SHIELD: Hyve +2 Mag Base Pad for the Shield 9mm 8 rd mag

I just wanted to give a shout-out to Hyve Technologies for their +2 Mag Base Pad for the Shield 9mm 8-round magazine. If you're suffering from capacity envy due to the new Shield Plus, SIG P365, etc., this may be a solution for you.

Personally, I am fine carrying the 7+1 magazine, and that's what I'd do on days I don't want to carry appendix. 8 rounds is perfectly adequate for breaking contact in my opinion (even if you want to be ready in the highly unlikely event of an active shooter situation, having an extra magazine on hand is going to make the 3-round difference superfluous).

That said, I primarily carry appendix, and although I do concealed carry larger "high-capacity" pistols, I carry my Shield at least as much as any other gun I own, and by adding the Hyve +2 baseplate using the 8-round magazine, I am now carrying 10+1 like the higher capacity offerings as of late.

Honestly, I am not a big advocate of aftermarket base plates most of the time, but if you haven't had an opportunity to look at the Hyve products, they are very high quality and perhaps the best aftermarket design I've sampled that maintains the contour lines of the pistol. I know it looks long, but for my body type, the +2 baseplate does not print carrying this pistol appendix under my t-shirt.

If you already own a Shield Plus or are contemplating buying one, don't take this as trying to talk you out of it to make me feel better about my prior purchase decision (you do you and the Shield Plus is another great option!). What I would like to say to > a million current Shield owners is that this baseplate is an excellent option to prevent your original or M2.0 Shield from becoming obsolete (if that's how you're feeling). I understand. I get it. I can rationalize 7+1 consciously, but unconsciously I always get the feeling more is better.

But also realize that if you enjoy the original or M2.0 Shield, the Shield Pro is slightly thicker (again, not a game changer, but carrying IWB or AIWB every little bit can make a difference) and the grip texturing is even milder than the M2.0 Shield (which is not as aggressive as a full-size, compact, and subcompact M&P M2.0 pistol). Personally I was disappointed when I learned they made the texturing less aggressive, but then again, it made me feel better about not "upgrading".

Like most things, it's all about personal preference anyway, but the bottom line is that when I carry a Shield in this 10+1 configuration, I have greater capacity, it doesn't print, and I have an even fuller purchase on the firearm than if I was carrying a shorter pistol like the P365 or a Shield with its flush mag.

So don't write off your original or M2.0 Shield, and if you're bummed about the trigger you can always upgrade it via Apex Tactical or one of its competitors (I'm keeping mine stock because it's excellent as is), so there is no reason to be bummed out about the increased capacity of these newer designs.

The Hyve +2 is only $30, and they also have a +1 for the same price if that's better for your method or methods of carry. Even if from a printing standpoint you can't afford any additional length in the grip, you can always carry an extra magazine with a +1 or +2 base plate. Personally, if I don't carry appendix, because I'm driving all day, for example, I am switching over to my Subcompact anyway because it is the same height as a P365 with two more rounds with its flush magazine (as pictured). It also shoots better than the Shield or SIG P365 in my opinion because of the extra surface area, more aggressive texturing and weight. The Hyve aluminum +2 base plate brings the Shield up to 21.7 ounces unloaded which mitigates recoil better when compared with the lighter micro 9mm offerings. The extra weight also allows your magazine to eject more positively.

Honestly, if I had another chance to choose between this this Shied and a P365, I'd pick the Shield again. Don't get me wrong, the P365 is a great pistol, and I also carry a SIG P229 (so I am not bashing SIG), but I actually had to make this choice last year (another Shield vs. a P365), and I already chose the former.

+2 Mag Base Pad for the Shield 9mm 8 rd mag - HYVE Technologies

I'm not a cheap guy by any means - and I know that based upon the amount of money I've wasted on **** over the years. That being said, I can't understand why these extra capacity "devices" are so expensive (above $30). They are just fitted pieces of plastic and, on another level, I don't know if I would trust them if my life depended on it, but that's another subject.

They're not plastic, they're machined Aluminum with an anodized hardcoat finish.

That being said, Magguts make plastic ones which are cheaper.

They fit .40 ?


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I put the Magguts +2 on months ago and like it. Mine is a 8 round with the plus 2 so I have 11 rounds. Looks much smaller than this one. Price was similar.

peterGun said:

They fit .40 ?

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Click to expand...

Yes. Or at least they sell ones which work with .40 S&W, but I'm not sure if they're all compatible, so if you're going to buy one, make sure it's one that says it's for 9mm/.40, just to be on the safe side.

ImDrRichard said:

I'm not a cheap guy by any means - and I know that based upon the amount of money I've wasted on **** over the years. That being said, I can't understand why these extra capacity "devices" are so expensive (above $30). They are just fitted pieces of plastic and, on another level, I don't know if I would trust them if my life depended on it, but that's another subject.

Click to expand...

These are aluminum, not plastic. But I agree, I would only trust my life with them after putting a few hundred rounds through them. And that goes with any OEM gun or aftermarket part.

peterGun said:

They fit .40 ?


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I don't see why not. The .40 Shield is the same dimensions as the 9mm. Only the .45 is different. You're not changing the follower which is the only difference as far as I know from a 40 vs 9mm Shield, but Hyve only mentions 9mm, so I would double check with them.

220-niner said:

I put the Magguts +2 on months ago and like it. Mine is a 8 round with the plus 2 so I have 11 rounds. Looks much smaller than this one. Price was similar.

Click to expand...

I'm not sure why they couldn't make it smaller, but I had MagGuts fail on me, so I wanted to try something else.

I wanted to mention something about MagGuts that I will only state as an opinion. I may be completely & utterly wrong about this, so if you're using MagGuts and you're having a better experience than I did, I don't mean to imply I'm right and you're wrong, but there is a specific reason I prefer the Hyve solution.

When I would take apart a Shield magazine with MagGuts (which can happen when initially assembling them as well), the MagGuts' internals would twist and become misshapen far more easily than standard OEM springs (so as you service the mag, you're going to have to continue to contend with this issue to a greater or lesser extent depending on the magazine in use).

In my way of thinking, they are not likely going to last as long or be as reliable as the OEM springs if they don't hold their shape as well. Remember, these are flattened springs. They're not cylindrical like normal OEM springs.

The aluminum Hyve floor plate shown, on the other hand, is certainly longer than the polymer MagGut solution, however, it also utilizes the OEM spring, buttplate catch, and follower. Only the buttplate is replaced. The MagGuts +2 solution, however, is meant to replace all of that (only the magazine tube is retained).

What I don't understand is why Hyve doesn't make a +1 for the 8-round magazine as 10 rounds would be good enough for most people (9+1) if they felt the +2 was too long. Hyve only makes the +1 for the Shield's 7-round magazines which does not make a lot of sense in my opinion because the Shield already comes with an 8-round OEM magazine that takes up less real estate. In other words, the Hyve +1 offers nothing that the pistol didn't already come with. A +1 for the 8-round magazine would help those who would otherwise have trouble concealing the longer +2 buttplate (floorplate). This could not possibly be lost on the Hyve people (not in a million years), so that makes me wonder why they're not doing it for the 8-round when they're already doing it for the 7-round. Think about it. This would give them three options to sell people instead of only two, yet it is probably the best solution as 10 rounds total satisfies many if not most people.

It can't be a reliability issue because a +2 baseplate utilizing the OEM springs would be more of a departure than a +1 (i.e. you would be less likely to need a longer spring for a +1 than a +2 solution). But there are other reasons why manufacturers make such decisions, but that's a subject for another day.