Shield improvements?

[Dr.um]

Hi folks,
Just picked up my second Shield and finally got to examine it side by side with my first Shield.
Alas, I am insufficiently technical to intelligently discuss the internals, but everything looks pretty much the same, aside from the the marks underneath the top of the slide.

What I did notice is the finishing on the new Shield (HTVxxxx- June '14) is quite different than the earlier Shield (HPJ June '13).

- machining on the new Shield is much nicer, no really sharp edges and the bottom of the "fish scales" is nice and smooth. The earlier Shield has much sharper edges, for example, the bottom of the scales cuts are quite sharp. Simarly, the overall shape of the slide seems slightly melted on the new Shield, by comparison.

- the finish on the newer Shield is lighter gray and seems thinner with small areas where the steel shows through...on a brand new gun, mind you. The earlier Shield is a darker, more uniform black melonite looking finish. Quite noticeable.

- the triggers seem identical. I will borrow my pal's trigger gauge and update the actual weights, but everything about them feels the same.

- the recoil spring of the newer Shield is noticeably heavier. The earlier Shield has not been shot much at all but it feels muc lighter. Both guns will stay out of battery when bumped back on a full mag.

- the sights seem improved on the newer gun with brighter dots that seem slightly larger and, possible better fixed to the posts.


Some questions:
Is the same sort of new finish that SW is using on all their M&P's? I have not read those threads carefully as all of mine, aside from this recent Shield and. 22 Compact, are older guns

About how many Shields apart, ball park, is HTV from HPJ? Is there any way to know that?

Cheers,
D

 

[Dr.um]

I realize that I should be more clear about the finish difference I described, pending pics. I will try to capture some comparison shots tomorrow in the light.

Anyway, I mean to say, there are small areas on the newer Shield where the steel is sort of shining though. It's no more than light flecks of reflection, really... But the earlier Shield has nothing like that, solid and dark through out with no hint of steel visible except along wear points

 

[dlay]

According to my trigger gauge, my shield is right at 7 lbs, wish was much lighter. Advertised as 6.5, but mine is heavier. What do you all see in yours?

 

[dullh]

Head spinning...

And the point of all this is...?

 

[dlay]

Trigger is too heavy....

 

[Dr.um]

Why spinning?

My only point was to propose a discussion of the differences between the early Shields and the currently produced guns.
I also offered a few superficial observations and my curiosities to sort of prime the conversational pump, so to speak. Nothing too complicated in that.

I mean...what else are we gonna talk about besides manufacturing defects and the latest cool holster?

(don't get me wrong... I love this forum...read it every day. )

 

[Lycan]

According to my trigger gauge, my shield is right at 7 lbs, wish was much lighter. Advertised as 6.5, but mine is heavier. What do you all see in yours?

Trigger works fine on mine. I pull it...it goes boom. I'm willing to bet almost all Shields are the same regardless of when they were made...pull the trigger and a bullet comes out of the end. If 1/2 pound of trigger pull bothers you that bad, why get a sub-compact SD pistol in the first place. There are several pistols that are sold as precision range guns.

I see all of these people complaining about trigger this...thrigger that...and I can't help but wondering:

A: Why buy a Shield in the first place (as mentioned above)

and

B: In a self defense situation do people actually draw their weapon and then take the time to gauge how they think the trigger feels as they are defending themselves of their loved ones?

The point is, if 1/2 pound or 1 pound of perceived difference in trigger pull makes you dislike a gun, you might be thinking about self defense in the wrong way.

 

[Dr.um]

I get that my thread was somewhat hijacked here, but I hope nothing in MY posts reads as negative regarding the Shield triggers. There similarity was my only point. As such they are BOTH among the best M&P triggers in my collection, way better than my unmodified 2012 45c and just a tad heavier/longer than my upgraded 45 FS trigger.

No Shield trigger complaints here, at all.

 

[Lycan]

I get that my thread was somewhat hijacked here, but I hope nothing in MY posts reads as negative regarding the Shield triggers. There similarity was my only point. As such they are BOTH among the best M&P triggers in my collection, way better than my unmodified 2012 45c and just a tad heavier/longer than my upgraded 45 FS trigger.

No Shield trigger complaints here, at all.

My comment was not made towards your posts. I think it's a great idea to compare Shields that were produced in the beginning -vs- Shields that are being made now. Part of that comparison is the feel of the gun, which includes the trigger. Mentioning any differences is simply stating facts...and as such, is a good thing.

However, "how" the trigger feels to each individual is always subjective and opinionated. People making comments like, "It's a terrible Trigger" or "It's too heavy of a pull" are simply stating THEIR OPINIONS only and, as such, is not fact or comparison. I feel there are certain individuals on this forum, that for whatever reason, always want to bash the Shields. And, one of the ways they do this is by always bringing up "trigger" this...or "trigger" that... Everyone is entitled to their opinion about it, but injecting opinion into a thread evaluating factual differences is just sabotage. There are many threads that already exist about opinions regarding the triggers and how they feel...too many, really. So when people make statements based on their own opinion and try to pass it off as a fact about the gun, I try to help them in the understanding that their "opinion" is no more or less important than anyone else's...but is JUST their opinion and not everyone's and should clearly be represented as an opinion and not fact.

But like I said, I think this thread is a great idea (my opinion) and hopefully will stay on track of stating factual differences instead of being ruined by people's biases.

 

[Horn]

Understood Your Post Clearly

Hi folks,
Just picked up my second Shield and finally got to examine it side by side with my first Shield.
Alas, I am insufficiently technical to intelligently discuss the internals, but everything looks pretty much the same, aside from the the marks underneath the top of the slide.

What I did notice is the finishing on the new Shield (HTVxxxx- June '14) is quite different than the earlier Shield (HPJ June '13).

- machining on the new Shield is much nicer, no really sharp edges and the bottom of the "fish scales" is nice and smooth. The earlier Shield has much sharper edges, for example, the bottom of the scales cuts are quite sharp. Simarly, the overall shape of the slide seems slightly melted on the new Shield, by comparison.

- the finish on the newer Shield is lighter gray and seems thinner with small areas where the steel shows through...on a brand new gun, mind you. The earlier Shield is a darker, more uniform black melonite looking finish. Quite noticeable.

- the triggers seem identical. I will borrow my pal's trigger gauge and update the actual weights, but everything about them feels the same.

- the recoil spring of the newer Shield is noticeably heavier. The earlier Shield has not been shot much at all but it feels muc lighter. Both guns will stay out of battery when bumped back on a full mag.

- the sights seem improved on the newer gun with brighter dots that seem slightly larger and, possible better fixed to the posts.


Some questions:
Is the same sort of new finish that SW is using on all their M&P's? I have not read those threads carefully as all of mine, aside from this recent Shield and. 22 Compact, are older guns

About how many Shields apart, ball park, is HTV from HPJ? Is there any way to know that?

Cheers,
D

I had no problem understanding your post and enjoyed reading it.
I purchased my Shield April 15 (2014) and upon reading your post checked mine immediately. The finish seems perfect. I can't compare springs for size. If you feel your pistol has a poorly applied finish it may be wise to call customer service and chat with them.
I had extractor problems with mine and sent it back. Someone polished the chamber. Fifty rounds of American Eagle went through fine but___I have a hundred fifty of mixed ammo to try as soon as we have a no rain day here in southern Arizona.
I bought a Glock 26 Gen4 to go up against my Shield for reliability comparing. The winner will be the one I pack. I'm really hoping the Shield shines! Like it.
Again, good post and easy to understand and interesting.

"People sleep peaceably in their beds at night only because rough men stand ready to do violence on their behalf."
-- George Orwell

 

[Claymore_Dude]

I bought my shield with Serial Number HUM---- which has a test cartridge date of 8/xx/2014 if I remember correctly. The first thing I did was test the trigger with a gauge; it averaged around 6 pounds. My M&PC registers around 5 pounds. I could hardly tell a difference between the two.
However, my M&P Pro FS is at 4 pounds, but it feels like the 2.5 pound trigger on my AR, most likely due to the Apex trigger. After dry firing the Shield than switching back to the FS, there is a conceivable difference in the feel of the pull. However, I like the Shield's trigger for what it is. The reset is a little long, but hopefully I'll get used to it.
My brother bought his Shield last year, so now I'm interested to see what differences I can find between his and mine. Thanks for the informative post!

 

[dlay]

My comment was not made towards your posts. I think it's a great idea to compare Shields that were produced in the beginning -vs- Shields that are being made now. Part of that comparison is the feel of the gun, which includes the trigger. Mentioning any differences is simply stating facts...and as such, is a good thing.

However, "how" the trigger feels to each individual is always subjective and opinionated. People making comments like, "It's a terrible Trigger" or "It's too heavy of a pull" are simply stating THEIR OPINIONS only and, as such, is not fact or comparison. I feel there are certain individuals on this forum, that for whatever reason, always want to bash the Shields. And, one of the ways they do this is by always bringing up "trigger" this...or "trigger" that... Everyone is entitled to their opinion about it, but injecting opinion into a thread evaluating factual differences is just sabotage. There are many threads that already exist about opinions regarding the triggers and how they feel...too many, really. So when people make statements based on their own opinion and try to pass it off as a fact about the gun, I try to help them in the understanding that their "opinion" is no more or less important than anyone else's...but is JUST their opinion and not everyone's and should clearly be represented as an opinion and not fact.

But like I said, I think this thread is a great idea (my opinion) and hopefully will stay on track of stating factual differences instead of being ruined by people's biases.

So this is your opinion, what makes it so frigging special, because it is yours???

 

[dlay]

Now, all that being said, I like my shield for what it is, shoots well and no problems, finish is good, just wish trigger were little lighter, we can all hope for something, cant we. My sr1911 is at 4lbs, wouldnt want it any lighter.

 

[M&Pmeister]

I agree a "precision" trigger on a sub compact CC weapon is borderline oxymoron. In the event that these sort of pistols are called upon to do their designed duty, the range is most likely bad breath distance and most won't even bother or have the time to line up the 3 dots. Besides, said shooter will be so pumped with adrenaline that not even a 12 lbs trigger will keep the mag from being squeezed dry.

I can understand if a Shield is all you got, you might be inclined to practice marksmanship with it at the range. But it's like taking a Prius to a track day. You could... but not exactly the best tool for the task.

 

[robkarrob]

Trigger pull is way off the OP and the 1/2 pound mentioned was only a comparison between two trigger pulls. Here is my opinion on a SD gun's trigger pull.

I think a good trigger will allow for better accuracy, whether on the range or in a SD situation. That is assuming the user has some shooting ability. I have a Ruger LC9, a subcompact 9mm SD gun. It had a terrible stock trigger pull, very long and deep breaking, even more so than many double action revolvers. My trigger finger had to pull well past 90 degrees, to get the break. Many owners complained they had big accuracy issues at the range, with that gun. If you can't shoot it well at the range, what would it be like in an actual SD situation? I learned to shoot it accurately, but not as fast as I would like.

I modified the trigger pull on that gun, which made it a much better shooter for me, and a better SD gun for my purpose. I now have a Shield 40 and I have also modified the trigger pull to make it better for me. Someone else may not like the results of my modifications, shorter pull length, shorter reset, and much less pull pressure, but it is what I wanted. I can shoot it better, faster, and more accurately, which makes it a better SD gun, for me.

In a SD situation, will an improved trigger pull, or any type of improvements matter? My opinion is that it will help, but at worst it wouldn't make any difference, but it sure should not hurt. Better to have a positive outlook, than to worry about having possible issues, that bother you about the gun.

Bob

 

[dlay]

My thoughts also Bob, probably will not modify mine though as I dont carry every day. A good trigger is more accurate period..