Recommendations - Shield 9MM?

[Old cop]

I’ll be p/u a lightly used no-safety Shield 9MM shortly and wanted to know if those who own/carry one can help me w/some maintenance, shooting & carry guidance. It will be a range, LEOSA qualification & home protection gun, carried (rarely) from time to time. I’ve done my research but the best info comes from those who EDC.

I’m a revolver guy but did carry a issued Glock 23 for a few years before retirement and carry a Taurus TCP when deep concealment is needed.

 

[cdaniel76]

I’ll be p/u a lightly used no-safety Shield 9MM shortly and wanted to know if those who own/carry one can help me w/some maintenance, shooting & carry guidance. It will be a range, LEOSA qualification & home protection gun, carried (rarely) from time to time. I’ve done my research but the best info comes from those who EDC.

I’m a revolver guy but did carry a issued Glock 23 for a few years before retirement and carry a Taurus TCP when deep concealment is needed.

Factory trigger is a little gritty and has a pretty long travel and 8-9lb break. If that bothers you, pick up an Apex trigger for it and it'll be the perfect gun for what you're looking for it to do.

I carry and use one as a truck gun. Love it.

Sent from my SM-N950U using Tapatalk

 

[ColbyBruce]

Buy a few extra magazines and run a few hundred rounds through it before you decide on any mods. You may like it just as it is. I have purchased four 9mm Shields with the safety. I gave three as gifts to family members and kept one myself.

 

[hoc9sw]

Mine (9mm) is a manual safety. Coming from a lifetime with military-issue 1911s, I would be lost without a safety, and have a myriad of problems with a light trigger. Mine is fine out of the box.

I use a king tuck (IWB) for anything I carry, just because the positioning and feel is the same regardless of the pistol (weight excluded, of course).

Mine has some 4k plus rounds through it, and has had a change of the RSA.

I carry speer gold dot (JHP) 147g, but shoot mainly 124g at the range. No issues now with 115g, but it did not like them at all when I was breaking it in.

 

[KELSW]

I have the Shield 9 1.0 w safety . The take up seems short to me and wall is solid with nice break . Really not much of a noticeable reset . It will smooth out a bit in time . It can be a little snappy at the range but not bad if you have a good grip on it . I use a thumb forward grip . Plus I put on some talon rubber grips which helped .

 

[KELSW]

As far as lube and cleaning . For cleaning I spray down the barrel with ballistol in and out let it sit . Run patches and a bore snake . Then just wipe out fouling with cloth and q tips (no cleaner ) on frame and slide until clean . Clean the breech face with a little cleaner making sure it is always face down . Then really clean out the extractor with polymer pik tool and pipe cleaner . After cleaning I use grease , hit the hood of the barrel , around the mouth , along the top , some where it contacts the locking block . On the slide inside the mouth , part where it contacts the hood of the barrel . On the frame I hit the rails top side bottom . Some on the high point of trigger bar and some on the loop that pushes up the sear . I use gun grease and very small amounts which I rub back into the parts . I imagine any cleaner / lube will work for cleaning the barrel, etc . I'm sure I missed something lol .

 

[kgpcr]

You are getting a great gun! My wife has a 9mm Shield and I have a .40 Shield. We love them! Great on the range where it does far better than it should. 100% dependable!! I lube mine with CLP. I clean them with Mpro-7 as it doesn't stink and works great.

 

[hoc9sw]

Didn't mention - because of the way I carry, the 8-round mag is not a problem. I've been seeing a lot of them on sale lately. The 7 does not provide as good a grip for me.

 

[upcountry]

I recently purchased one from a member of this forum to replace my M1 PPS. Fills the hand much better and shoots really well. It was a good decision.

 

[Protected One]

My EDC prior to the Shield was a Glock 23. Since you carried one for years, you too will love the reduced recoil and shootability of the shield.

As far as maintenance and cleaning, remember, it IS an M&P so it's designed to handle harsh treatment. Clean it as you would your G23 and you'll be fine.

For the purposes you indicated it should be good without any modification. More magazines may be in order depending on how many it comes with.

 

[kthom]

Old cop,
You have done well, IMO! Dunno how many rounds your Shield has fired. If not very many, I suggest that you fully load each of the mags and park them for two or three days. In the same time, lock the slide back on that Shield and let it sit that way for the same period of time. Doing this will allow all the effected springs to take much of the "set" that also occurs during firing of the first few hundred rounds. After sitting, your mags will be a bit easier to load and your slide will be a bit easier to open and lock back. And your first firing will likely be trouble free if that Shield is well lubricated prior to the range activity.

I have had very excellent experience with both the 9MM and the .45 Shields. I agree that you should shoot a few hundred rounds through yours before you worry about making any changes to it. I fell into the trap of thinking I needed an Apex trigger kit for mine so I bought one. In the interim, while deciding and waiting for it, I continued to shoot the gun. I never found the trigger to be bad from the beginning, just read and heard it could be better. After probably 500 rounds, I discovered that I had no problems with the OEM trigger and that the gun would shoot better than my old eyes and body could manage so why go to the trouble of making the trigger better? Got no quarrel with anyone who wants to do so. Just sayin' that, with some shooting, there ain't one thing wrong with my triggers for me! Coulda spent the kit money on more ammo! Kept the kit for a while just in case, but finally sold it new in the package here on the forum. Spent that money on ammo, but it was less than what I gave for the kit!

I have also found that there is NO good reason for me not to EDC these Shields. They shoot very well, and they carry very easy for me! And I was not and am not quick to leave my revovlers in the safe. Never thought I would, but these days, they are not what I carry very often. If you came to my house to see my guns by invitation, you'd be shown my revolvers, but if you came to my house without my invitation and I was home, you would get much better acquainted with one of my Shields! I trust what I can do with them and I trust them to do what they are supposed to do reliably for me!

 

[NCW Ray]

Old Cop, I conceal carry the Shield 40 and do my LEOSA quals with it as well, my second or third outing with it was a LEOSA qual and I breezed through it.

If, after shooting it, you find the grip to be too slick/small etc., you might look into the Talon Grips or BooDad's Grips. They stick on and are easily removed if you find you don't like them or need to replace them. I have the BooDad's and really like them. The BooDad's don't cover the back-strap whereas the Talon's do.

Pearce Grips make pinky extensions for the mag if you find your pinky flapping in the wind! I run them on my short mags.

I carry concealed whenever I'm away from the house and for that I have both an IWB holster and an OWB, both made by Safariland/Bianchi.

For IWB I use their Model 135 Suppression, very comfortable holster, very inconspicuous belt clips and is tuck-able if needed.

For OWB I use their Model 571 GLS™ SLIM Pro-Fit™ Concealment Holster w/ Micro Paddle. It's a nice, small in size holster and if you don't like the paddle attachment, they have beltloops available for it.

Shop around and you can usually get all of the things I've listed for less than what the MSRP is.

For maintanence, just follow the Cleaning and Maintanence procedure in your Safety and Instruction manual. The cleaning supplies you used for your Glock should be fine for the Shield. Just be sure and lube the seven (7) lubrication points as shown on page 25.

As others have said, get a few more mags, they will make LEOSA quals a lot easier and you won't be holding up the firing line while loading mags! AND get you a Maglula UpLULA Magazine Loader, your fingers will thank you, your local gun store should have them, and if not, amazon does.

I only have one MAJOR complaint about my Shield and that is...it goes through ammo like poop through a goose so....buy lots of it!!!

Good luck, the Shield is an AWESOME pistol!

 

[swsig]

I've never had any difficulty loading my Shield 9's magazines because I've used an Uplula loader from Day 1. The trigger on mine was very good right out of the box, and has only gotten better with use. It is perfect for a carry pistol, so as kthom has said, hold off on the Apex until you've shot it some.

Unlike most of the Shield 9s I've read about on the Forum, mine has been very ammo picky. So much so, that only one round out of the dozen or more target and self-defense rounds I've tried has never had a failure of any kind: Hornady Critical Duty 135g +P. Fortunately it's a good self-defense round, so that's what I carry. Hopefully yours will not suffer from this problem.

As to maintenance, the Shield is not a delicate pistol, so any cleaning/lubing procedures and products you use on your existing guns will probably be just fine.

Enjoy your new Shield!

 

[Harper]

I carry a no-safety Shield as my EDC, but sometimes carry the full size M&P9 with no safety. I carry both with a chambered round.
I do like the Apex trigger and duty/carry kits and have them on both. Also like the Talon Grips application, especially on the Shield. The other thing I've done is add Fixxer grip extenders on all my 8 round Shield mags. Gives you an even better grip surface. I carry the Shield at 3 o'clock in a Crossbreed IWB holster.

All these things are available and you can tailor the pistol to your liking. But as was mentioned before, put some rounds through it first, then go for any mods you might want to make. It is not at all a bad little gun as is, and you might find that you do like it without any of the aforementioned additions.

 

[Old cop]

Thanks for all the responses. Forgot to add the gun will come w/3 mags, not sure how many rounds have put through it though. One more Q if you can indulge me; how many total mags should I have in addition to the 3 it comes with?

 

[Harper]

I'm in the process of converting all my 8 round mags to 9 rounds with the Magguts spring kits. I have 7 mags total, got 5 more on sale for $15 each. I carry just 2 of the 8 rounders. I think it's up to you how many you want to have. Having a few more just makes it a little easier at the range. But with even 7 loaded mags, I'm going to be reloading the mags a couple times at a range session.

 

[cdaniel76]

Thanks for all the responses. Forgot to add the gun will come w/3 mags, not sure how many rounds have put through it though. One more Q if you can indulge me; how many total mags should I have in addition to the 3 it comes with?

I have 5 mags, total. That's more than enough for me...

One other thing I forgot to mention, the mags, when new, are pretty hard to load. Get a Maglula loader and save your thumbs!

Sent from my SM-N950U using Tapatalk

 

[cdaniel76]

I have 5 mags, total. That's more than enough for me...

One other thing I forgot to mention, the mags, when new, are pretty hard to load. Get a Maglula loader and save your thumbs!

Sent from my SM-N950U using Tapatalk

Keep an eye on Palmettostatearmory.com. They run specials on Shield mags frequently, either as a 3-pack or 2 or 3 with a few boxes of ammo.

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[tlay]

My EDC Shield 9mm has a Viridian laser on it. With this laser you have to use the holster made for a Viridian. The reason is it turns the laser on when you draw and off when you holster. I like this much better than having to find a switch. It is not as accurate as my Glock 19 at distance but within 15 yds it is great!

 

[Bozz10mm]

Old CoP, if you are buying a Shield 1.0, I would recommend a set of Talon rubber grips, Apex trigger or sear, and the Magguts +2 conversion kit. If it's a 2.0 you can skip the Talon Grips and probably the Apex trigger too. I have four 7 round mags and just the one 8 round mag because the 7 round mags conceal better for me. And with the Magguts +2 kit, I can carry 9+1.

And a Maglula is a big plus if you are going to shoot a lot at the range.

 

[kgpcr]

Old Cop you may want to check out the Houge Beavertail grips. they are cheap and work great! they really do soften the recoil as well.

 

[rwsmith]

Try it, you'll like it.....

....as a carry gun. Light, compact, shoots good. If you don't like the trigger you can change it, mine is fine the way it is. Almost as light as SA but longer trigger pull. If for some reason you DON'T like it (to each his own) let your wife, girlfriend, significant other try it.

Hardly any maintenance. Clean the slide, clean the barrel, clean the frame. Oil her up and put her back together.

The magazine disconnect in the well, should be lowered before take down if you don't want to pull the trigger to get it apart.

Grab an extra mag or two, the extended one is nice if you have bigger hands and hey, why sneeze at another round?

 

[KELSW]

Actually to be technical the "mag disconnect" is a sear lever it pushes the sear back down to the frame to disengage the striker ie mimics a trigger pull .

 

[Old cop]

Some have mentioned getting Magguts but changing anything on a mag I use to save my skin makes me nervous. In checking the internet for Magguts the feedback is kind of all over the place.

 

[kthom]

Thanks for all the responses. Forgot to add the gun will come w/3 mags, not sure how many rounds have put through it though. One more Q if you can indulge me; how many total mags should I have in addition to the 3 it comes with?

Old cop,
I believe I have six for my 9MM (because somebody listed some for a great price). I have five total for my .45ACP Shield. In each case, I don't need more than the one six rounder that came with the .45 and the 7 rounder with the 9 for a low profile carry if need be. All the rest of the mags for each are the extra round capacity. I normally carry the extra capacity mags for my EDC choice, one in the gun and one on my belt. When travelling, I have a mag carrier from Tuff Products that will hold three extra rounds which I carry in the small bag that goes with us in the vehicle. That is an easy way to carry several rounds of extra ammo should that become a necessity. Never has, hope it never does, but I'd rather have it and not need it than need it and not have it! I prefer the grip on either gun with the longer mag in place so that's what I carry EDC. I think this is plenty for my needs.

 

[Harper]

Some have mentioned getting Magguts but changing anything on a mag I use to save my skin makes me nervous. In checking the internet for Magguts the feedback is kind of all over the place.

Almost all the bad write-ups on the MagGuts are with the old double coil springs setup and almost all those due to incorrect installation. The newer flat springs were introduced early this year and have had less installation screwups. You still have to follow the instructions and get it in correctly, but most users' reviews have been very positive.

 

[Horn]

From Another Old Cop

I’ll be p/u a lightly used no-safety Shield 9MM shortly and wanted to know if those who own/carry one can help me w/some maintenance, shooting & carry guidance. It will be a range, LEOSA qualification & home protection gun, carried (rarely) from time to time. I’ve done my research but the best info comes from those who EDC.

I’m a revolver guy but did carry a issued Glock 23 for a few years before retirement and carry a Taurus TCP when deep concealment is needed.

There's a reason the Shield is the preferred EDC out there. You'll get a lot of advise for adding after market mods. It's a fine EDC right out of the box. A lot of folks think the trigger needs modification. From personal experience for a SD situation if the trigger was a twenty pound one you won't notice it! In short its intended as a SD pistol and is about perfect as is.
A lot of folks want it to be a range gun and add different brands of after market sights. For short range target shooting you may do that but__when a situation happens (been there) it'll be within two or three seconds and at "Point" distance. That's how I practice___out in my desert using 10" steel gong targets at twelve feet (pretty long SD distance) and with large pieces of packing card board so I can practice after getting knocked on
my ***. Public ranges are fine, but not for how I practice and I prefer not record and no witnesses.
I think your Shield is ready. I usually take five hundred rounds
with me.
Stay safe out their
Poli Viejo

 

[Horn]

Three Mags Suggest a LE Purchase

Thanks for all the responses. Forgot to add the gun will come w/3 mags, not sure how many rounds have put through it though. One more Q if you can indulge me; how many total mags should I have in addition to the 3 it comes with?

As for how many mags___most LE orders come with three mags. Again, for a SD situation the rounds in the mag should be enough. A SD situation isn't a battlefield fire fight. I have two shields both LE purchases that came with 3 mags. I don't carry any extra mags in EDC. Extra mags?I usually take one of my Shields out for practice and do take all six. I suppose ten or so would be nice since I take five hundred rounds.
Stay safe out there.
Poli Viejo

 

[Old cop]

Thanks Horn, I was involved in three OIS in my career and ran out of ammo in one but these were all w/a revolver. The experience from you and others as far as the number of mags is most helpful.

 

[MyDads38]

I EDC my Shield 9 every day. I have all 3 calibers in the Shield and all are accurate and reliable as they came out of the box. I have the Pearce mag extension on my shorter mags, makes a difference and doesn't add to bulk. I have 5 mags for each, except the Shield 45 and am working to correct that. General cleaning/lube is all that's required. All my Shields shoot anything I run through them, including reloads. I only carry OWB and use a DeSantis Mini Scabbard, also carry 1 extra mag. Getting used to the smaller grip was all I needed to do.

I think you'll like and enjoy your new Shield.