2.0 FDE Is All I Want to Shoot Now

[flip flappy]

When I got my CC Permit last year I bought a Shield 9 and while finding it comfortable to carry I have never been accurate with it. Fast forward to Black Friday and I bought a M&P 2.0 FDE 9 with a 5" barrel. The 2.0 is so fun to shoot and the trigger is far superior to the factory Shield trigger. I shot them both yesterday and feel that I am not accurate enough with the Shield to keep carrying it. I hate to give up on the Shield especially for the summer though. . Looks like an Apex trigger is in my near future and I hope it makes it shootable. I just ordered an Alien Gear 3.0 IWB holster for the 2.0 as the OWB I currently have makes it tough to conceal. I have to say I like the idea of 17+1. My guess is that I am not the only one who prefers a full size 2.0 over a Shield.

 

[catcus-jack]

Apex triggers have been known to make poor shooters master shooters just by simply dropping one in.Make 100 yd 1 inch groups possible.And cure the common cold.��

 

[clarkstoncz]

I like the feel of the 2.0 Compact, over my Shield .45 and the full-sized 2.0
9mm.

The 5 inch 2.0 is interesting, but I'm not a fan of the baby **** FDE color.

 

[Redcoat3340]

I had the complete opposite reaction. Got a 2.0 Shield and fell in love...picked up a 5" FDE M&P and the trigger isn't near what the Shield's is. Almost a 3-stage...lots of take up, hit a "wall," but not THE wall...still another crunch to make it go bang. I can't see what's causing the problem...so I order the Apex Flat Faced trigger gismo.

I was hoping the 2.0 wouldn't need the Apex, but this one does.

Not that the trigger is bad, just not as good as the Shield. We'll see what happens.

 

[flip flappy]

I had the complete opposite reaction. Got a 2.0 Shield and fell in love...picked up a 5" FDE M&P and the trigger isn't near what the Shield's is. Almost a 3-stage...lots of take up, hit a "wall," but not THE wall...still another crunch to make it go bang. I can't see what's causing the problem...so I order the Apex Flat Faced trigger gismo.

I was hoping the 2.0 wouldn't need the Apex, but this one does.

Not that the trigger is bad, just not as good as the Shield. We'll see what happens.

Very interesting that the 2.0 Shield trigger is better than the full size in your's. I have not shot a 2.0 Shield to see how much difference there is to the original. I plan to bench shoot the Shield next opportunity to see what kind of group I can shoot before putting in a new trigger.

 

[Ranger17]

I have a 1.0 full size and a Shield pc, never bother to compare them as they are 2 different animals. At defense type distances in the 5-8 yd range i can be as accurate with the shield as the fs. Distances greater than that then the fs shows its strengths, to me that makes some sense.
I actually shot the shield well from the start and 1300+ rounds later have a decent amount of consistency with it. Same can be said for the fs. Guess practice makes (close to) perfect lol.

Two different guns yet I like them both the same, in their stock forms.

 

[stavey]

My 45 m&p 2.0 has a trigger that's smooth as glass that breaks at 4lbs. with nothing but a $35 apex sear some polish and a dremel w. A buffing wheel.

 

[jejb]

I had the complete opposite reaction. Got a 2.0 Shield and fell in love...picked up a 5" FDE M&P and the trigger isn't near what the Shield's is. Almost a 3-stage...lots of take up, hit a "wall," but not THE wall...still another crunch to make it go bang. I can't see what's causing the problem...so I order the Apex Flat Faced trigger gismo.

I was hoping the 2.0 wouldn't need the Apex, but this one does.

Not that the trigger is bad, just not as good as the Shield. We'll see what happens.

I just put an Apex flat face kit in my 5" 2.0. At first, I didn't think it needed one, compared to my 1.0 guns. It is a pretty good trigger out of the box, even compared to the Apex DCAEK I have in my 40C. But I bought a Sig P320 FS at the same time as the 2.0, and it's really showed me what a trigger should be. It is just so much crisper when you hit the wall. As you said, the 2.0 just takes a lot to get through the wall. I call it a wide wall. Not a horrible trigger, just not as good as the P320.

I shot the 2.0 for the first time yesterday with the full flat face kit. It did make it better, almost as good as the stock P320. I may have to play with springs some more though. Its like I had to pull a bit harder through the wall than I'd like. It is a much shorter wall, just a bit more effort, even though it now has a lighter pull weight than the P320. But I need to shoot it some more to get used to it, too. Probably work on that problem some more this morning!

 

[OKFC05]

I have a few students that can never find a trigger or ammo that is good enough for them. They KNOW that if they can just find the right combo their innate superior shooting ability will be released. It could not possibly be their sloppy grip or yanking the trigger.


I keep some SW9VEs for trainers ("algebra problem" triggers; long and hard). Learn to control those triggers and the search for "perfect equipment" is no longer an obsession.


Shooting a handgun is a simple 3-step process.
1. Hold the pistol correctly and firmly.
2. Point the pistol at a realistic target: paper plate is fine. Don't waste time with precision aiming
3. Press the trigger straight back without moving the gun


When this gets boring, speed up or back up

 

[stavey]

If shooting were that simple everyone would be a marksman. Good triggers etc do help which is why competitive pistol and rifle shooters use them. As far as thev trigger on the shield being better why would anyone want a gun with less capacity than a 9c and NO MAG COMPATIBILITY. I can email anyone who sends me their email address a pdf illustrated apx 50 pages that shows how to do a simple trigger job on an m&p to get you to around 4lbs and super smooth. The full size is a real gun With REAL capacity, were not even talking about a the "shield".

 

[Venenoindy]

I recently purchased a 2.0 9mm 5 inch and I like it a lot, an aftermarket trigger helps but what really helps is to actually learn how to properly use a trigger. I'm learning myself how not to depend mods and how skill and dedication is how you run a handgun like it should be.

 

[Redcoat3340]

"As far as thev trigger on the shield being better why would anyone want a gun with less capacity than a 9c and NO MAG COMPATIBILITY."

Stavey....I wanted the Shield for pocket carry and it fits just fine. The 9c is bigger, didn't fit for pocket carry, and when I bought the Shield I didn't have an M&P and didn't need mag compatibility.

(For IWB carry it's either my Sig 320c, Walther P99c, a Sig 229E2 or P6...depending on how I feel. (And I usually feel P99c.) I've also got a "new" 6906 but it needs a bit of work (FO front sight and lighter hammer spring) and a bunch of rounds through it before I'll give it a try as a carry piece.

 

[iPac]

I have a few students that can never find a trigger or ammo that is good enough for them. They KNOW that if they can just find the right combo their innate superior shooting ability will be released. It could not possibly be their sloppy grip or yanking the trigger.


I keep some SW9VEs for trainers ("algebra problem" triggers; long and hard). Learn to control those triggers and the search for "perfect equipment" is no longer an obsession.


Shooting a handgun is a simple 3-step process.
1. Hold the pistol correctly and firmly.
2. Point the pistol at a realistic target: paper plate is fine. Don't waste time with precision aiming
3. Press the trigger straight back without moving the gun


When this gets boring, speed up or back up

That's just sounds like a lot of effort there. Much easier to "buy" skill enhancing features.

 

[stavey]

I've never heard anyone in my life say they bought certain pistols for the bad triggers...
That says it all

 

[KELSW]

The Shield series is a defensive pistol . It is not a target pistol . I can shoot my 1.0 with decent defensive groupings at defensive distances . The gun without a doubt is more accurate than me . 90 % of the time it is the shooter not the gun who can not shoot accurately . People who chase the latest bestest gun and trigger skip over basic shooting skills IMO . When I have bad days at the range I don't blame the gun I blame me .

 

[NewToGuns17]

I have a shield 9 1.0 and bought the full size 2.0 (4.5" barrel?). I put an apex in the 2.0 along with hiviz f.o. sights front and rear. The trigger kit made the gun more enjoyable for me and got rid of that hinged trigger I had first liked but later on disliked. I then got a trigger kit for the shield and I feel my trigger pull it's more linear which makes shooting for me easier. If I didn't get my finger right on the shield trigger it wouldn't hinge properly and it would either not fire or skip at the end. Not so with the apex. And I got the aluminum trigger in both.

 

[mattwings]

Both my compact 2.0 9mm and my .45 Shield shoot great, stock triggers. I am not a competitive shooter, and any issue I might have with either pistol in a self sense situation (accuracy wise) would be due to me! To each their own.

 

[John Robert]

Right on.................Stock trigger M&P Shield (original) suits me just fine. These issues get back to personal preferences. There is no "one is best for all".

 

[flip flappy]

I should probably clear up about the Shield not being accurate enough to keep carrying it. I carry at church and am the song leader so I am up in the choir loft and at the pulpit during much of our service. I think about if someone came through the doors armed could I make a stopping shot that far with my Shield? Probably not.
I am sure I could use some shooting lessons to help with my form but also feel that the Shield's small size and light weight make it less forgiving. I equate it with what I experienced shooting archery and bowhunting. I shot a longer more forgiving bow for tournaments during the summer months and a more compact but a little less forgiving bow for hunting. Tournament shooting distances could be almost twice as far as hunting shooting distances. I even shot completely different mechanical releases for the both. I am just frustrated that I am not adapting to two different feeling triggers.

 

[NewToGuns17]

I should probably clear up about the Shield not being accurate enough to keep carrying it. I carry at church and am the song leader so I am up in the choir loft and at the pulpit during much of our service. I think about if someone came through the doors armed could I make a stopping shot that far with my Shield? Probably not.
I am sure I could use some shooting lessons to help with my form but also feel that the Shield's small size and light weight make it less forgiving. I equate it with what I experienced shooting archery and bowhunting. I shot a longer more forgiving bow for tournaments during the summer months and a more compact but a little less forgiving bow for hunting. Tournament shooting distances could be almost twice as far as hunting shooting distances. I even shot completely different mechanical releases for the both. I am just frustrated that I am not adapting to two different feeling triggers.

But picking up a bow with a peep sight no matter the sights and a knocking point will be the same. Same with guns. Trigger as sights. Adjust your grip. I shoot my 2.0 better than my shield but I wouldn't say I couldn't make a shot from the distances you speak. Practice. Watch Jerry miculek videos on YouTube we dry fire a ton.