Thoughts on the S&W M&P Shield

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I don't own own because I bought a Kahr years ago and like the safety of the double action like trigger. That being said, I shoot with several guys that own one and are happy with theirs. They shoot really nice for the size.

Now you just have to decide if you want one with or without a safety. I would recommend 9mm as 40 is snappy in the little guns.
 
I bought one a couple of weeks ago and have put 360 rounds through it. Only shot it at 7 yards, but they all go into one big hole if you do your part. It has been 100% reliable with 9 mm RWS, WWB, Federal, Tula and S&B ball as well as Gold Dot 124 grain +P HP.

It's a bit large for a pocket gun unless your talking cargo pants so consider it a belt holster or IWB gun. It is very comfortable to shoot, 200 rounds in a shooting session doesn't beat you up and that is coming from a 73 year old.

One complaint, in order to keep the recoil manageable in a light gun, 21 oz. loaded, the recoil spring is very heavy, especially at the end of the pull. This makes it difficult to lock the gun open with the slide release. This has been mentioned on a couple of S&W forums. It has gotten better with shooting and I'm hoping it will improve some more.

I highly recommend it. Also if you go over to U Tube, there are many, many reviews.
 
I have to concur with the heavy pull on the slide -- almost impossible for some.

The little gun otherwise seems to do everything pretty well. But that first shot requires some real strength. After that, the slide locks and you don't have to worry about it.

Just for info, when I first got mine, I could not retract the slide all the way at all. I tried everything, but I had to push it against the edge of my bench to get it to where the slide lock would snap up. I had all kinds of advice from "quit being a wuss" to "just shoot it and it will loosen up". I talked with S&W, and they sent me a new recoil spring. No joy, I still couldn't do it easily. So they had me send them the gun. When it returned, it was fine -- still a bit stiff, but not at all like it had been. I don't know what all they did to it, and the ticket says only that they replaced the spring. I really don't care what they did. Its fine now.

And its a darned accurate little pistol. BTW, I added the rubber Talon grips to mine. They really helped.
 
Have to agree with Ron. Good, straight shooter for the short barrel. Racking requires a little effort especially with the slim slide. I have been carrying mine for 6+ months IWB. Pretty comfortable with the N82. It has yet to fail me after ~500 rds of factory and reloads in 9 mm. Never shot the .40. Recoil on 9mm if very manageable.
 
I have been shooting a rental Shield, and the recoil spring on that one is no problem, so I guess it loosens up with use.

In my hands, it shoots and handles as well as its big brother, the M&P 9c.
 
I love mine, I shoot 10" plates from 7 10 15 20 and 25 yards. I'm amazed how well I can shoot this pistol with some practice.


Never a failure since November and 100's of rounds.
 
The only time my Shield has failed was a pair of failure to ejects using 100 rnd bult boxes of WWB. I found brass flakes in the gun while cleaning it after shooting that lot, so I'm marking those us to crappy brass.

Never had a failure shooting Hornady Critical Defense through it.

Great gun. I carry it IWB under a dress shirt everyday. It got my CZ 2075 consigned to the safe.
 
I really like mine.

I've had it for a couple of months and after several hundred rounds having nothing more than a couple of FTE's with reloads, it work, shoots and carries like a charm. Having come from using an LC9, the Shield is awesome.
 
Mine is the finest all-around carry pistol I've ever had.

I cannot distinguish the recoil or my accuracy from my Glock 19. It is very concealable and sufficiently lightweight that it goes unnoticed all day even with a spare magazine.

Yes, there are more powerful guns and guns with higher capacity, which I carry frequently, but the Shield is the perfect balance of all the factors that go into choosing a concealed-carry gun for me.

Some of this may be technique, experience, and training. I know when I was a total newbie, prior to seven years of forum reading and practice and 14 weeks of LE handgun training, I didn't know how to effectively manage recoil or how to most efficiently rack a slide.
 
I agree with everyone else. However, I installed the Apex trigger/duty kit and Warren Tactical sights on mine. Those minor upgrades were money well spent IMO. Like Madcap said it is a great carry gun, light, slim concealable.
 
I have to agree with what has been said. Best carry gun I have ever had. Wonderful in the N82 holster. So far 100% reliable. Fun to shoot. Feels good in my hand. I have a few carry guns but this is my number one.
I don't recall having any problems pulling back the slide. The trigger was rough at first but has smoothed out a lot with dry fire and lube. Not a bad price either.
 
Great EDC gun and I've had mine for about a year and a half. I carry it more than any of my other pistols in a kydex IWB. It has been trouble-free with 500 rounds. I'm very interested in the new model without the thumb safety. You would not be disappointed if you picked up a Shield.
 
I have the 40 and like it. My hands are large and it grips well. Good carry size but not jean pocket . Waist band , jacket, ankle carry all good.
 
I haven't paid them any attention, but now that a model is available without a manual safety, I might have to.
 
Thank you

Thank you all for your replies. They are very helpful as first hand knowledge can't be beat. I'm leaning towards the 9mm since I have a Beretta M9. This way I don't have to add another ammo size to what I already shoot. Not that it would be a problem. :D
 
I sold mine. For some reason, I kept hitting low with it. However, my friend's Shield did well for me. Weird.

They are reliable and pretty accurate. No issues really.
 
I recently switched from Kahr to Shield as my main carry. I already shoot the Shield far better than the Kahr despite having run well over 13,000 rounds through three Kahr pistols since ~2003.

I like having an external safety on a trigger as easy to pull as on the Shield, YMMV.

I've about 700 rounds through my 9mm Shield and about 250 through my .40S&W and have yet to have failure of any kind. I try to practice 50-100 rounds a week with the 9mm and carry the .40S&W. Savings in practice ammo costs relatively quickly pays for the 9mm version.
 
I, like several others have mentioned, also carried a Kahr. I still really like it but the trigger pull on it compared to the shield feels very long. I've been carrying the shield and actually do not engage the safety at all. My shield has been great out of the box. The only failures I had were due to what I found to be poor ammo and I personally do not have any issues pulling back the slide. However, the recoil spring is pretty tight.
 
I like mine, I almost wish I'd held out a little longer. I think I would have preferred the new variation, without thumb safety.
That said, I have no issues with the safety. 1911 "muscle memory" works out just fine.
I Need to get around to installing some Big Dots. I also wish Crimson Trace would come out with a Light Guard for these.
 
I traded a Kahr CM9 for one a few weeks ago. It's a small gun that shoots like a bigger gun. Fits my hand very well, good accuracy, and thin. It's too large for pocket carry but perfect for IWB. I only wish I'd have waited for one without an external safety. I'm a lefty and the safety is difficult for me to work. Yes, I can just leave it off but I'd prefer it weren't there.
 
I have the 9mm it preforms its role well, 1 bonus is that due to its smaller size my
wife will carry it around shes very comfortable with it not like some of my full sized larger
caliber options.
 
Orion8472 said:
I sold mine. For some reason, I kept hitting low with it. However, my friend's Shield did well for me. Weird.

They are reliable and pretty accurate. No issues really.
Click to expand...

There has recently been exposed an issue with some M&P's getting the wrong front sight...
not too unusual as some moron occasionally tosses the wrong size in the wrong box...in a rush/etc...
if you have one that shoots oddly low or high, measure it...and order the one you Need...
me, I'd get an upgrade to Tritium, or at least a fiber optic :)
 
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