Calling all S&W Shield fans: 300 flawless rounds through my Shield Plus

I have an original Shield that was a 100% reliable tank. That’s why I finally upgraded to a Plus. It’s obviously got increased capacity. But, what will surprise those who haven’t shot it is that it’s a substantially better trigger than all other M&P’s. It’s a third gen trigger, not 2.0.

I just completed tonight my usual 300 round testing, over the last two months, to make sure it’s reliable prior to carry or serious self defense use. It passed with flying colors tonight and graduated. Zero failures. Shields are generally considered hyper reliable firearms, up there with other firearms with such reputations. This alone for obvious reasons is a big plus. It doesn't take a lot of shooting and trying different handguns to find out many aren't reliable or are picky with ammo.

Anyone else have exp with the Shield Plus?

WilsonCQB1911 said:

I've heard great things about these. I'm not a fan of plastic and haven't loved S&W but I admit that it's caught my interest. Not that I need another pistol.

Click to expand...

Not a fan of S&W?

I know not everyone likes plastic fantastics. But, if one is going to buy one, the Shield line can be relied on up there with the best. My 1.0 Shield has never had a failure of any kind, in about 1000 rounds.

Thomas Mayberry said:

Several hundred rounds through my Shield Plus. Not a single malfunction so far. I'm achieving better accuracy with it than my Shield 2.0, probably because the grip fits my hand better. The 2.0 was accurate and reliable, the Plus is just better for me.

Click to expand...

I think the trigger too has been upgraded. I'm definitely more accurate with me Plus. Glad you are enjoying it.

By the way, I also like a lot of the quality high cap subcompacts. My friend who works at the range let me shoot a Sig 365 XL with a green dot tonight, and it was nice as well.

DMW1116 said:

I bought a Shield 1.0 when they were on sale for $250. I’ve been shooting it for about 4 years with no failures. It has taken a lot of practice to get what I consider acceptable accuracy from it but it sends a bullet out of the barrel every time. It always shoots just to the right. The first time I shot it at 25 yards I think I hit all the 8s on the silhouette. I was aiming for the x ring.

Click to expand...

I can shoot the 1.0 well enough, but the trigger was meh. The Plus trigger is not meh. Much more accurate

Spats McGee said:

I've got about 500 rounds through my Plus. It had a handful of feeding problems in the first 5-10 magazines, but those appear to have cleared up. It's been 100% for about the last 350 rounds, give or take a few mags. Now that those early issues have cleared up, it's a beast. It eats everything I feed it, completely indiscriminate in its ammo. It's also probably more accurate than I am. I put about 750 rounds through my 1.0 before upgrading to the Plus. It was absolutely, no-BS, 100% reliable. It fed, fired, and ejected every round I ever put in its magazine. TBH, that was one of the reasons I jumped on the Plus so soon after they came out. Eventually, I sold my 1.0 to a buddy who was planning to move to a major metro area at the time. I figured he needed my 1.0 more than I needed my 1.0 sitting in my safe.

Click to expand...

What sort of feeding problems did your plus have at first? One critique I have seen that is true is that the 13 round mags have trouble loading 13 rounds at first.

Regarding the reliability, after having some unreliable handguns that were big let downs, I put a big premium on reliability. I'm hoping my plus holds up as well as my 1.0. So far yes, but I've put 1/3 the amount of rounds through it.

defjon said:

I tried my friends dads shield 1.0.when we first got concealed carry here. It wasn't instantly accurate in my hands either like some pistols are. Your comment struck me because it would shoot just to the right for me as well.

Seemed to do about the same for everyone even it's owner. Nothing terrible certainly "combat accurate" but it's nice when you find a platform you click with and find yourself shooting accurately easily without fighting the gun.

Click to expand...

The trigger was so so on the 1.0, but it can be shot accurately. However, it’s also a subcompact. Arguably, most subcompacts take some practice to shoot well. I shot a Sig 365 last night too and given it was my second time shooting one, my shooting was nothing to write home about. That doesn’t mean the gun was bad.

As to combat accurate, yes, they are basically made to be concealed carry, reliable tanks, not target guns.

TarDevil said:

I've got around 250 flawless rounds through mine shooting all kinds of ammo. Great accuracy, very good trigger.

What's not to like?
Beats me.

Click to expand...

Yep, solid all around gun.

Spats McGee said:

Odds and ends. A nosedive here, a failure to eject there, etc. The mags can be very hard to load. I still have trouble getting 13 rounds into some of them.

Click to expand...

Has S&W responded to the mag problem for 13 rounders?

WheelGunMan said:

I can also attest to the Shields reliability. Mine has been flawless in the 300 plus rounds that it has digested.

Click to expand...

Right, I know that Glocks can be similar in reliability and some other makes and models. But, personally, I like S&W better. I actually have a Glock which is fine and works as intended, but I don't love it. Also, besides their Glock 43X and 26s, their subcompacts are lower in capacity. Glock 43 for example.

Also, the 43X is bigger than the Shield, and the Shield is already a large subcompact.

Glock G43X vs Smith & Wesson M&P 9 Shield Plus size comparison | Handgun Hero

Also, for sure, the Plus trigger is better than any stock Glock trigger.

A different question is Hellcat vs. Shield vs. Sig 365. I also like the 365's but I'm trained up on the Shield series and have a lot of faith in it. Another thing is that the Shields are just big enough they can be shot like larger guns. That's obviously a double edged sword, as they aren't as easy to conceal as a Hellcat for example, or Kahr 9mm, but also can be shot easier for many people.

TarDevil said:

That right there! I still shoot my SR9 a bit better... but not much.

Click to expand...

That’s what I say too, Shields aren’t the smallest subcompact. However, they are just big enough to have a larger grip and shoot like a larger gun. This makes them a good general purpose gun.

TarDevil said:

Some of it is numbers. When I carried my SR9c, the gun held a ten round magazine and a 17 round magazine on my weak side for a total of 28 rounds.
I don't carry the 10 round magazine in my Shield Plus... the difference is negligible between the 13 round. So, 13 + 1 in the gun and another 13 rounds spare for a total of 27 rounds.
I'm giving up one round.

Click to expand...

Right, for carry I’m not obsessed with high capacity. I did want an increase over the original 7 or 8 round mags. I’m happy with 10-13 +1