M&P Shield (gen1) to Shield Plus transition

[palmetto99]

Ok, a follow up. I was able to get out with the new PLUS and the original V.1 to run them side by side and I like the PLUS a bit better. Why?
1. The slightly wider grip frame. Fills my had better. That was always a bit of a complaint about the V.1. A little narrow, in particular at he top of the grip.
2. Grip texture. Sooo much better. The V.1 needed some grip tape. The PLUS texture is aggressive as some have reviewed, but what I noticed was that there is actually more aggressive texturing on the front and back straps which really aids in gripping this little sub-compact.
3. While I'm not a fan of night sight, the PLUS has a factory NS's and the red front dot is very easy to pick up in the daylight. I never changed the factory white 3-dot sights on the V.1. That's on me and not the V.1
4. The PLUS has more booolets. I never felt the V.1 was deficient on capacity (I have in the past and do carry a J-frame), but more capacity is nothing to turn ones nose up at.
Another observation, I don't think I'll be using +p rated ammo. This thing is snappy enough, why add more.
I ran about 250 rounds of various brands and weights and I think the 147 grn JHP standard pressure may be best suited for this sub-compact.
While I always liked the original version of the Shield 9mm, it was never a favorite, but if filled a great slot for the summer.

 

[Shield 9 WV]

I was able to get out with the new PLUS and the original V.1 to run them side by side
and I like the PLUS a bit better. Why?
1. The slightly wider grip frame. (respectful Snip! just wanted to reference the post)

Nice mini-review.

 

[palmetto99]

Oh, I forgot to mention the triggers.
While I always thought the trigger on the V.1 was very serviceable, it was never stellar. The trigger on the PLUS is an improvement.
It has a shorter take up and a good clean break (at least compared to the V.1) and a good reset.
I do appreciate the flat face trigger when compared to the middle hinge of the S&W trigger. I've got a thousands of rounds through Glocks with flat triggers and I like them a little better.
All that said, if I had not won the PLUS, I would still carry the original and not think about it, but the PLUS has tweaked the original enough that I do find it to an improvement.

 

[flyingbrass]

I've had a 1.0 Shield since 2017. It came with a relatively decent trigger, but I had already ordered an Apex sear when the pistol arrived, which I installed. The sear brought the trigger pull weight down to about 3 3/4 lb.

I've only put about 1400 rounds through the 1.0 to date. However, it has only had one malfunction that was caused by a case mouth that hadn't been crimped quite enough (was an abnormally short case). I use mixed brass of varying ages with dozens of different headstamps.

I recently extended the frustratingly small thumb safety (should have done this earlier - very helpful) and added material behind the trigger to reduce overtravel - both done with JB weld after prepping the surfaces. The Shield 1.0 has a very nice trigger pull now for being striker fired.

Last month I was gifted a Shield Plus (optic ready with night sights), which is currently back at S&W mostly due to a dead front night sight. Also, the optic cover didn't sit flush with the slide. I fired 58 rounds through it before sending it back for warranty work. S&W didn't want to send me a new front sight to install myself. From searching, apparently a fair number of these have left the factory with dead front night sights, so if you're buying one be sure to check this. Also watch out for stripped optic cover screws, though mine seemed ok.

I'm well aware of how easy it is to accidentally depress the slide stop when shooting these pistols, but the Plus' 10 round magazine did not want to consistently lock the slide back after the last round. I fired a lot of singles to test. It seemed to lock more often after some break in, but still wasn't consistent. No problems with the 13 round magazine. I noticed that the slide stop was much easier to disengage than my 1.0. I don't know if this change is intentional or not.

The factory trigger pull on my Plus is what I would call "good" for a factory striker fired pistol. It's better than the few Glocks I've felt and better than a friend's Hellcat even after some upgrades. The best I've felt on striker factory guns are the newer Caniks (Rival and Mete, Rival better.) The Plus' trigger isn't as light or as short-breaking as my 1.0 with the Apex sear, but it's ok. I don't plan to change it. I like the solid design of the trigger itself better than the dinky hinged trigger on my 1.0. I also like the flat trigger face.

For me, the grip texture of the Shield Plus is just about perfect. My 1.0 is too slick, and full size M&P 2.0's are way too prickly to ride against my skin. The Shield Plus is in between, being just a little more aggressive than the 1.0. BTW, a Springfield Hellcat grip texture is also too aggressive to be carried against skin, only slightly less bad than the 2.0 S&W pistols. I don't think the Plus will irritate my skin with IWB carry, but it provides a noticeably better hold compared to the 1.0, particularly with sweaty hands. I live in the desert, so I sweat a lot and don't wear an undershirt.

I have medium-sized hands and don't notice a huge difference in grip feel between my 1.0 and Plus. The Plus feels better. The little bit of extra size helps fill the hand better. To me, it's a subtle difference, but an improvement.

Of course, the higher capacity is the biggest difference. Time will tell how the magazine springs hold up or what other magazine issues may arise. Back in 2017-18 or so there were issues with some factory 1.0 magazine springs kinking. Search here and find posts. That also happened to a friend who bought his Shield about the same time I did. We both switched to using Wolff magazine springs. I haven't found complaints of this more recently, so maybe it was a bad batch or several of factory springs. Or maybe people have just stopped talking about it.

I have read a report of the 13 round Plus magazine grip extensions splitting at the molding seam, which apparently due to the new design causes the baseplate itself to fall off and dump all of the rounds. The guy had this happen to multiple magazines that he had used in classes where they had been dropped on the floor. Just something to keep in mind and watch for. Personally, I intend to carry the 10 round magazine. The longer ones feel nicer in the hand, but IMO defeat the purpose of this type of pistol. I joke that a Shield is what I carry when I'm not carrying a pistol. I may have to revise that now that the Plus holds so many rounds. It's really amazing to look at such a small pistol and consider how many rounds it contains. Of course, the same holds true for competing models.

Overall, I think my Shield 1.0 and the Plus are both good for what they are. They shoot remarkably well for their size. I was surprised when I first got my 1.0 how well I could shoot it compared to bigger pistols. It's not all that far behind them and way ahead of other smaller handguns like a Ruger LCP or J-frame revolver.

 

[Shield 9 WV]

I've had a 1.0 Shield since 2017.

Me too.

Last month I was gifted a Shield Plus (optic ready with night sights), which is currently back at S&W mostly due to a dead front night sight.

My second Shield9 Plus is optic ready w/night sights.

S&W didn't want to send me a new front sight to install myself.

Odd, just after I sent them an email regarding my non-working front tritium sight they didn't even reply, they just sent one in the mail almost immediately. A buddy of mine installed it but I would have preferred that S&W would have offered to install as I have no tools and no skills for such things. They would not have needed the gun back, just the slide.

From searching, apparently a fair number of these have left the factory with dead front night sights, so if you're buying one be sure to check this.

Yep, mine was DOA. The new one matches perfectly with the rear sights.

For me, the grip texture of the Shield Plus is just about perfect.

I thought the Shield9 v1 was perfect. The Plus has a 120 grit sandpaper feel to them according to my delicate girly hands.

For the record most people agree with you.

I have read a report of the 13 round Plus magazine grip extensions splitting at the molding seam, which apparently due to the new design causes the baseplate itself to fall off and dump all of the rounds. Just something to keep in mind and watch for.

Thanks for the heads up, I'll keep an eye out. I have five total 13 round mags now thanks to the Bugout Bag bundle.

Personally, I intend to carry the 10 round magazine.

I use the 13 rounder because I don't carry a spare mag. That's why I went to the Plus over my v1, I didn't like carrying the spare mag.

Overall, I think my Shield 1.0 and the Plus are both good for what they are. (snip!)[/QUOTE

Nice review. Thanks for writing that.

 

[OldGoat]

Shield9 WV - for what it's worth & respectfully, your comments in red? are virtually impossible for this interested reader to decipher due to my lack of normal color perception. I'm not being critical - this is why the U. S. Air Force sent me to supply school rather than Aircraft Electrical Repairman technical training because of wire color identification requirement. I would have really messed up an airplane! Ten % of the male population has some form of colorblindness. Best Regards...I am interested in what you have to say.

 

[flyingbrass]

Odd, just after I sent them an email regarding my non-working front tritium sight they didn't even reply, they just sent one in the mail almost immediately. A buddy of mine installed it but I would have preferred that S&W would have offered to install as I have no tools and no skills for such things. They would not have needed the gun back, just the slide.

I called, told them my front sight was dead, and asked if they would send me a new front sight. The guy I spoke to asked if I was a gunsmith. I said no, but I've done some work on pistol sights. He said the Shield sights are in very tight, and even some gunsmiths have had trouble with them. I asked if I could send in only the slide. He said they needed the whole pistol.

I do have experience replacing iron sights, enough to realize that some can be a major PITA. Sights vary from simple as can be to awful. Still, if the dead front sight had been the only thing I had found wrong with my pistol I would have pressed harder for them to send me a new sight to install myself.

My optic cover plate wasn't quite right either, which I didn't mention during the call but included in my note with the pistol. The front of the plate didn't sit flush with the top of the slide, and light was visible under that front part of the plate. This was concerning because I don't know if the problem is with the cover plate or the mounting slot. I'd hate to try to attach an optic and find that the slot is out of whack. I thought it best to send my pistol in. I was told it would take around 6 weeks. I haven't heard a peep from them since tracking showed that they received it about 3.5 weeks ago. I'll probably call before long to find out if they even show as having received it. It doesn't take much searching to discover that S&W's service is quite poor, at least concerning the time involved, compared to Ruger and some others.

Since this thread is about comparing early Shields to Plus models, overall I prefer the simple painted white dots on the 1.0 to the Plus' night sights. The night sights aren't as visible to me in room lighting, daylight or shaded daylight as the plain white dots. With the night sights only the outline of the dot is colored. The middle is blank. There isn't as much colored surface area to catch my eye.

Fiber optic front sights seem like a better way to go, at least for me. I don't have any FO front sights yet myself, but I've handled several pistols from others at the range with them and have been impressed.

Thanks for the heads up, I'll keep an eye out. I have five total 13 round mags now thanks to the Bugout Bag bundle.

I tried to paste a link to the forum thread discussing this 13 round Shield Plus magazine issue, but censorship is present everywhere these days, including here. The thread is on a different forum. When I hit "preview post" here I noticed that the forum is obscuring the link, which I find really sad. If a person enters "Shield Plus Magazine's Falling Apart / Design Flaw" (include the quotes) into a Google web search, the current first search result displayed is what I'm referring to.

Apparently, some electrical tape around the bottom of the basepad can help hold things together. This may not be an issue for those not dropping magazines on a hard floor, but it's something to be aware of.

 

[Glock g26]

Dead front sight on new shield plus

Got my shield plus optics ready Thursday and didn't notice until today that the front side is also dead. Calling Smith and Wesson in the morning. I wonder if they will upgrade me to FO sights or even give me the option to for $?

I could not resist the bundle package with 3 extra magazines!

 

[Spats McGee]

I carried a Shield 9, 1.0, for almost 4 years. It was flawless. The trigger wasn't great, but it wasn't bad, and it didn't stop me from shooting it decently. Better, in fact, than I had ever shot the G19 it replaced. That 1.0 was also 100% flawless in operation. When the Plus came out, I couldn't resist. More bullets, fits all the same holsters, what wasn't to love? I'm not normally one to rush out and buy the latest gadgets, but I did on the Shield. It took it about 100 rounds to break in, but it's been flawless since then.

My Shield 1.0 was an outstanding pistol, and I would have been perfectly happy with it, but . . . . the Shield Plus is amazing.

 

[OldGoat]

Posted a comment re: purchase of new Shield Plus when my search for bugout package was unsuccessful. Was seeking a Plus as my early First Model Shield limitations - trigger and capacity - finally convinced me the new Plus advantages might be worth a try. So, I took my new Shield Plus to the range today. The new Plus met every expectation - 13 round mag, great trigger, great grip & flawless operation. New Plus works for me.

 

[Hawg Rider]

Yep, I transitioned earlier this year. But I transitioned to the Performance Center 9mm Shield Plus, because I really like the fiber optic sights and porting. As said many times above, the fit and grip texture of the pistol is great, and so is the trigger. Having 13+1 rounds is comforting for CCW.

 

[shipwreck]

Yep, I transitioned earlier this year. But I transitioned to the Performance Center 9mm Shield Plus, because I really like the fiber optic sights and porting. As said many times above, the fit and grip texture of the pistol is great, and so is the trigger. Having 13+1 rounds is comforting for CCW.

Sho nuff. Me too.

I measured my trigger on my two Perf Center Shield Pluses. They both break around 3lb and 5oz. The trigger is amazing on them. Worth the extra change to jump up from the base model trigger.

And the fiber optic sights are amazing. I am not joking when I saw that I shoot the gun as well as my Beretta M9A3. Even I am shocked, for such a small gun.

 

[snakebitten]

Purchased my Shield 9 w/thumb safety a few years ago when Palmetto had them at closeout prices. Picked up the Shield plus bug out bundle yesterday, looking forward to range time soon.