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

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The new recoil spring seemed to fix my Gen 1. We put 150 rounds through it on Friday and it worked flawlessly, so I'm gifting it to my Son.
My Son was saying it doesn't shoot as good as my Shield + PC so I tried it and was able to get 4 out of 6 in the bulleyes at 7 yds with it.
Not as good as the target I posted earlier but it was good enough to make him stop talking.
I told him when you bring two different triggers to the shooting range you probably won't shoot as good with either of them.
Bring only one and things can improve greatly with practice.
I hope he enjoys the Shield 1.0! Great gun. They can be shot well with practice on that trigger
 
I got a Shield Plus late last year and like it a lot. Mine has roughly 500 trouble-free rounds so far. I’ve never shot a Shield 1.0 or 2.0, so I can’t compare. I’ve shot my friend’s Sig 365, though, and while I liked it, I like the Shield Plus a little more. Even so, I wouldn’t hesitate to buy a 365, or at least a 365XL.

Prior to this, I carried a fullsize 1911 and a S&W 3913. So the Shield Plus feels tiny and very lightweight in comparison to those two.

While I shoot my 1911 better than I do the Shield Plus, I shoot the Shield Plus better than I do the 3913. Of course, all three have completely different triggers. I love the 1911 trigger the most out of the three, but the Shield Plus trigger is fantastic for being a striker-fired trigger. I like it slightly better than my friend’s P365 trigger, which I also found to be a pretty good trigger. And I like it much better than my Glock 34’s trigger.

As for ammo, I prefer 147 gr for my Shield Plus. I’m still trying out different brands and varieties of ammo, though, but of the ones I’ve tried, they’ve all cycled reliably so far.

At first, mags were hard to find, but they’re now much more available. The 13-rounders were hard to top off at first, but the more I loaded and shot them, the easier they got to top off. I read on another forum, though, of a few who’ve had the bottom plastic spacer cracking on the 13-rounders when releasing the mag and having it drop and hit a hard floor. So that’s something to consider.

I’ve also read on other forums of the little slide lock spring popping out of its place and preventing the slide from properly cycling. The few who reported it have had difficulty popping it back in place in order to remove the slide and replace it. From what I’ve read, it’s an uncommon issue that also plagued a few of the earlier 1.0 and 2.0 Shields. Luckily, I’ve not experienced any issues at all with mine, and I’m guessing this particular problem is few and far between.
 
I got a Shield Plus late last year and like it a lot. Mine has roughly 500 trouble-free rounds so far. I’ve never shot a Shield 1.0 or 2.0, so I can’t compare. I’ve shot my friend’s Sig 365, though, and while I liked it, I like the Shield Plus a little more. Even so, I wouldn’t hesitate to buy a 365, or at least a 365XL.

Prior to this, I carried a fullsize 1911 and a S&W 3913. So the Shield Plus feels tiny and very lightweight in comparison to those two.

While I shoot my 1911 better than I do the Shield Plus, I shoot the Shield Plus better than I do the 3913. Of course, all three have completely different triggers. I love the 1911 trigger the most out of the three, but the Shield Plus trigger is fantastic for being a striker-fired trigger. I like it slightly better than my friend’s P365 trigger, which I also found to be a pretty good trigger. And I like it much better than my Glock 34’s trigger.

As for ammo, I prefer 147 gr for my Shield Plus. I’m still trying out different brands and varieties of ammo, though, but of the ones I’ve tried, they’ve all cycled reliably so far.

At first, mags were hard to find, but they’re now much more available. The 13-rounders were hard to top off at first, but the more I loaded and shot them, the easier they got to top off. I read on another forum, though, of a few who’ve had the bottom plastic spacer cracking on the 13-rounders when releasing the mag and having it drop and hit a hard floor. So that’s something to consider.

I’ve also read on other forums of the little slide lock spring popping out of its place and preventing the slide from properly cycling. The few who reported it have had difficulty popping it back in place in order to remove the slide and replace it. From what I’ve read, it’s an uncommon issue that also plagued a few of the earlier 1.0 and 2.0 Shields. Luckily, I’ve not experienced any issues at all with mine, and I’m guessing this particular problem is few and far between.
 
Thanks for the report. I like 365’s. On the same range trip of this post, the range attendant I talk to often let me shoot a 365 xl with a red dot. I liked it, but I have to say I think the plus has a slightly better trigger. I like the way the 365’s look though.

The 1.0 and 2.0 are solid guns, and affordable.
 
I just went to a big California gun store/range as I’m visiting. Definitely guns and ammo are more expensive. They are selling 1.0 shields for $450. Firearms transfers by mail are $200 at two gun shops I checked...

:eek::uhoh:o_O
 
Has S&W responded to the mag problem for 13 rounders?
no not when I contacted them.Getting 13 in takes a little time but loading that 13th rd from the mag into the chamber is almost impossible.I made a modification that solved the problem. Since then I have upgraded to Magguts and now hold 15+1 without issue.
 
I love my Shield 45 and have been jonesing for a Shield plus. Couple things holding me back though; I've got a Glock 19 and a S&W 6906 that do anything I want 9mm to do, and I figure that $500+ will be better used on primers, powder, and projectiles.
Your call, but I've had a G19 and a Shield Plus. I sold the G19 and still have the Shield+. I'm not sorry, either.
 
Your call, but I've had a G19 and a Shield Plus. I sold the G19 and still have the Shield+. I'm not sorry, either.
Please, do tell. I already know that the Shield trigger is better, though I've learned the Glock pull pretty well. What's the thing that makes the Plus better for you?
 
Please, do tell. I already know that the Shield trigger is better, though I've learned the Glock pull pretty well. What's the thing that makes the Plus better for you?
The G19 is a perfectly serviceable pistol, so don't get me wrong. I'm not a Glock hater (any more). With that said, my Shield 1.0 just plain outperformed my G19. It was 100% reliable. My Glock was very good, but not quite 100%, and I accept that 'shooter error' may have been the cause of some of its malfunctions. The Shield fit my hand much better. Both it and the Shield+ fit my hand as though they really were made for me. I also shoot the Shields better than I ever shot my G19.

ETA: The Shield 1.0 trigger probably wasn't all that great, maybe no better than the G19, but the Shield+ trigger is a definite improvement.

ETA #2: There's also the fact that with the Plus, I only give up a couple of rounds to the G19. Size comparison on Handgun Hero: https://www.handgunhero.com/compare/smith-wesson-m-p-9-shield-plus-vs-glock-g19-gen4
 
The G19 is a perfectly serviceable pistol, so don't get me wrong. I'm not a Glock hater (any more). With that said, my Shield 1.0 just plain outperformed my G19. It was 100% reliable. My Glock was very good, but not quite 100%, and I accept that 'shooter error' may have been the cause of some of its malfunctions. The Shield fit my hand much better. Both it and the Shield+ fit my hand as though they really were made for me. I also shoot the Shields better than I ever shot my G19.

ETA: The Shield 1.0 trigger probably wasn't all that great, maybe no better than the G19, but the Shield+ trigger is a definite improvement.

ETA #2: There's also the fact that with the Plus, I only give up a couple of rounds to the G19. Size comparison on Handgun Hero: https://www.handgunhero.com/compare/smith-wesson-m-p-9-shield-plus-vs-glock-g19-gen4
I won’t say the shield 1.0 trigger is better than Glocks, but the Shield plus trigger is better than any stock Glock I’ve shot for sure. It’s a 3.0 not 2.0 trigger.
 
Please, do tell. I already know that the Shield trigger is better, though I've learned the Glock pull pretty well. What's the thing that makes the Plus better for you?
I have both. Keep the Glock 19 if you want a larger sized HD/carry gun. Basically, that’s what my G19 fulfills, and the Shield is my subcompact.

But, like said earlier, trigger is better on Shield Plus. With the larger G19 size, sight radius etc, it still may be slightly easier to shoot well
 
OP, my question to you is this. Is there enough of a difference to upgrade to a plus from an original 1.0 ?

I own a 1.0 as well and have 4-5 thousand rounds through it. I've thought about upgrading, but the original just keeps working. I have a hard time fixing what isn't broken.

-Jeff

I felt the same way, but I want a Shield Plus so I gave my Shield 1.0 with the CT green laser to my oldest daughter. That clears the way for me to get a Plus, perhaps this week. We shall see.

Joe
 
I love my Shield 45 and have been jonesing for a Shield plus. Couple things holding me back though; I've got a Glock 19 and a S&W 6906 that do anything I want 9mm to do, and I figure that $500+ will be better used on primers, powder, and projectiles.
I also have the Shield 45 and do EDC it a lot. However, I want more shots than it provides, hence the lust for the Plus.

Joe
 
1k rounds through my Shield Plus at this point, though I can't say it was 100% reliable at first. Mine had 1 FTF, 1 FTE (stovepipe), and 2 failures to lock back on the last round within the first 200 rounds. I realized there was something wrong with the original recoil spring assembly, and had it replaced. It has been flawless for the remaining 800 rounds, so now I'm happy!
 
I felt the same way, but I want a Shield Plus so I gave my Shield 1.0 with the CT green laser to my oldest daughter. That clears the way for me to get a Plus, perhaps this week. We shall see.

Joe
You’ll love the trigger on the plus
 
Shield chambered in 40 upgraded with Apex trigger kit and night sights.
Runs great and has been been completely reliable.
 
I also have the Shield 45 and do EDC it a lot. However, I want more shots than it provides, hence the lust for the Plus.

Joe
Gunbroker has a bunch of Plus' and I'm seeing some completed transactions on the regular version (not PC) that are in the $400 neighborhood. I'm starting to think I might need ANOTHER 9mm carry piece :D
 
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