# Great carry pistol : M&P Shield 9



## pearsol (Dec 31, 2015)

I posted this in the gallery but thought I would start a thread anyway. Just got this and love the way it feels in my hand. Already gave it a good cleaning so I'm ready for the range. It feels real comfy on the hip Iwb carry.


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## Cait43 (Apr 4, 2013)

I have a 9mm Shield..... Great shooter easy to carry/conceal... I am sure you will like it.......

If you are interested in a laser this is a nice one......
LaserMax CF-SHIELD Centerfire Lasers for S&W M&P Shield 
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0080R1XCY/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o08_s01?ie=UTF8&psc=1


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## airweight442 (Jul 28, 2016)

Sweet...!


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## Craigh (Jul 29, 2016)

pearsol said:


> I posted this in the gallery but thought I would start a thread anyway. Just got this and love the way it feels in my hand. Already gave it a good cleaning so I'm ready for the range. It feels real comfy on the hip Iwb carry.


I love the S&W M&P Shield 9mm as an all around carry and defensive firearm. For the past few years, I'd been looking for a striker fired auto to replace my revolver as a backup and carry gun but couldn't settle on anything. Unfortunately, I'd passed on the S&W models to begin with more because I thought of them as my favorite revolver company. I wish now I hadn't. My Shield has turned out to be about as close to perfect for my needs as possible. It's comfortable on the hip. It's almost comfortable in a pocket holster. I can shoot it more accurately than all but my competition handguns. The round just goes where I point it with factory sights. Really nice. After around 1000 rounds of mixed batch ammo, it has not failed even once in any way, clean or dirty, ball or JHP. I bought a 600 rnds. of 124gr. Gold Dot a few years ago, and this Shield loves them. So do I. I think Gold Dot is the very best defense round.

Good luck with yours and have fun. You made a great decision.

Craig


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## SouthernBoy (Jun 27, 2007)

I've owned three Shields, two in 9mm and one in .40S&W, and still own the two 9mm versions. One of those has the externally settable safety and the other is void of that safety. The one with the safety lives in my secondary carry stable.

I use my Shield 9 for those times when I want a little deeper concealment and for those times, it is the near perfect sidearm. It is my vacation gun and as such, gets moved from its holster to a small pouch or glove box or console, hence the reason for having that settable safety. While it is not one of my primary carry guns, it fits its role for me perfectly. Perhaps the best of the lot in its category.


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## guardjim (Nov 4, 2011)

Shot a friends at the range and was really impressed. First time I'd touched one and at 25 yards I got one in the 8 ring and the rest were in the 9 and 10 rings on a B29 target.


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## Bisley (Aug 24, 2008)

I have warmed up to mine quite nicely, since fixing the awful trigger. I consider it to be as good as my XDs45, now.


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## BigHead (Jul 5, 2015)

It looks great.


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## kmanick (Sep 12, 2016)

being in Mass we get stuck with lousy 10 pound trigger pulls on all new guns without an external safety.
Once I had the trigger fixed, it became a very easy gun to shoot on target with.


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## aimtrue (Sep 16, 2016)

A Shield 9 is my EDC. It fits my needs for a concealable, reliable and accurate personal protector. 

With today’s powerful 9mm ammunition I think this pistol is a superior weapon.

That said, I am not pleased with the inconsistency of the S&W factory quality control.

I have two Shield 9’s without safety, one with safety and a Shield 40. One of the 9’s without safety was perfect out of the box. It has never failed to operate properly. 

The other 9 without safety suffered from three component failures. It took six month of repair to have this pistol operate properly.

The Shield 9 with safety is new and has not yet been tested.

The Shield 40 was sent back to S&W twice because of trigger problems.

The bottom line for me regarding the Shield is that once working correctly, it is an outstanding small pistol. If S&W quality control was efficient and marketed pistols that were sent out from the factory in proper condition, I would say that the shield in all its variations was the best small pistol being sold today.


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## berettatoter (Sep 1, 2011)

pearsol said:


> View attachment 4938
> View attachment 4946
> 
> I posted this in the gallery but thought I would start a thread anyway. Just got this and love the way it feels in my hand. Already gave it a good cleaning so I'm ready for the range. It feels real comfy on the hip Iwb carry.


Yup, I like my Shield 9 too:

I pretty much carry it in a Fobus paddle holster, and even with lighter "warm weather" clothes, it carries quite well. Shoots great too! :smt033


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## ddostie900 (May 22, 2016)

My first pistol as well. Shot about 1000 rounds through it before I learned how bad the trigger is in comparison to others. Simply shopping and dry firing rental guns at the range was all it took to spook me. I bought the apex carry kit with aluminum trigger and installed it all myself (thanks You Tube). Huge improvement. I'm in NY so since it's been a year post-permit, I'm eligible in Saratoga County for an unrestricted permit. I'll probably get that just in time to move out of this awful state!


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## Babbalou1956 (Sep 2, 2014)

I just rented one about 2 hours ago & liked it. More than I thought I would. The trigger was pretty good but this one probably had a few thousand rounds through it. Made a lot of 1" ragged holes at 7 yards offhand. Felt really good in the hand. So far I've rented a Glock 43, Springfield XD-S, Ruger LC9S, Walther PPS M2 & the M&P Shield 9mm. My personal favorites are the Walther & Shield. I'd have to shoot both back to back to choose my favorite of these 2. These are the only 9mm single stack pistols I consistently shot better than my Ruger LCR .38, which has me thinking about making the switch in the near future. Will rent both again next trip to the range & maybe make a choice. If it's a tie, well the Shield is cheaper so...


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## stonebuster (Jul 16, 2017)

*Shield 9 Performance Center*

I was looking at new 9 M&P shields last winter when a Performance Center model appeared for sale at the range I go to. It had only 40-50 rounds through it and for some reason the guy didn't want it anymore. Tritium night sites, improved trigger, and ported barrel for the price they were asking for the standard model. I'm sure I'd have liked the standard model also but for the same price I had to grab it. It's surprisingly accurate for a 3.1 inch barrel and those night sights are great for an old dude like me in the dark. A friend who has the standard model says he can feel the difference in the trigger and says it doesn't flip as much with ported barrel. It's easy on the hands too for a 19 oz. gun and it conceals so easily I forget it's in my vest pocket(in a sticky holster). With the rebates now it's amazing how cheap you can get them. I've put about 400 rounds through it so far without any hickups at all. I'm very pleased with the gun so far.


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## pblanc (Mar 3, 2015)

Well, I bought a 9mm Shield with manual safety having been lured by the rebate offer (which I have yet to receive having submitted it in mid-April). I bought it specifically for IWB concealed carry. I am reluctant to carry a striker-fired handgun without a manual safety IWB.

My overall impression is so-so. The size is attractive and the thinness of the pistol makes it easy to carry IWB. But my hands are somewhat above average in size and pistols with chunky grips like the SIG P229, Beretta 92FS, or Beretta Cougar are just more comfortable in my hand. The grip feels way too thin to be comfortable for me but I realize that the primary design criteria of a pistol of this type do not necessarily include shooting comfort. I am getting a little better dealing with the short sight radius, but my accuracy with this pistol still leaves something to be desired.

I find the stock sights to be decent. The slide stop lever is quite awkward to engage and disengage, and the recoil spring is very stiff making it a bit of a challenge to rack the slide. The safety lever is small and somewhat awkward to put "on safe" but I find it fairly easy to sweep it off safe with the mid-portion of my thumb.

The worst part by far is the trigger. M&P pistols are just about the only popular striker-fired pistols that have stock trigger actions that I find worse than those of stock Glocks, and that is saying something. I will see if I warm up to this pistol. If I do and decide to keep it, I may go ahead and do the Apex trigger/action enhancement thing.


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## Bisley (Aug 24, 2008)

pblanc said:


> ...I will see if I warm up to this pistol. If I do and decide to keep it, I may go ahead and do the Apex trigger/action enhancement thing.


I never warmed up to mine till I put the Apex trigger parts in it.


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## berettatoter (Sep 1, 2011)

pblanc said:


> Well, I bought a 9mm Shield with manual safety having been lured by the rebate offer (which I have yet to receive having submitted it in mid-April). I bought it specifically for IWB concealed carry. I am reluctant to carry a striker-fired handgun without a manual safety IWB.
> 
> My overall impression is so-so. The size is attractive and the thinness of the pistol makes it easy to carry IWB. But my hands are somewhat above average in size and pistols with chunky grips like the SIG P229, Beretta 92FS, or Beretta Cougar are just more comfortable in my hand. The grip feels way too thin to be comfortable for me but I realize that the primary design criteria of a pistol of this type do not necessarily include shooting comfort. I am getting a little better dealing with the short sight radius, but my accuracy with this pistol still leaves something to be desired.
> 
> ...


I don't have any issues with my trigger, but then again, I tend to like a heavier trigger anyways....at least on a pistol.


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## Kayge (Jul 21, 2017)

I've been carrying a shield for about a year now in .40 cal. Great shooting gun, easy to conceal. . my only real issue is the fitment of the magazines. Not thats its a deal breaker, but having that gap at the bottom of the magazine well just makes it look a bit cheap. I thought at some point the spring in the mag would soften up some and it would seat all the way in but no such luck.


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## Clerk (Oct 31, 2016)

pearsol said:


> View attachment 4938
> View attachment 4946
> 
> I posted this in the gallery but thought I would start a thread anyway. Just got this and love the way it feels in my hand. Already gave it a good cleaning so I'm ready for the range. It feels real comfy on the hip Iwb carry.


pearsol,

I just bought one for my early X-Mas gift to myself. Can't wait to get it as I have to wait ten days first.

Clerk


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## berettatoter (Sep 1, 2011)

Kayge said:


> I've been carrying a shield for about a year now in .40 cal. Great shooting gun, easy to conceal. . my only real issue is the fitment of the magazines. Not thats its a deal breaker, but having that gap at the bottom of the magazine well just makes it look a bit cheap. I thought at some point the spring in the mag would soften up some and it would seat all the way in but no such luck.


Yup, S&W most certainly puts stiff magazine springs in!


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## Capt Rick Hiott (Aug 22, 2010)

I like the 9mm shield so much,,,I bought the 40 and the 45.
The 45 is a little different. The texture on the grip is more aggressive, its wider, and the trigger is better.............I like it!


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## Babbalou1956 (Sep 2, 2014)

The Shield 2.0 is in stores now & I've watched a few videos & read a few articles. People like it. Minor changes; more stippling on the grip & the trigger is a little better. Some said it's the same weight trigger, others said it's a little lighter but most people did say it's a little crisper & has a more noticeable reset. Also you can get it with a laser integrated into the frame for a whopping $20 more. They say it's available now & I've seen them on Gunwatcher for under $400. Update: I think they may be using the Performance Center trigger in the 2.0. Maybe different spring rates, I don't know. What I've read is that the 2.0 trigger is 5.5 lbs vs the Performance Center trigger at 6.5 lbs.


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## csm19z5m (Oct 4, 2017)

aimtrue said:


> A Shield 9 is my EDC. It fits my needs for a concealable, reliable and accurate personal protector.
> 
> With today's powerful 9mm ammunition I think this pistol is a superior weapon.
> 
> ...


It bothers me that firearm manufacturers don't run a bunch of rounds through each gun before shipping them. They could save their customers a lot of grief if they did so. When I have a custom rifle built the smith always shoots at least a box of rounds through it before delivery. Never had one delivered with a defect.......... ever. I realize custom guns are a little different animal but why should the customer be responsible for the manufacturers quality control?


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