Usually on every thread where someone is thinking about buying a PC Shield, or when one is mentioned, there are always a few guys that throw out some doozies.
News flash ! A PC Shield ( or PC full-size) is NOT the same as a fully compensated pistol. There are two very small ports, not a half dozen or more.
Some of my favorites:
Noise. These (same) guys will tell you that you can shoot a "normal" pistol without earpro, but try shooting a ported PC S&W even with plugs and earmuffs and you will be instantly deafened.
B. S !
Any handgun is loud and you should be wearing earpro.
I don't find my PC Shield to be one bit louder than anything else.
( I do have a pistol with a compensator on it, a threaded Ruger MK IV .22, that thing is loud. I don't notice when shooting it as I'm directly behind it, but last Sunday I let a friend shoot it, and I was standing about 4 feet behind him and off to the side. Even with both earplugs and muffs, when he started shooting, I backed up a few feet, then backed up a few more ).
Yes, compensators are loud, but the PC Shield or FS PC are NOT compensated pistols.
Flash. These guys will tell you they wouldn't own a S&W PC model because the muzzle flash will,(1) blind you, (2) singe your eyebrows and (3) catch your clothes on fire.
B.S. !
The flash coming out of the muzzle is way, way more bright than what comes out of the 2 little ports. What powder your ammo is loaded with is what really makes a difference as to how much flash you'll see.
Look at a pic of a PC firing at night, and you'll see that the flash from the ports is nothing compared to what comes out of the muzzle.
The gasses are diverted at an angle away from you, not straight up, so even if you hold the pistol under your chin, you or your clothes aren't going to get burnt.
Cleanup.
Those uneducated few will say that they wouldn't own a PC S&W because it will take hours to chip off the baked on crud from the ports on the barrel and the cuts inside the slide.
B. S. !
The fouling at those two places is soft powder fouling, not hardened crud, and one quick swipe with solvent on a rag will remove them. It takes all of 6 seconds extra to clean up, over a non ported gun.
Anyone that actually owns a PC pistol will tell you that they are great, they haven't lost their eyebrows, been blinded or suffered permanent hearing damage, or spent an extra half hour cleaning their PC.
It would be nice if the guys that griped about them could realize that two tiny ports aren't the same as a compensated Race gun, and maybe you should try one before spouting the same nonsense every time someone mentions a PC Shield or PC Fullsize.
I've shot my PC Shield a lot, and shot it after dark, and held in against my hip. I haven't seen any of the things that the guys that don't own one will claim, and I doubt any of the other Performance Center owners have either. I think a lot of the misinformation is just guys who are trying to justify their choice of a non PC pistol, so they want to talk down the one that they don't own. Or playing on their memories of fully compensated pistols.
The two ports are just large enough to reduce muzzle flip some, and not so large as to cause problems.
Less muzzle rise means you get back on target quicker, which is always a good thing.
All Shields and FS M&P's are great guns, the PC models are just a touch better.
News flash ! A PC Shield ( or PC full-size) is NOT the same as a fully compensated pistol. There are two very small ports, not a half dozen or more.
Some of my favorites:
Noise. These (same) guys will tell you that you can shoot a "normal" pistol without earpro, but try shooting a ported PC S&W even with plugs and earmuffs and you will be instantly deafened.
B. S !
Any handgun is loud and you should be wearing earpro.
I don't find my PC Shield to be one bit louder than anything else.
( I do have a pistol with a compensator on it, a threaded Ruger MK IV .22, that thing is loud. I don't notice when shooting it as I'm directly behind it, but last Sunday I let a friend shoot it, and I was standing about 4 feet behind him and off to the side. Even with both earplugs and muffs, when he started shooting, I backed up a few feet, then backed up a few more ).
Yes, compensators are loud, but the PC Shield or FS PC are NOT compensated pistols.
Flash. These guys will tell you they wouldn't own a S&W PC model because the muzzle flash will,(1) blind you, (2) singe your eyebrows and (3) catch your clothes on fire.
B.S. !
The flash coming out of the muzzle is way, way more bright than what comes out of the 2 little ports. What powder your ammo is loaded with is what really makes a difference as to how much flash you'll see.
Look at a pic of a PC firing at night, and you'll see that the flash from the ports is nothing compared to what comes out of the muzzle.
The gasses are diverted at an angle away from you, not straight up, so even if you hold the pistol under your chin, you or your clothes aren't going to get burnt.
Cleanup.
Those uneducated few will say that they wouldn't own a PC S&W because it will take hours to chip off the baked on crud from the ports on the barrel and the cuts inside the slide.
B. S. !
The fouling at those two places is soft powder fouling, not hardened crud, and one quick swipe with solvent on a rag will remove them. It takes all of 6 seconds extra to clean up, over a non ported gun.
Anyone that actually owns a PC pistol will tell you that they are great, they haven't lost their eyebrows, been blinded or suffered permanent hearing damage, or spent an extra half hour cleaning their PC.
It would be nice if the guys that griped about them could realize that two tiny ports aren't the same as a compensated Race gun, and maybe you should try one before spouting the same nonsense every time someone mentions a PC Shield or PC Fullsize.
I've shot my PC Shield a lot, and shot it after dark, and held in against my hip. I haven't seen any of the things that the guys that don't own one will claim, and I doubt any of the other Performance Center owners have either. I think a lot of the misinformation is just guys who are trying to justify their choice of a non PC pistol, so they want to talk down the one that they don't own. Or playing on their memories of fully compensated pistols.
The two ports are just large enough to reduce muzzle flip some, and not so large as to cause problems.
Less muzzle rise means you get back on target quicker, which is always a good thing.
All Shields and FS M&P's are great guns, the PC models are just a touch better.

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