It must be a really good gun

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stmry

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It appears just about everyone that I discuss firearms, ccw, home defense with, has just purchased a new Shield.
Many have been involved with firearms for many years, as I have, and many are just starting out.
Even friends who are ardent "steel and wood" devotees are somewhat enamored with the shield, and said they would entertain acquiring one.
Well, today, its snowing up here in New England. I think I'll jump in the F150, throw it in 4WD, and take a mosey to the LGS.
 
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Yup... It's a really good 3" barrel Subcompact and for some (like me) a pocket pistol.

After carrying a G19 for 15Yrs, I got hooked on being able to Pocket Carry the PF-9... But the PF-9 is nothing, compared to the Shield.

If you've tried any of the other Brands' Subcompacts (PF-9, LC-9, Nano, DB9, etc) you probably already know how 'harsh' their recoil is. The Shield, at roughly the same size as the LC-9 and PF-9, has the light/smooth recoil of larger Compacts like the M&P9c, or G26.

If you have a chance, definitely do more than just fondling one at the counter. Try to Shoot one before buying.
I'm actually surprised that none of your friends let (made) you try theirs.
 
I bought a Shield9 for my wife and put a Pachmyer grip, fiber optic sights and a LaserMax on it for her. She rarely likes to carry, so I carry it most of the time. On the rare occasions she wants to take it, I fall back on my M&P9Compact.
BTW: The Pachmyer grip does cut the recoil, not only because it's rubber, but it spreads the recoil out over a bigger portion of the web of your hand.
 
stmry said:
It appears just about everyone that I discuss firearms, ccw, home defense with, has just purchased a new Shield.
Many have been involved with firearms for many years, as I have, and many are just starting out.
Even friends who are ardent "steel and wood" devotees are somewhat enamored with the shield, and said they would entertain acquiring one.
Well, today, its snowing up here in New England. I think I'll jump in the F150, throw it in 4WD, and take a mosey to the LGS.
Click to expand...

I'm in the same storm you are, and I ain't going nowhere.

I got my Shield 40 in Hooksett and it's a great gun for what it is for.
 
In my case, the Shield meets more of my requirements for a concealable handgun than any other pistol I've owned over the last several years. Smith & Wesson made the right decisions concerning overall ergonomics and materials, and 9mm or .40 is a good choice in caliber, especially with the recent advancements in ammunition technology. I've owned Kahr CW9, a new Colt Mustang .380, XDs .45 and several Glock subcompact pistols. All are gone but the Shield is still here.
 
Does the Shield have the same capacity for caliber changes that the M&P does? In other words, with a new, .40S&W Shield, you could buy a .357 Sig barrel and be able to shoot .357Sig from the piece, and with a new 9mm barrel and magazines, you would then be able to shoot 9mm from the piece?

Please advise.

Thanks,

Dave
 
Double-O-Dave said:
Does the Shield have the same capacity for caliber changes that the M&P does? In other words, with a new, .40S&W Shield, you could buy a .357 Sig barrel and be able to shoot .357Sig from the piece, and with a new 9mm barrel and magazines, you would then be able to shoot 9mm from the piece?

Please advise.

Thanks,

Dave
Click to expand...

Yes you can.........
 
Again, yes you can.

For a concealed carry weapon, the Sheild is easily the best I've handled and fired. I looked at its top two competitors; the Springfield XDS and the Walther PPS. The Walther was nicer than the XDS, but I didn't care for the paddle mag release.

If I had a choice (and I do), the Shield isn't my go-to weapon for home defense. I still prefer a full sized grip. It took me a while to adjust to the smaller grip and decreased range of the Shield. I still shoot much better with my CZ-75 Duty P-07. I shoot even better with my tactical shotgun. ;-)

Sent from my HTC One using Tapatalk
 
I love my shield. Went out in the "storm" a couple of weekends ago with the f350 in four dig and fell in love with it at the counter. I tried their blue gun with some sort of slip on grip and it was awesome, really wish I remembered what it was.
agksimon, do you have any pictures of that shield with a grip?
The factory grips are fine and fit rather well with large hands, but the slip on grip that filled out the mid palm area was just icing on the cake.
 
 
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The only thing that kept me from buying the Shield, is the fact that it's made for right handed people. The safety is only on the left side.


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Booboo357 said:
The only thing that kept me from buying the Shield, is the fact that it's made for right handed people. The safety is only on the left side.
Sent from my LG-LS980 using Tapatalk
Click to expand...

I honestly believe that the safety is there, only so S&W can sell the gun in the few states where it's required, but small enough so as not be in the way. The vast majority of centerfire M&P's do not have a manual safety and of all the polls taken so far, the majority of owners don't use it, including me, as I'm a lefty anyway, but if I was a righty, I still wouldn't. It's redundant.
 
agksimon said:
I honestly believe that the safety is there, only so S&W can sell the gun in the few states where it's required, but small enough so as not be in the way. The vast majority of centerfire M&P's do not have a manual safety and of all the polls taken so far, the majority of owners don't use it, including me, as I'm a lefty anyway, but if I was a righty, I still wouldn't. It's redundant.
Click to expand...

I thought about just not using it myself, but I wouldn't want to take the chance that it might be on somehow,when I really needed the gun quick.
If I was only going to use it for a range gun it would be fine, but I wouldn't use it for a carry gun, being left handed.
My SR9 has a safety on it, but it is on both sides. Every time I draw the SR9 my thumb automatically sweeps the safety whether it is on or not. I made sure I got into the habit of doing that, just in case.
 
Shield has the perfect mix of price, compactness, caliber, capacity, that nice natural feel of the grip common to the whole line of M&Ps, a much better trigger than the Ruger LCs (arguably its closest competitor) and it's made in the USA.

Also don't discount the value of marketing and good branding. Using the name SHIELD probably helped... much better than if they had called it the M&P9Cs or M&P9Cx (reference XD, XDM, XDS) using the word SHIELD is just more badass.
 
I gotta say... The name Shield had nothing to do with my buying it. They could have named it M&P9sc/M&P40sc and if it worked, I'd buy it... which I did. :)

As for the safety... I shoot Lefty as well as right. I leave it off and it hasn't inadvertently engaged itself in over 18 Months. ;)
 
I was looking for a subcompact 9mm pistol when the Shield came out. Since was hard to find and overpriced at the time, I waited. While waiting, I saw a used Kahr CM-9 for sale. I bought it for a decent price and slapped on a Crimson Trace sight. After I had had the Kahr for a while, a buddy let me shoot his Shield with Apex trigger. Although the Shield is a nice gun, I like the Kahr much, much better and it is the right size for pocket carry. So far, I haven't had one hiccup with the CM-9, with factory ammo or reloads.
 
i have the CM 9 and the shield. To me they are two different guns. The CM is so easy to conceal vs the shield. Both stellar guns and wouldn't get rid of either. The shield is just bigger and easier to shoot.
 
The 9 shield brought me back to S&W. I have XD bersa Ruger and others But i grabbed the 9 shield and its become my EDC now. I like the 8 round mag with me big mits. Yep this storm was a PITA Another reason i like the shield. Its in the salt and mud while i am plowing or running the loader Gets covered with crud. Clean her up ever couple weeks goood as new.Also great on the scooter CC I removed the safety with no problem. Not suggesting u do but it works for me. 1000 rounds down the pipe and good little partner for 400 bucks
 
Love my Shield 9mm. As some have said already, has a big gun feel to it, shoots with a much more muted recoil than other compact guns. Only thing I've been working the slide to make it a little easier to rack, since brand new it's sort of tight.
 
I love my Shield 9mm, best of all worlds for EDC... small, light, thin, 9mm, goes bang every time, accurate, blends into my manly figure without looking like I'm trying to hide a brick...
 
mafbloggerdanny said:
Shield has the perfect mix of price, compactness, caliber, capacity, that nice natural feel of the grip common to the whole line of M&Ps, a much better trigger than the Ruger LCs (arguably its closest competitor) and it's made in the USA.

Also don't discount the value of marketing and good branding. Using the name SHIELD probably helped... much better than if they had called it the M&P9Cs or M&P9Cx (reference XD, XDM, XDS) using the word SHIELD is just more badass.
Click to expand...

Haha. The name Shield helps when I'm talking to people about the weapon, but it didn't aid me in my decision to buy. My other handgun is the CZ-75 Duty P-07. I didn't buy it because it says "duty" in the name. :-)

I'm just poking fun. Insightful response nonetheless. You nailed all the points S&W did, which is why it's a big seller.

I just used grip tape on mine. I might have to try that grip wrap.

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Got it...love it. 100% reliable. It's only weakness, for some people, is the grip angle causes it to point high for some shooters.
 
yeah I see what you guys are saying that nobody is buying it just for the name, but take it with a grain of salt.

If we're being honest, I think some of us gun guys can sometimes suffer from a little bit of elitism when it comes to guns, trying to separate or distinguish ourselves from all the operator wannabees and mall ninjas out there. And why not? Those guys are tools, we obviously don't want to be associated with that but on the other hand I think it's just silly to take it to the extreme and claim that all we care about is specs and performance...brand & marketing doesn't play a role in our buying decisions ... y'know it does! It's not a dominant role.

As nutnfancy would call it ... 2nd type of cool - and there's nothing wrong with that.
 
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It is a great pistol, I had a G26 that never left the plastic box it came in. Found it too heavy, too thick and too stubby. I know lot of people love the Glock, and Glock has sold thousands of the minis. If it were not for the public safety deal I wouldn't have bought it and I guess I still shouldn't have.

I relegated back to my G23, though bigger, it just felt and carried better.

Then I found the Shield 9mm, literally sold all my Glocks and replaced them with a full size 9mm, the Shield and a bodyguard 380. Looking at a compact M&P next.
 
Booboo357 said:
I thought about just not using it myself, but I wouldn't want to take the chance that it might be on somehow,when I really needed the gun quick.
If I was only going to use it for a range gun it would be fine, but I wouldn't use it for a carry gun, being left handed.
My SR9 has a safety on it, but it is on both sides. Every time I draw the SR9 my thumb automatically sweeps the safety whether it is on or not. I made sure I got into the habit of doing that, just in case.
Click to expand...
Anything can happen with any device or human, but the safety on the Shield is stiff and has little chance of being on accidentally. I am a lefty and if I wanted to use the safety it an easy motion to thumb it. The mag release also works just fine for me with a easy tap of my index finger. So while the shield is not fully ambidextrous, I find no issues at all in operating it left handed. I have fired just about every kind of ammo through it at the range and never had any issue. It is just a great gun, period.
 
Shield 9mm my EDC for a year or so, nuff said there. I did put on Talon grips (skateboard tape-like surface) for a better grip, wet or dry. Previously carried LC-9 and G27, much prefer the Shield!
 
Shield .40 with Talon grips (rubber option) and Williams FireSights. I just love the feel and pointability of this pistol. EDC and I keep the SD 40 VE/flashlight for HD.
BTW-I installed TruGlo FO sights on the SD and they are not nearly as good for light-gathering as the Williams. Not even close. Next $30 and I'll trashcan the TruGlo's.
I chose the Shield after handling every bloody "Personal Defense"-sized pistol at Gander. And reading a bunch of reviews.
No regrets here-very happy. And I'd love to post some photos of my rigs, but I'm just too cheap to pay money for that "privilege".
 
The Shield is an awesome CC and EDC. In all my experience - and in every review I've ever watched and read - the safety is a non-factor as far as accidental engagement. My wife and I extol the virtues of our 9mm Shield to everyone. There is definitely another in our future, as we both like carrying it.
 
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