Considering a Shield and have many questions

[TNshield]

Hi fella's new guy on the forum but a gun freak for a very long time. I bought the shield last week and very impressed with it . I own a Glock 26 and 19 but after putting 200 + rds down range the shield is my daily ccw. John

 

[toocool]

I took my Shield to the range on Saturday and put 150 rounds through it (50 were Hydra Shock JHP) with no bobbles whatsoever. With a good solid grip, I found muzzle flip almost nonexistent and very quick to get back on target. I've had the M&P compacts and had issues with the grip. I don't know how to describe it, but I had some trouble getting a good grip when drawing from a holster, and because of the shortness of the grip, it didn't quite fit in my hand as well as the full size, so I sold the compacts off, and stuck with my full size. Something about the slimness of the Shield makes it fit much better in my hand and I am very confident with it.

After the range session, I took it home and cleaned it, then carried it in a Remora IWB holster that I have for my LC9 when we went out to dinner. It's very easy to carry, as well as being very easy to shoot. I liked it so much I bought a second one (just in case!)

 

[MP1SG]

Tom, Hello first I am going to advise that if you do want this type of gun I would caution you to wait about a year before getting one. Usually with first production models they usually have problems with them. I would say let all the kinks come out and be fixed before you take that step...I too want a new sheild but I will wait the year before getting one. I am also a revolver guy and have carried revolvers most of my life. I also shoot Glocks at wirk as I am forced to carry one. I will say that I have shot both the M&P and the Glocks. I think they both have good ergonomics, I do not like the trigger on either gun and I do not like plastic guns as I had a Glock 21 blow up in my hand..(again I am a revolver guy they are all metal and I have never had a problem out of one.) I am forced to make the switch as plastic guns seem to be the wave of the future. I did take a chance and bought a Sig 290 and I really like it even though it is plastic...It fits in my pocket a little better than my S&W 642. I have heard great things about the little gun so far, maybe S&W kept the sheild off the market until they worked out all of the kinks unlike every other company,,,only time will tell.

Hi
I never understood this logic about waiting for possible problems. The Shield is an M&P, a very proven and very popular pistol platform. Its a slim down easy to carry M&P end of story. Much like the glocks, when the G17 hit the marked in the USA it was quickly followed by the 19, then the 23 27,26 etc etc. At the end of the day its a Glock, with S&W at the end of the day its a M&P just a scaled down version of a very popular, very reliable and accurate pistol.

 

[GeorgeP]

I presently do not own any of the plastic guns, only revolvers after many years of carrying a 1911 daily. I have been considering a shield and have read a bunch on the internet etc. For those who have one, how do you like it. Want to know pros and cons. Compare to your Glocks. How does it shoot. Tell me all about it please. I would use this for CCW but not pocket carry, have an M&P 340 for that.

Tom, waiting a year is good advise. At first flush, I think S&W has hit a home run with this single stack, striker fired beauty. I plan to wait that year and then replace my Ruger LC9 with one. In the meantime, I'd recommend you spend that year with a Kel Tec PF9. Size wise it's very very close and the trigger, though not as good as the Shield's 5.5 lbs striker, is still a very nice double action. Not to mention they are inexpensive to buy and easy to sell - or keep as a backup.

 

[Marshal Tom]

Thanks for all the responses to my questions about the Shield. I went ahead and purchased one on Friday. I have not shot it yet but likely will today. I really like it so far. I think it will be just what I was looking for in a small concealed carry pistol. Now I have to find a holster or two for it. I am a lefty.

Tom

 

[Fercho64]

I am not a S&W fan. Its obvious that S&W has used the same technology and mechanics on their 9mm M&P line. Thousands of hours of testing before a product is released. "Dont buy it, let another idiot do the testing for you" If that was the case no one would buy any guns. I think that you will be happy with it. I bought a Bersa BP9CC earlier this year and love it as well. Our feedback to the World, and improvements its what makes a good gun a great gun.

 

[IllinoisCCW]

Thanks for all the responses to my questions about the Shield. I went ahead and purchased one on Friday. I have not shot it yet but likely will today. I really like it so far. I think it will be just what I was looking for in a small concealed carry pistol. Now I have to find a holster or two for it. I am a lefty.

Tom

Good for you. The M&P system is well tested and proven. You wont regret it The Shield is my new carry.


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[Roger S&W]

After talking about it, I had to go shooting today. I shot both the shield 9mm and my P7. They both shoot great and conceal well. I did notice the P7 gets warm but I put a whole box of 50 through it as fast as I could (only have two 8rnd mags so I had to stop to reload them) and it got warm but not hot at all. Of course so did the shield (barrel and top of slide in front) but not quite as much. I buy the cheapest ammo I can find (Federal white box at $220 per 1000 rnds) and both of these guns just eat it up.

I did notice the recoil is different. The P7 has a sharp recoil but less movement up and back than the shield. It comes back on target easier too. It is 1/2 pound heavier so I attribute it to that and the low bore axis. Still the Shield is so much nicer to shoot than my late and un-lamented Ruger LC9. That gun was easy to conceal but I just hated shooting it and was not very accurate with it.

I needed to check sight alignment anyway as I just put night sights on it. I went ahead and ordered the green Meprolight night sights that fit the full size M&P. I lose about 1/3inch of sight radius but I have the ledge shape to the front of rear sight that allows you to pull back the slide on a pocket or other object. The rear sight of the Meprolight sights comes out exactly flush to the top of the slide and the sights are bigger than the stock 3-dots. I like it better really, but it does not look as sleek as the stock sights. Overall, I am pleased with the night sights...just need a good holster to make this my EDC for a while (need to take the P7 out of rotation to get that Robar finish I have been craving).

I would like to hear more about people's holster experience for IWB or OWB carry.

Excellent assessment and observations here. I too share your affection for the HK P7, so much so, I have two. Great to see that even though they're not being made anymore...there's alot of people that recognize what awesome pistols they are. However, the M&P Shield seems like the ultimate CCW pistol. I recently became an M&P convert last year after buying the incredible M&P40c and then the M&P40 almost immediately thereafter. Sounds like my M&P collection is getting ready to grow again really soon. Might need two Shields, just in case, like another here commented.

 

[pyper22]

Maybe you guys did not read my last line....I do not care if it is a single stack version of the M&P the dimentions have changed and other mechanical and engineering factors are involved....The bottom line is it is a new production gun and is based off of the full size design of the M&P...Now I refer to the last sentence I wrote.....

take the 1911 in a 5in. gun, then compare it to a 3in. gun the reliability goes way down on the 3in. i hope this doesn't happen to the shield.. pyper

 

[Houdini1953]

These weapons are made to satisfy the Military as well as Law Enforcement which basically means that they do quite a bit of quality control as well as torture testing to ensure that these are reliable weapons, when you are one of the foremost names in this industry then you should be able to rest assured that a weapon assembled by a company that has been around since 1852 in the United States of America will be one you can count on.

Looking at anecdotal evidence about the Shield I see no bad ones I have three 9 millimeter weapons but like my 40 and 357 but shoot the 9mm very accurately any of these will do the job. I like my 40c for daily carry because it is easy to conceal, but even that weapon is not small or lightweight.

I will be getting a Shield but only when they are available in 40 caliber as it is the weapon I am most comfortable with, of course your options are take anything you can get or wait for what you want.

I would like to report that I have a Shield in 40 cal but they are not around when they are I will report all about them but til then nothing except that Smith & Wesson makes some of the most reliable guns you can buy for a reasonable price!

 

[smithman 10]

Underwhelmed by the Shield

I finally found a shop that had a Shield. Already sold but they let me handle it.

I was underwhelmed. Not that it felt bad but not all that great either. I wanted to like it enough to decide to get one but didn't.

I have to admit I am a revolver guy and was looking for an alternative to J-Frames that I use. This gun is not that. As many have noted, you can't really carry it in a trouser pocket, it's just too big.

So if it's going in a holster, either IWB or OWB, why not go ahead and get the doublestack compact M&P? Or even a full size M&P? You gotta cover the holsered gun with a garment anyway.

So I'll pass for the time being. I hope all who buy the Shield find it works out well. I'm sure it will prove reliable and reports seem to be that it is easy to shoot accurately.

For us old-timer revolver guys, there are always the J-Frames.

 

[Roger S&W]

take the 1911 in a 5in. gun, then compare it to a 3in. gun the reliability goes way down on the 3in. i hope this doesn't happen to the shield.. pyper

For some reason that's true with 1911s but not with the modern day polymer wonders...and I don't think the Shield will be an exception.

 

[MIST]

take the 1911 in a 5in. gun, then compare it to a 3in. gun the reliability goes way down on the 3in. i hope this doesn't happen to the shield.. pyper

I guess my 3" 1911 is an exception to the rule as it's been flawless in performance and function since day one.

 

[RussC]

I own a Beretta Nano and I am trading it in for a Shield that I have never handled.

My decision is based entirely on the reports I have read on the internet. I knew within 3 days of owning my Nano I made a mistake. You don't need to wait a year to know if a CCW is going to be reliable. You know the gun is solid when you Google "S&W Shield FTE" and get a zero match. Yes the Shield has only been out less than a month but with the internet 100s of people have already posted reviews and trust me if there was a problem it would have surfaced by now.

Russ

 

[Tommato]

The Shield is the first 100% reliable out of the box small pistol I've ever owned. Not a single FTE, FTF, FTL, or any other "FT". Have 300 rounds thru mine - all JHP so far, but will start trying out potential carry ammo next week. First up is Federal 124 +P HST (P9HST3). If that works well, I will try it out with Speer 124 +P Gold Dots - probably the desired carry load. Although there are clearly some notable differences between the Shield and the Compact and Full Size M&Ps, the pedigree is clear. Smith learned a ton from the bigger M&Ps and I think that helps to explain the excellent execution here.

Tommato

 

[kris7047th]

The Shield is the first 100% reliable out of the box small pistol I've ever owned. Not a single FTE, FTF, FTL, or any other "FT". Have 300 rounds thru mine - all JHP so far, but will start trying out potential carry ammo next week. First up is Federal 124 +P HST (P9HST3). If that works well, I will try it out with Speer 124 +P Gold Dots - probably the desired carry load. Although there are clearly some notable differences between the Shield and the Compact and Full Size M&Ps, the pedigree is clear. Smith learned a ton from the bigger M&Ps and I think that helps to explain the excellent execution here.

Tommato

Agreed and S&W also learned from their *Oops* from the BG.380 small gun. They took their time and TESTED before they put the Shield on the open market.

 

[Shielded]

I laid away a Shield last week. In the whole of my gun loving years I have never seen a gun get so much good praise. I like how it felt, it has decent sights, good trigger, and looks pretty good. It also has 2 mags, which is nice, a 7 & 8 rounder for the 9mm. It also does not have an annoying magazine disconnect. I really can't wait to get mine.

 

[Jeb21]

Have a Shield. 250 round through it from 5 different shooters. 0 problems. Nice gun. Fits a Glock 23 IWB holster well but I am going to look at the Remora line of holsters.