S&W M&P Shield 9mm Review

[jfrey]

My wife called Academy today and the guy told her the show 25 in the warehouse so they should be hitting the stores next week. Other than that, just get on a list at your LGS and wait. They will eventually show up.

 

[shipwreck]

Well, I have two now... I REALLY like the Shield.


Previously, I've never liked M&Ps, because of the factory trigger. But, The Shield has a different trigger. And honestly - if I had just held it, I may not have liked it either. But, after renting the Kahr P9 and shooting the PM9 I already had - the Shield shot like a dream. Less recoil than both of those guns. THAT's what got me hooked. Better trigger, very accurate, and low recoil. I had to get one, and tracked one down 2 days later.


Ended up spending almost 2.5 months looking for another (which I finally got). As I stated in my previous post, I like the gun much more than the PM9 I had (sold it the same week I got the first Shield). And, I personally find it recoil less than the slightly larger double stack sub compact 9mms.

 

[Texas1911]

The ONLY issue I've found is the sights falling apart. Two of the dots have fell out of Mel's sights. No worries, I'm gonna put some night sights on this gun anyways. Other than that, it's a phenominal little pistol for the price point.

 

[Texas1911]

How does the Shield compare to the M&P 9c as far as size goes? I have the M&P 9c now and I really like it carry it daily in a pocket holster (yes, I said I carry it in my pocket). I've been considering getting another carry gun that is a little smaller than the 9c because sometimes the 9c just doesn't fit well in the pocket of certain pants or shorts that I have.

The Shield will just make pocket carry worse. It's a bit bigger.

It's ideal for IWB carry.

 

[Texas1911]

I was banging away at steel at 50 yards out at BOTW with my Shield. I love it, but I hadn't tried any 147 grain ammo through it. I will have to test that.

As a follow-up, I shot the same 147 grain ammo through it the other day and it seemed to do just fine at 7 yards. It's kinda hard to do an accuracy comparison at 25 yards with this little dude. So much that the shooter can do wrong with a small, light pistol.

 

[Rentz]

Well, I have two now... I REALLY like the Shield.


Previously, I've never liked M&Ps, because of the factory trigger. But, The Shield has a different trigger. And honestly - if I had just held it, I may not have liked it either. But, after renting the Kahr P9 and shooting the PM9 I already had - the Shield shot like a dream. Less recoil than both of those guns. THAT's what got me hooked. Better trigger, very accurate, and low recoil. I had to get one, and tracked one down 2 days later.


Ended up spending almost 2.5 months looking for another (which I finally got). As I stated in my previous post, I like the gun much more than the PM9 I had (sold it the same week I got the first Shield). And, I personally find it recoil less than the slightly larger double stack sub compact 9mms.

Yeah i keep hearing how soft the recoil is which has me interested
My pm9 is great for the size but i really hate practicing with it, beats up the hand and the recoil is stout.

 

[shipwreck]

Yes, I seem to get strung up by some Kahr owners or insulted when I claim that I did not care for the recoil on the PM9. They keep saying how "soft" it is.

It is less than a keltec 9mm, I think. But it isn't soft, and it isn't a fun gun to shoot.

As for the shield, I have done 450 rounds in one day thru it before, with no problem. Could have shot more.

 

[Texas1911]

Shot the Shield back to back with my Ruger SR9, the Shield is the better gun. I really like this pistol, and I'm NOT a small gun lover.

Meladee really likes it too.

 

[Danton]

Great review. Thanks very much.

I haven't fired a Shield, but I have absolutely no doubt it's an outstanding weapon. For me, though, comparing it to a PM9 is not apples-to-apples. I can fit my PM9 in the pocket of any pants I own, whereas the Shield is a holster-carried weapon. That's a huge distinction, IMO. Also, I've never found the PM9 to be painful to fire. I routinely put a couple hundred+ rounds through it at the range without any issues. The more appropriate compaison is with the P9 - it's much closer in size and also requires a holster. I'm guessing that I'd prefer the Shield, most likely in the .40, to my P9. But holstering up is a whole different deal than just sliding in a pocket pistol to run an errand or two, or when a holster and pistol are difficult to conceal due to clothing requirements.

 

[kfc903]

The ONLY issue I've found is the sights falling apart. Two of the dots have fell out of Mel's sights. No worries, I'm gonna put some night sights on this gun anyways. Other than that, it's a phenominal little pistol for the price point.

The paint on my sights chipped off as well, but some white out and a tooth pick fixed the issue and night sights will replace the factory ones sooon enough.

 

[tumbleweed]

The paint on my sights chipped off as well, but some white out and a tooth pick fixed the issue and night sights will replace the factory ones sooon enough.

$6 will get you some of the best glow in the dark toothpick-applied stuff on earth - Testors!

Glow in the Dark Paint - Allied Hobbies

 

[eclipse90]

How do you guys feel about the safety? I'm left handed and am interested in the shield bit would leave the safety off and do not want it to engage by mistake.

 

[jfrey]

The safety is a non-problem either way.