M&P Shield at 1,020 Rounds

[Hairlesswookiee]

Thanks for the reports!!! This is very exciting for me as I think I'll get one of these next instead of the FS .40. Hmm....I think I might swing by the LGS today on my lunch break to see if they have any in stock.

 

[Capt Crunch]

i just dropped $400 on my first m&p 40c today and yall are making me want to go back for a shield tomorrow haha and even worse yesterday i dropped $500 on a RIA..im gonna go broke.......im gonna go broke hahahha

Sounds like me, too many pistols to buy and too little cash. I had been thinking about a pocket pistol too right before the Shield came out but I just don't have the cash right now. Besides I wanna see one in person to see just how small they are compared to other pocket pistols.

 

[snowman.45]

Hey it seems almost biweekly I am buying another M&P but I will wait till they deliver the 40 Shields since that is what I like and carry daily along with a 45 as a BUG.

My LGS is supposed to get their delivery tomorrow or Wednesday and since the frame and all are almost identical I will be getting one of them when they are available!

Nothing against 9mm I have three of them but if I wish I will buy the 40 and get a 9mm barrel and have two guns where if you buy the 9 mm you can not do the same. The 40 caliber frame can also use the 357SIG so you potentially have three guns in one if you just buy the barrels to fits it!

Saturday I shot my brand new 40 full size with a .357 barrel with no problems and was more accurate with it. The recoil with a 357SIG is hard to tell about but since I was taking my time I can report more about that later since I only have 100 rounds left of it except for the 50 hollow points which will either go into the compact 40 or the new full size 40!

I knew that I would hear nothing but good reports about this newest gun from Smith and Wesson and it is also good news that they are adding a third shift to build more weapons which means that it will help those unemployed in the local area where the factory is!

M&P.357 4.25"

Correct me if I'm wrong, but I understood that the breech face and barrel hood are the same size on the 9mm/.40/.357 Sig. I also understood the outer diameter of the barrels to be the same. If so, can you not put a .40/.357 barrel in a 9mm?

 

[1sailor]

No. The breech face is different. You can go with the 9mm barrel in a 40/357 but you can't go the other way.

 

[Capt Crunch]

Correct me if I'm wrong, but I understood that the breech face and barrel hood are the same size on the 9mm/.40/.357 Sig. I also understood the outer diameter of the barrels to be the same. If so, can you not put a .40/.357 barrel in a 9mm?

Depends on the gun from what I understand, you can do some drop in changes with Glocks and M&Ps but you can't go up in size, only down. i.e. 40/.357 to 9mm.

 

[snowman.45]

Depends on the gun from what I understand, you can do some drop in changes with Glocks and M&Ps but you can't go up in size, only down. i.e. 40/.357 to 9mm.

I knew that it wasn't a direct swap in a Glock. I have a number of them and all of the .40/.357 Sig models needed aftermarket barrels to fit the barrel hood recess above the break face. However, I swear I read somewhere that the M&P models were all the same in the 9mm/.40/.357. Oh well, may have to wait for a Shied in .40 and get the 9mm barrel. I just picked up an M&P .40 FS today. I'll get my barrels in 9mm (and mags) and .357 soon.

 

[Capt Crunch]

I knew that it wasn't a direct swap in a Glock. I have a number of them and all of the .40/.357 Sig models needed aftermarket barrels to fit the barrel hood recess above the break face. However, I swear I read somewhere that the M&P models were all the same in the 9mm/.40/.357. Oh well, may have to wait for a Shied in .40 and get the 9mm barrel. I just picked up an M&P .40 FS today. I'll get my barrels in 9mm (and mags) and .357 soon.

There is actually a couple Youtube vids with guys doing that with the M&P. It's pretty much just a drop in change but you have to be starting with the 40/.357sig. It's one of the reasons I got the .40 was so that I could buy a 9mm barrel. Problem is that they are completely sold out right now as a lot of others had the same idea. lol

 

[Stu Honea]

I know this is a little crazy but i picked up my Shield Saturday and Brought it right to the range and fired over 300 rounds. I reported the awesome results here on the forum. I then just couldn't stop and figured i would really test her out. Tonight i got to 1,020 rounds. Most of them were Speer Lawman 115gr fmj's with some mags of 115gr Silvertips, 115 Federal Hi Shoks, and 115 fmj Fed American Eagle. My ammo locker was stuffed with the Speer because one of the local dealers is sellling 1000 round cases for a great price. The Speer is actually pretty hot stuff.

Not a single bobble, jam, misfeed or any other malfunction. The little Shield just chugged along and got real, real, hot. I took it home, broke it down and cleaned it. No sign of wear points or peening. This is one solid little pistol. I have 500 rounds more of the speer which i will send thru the Shield by weeks end.
I am going to break this pistol or it will break me financially-stay tuned.

Have you tried any HP's other than the Silvertips? I handled one today for the first time and like it a lot. I didn't buy it as it was $430 plus tax and I think there are better deals to be had. This particular dealer is always a little high,but he's the only one locally who had one. I'll wait.

 

[EyeOverStand]

Hi, New here and just bought my first S&W... it happens to be a shield. It is by far the best single stack I have fired. My father has a LC9, my Fellow co-worker has the Kahr Cw9, and I've fired the Kel Tec PC9 at the local range.... The recoil is easy to manage compared to the others... I mean the LC9 and PC9 aren't very pleasant to fire at all.... I love this pistol and it is my new daily carry. 300 rounds through it so far.... S&W knocked a homerun with this pistol!!!

 

[Helderberg]

Just bought my Shield today. I have a M&P FS 9mm and love it. I hope to get to the range on Monday but this post makes me want to run out tonight and shoot. Not going to happen but I do love the feel of this gun. I had a LC9 but had problems with it shaving the back of the case and filling the firing pin hole. I sent it back and it still had problems so it went. This is the answer to a question I hope I never have to answer.
As far as the safety goes, in my opinion the Military puts safeties on all of their guns and I believe our Soldiers are in more imminent danger than a civilian. Just my opinion but I practice checking the safety on my BG 380 and I will do the same with this or any gun I own. I do not feel the need to use them and so I leave them off. I swap the auto's out with my 642 so that is my comfort level. Thanks for the great post and I am very glad to hear such encouraging reports.

 

[toocool]

They may lose some, but it seems to be a really hot seller already...just like the LC9 has been for Ruger, which also has a safety. Sorry, but I think that a lot of these are going to be purchased. I don't care for a safety myself (other than on a 1911) but I bought one of these today.

Who knows, maybe they will come out with a model that doesn't have a safety, just the other models in the M&P line.

I just don't use the safety. It requires a definite push to activate it, so if I don't push, it doesn't activate. And it's recessed enough that I don't see any way it can accidentally activate itself. I'm not concerned about it at all.

 

[Whatgorilla]

While I also am a no safety guy (raised on Glocks since 89), it's a non-issue for me. Would I prefer a non-safety version with no sear-disconnect lever (for breakdown)? YES.

But I really do think there are SO MANY OF US who don't like the safety (and so many who won't buy because of it), that a 3rd party will come up with a "fix". Anyone from Apex here?!

 

[RussC]

Even if it would be a 1 in a million chance of it going on safe somehow, that 1 in a million could get a person killed. Yeah, I know the odds of being struck by lightning, etc, but I would not want to be my life on it. Especially being left-handed, it is not going to be on one of my pistols. So, unless S&W comes to their senses, they are going to lose out on a large number of customers.

Cervantes:

If you are a left hander shooter there are ways to make sure the safety will not move. If you plan to keep the gun for life super glue the safety or if you don't want a permanent fix use rubber cement glue which comes off with solvent.

I know many are cringing right about now but if you are a south paw and want a right handed gun and you are concerned about the 1 in a million chance the safety will engage super glue will fix that concern.


Russ

 

[mlapaglia]

Cervantes:

If you are a left hander shooter there are ways to make sure the safety will not move. If you plan to keep the gun for life super glue the safety or if you don't want a permanent fix use rubber cement glue which comes off with solvent.

I know many are cringing right about now but if you are a south paw and want a right handed gun and you are concerned about the 1 in a million chance the safety will engage super glue will fix that concern.


Russ

Agreed, No one has to purchase this fantastic firearm. Every person that does not buy one makes it easier for me to get my second one.

 

[RussC]

While I also am a no safety guy (raised on Glocks since 89), it's a non-issue for me. Would I prefer a non-safety version with no sear-disconnect lever (for breakdown)? YES.

Whatgorilla:

I felt the same way about the safety until I pulled the trigger. I pocket holster my firearm to ensure the trigger is covered but the hair trigger on the Shield in my opinion needs a safety especially if you pocket conceal and sit down a lot. The horizontal placement in my pocket when sitting down with a light trigger warrants a safety.

I am training sweeping the safety as I draw. I hope to replace my 3 dot sights this weekend for Big Dots to increase my speed on target. My goal is to pocket draw sweep safety acquire 7 yard target and fire and hit 8 inch paper plate in 1.5seconds. I feel when I get down to that speed I will be ok.

Russ

P.S. You don't need to use the sear disconnect to field strip. If you are sure the gun is empty pull the trigger and off comes the slide.

 

[Fercho64]

My opinion on the safety. I like it a lot and its a must for those who modified their trigger to a lighter smooth trigger. I have concerns about a cc weapon with a light trigger pull. Hey how about them 1911 45 thumb safety lever, not any different is it??

 

[Fercho64]

Man, I feel like a cheapskate after only putting 175 rounds through my Shield this morning.
Thank's for the report. I guess they aren't going to wear out soon.

Boy you are cheap!!! Enjoy it

 

[Fercho64]

Guys if the safety is an issue you need to shoot the Walther PPS. I am sure that you will love it as well!!

 

[Honest-Abe]

Thanks for posting this! Just pre-ordered my Shield and was Googling torture tests. No videos yet and this is the first test I've actually read.

 

[Dean1818]

Thanks for the review........ My Shield 40 has been 100% as well


I have some Missouri Bullets loaded that I will take to the range on Monday to try in the Sheild


My 45C loves lead, I hope the same is true of the Shield