Hi. Newbie here. I'm a novice as both a shooter and an M&P Shield owner. I bought my M&PS as my choice for concealed carry and loved it from the instant I put my first rounds through it. The feel and accuracy are wonderful. However, I immediately realized that I could not release the "slide release" with either one or two hands. Thinking "What sense does it make to have a personal protection weapon that cannot support a rapid magazine change?", I contacted S&W to "fix" the "slide release". The sent it back after 10 weeks saying it wasn't a "slide release" at all but a "slide lock". I've seen videos that make a small modification to allow use of the lock as a release, but am now conflicted about either making the modification or selling the handgun and buying a similar weapon with a true slide release. Your thoughts?

I have a Shield 1.0 9mm and my slide release/slide stop is very difficult to manipulate, I really have to push it down very hard, but it does release the slide. I myself rather release the slide manually regardless, just pull it to the rear slightly and quickly and that's how I have always trained for magazine change drills anyway...

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Correct, it is a slide stop...not a slide release. The proper way to bring a Shield back into battery is the sling shot method.

Sling shot vs slide release is completely personal and up to you. What works for some will not work for others.

Yes, not a slide release. When locked back, swap magazines, and use weak hand to rack slide and chamber a fresh round.

I have a Shield 9 gen 1 that I carry daily. As mentioned above, and by S&W, it is a slide stop. I would not make any mods, just to be able to use as a slide release! Learn and use the slingshot method is my suggestion.

I agree with the above posts. If you use the Forum's search function to look for threads regarding the M&P slide stop, you will find extensive discussions of this topic. What they boil down to are arguments (civil, of course, because we are all nice fellow Forum members ) about the virtues of slingshotting vs. push-tab slide releasing. There may be some aftermarket true slide releases for M&Ps out there, and some members have described modifications to their existing slide stops that turn them into releases. Me, I don't care, because I'm a slingshotter. But in the end, it's all up to you.

Welcome to the Forum!

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What, me worry?

Not to dogpile on you, but if you had read the manual, it would've been clear on how to charge the Shield. I have one and I rack it as I do all of my handguns.

If Release vs Lock is important to you, I suggest you sell it and get something else more to your liking. Bear in mind that many pistols use locks and others use releases. How you choose to use it is up to you.

Tromba—

Your slide lock is obviously also a release and was designed that way. If it could not release the slide, the slide would always stay locked back, right?

Now, HOW it releases the locked slide leads to controversy, but as with so many issues dealing with handling firearms, there is more than one way to deactivate the lock. It comes down to personal preference for most pistols.

S&W takes the easy, cheap way of manufacturing their Shield slide locks. They make no extra effort to provide the simple friction-oriented geometry and finish work that allows the slide lock to be released with finger pressure or even “automatically” when a loaded magazine is inserted briskly.

From the factory, most Shields have too much friction between the slide lock lever and the corresponding locking notch in the slide. Only by retracting the slide to relieve that friction and allow the slide stop return spring to force the lever down can you close the slide. The manual does instruct this one method that generally requires two hands to accomplish, is slow for speed purposes, and which is not fool proof.

There is slingshotting which is pinching the rear of the slide between your thumb and the knuckle of a finger—like a slingshot. This is arguably very difficult to do on a sub-compact pistol with strong recoil springs, especially when new. Some people cannot physically accomplish this supposedly preferred method. It is a very weak method ill-suited to running a Shield carried for personal defense.

There are also variations of the “overhand” method that work better and are now the preferred method. Some folks mistakenly refer to this as the slingshot method also.

However, a simple adjustment of the friction between the slide lock lever and the slide locking notch allows both these methods to be used, OR you can use a finger to deactivate the slide stop—thus allowing you (Oh Heavens!) to refer to it as a release also, as some more advanced manufacturers do.

As mentioned, there is plenty of prior discussion on this forum, and plenty of complaints about stiff slide stops, even on YouTube. If you like your gun except for this manufacturing laziness, simply fix it. You can run your gun any way you want. Many competitors and combat instructors do favor using the lever as a release because it is faster and may make one handed manipulation easier.

I have adjusted the slide stops on over a dozen pistols to release easily with finger pressure. My carry pieces all will close with the “auto-forward” feature backed up by finger pressure. It’s just mechanics. Do what you want.

Welcome to the forum.

Thanks for the Smith-bashing, CB. We really, really needed that.