a decocker!

It looks like the 4" barrel and slide will fit on the 3.1". But will S&W sell a PC kit and how much? $$$