Good bye PPS/Hello Shield

[noammo]

Eight months ago I put my name on a list for a Shield 40. After two months of waiting thinking I’ll never get this thing I bought a Walther PPS 40. Well, the Shield finally came in. I picked the gun up last week. I have to say I was a little reluctant to buy it because the PPS is a great firearm. So I put the Shield through the paces and I have to say it is not a better gun than the PPS, the only reason I’m keeping the Shield is; the trigger is smoother and the magazine release and safety are similar to my Bodyguard380. The PPS has a paddle type magazine release which is fine once you get used to it but the PPS has an irritating trigger, after about thirty rounds or so you don’t want to shoot it anymore. I think the PPS is of higher quality and has better accuracy than the Shield. I hate to get rid of it.

 

[M29since14]

It's OK to keep both, you know.

 

[RussC]

Eight months ago I put my name on a list for a Shield 40. After two months of waiting thinking I’ll never get this thing I bought a Walther PPS 40. Well, the Shield finally came in. I picked the gun up last week. I have to say I was a little reluctant to buy it because the PPS is a great firearm. So I put the Shield through the paces and I have to say it is not a better gun than the PPS, the only reason I’m keeping the Shield is; the trigger is smoother and the magazine release and safety are similar to my Bodyguard380. The PPS has a paddle type magazine release which is fine once you get used to it but the PPS has an irritating trigger, after about thirty rounds or so you don’t want to shoot it anymore. I think the PPS is of higher quality and has better accuracy than the Shield. I hate to get rid of it.

Why not get a trigger job?

Russ

 

[snakeye]

Eight months ago I put my name on a list for a Shield 40. After two months of waiting thinking I’ll never get this thing I bought a Walther PPS 40. Well, the Shield finally came in. I picked the gun up last week. I have to say I was a little reluctant to buy it because the PPS is a great firearm. So I put the Shield through the paces and I have to say it is not a better gun than the PPS, the only reason I’m keeping the Shield is; the trigger is smoother and the magazine release and safety are similar to my Bodyguard380. The PPS has a paddle type magazine release which is fine once you get used to it but the PPS has an irritating trigger, after about thirty rounds or so you don’t want to shoot it anymore. I think the PPS is of higher quality and has better accuracy than the Shield. I hate to get rid of it.

So there are points about each one you don't like.......kinda cloudy what your point is...if it is the PPS you like better then sell the shield....but I can tell you that your dislike of the shield is totally in the minority....

 

[S&WForty]

My accuracy is fine with my Shield compared to other polymer .40s I've shot or own. That's including larger pistols. More time may help your accuracy with it.

What did the PPS cost to give you a poorer trigger feel yet higher quality?

Specifically, in which areas is the quality lower in the Shield, and how critical is that to its function and reliability? I'm not asking that with the implication there is no relation to defend the Shield. Look at it from that angle to determine what decision you should make.

 

[SMMAssociates]

I don't have a Shield, but I do have an M&P9C, 40C, and 40FS. The Compacts are almost the same gun as the equivalent Shield.

I also had a PPS40....

I swapped the PPS40 for a 40C (or maybe the 9C - I don't remember ).... The PPS40 was a fine gun, but the very narrow trigger was such that my pudgy fingers wrapped around it, causing a pinch with each shot. (My KelTec P3AT does exactly the same thing, but it's a "carry often, shoot rarely" gun anyway....)

Cutting down the triggers (less trigger to wrap around) helped a little, but not much.

The somewhat heavy recoil of the PPS40 with the narrow grip width was punishing, too, but tolerable for a 1911 guy. Using a cheap shooting glove on the range was all that it took....

S&W uses a fairly wide trigger on the M&P's, and it appears that the Shield is using essentially the same design. The M&Ps I have are quite comfortable to shoot (including the 40C). A Shield 40 should be a bit rough, but certainly not as bad as the PPS trigger, at least....

If you find the trigger action v.s. the pinch effect to be gritty, stiff, etc., just shooting it for a while should clean most of it up. Slathering Gunslick all over the action parts would probably help, too. If you don't mind spending a few bucks, Apex has a cleanup kit for the Shield (similar to the DCAEK kit for the larger guns) that will take most of the problems out, and a new polymer trigger (they also have a metal one, but it's very expensive) that's a little better than stock.

I have the DCAEK on my M&P's, with excellent results. I have no problem with the stock triggers, even with the hinged foolishness, so I haven't changed any of those. YMMV thing....

I'm big enough to conceal a full sized 1911 (or, my preference, an "Officer's" sized 1911), so the double-stack M&P Compacts are no problem - I really don't need the thinner model most of the time. But that's also a YMMV. My very petite daughter (at 27!) can't conceal anything much bigger than my P3AT in summer clothes, even if she dresses around it, but might have a chance with the Shield v.s. the 9C.

I tried to swap the 9C for a Shield 40 a while back, but got no takers. Someday, maybe....

Regards,

 

[TraderGary]

I feel no need for any kind of trigger job on my Shield 9. S&W totally re-engineered the Shield trigger and it is smoother with a shorter stroke and nicely audible reset as opposed to the rest of the current M&P line. S&W says it will be using the newly developed Shield trigger engineering on all M&P models going forward.

 

[agksimon]

I was at the range a few years ago with my new PPS 9mm and let a woman try it. She was a new shooter and dropped it on the concrete, before she had loaded a magazine. The backstrap is held in place by very small tabs and they broke off from the impact and the backstrap fell out. I found out there's a little lever in there that is part of the trigger mechanism and when the backstrap is removed, it disables the gun. I sold the gun after getting another backstrap for it. I don't want a device like that on any gun that I own.

 

[gordyt]

Morning noammo,

I was able to finally get my hands on a Shield .40 about 3 months ago. Have been carrying daily since then. I really like this gun. It shoots great and is easy to conceal. I currently use a hybrid holster. Very comfortable.

 

[SMMAssociates]

agksimon:

Ouch - forgot to mention that in my anti-PPS tirade ....

The lever thing can be deactivated pretty easily once you get things apart and figure out how it works. To some extent it's the magazine safety....

However, the nature of the magazine floorplate is such that you're sitting on a time bomb.

I got used to the goofy mag release without problems (I had Walther's P22 for a while - same release), but really got upset by the magazine issue.

Really feels like "you want a magazine safety, so we'll give you one, but you won't like it." From back when S&W sold out to the Clintons?

Mine never failed, btw, but it was pretty dangerous.... The M&Ps (can't say for the Shield) use a simple sear block that's based on the magazine being just "in place". It's easy to remove if it bothers you, but pretty simple otherwise, and probably unlikely to fail.

Regards,

 

[noammo]

I’ve been away for awhile; this is first chance to respond to posts. First; the PPS is sold, bought by a guy that has an H&K, he likes the paddle release. Second; I don’t have any issues with the Shield, It’s a great shooting gun. Even though I think the PPS is more accurate and a little higher quality I had two issues with the PPS; the trigger being the biggest one and the other is the mag release, which is why I decided to unload it. (Pun intended) I don’t believe there is a way to fix the irritating PPS trigger, the trigger safety runs longitudinal down the center of the trigger and tears my finger up during recoil. Any way the PPS is history, since then I added the Lasermax Centerfire Laser on the Shield and went with the DeSantis Mini Scabbard Holster. I never used a laser sight until I got the Bodyguard380, I’ve come to like the sight so I added it to the Shield.

 

[Soldiernurse]

Eight months ago I put my name on a list for a Shield 40. After two months of waiting thinking I’ll never get this thing I bought a Walther PPS 40. Well, the Shield finally came in. I picked the gun up last week. I have to say I was a little reluctant to buy it because the PPS is a great firearm. So I put the Shield through the paces and I have to say it is not a better gun than the PPS, the only reason I’m keeping the Shield is; the trigger is smoother and the magazine release and safety are similar to my Bodyguard380. The PPS has a paddle type magazine release which is fine once you get used to it but the PPS has an irritating trigger, after about thirty rounds or so you don’t want to shoot it anymore. I think the PPS is of higher quality and has better accuracy than the Shield. I hate to get rid of it.

Don't feel bad, after all you now have a Shield 40. Congrats! I, along w/many other Walther fans wish the PPS had the same trigger has the PPQ (or, P99C AS). Nonetheless, love the PMR. I should have never sold my PPS, since now have a little Walther set going.

BTW, you look'n to sell that pitiful PPS?

 

[Engieman]

I have had a PPS 9MM for years, love it. I think the issue with all these small carry guns is the caliber. The .40 is a snappy shooter in any size gun (my experience), I would much rather shoot a compact .45 than a .40. The advances in bullet design and powders is such that most any caliber is going to do some serious damage. For a carry gun, I think the entire package to include size, weight, design, dependability, AND caliber need to be considered over shootability alone. Carry guns are not meant to be comfortable range guns. Shoot once and a while, fine...but not for extended shooting sessions beyond the reliability break-in and periodic practice to stay in tune.

 

[SMMAssociates]

Engieman:

My problem with the PPS40 was that getting in even the minimal familiarization/break-in was seriously unpleasant. Mostly, I think, due to the trigger.

I had an S&W CS45, which is a single-stack .45ACP micro-cannon similar in size to the M&P40C or 45C, and was very pleasant to shoot. I sold it to raise money for a Dillon press, though. No regrets - the thing was HEAVY - but it did shoot very well considering they seem to have forgotten to bother with a barrel ....

I don't seek comfort, really, but the double-stack M&P's that I have, as well as my collection of single and double-stack 1911's are.... Maybe not for everybody, but beating the heck out of them is fairly easy on me .... Two are "Officer's" sized - one's a 3.5" barrel, and the other 4", and both are all-steel. Two other GM clones are more or less just as comfortable (and vice versa). The worst, oddly, is a Para "Tac-Four", which is a sort of double-stack Commander, and really isn't even close to the M&P40C for discomfort.

(And, none of the M&Ps - a 9C, 40C, and 40FS - are in any way unpleasant to shoot. The 40C is a tad snappy, though.)

I picked the 40FS just to have a .40 (had some extra cash one fine day ), and then a 40C for a lightweight "around the house" gun - no need for special belts & such. The 40FS works just as well in that rig, so I carry it when I feel like it. The 9C was for my daughter, but she didn't want it. Perfect carry/range/bedside gun that about anybody can handle, but the Shield is going to be a tad easier to conceal.

Regards,