Do ANY Shields shoot to POA from factory?

[DartonJager]

I now own three Shields
A Gen-1 3.1" 8+1 Shield I bought in 2012
A P/C 4" Shield Plus I bought 4-5 weeks ago
A Gen-2 3.1" 13+1 Shield plus I bought 3 weeks ago.
And when I was sighting in my original G1 Shield it shot (post Apex trigger upgrade) consistently prior to adjustment 3-4" to the left at 15 yards off sand bags and both of my new Shields also shoot 3-4" to the left at 15 yards. Not high or low just nice uniform 2.5-3" clusters at 15 yards but always 3-4" to the left. Easily corrected by drifting the front sight Right, just surprised me this was the case with all three of my Shields.

I know this was not me as I didn't experience this issue with any of my three P320's or two Walther PDP's or my one 4.25" 9mm M&P C.O.R.E.

Not a big issue what so ever and easily fixed just surprised all three of my Shields had the same accuracy POA/POI difference.

 

[326MOD10]

I have had two Shields, Gen 1 version, and still own both.

They were the most accurate handgun out of the box I have ever owned.

Now, I will tell you that I had to adjust a little how I fired them because of the thin grip and a tendency to pull the shots to the left when I fired. I was told by Chuck Haggard, who I worked with at the time, to shoot the shield as if it was a J Frame and the groups would move to where they need to be. So I adjusted the amount of finger on the trigger and just like that on target.

May not be your issue but something to consider.

Have you had anyone else fire them to see if they also are experiencing the same issue?

 

[biku324]

This is a common problem. I own 2 Shield 2.0, one in 45, one in 40. Both shot 4 or 5 inches left at 10 yards, so I drifted the FRONT sights (as the manual says) so POA = POI with my duty ammo. Both are excellent machines, with the 45 my EDC, the 40 my wife's.

You get lots of advice on grip and trigger control that truly mean nothing when the sights are mechanically misaligned. Fix it and move on.

 

[Mike SC Hunter]

Have 3 Shields......Had to move the front sight on all 3.

 

[jammer216]

Yep, moved Shield+ front sight a few thousandths, all good....

 

[Mike SC Hunter]

I think they install them with a hydraulic press........CUZ they are *()^&*^& to move..........SP's didn't work.....Used a hammer/punch.

 

[biku324]

I used the Wyoming Sight Drifter that I had laying around.

 

[Hawg Rider]

My PC M&P Shield Plus 9mm is an EDC, and it shot POA when I first took it out of the box. I have had no issues with this pistol, and not a single F2F. However, I can see how some of these short barrelled pistols may need to have the front sight drifted a little.

 

[rwsmith]

I own several Shields also. I'm in the process of re-evaluating each one and finding out what might be wrong with each gun compared to what might be wrong with my shooting them. I'm going to use my typical ammo without variation on each one. A ways back I decided I really needed to brush up on my SD skills. Found out I was shooting my original model Shield alarmingly low. Especially after reading this thread I'm going to run each one through the paces in my next range trips and see what needs to be done with each.

Unfortunately, 'Low' is a problem because Shields don't have elevation adjustment.

 

[LVSteve]

There's a big difference to shooting small guns versus duty and full size guns. One of the mistakes I think made with small guns is they are simply scaled down variants of larger guns. Funny thing, your hands are the same size on all guns, so usually the trigger reach is fouled up, and often how your hand sits on the grip. 326MOD10 alluded to this in post#2 above.

I also have a suspicion that shooting off sandbags doesn't necessarily take the shooter out of the equation. If the sandbags are under your wrists, that won't always stop the gun moving in your grip or your wrists cocking left/right as you squeeze the trigger. If the pistol is supported under the dust cover in a V rest, then that should deal with any errors introduced by your grip.

 

[gunny4053]

You're comparing apples and oranges. The way a full size firearm fits in your hand is different than how a subcompact fits your hand. This affects how your trigger finger and the trigger interact, in some cases causing you to push or twist the gun when you pull the trigger. This is mainly due to the difference in trigger reach. Generally right hand shooters see this as shooting left. Depending on the firearm, say Glock, it's often seen as shooting low left.

If adjusting the sight corrects the problem, then you're set. A better solution is to practice with the smaller gun and work on your technique with it. Another possible solution would be to change the grip, perhaps adding a Hogue Handall, making the grip fit your hand closer to that of the larger guns. This is what I have on both my ported PC Shields, one 9mm and the other .40, and both of those pitted the X on the first shot. There's not a huge size difference, but it's enough that I shoot the Shields as well as I shoot the larger guns without touching the sights. Good luck, shoot safe.

 

[biku324]

There's a big difference to shooting small guns versus duty and full size guns. One of the mistakes I think made with small guns is they are simply scaled down variants of larger guns. Funny thing, your hands are the same size on all guns, so usually the trigger reach is fouled up, and often how your hand sits on the grip. 326MOD10 alluded to this in post#2 above.

I also have a suspicion that shooting off sandbags doesn't necessarily take the shooter out of the equation. If the sandbags are under your wrists, that won't always stop the gun moving in your grip or your wrists cocking left/right as you squeeze the trigger. If the pistol is supported under the dust cover in a V rest, then that should deal with any errors introduced by your grip.

Well; I've shot N-, L- and K-frame revolvers and had no windage issues with any J-frame.