M&P Front Sight

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Sorry, but I cannot discern that the sight is off-center. If it is, it is not by much.

And, it is not a problem unless your gun is not shooting to the right place on the target.

Try shooting it before you make a problem out of something that is not a problem!

:)
 
Per the owner's manual, any sight adjustment done on the Shield should be done with the front sight. The front sight needs to move opposite the direction you want the POI to shift. You can check whether the sight is centered by using a straight edge and a caliper to measure both sides of the sight and the side of the slide.
 
It looks like the blade is centered but the blade is not centered on the base. Is that what you are seeing?
 
shawn mccarver said:
Sorry, but I cannot discern that the sight is off-center. If it is, it is not by much.

And, it is not a problem unless your gun is not shooting to the right place on the target.

Try shooting it before you make a problem out of something that is not a problem!

:)
Click to expand...
Didn't consider it a problem and wasn't making it problem
 
epj said:
Per the owner's manual, any sight adjustment done on the Shield should be done with the front sight. The front sight needs to move opposite the direction you want the POI to shift. You can check whether the sight is centered by using a straight edge and a caliper to measure both sides of the sight and the side of the slide.
Click to expand...
Just got it yesterday and cleaned it , noticed sight is slightly to the right. Worked 14 hours today haven't had a chance to go over the whole manual. Thanks for the reply.
 
The position of the sight relative to the slide is irrelevant. The only thing that matters is where the bullets impact the target. So, you won't know if the sights are off until you shoot the gun.
 
My front site was off to the right also also. Tried to adjust it but it was not going to move with out some serious force. Eventually got it to move and I am going to install fiber optic in front. Took soaking in release agent and steel pusher sized to fit the width of the slot to get it to move. I am surprised that the manual says to adjust the front site. The rear will move easier and is locked in place with a set screw.
 
The front sight on my 9 Pro 5" was off center by .031" to the right. Adjusting with a pusher it was extremely tight and would jump .010 - .030 past center. After chasing back & forth a few times it "smoothed out" somewhat and I got it centered. After test shooting from a rest and readjusting I ended up .010 to the left with POI matching POA.
 
My Bro-in-law suggested that my front sight on my new shield might be off a bit after one shooting, I think I'm going with others opinion on this matter, I'm going to shoot it a bunch before I go messing with the sights!
 
alphabrace said:
My front site was off to the right also also. Tried to adjust it but it was not going to move with out some serious force. Eventually got it to move and I am going to install fiber optic in front. Took soaking in release agent and steel pusher sized to fit the width of the slot to get it to move. I am surprised that the manual says to adjust the front site. The rear will move easier and is locked in place with a set screw.
Click to expand...

I was told by my local guy that the set screw wasn't locking the sight but holding the "striker assembly"? Don't remember what for sure but definitely not the sight.
 
Cackmandu said:
...I'm going to shoot it a bunch before I go messing with the sights!
Click to expand...
This is wisdom in action.

hstrawn said:
I was told by my local guy that the set screw wasn't locking the sight but holding the "striker assembly"? Don't remember what for sure but definitely not the sight.
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No, the set screw in the rear sight is indeed holding the rear sight. The problem is that the sight dove tail is not smooth on the bottom. So, if you move the rear, the set screw may not land on a flat part and will move the sight as it's tightened. This is why you move the sight on the Shield.

IMG_0286.jpg



All this is a moot point. It's very unlikely that the sights need to be moved at all. This is a small defensive pistol. Moving the sights .01" is an attempt to make it a bullseye gun; it's not. Even a 4" group at 10 yards is perfectly fine for this gun. If you want a more precise grouping, I suggest another gun.
 
Found several older post on same subject and was mentioned sights are not zeroed in at factory. Pistol fired really well but I was hitting all lower left, will need more practice with light firearm.
 
The sights are zeroed at the factory.

I'll bet your right handed and shooting off hand. This is very common with right hand shooters, low left. The M&P trigger is only marginal so it exacerbates the issue.

Practice is the key. Dry practice is also very helpful.
 
Rastoff said:
The sights are zeroed at the factory.

I'll bet your right handed and shooting off hand. This is very common with right hand shooters, low left. The M&P trigger is only marginal so it exacerbates the issue.

Practice is the key. Dry practice is also very helpful.
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Yes need more practice , NRA Instructor a Army Veteran helped a lot with grip and stance , fairly accurate with heavier 469 and 3906. Nothing to brag about but a lot better when first started
 
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The front sight on my factory tritium 40c Shield was off-center too when I bought it, but didn't realize it until after several visits to the range. I contacted S&W about the misalignment, and they authorized a return for adjustment/repair. I should have the gun back soon, and I'll let you know how it shoots.
 
I was thinking the same thing about mine, too, when I first got it. Then, after a little research, I realized I was just suffering from right handed shooter syndrome. A little practice with grip and stance has done wonders for me, as well as aiming ever so slightly up and to the right of where I want it to be. As others have said...practice, practice, practice. Not only will it improve accuracy, but it's fun in the process. I'm still a work in progress, but I am getting better.
 
I just fired 100 rounds through and will take a few more to break in. Sight slightly off center doesn't matter till I can hold on to it. Also learned to make sure fingers are clear before slapping in a Mag. It's a definite Owwwie :(
 
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I fired my new Shield 9 at the range yesterday. After 50 rounds most of the hits were about 2-3" left, some high, some low, some centered. I don't usually have a problem pulling with my other pistols but this one has a smaller grip than I am used to. I will take another trip to the range and see if changing my hold helps. If not, then it is adjusting the sights.
 
I would just ditch the factory sights all together. I have a full size M&P 9 and I put the XS Big Dot sights on mine. Two things, your Shield is not meant to shot past 7 yards. Obviously it can, but within that range, the big dot sights will significantly decrease your target acquisition time and make aiming in a hurry a LOT easier. Second, I can and have repeatedly hit the bulls eye at 60+ ft using the big dot on my M&P.

One other thing you can do, because with a low left impact, it sounds like it may be something you can train out (and use upgraded equipment), is check and see if Apex makes a trigger for the Shield. I'm not sure if they do off hand, but I put the flat faced trigger kit in my full size and it's like butter.

These are little things that you can do to improve the overall combat effectiveness of your handgun. Keeping in mind that the shield is meant as a weapon to be used within about 7 yards and due to the very short barrel is inherently "inaccurate", you'll want to mitigate any fumbles that you can.

With that, it is a pain in the *** to carry a full size service pistol concealed, so my next gun may just be a Shield because I love the M&P line so much.
 
Customer Service Good, Quality Control Questionable

I returned my Shield to S&W because the factory-installed front tritium sight was misaligned. About two weeks later, I received the gun back, no fuss/no muss. Everything looked great, until I went into a darkened room and noticed only 2 glowing dots on the slide. Hard to believe, but the repair person had removed the misaligned tritium sight and installed a basic iron sight in its place. Now I have to wait another two weeks to get this fixed. Customer service was very accommodating, but it's still stressful to say the least.
 
For sure. My wife and I went to the range for about 2 months before I took note that she was consistently beating me on the shot groups. After a bit, I looked closely at my front sight and noticed it was off considerably. At first I thought I was jerking the trigger or not applying sufficient grip. I talked to the range officials too and everyone agreed the sight was misaligned and I should send it back, which I did.
 
Matt40 said:
For sure. My wife and I went to the range for about 2 months before I took note that she was consistently beating me on the shot groups. After a bit, I looked closely at my front sight and noticed it was off considerably. At first I thought I was jerking the trigger or not applying sufficient grip. I talked to the range officials too and everyone agreed the sight was misaligned and I should send it back, which I did.
Click to expand...

for the record, "shot groups" have nothing to do with the frt sight. "shot location" does....
 
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