M&P Shield Plus

I love mine, I keep it well fed with an XL650

It's been 100% reliable, I'm carrying it right now.

You'll probably like the new trigger design, and pulling the gun left can be fixed with training and practice.

I have one too. Have only 150 or so rounds thru it. So far it shoots what I feed it with no hiccups. Never have I shot a gun that points so we'll and is so comfortable in my hand...it is now my primary EDC.

Great video.... and guess which pistol is # 1 ?
Seems like the Shield Plus is a hit

I find myself leaning towards this pistol. Prices should stabilize below the p365 and hellcat due to the stock features being less than their competition. I'm curious to see what the taurus gx4 will look like but I'm not too hopeful about the quality of their finish. On my shield the rear sights and roll pin have rusted.

I handled one at a local gun store, felt comfortable in my hand. A tad wider, squarer grip than my P365, sighted nicely, trigger dry firing felt good. Owner of the store has been shooting his a lot, he likes it very much. He thought the P365 had a slightly crisper trigger but overall, his thoughts, two excellent pistols.

Buckeye63 said:

Great video.... and guess which pistol is # 1 ?

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Thanks for the video, Buckeye63. Very informative and fair review, imo; But I'd liked to have seen how well the XL version of the SIG 365 would have fared, if tested. Imo, the XL is just enough bigger than the standard 365 to make it handle just enough better-albeit just enough bigger to make it not quite as suitable for ultimate conceal-ability.

SwampWolf said:

Thanks for the video, Buckeye63. Very informative and fair review, imo; But I'd liked to have seen how well the XL version of the SIG 365 would have fared, if tested. Imo, the XL is just enough bigger than the standard 365 to make it handle just enough better-albeit just enough bigger to make it not quite as suitable for ultimate conceal-ability.

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For what it's worth, I have both the P365XL (for a little over a year) and the Shield Plus (going on two months). If you put the two side by side they're almost identical. The XL is .50 in. longer and .20 in. taller in the grip. Triggers are very close in pull and reset. I'd give the edge to the Shield Plus. The sights on the XL are 3 dot tritium whereas the sights on the Plus are standard 3 dot. The edge goes to the XL. Weight wise there is a 1/2 oz. difference so it's negligible. Where the Shield Plus really shines, in my opinion, is the grip. Basically its girth, there's something to hold on to for larger hands. With the 10 round mag I get a 2-1/2 finger grip, of course with the 13 round mag its full on. It's extremely comfortable to hold and it points well. They both shoot spot on accurate.

I originally purchased a P365 as I was looking for something a little more concealable than the XL. The grip just didn't work for me.

I carry IWB appendix and the Shield Plus seems to obscure better. I have both in my carry rotation but the Shield gets the nod more often than not.

http://www.handgunhero.com/compare/taurus-g2c-vs-smith-wesson-m-p-9-shield-plus

Not much difference...
Especially if you trim a bit off the G2C baseplate a bit

Buckeye63 said:

http://www.handgunhero.com/compare/taurus-g2c-vs-smith-wesson-m-p-9-shield-plus

Not much difference...
Especially if you trim a bit off the G2C baseplate a bit
View attachment 1000100

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Never owned a Taurus nor have I shot one. I'm a CPL instructor and several have shown up for the class. They are recipients of the most misfires, FTF's, FTE's and jams. The several that I inspected were in severe need of cleaning and lubrication which could be the reason for their failure. That being said, I cannot really judge them and have no opinion either way.

WheelGunMan said:

Never owned a Taurus nor have I shot one. I'm a CPL instructor and several have shown up for the class. They are recipients of the most misfires, FTF's, FTE's and jams. The several that I inspected were in severe need of cleaning and lubrication which could be the reason for their failure. That being said, I cannot really judge them and have no opinion either way.

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Never had a failure with my G2c ...

But .. this isn’t a Taurus debate .. just a size comparison...

But Im a revolver guy anyway ;-)

Buckeye63 said:

Never had a failure with my G2c ...

But .. this isn’t a Taurus debate .. just a size comparison...

But Im a revolver guy anyway ;-)

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Sorry... wasn't trying to start a debate...just relaying an observation.
Yes..the Taurus is similar in size. In the new world of "micro pistols" the Shield Plus is considered the largest in the category. That may be the reason I found it attractive as everything else felt to darn small for my hands.

I have shot a Shield 1.0 for several years. I did put an Apex trigger kit in it to improve shootability. Hundreds of rounds with no problems. The only complaint is the backstrap is a little narrow so I bought a Shield + hoping the grip would be a little more comfortable.
I am pleased with the +, the trigger is a little better than the Apex right out of the box and I expect it to improve with use. For practice I use light loads to save wear and tear on me and the gun. The original Shield performs very well with 147 gr bullets over 3.0 gr of 231. The Shield+ would not function 100% with this load initially but did fine after a magazine or two. I agree it is on the lower edge of power. I plan to bump it up to 3.5 gr and see what happens. Overall, I like the +, I will report more as it shoot it more.

WheelGunMan said:

Yes..the Taurus is similar in size.

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In looking at the picture, at first glance, the Taurus does seem to have a slightly shallower bore axis. I don't know if that's true nor whether how much it matters but some seem to think it does. In "extreme" cases (i.e., CZ 75 series pistols vs Springfield's X series guns) where the difference is more apparent, control on repeat shots might well favor the pistol having the lower bore axis, everything else being relatively equal.

SwampWolf said:

In looking at the picture, at first glance, the Taurus does seem to have a slightly shallower bore axis. I don't know if that's true nor whether how much it matters but some seem to think it does. In "extreme" cases (i.e., CZ 75 series pistols vs Springfield's X series guns) where the difference is more apparent, control on repeat shots might well favor the pistol having the lower bore axis, everything else being relatively equal.

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For me...the winning factor of the Shield Plus was the girth (depth) of the grip. I added a Hogue Handall to my P365XL and found the grip to be satisfactory. I added a Hogue Handall to my Shield Plus and find the grip to be sublime.

If you look at the grip on the Taurus..the depth would put it in the P365XL category. Nice but not portly like the Shield with a Handall.

Does that make any sense?

Yes it does. Thanks.

I really like my Shield 9 1st Gen .. retired my 43
after first range trip ... Alot of quality for $225ish
Most likely most bang for the buck than any modern semi-pistol purchase I have made...ever

Spats McGee said:

Thanks for the comparison. There's a little bit of a difference, but it sure isn't much.

I know the Shield+ isn't the smallest or the lightest 9mm available, but it's the one that fits me best. It's also small enough and light enough for very comfortable CC. Looking forward to getting back to the range with mine.

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According to what I have seen online ... the Shield + is a performer

I bought one last week, just in time to take advantage of the S&W $50 rebate offer. My first impressions are extremely good! If it proves reliable, I will likely sell off my original M&P Shield 9mm that I've had since 2016.

https://www.thehighroad.org/index.php?threads/at-the-range.905739/#post-12298480
My first trip to the range.
Flawless operation, accurate. Feels fantastic in my hand, awesome trigger. Ate everything.

I carried a Shield 2.0 for 3 years. Liked the gun a lot but the grip felt a bit thin even in my below average sized hands. When the plus came out I liked the feel of the grip a lot but kept trying to talk myself out of it. That lasted a year until I encountered the "bug out" bag deal. Five magazines and night sights pushed me over the edge. I've had it for two months and put several hundred flawless rounds through it. Had to adjust the sights a bit to bring POI to center. I've no regrets about the change to the plus and would do it again, only sooner. Uses the same holsters as my 2.0 and conceals just as easily. Its accuracy rivals my Glock 48.

I just sold mine. I was very excited about it since I liked my 1.0. It shot well, but...
The manual safety was terrible. My 1.0 shield was bad but this was unusable. Ok fine.
It was my first gun with a trigger 'dingus'. Probably my last, I didn't like it. The trigger was great, but every few draws I would place my finger too high and it wouldn't release the trigger safety cleanly so I got a weird hitch in the pull that threw me off.
Good gun just not for me I guess.