I'm thinking about getting one of these and would like opinions, pros and cons of these. Also if you know of any good deals on them it would be appreciated. thanks

I have a 40S&W and a 45ACP shield love them both! A PC shield ???????? Is that like an anti virus?
You missed the rebate a few months ago could have ot one for less then $300

quote:

Originally posted by kcl1960:
A PC shield ????????

PC = Performance Center. The PC version has some nice upgrades, but has a ported barrel. I personally wouldn't want a ported barrel on a SD gun. YMMV.

I have had my Shield for almost two years and it has been flawless. But with some of the issues with the frame on the Shield I would personally go with the 2.0 version.

I disagree with the statement about ported guns. Many of the myth such as loss of night vision, debris blowing up, etc have been proved false by many videos on YouTube. I got my wife a PC shield. It is fantastic. Wished I bought 2.

Like I said Beanhead, YMMV. And the "myths" you referred to are NOT the reasons why I wouldn't want a ported barrel. For me the primary reason is the increased noise level of a ported barrel vs a non ported barrel. Since I don't go out in public with hearing protection on. Next is the decrease in muzzle velocity that a ported barrel has. Plus since in some SD situations your draw and fire is very close to the body. I wouldn't want that flash next to my body.

quote:

Originally posted by Sparkyk:
Like I said Beanhead, YMMV. And the "myths" you referred to are NOT the reasons why I wouldn't want a ported barrel. For me the primary reason is the increased noise level of a ported barrel vs a non ported barrel. Since I don't go out in public with hearing protection on. Next is the decrease in muzzle velocity that a ported barrel has. Plus since in some SD situations your draw and fire is very close to the body. I wouldn't want that flash next to my body.

I agree whole-heatedly. I can even relay from personal experience that handguns with ported barrels can and do provide a higher degree of probability of powder and bullet jacket residue going the shooter's direction, depending on the barrel / comp. I am not a fan of comps on pistols or rifles mostly because of the added muzzle blast vs. the minimal benefit they would offer me in regular use, at least for the calibers I own and shoot. While anecdotal, I personally know more people that do not / have not liked the Shield with the ported barrel than do, but like Sparkyk said, YMMV.

I had an original Shield until recently which due to the minimal monetary loss I took on the sale because of the rebate I took advantage of, sold it in order to get an M2.0 Shield 9mm with the integrated red laser from Sportsman Outdoor Superstore. You can check out my thread about it but considering I was able to order it for $359.99 shipped, it made my decision easy. I already have spare magazines for the original Shield which are interchangeable with the M2.0 so that helps too. The only difference is the small area of texture on the sleeve of the 8 round magazines. The mag bodies and function are identical for both the 7 and 8 rounders.

What surprised me most about the Shield was how much it feels like a much bigger gun when shooting it, not weight-wise obviously, but how it handles recoil. It is very comfortable to shoot for its size, but the slide IS initially a bit on the stiffer side to retract so it could pose a challenge for those with hand strength issues. It seems to get better as the recoil spring breaks in though. I'm looking forward to receiving my M2.0 Shield this coming week and getting it to the range.

With the improvements and relatively minimal price difference since there is currently no rebates on the originals (you can get a non-laser M2.0 in the $340 range +/-), I would go with the M2.0 version.

I have the PC Shield in 9mm and the new 2.0 Shield with intregated CT Green laser, both are great little guns and work well for EDC, but like the other poster I feel the ported barrel is best used during the day light hours, it creates quit a bright blast, but it is a nice gun, with a nice trigger, my new 2.0 is even nicer, better grip surface, once you grasp the gun, it stays put even in rappid fire, it has an improved trigger, the standard sights are right on, and so was the green laser, I carry the intregated laser shield in a Vedder kydex holster, for two reasons, the switch on the laser can be turned on by either side, and needs to be kept away from accidently being switched on, this kydex holster keeps it turned off and out of the way from the user until needed, it's a nice option, if handled this way, otherwise a CT laser guard would be better if the gun was to be used in a pocket without a holster, but I advice using a pocket holster always to be safe, hope this helps, they have a night sight version which I would have opted for if I had not wanted the intregated laser..all options are worth looking at...

Thanks for the replies! Sounds like the Shield 2.0 might be the best deal for me.

I have both, PC 45 and regular Shield 45. I got the Shield in August of 16 and the Pc in Oct of 17. The Shield is well broken-in, the pc looks good. Other than that, there is no difference.

My issue with the PC version is the dumb fiber optic Sights. These are carry guns not target pistols. Night Sights or nothing

Just got a 2.0 9MM Shield with Night sights. Came with an extra mag too.
Fit/Finish very good, reliability very good. Eats/Extracts everything I feed it.
Added the slip-on Hogue rubber grip, and it adds a little more heft to the grip, along with Pierce Mag extensions for my fat hands.
BUT I found the accuracy to be a challenge and it had to go back to S&W for sight work.
I am still adapting my grip/ammo to get good groups with it at just 7 yards.
Never had a problem with my Sigs at MUCH longer ranges.
S&W advises it's NOT a Target Gun.
I agree.

quote:

Originally posted by Dusty78:
My issue with the PC version is the dumb fiber optic Sights. These are carry guns not target pistols. Night Sights or nothing

Personal preference. Not all carry guns have to have glow in the dark sights.

quote:

Originally posted by Ryanp225:

quote:

Originally posted by Dusty78:
My issue with the PC version is the dumb fiber optic Sights. These are carry guns not target pistols. Night Sights or nothing

Personal preference. Not all carry guns have to have glow in the dark sights.

You are right totally makes sense for a gun with a ported barrel to be fired at night without night Sights

A set of Ameriglo night Sights with yellow or orange fluorescent front sight paint will work just as well as fiber optic Sights in daylight conditions and has the added bonus of being able to be seen at night. I think the Shield is a great gun but the PC is a gimmick pistol. The shield already has some of the lowest felt recoil of any of he small single stacks. Just goes to show you how far the performance center at S&W has fallen. They used to make masterpieces not gimmicks.

quote:

Originally posted by Dusty78:

quote:

Originally posted by Ryanp225:

quote:

Originally posted by Dusty78:
My issue with the PC version is the dumb fiber optic Sights. These are carry guns not target pistols. Night Sights or nothing

Personal preference. Not all carry guns have to have glow in the dark sights.

You are right totally makes sense for a gun with a potted barrel to be fired at night without night Sights

A set of Ameriglo night Sights with yellow or fluorescent front sight paint will work just as well as fiber optic Sights in daylight conditions and has the added bonus of being able to be seen at night. I think the Shield is a great gun but the PC is a gimmick pistol. The shield already has some of the lowest felt recoil of any of he small single stacks. Just goes to show you how far the performance center at S&W has fallen. They used to make masterpieces not gimmicks.

I didn't mention a thing about a ported barrel now did I. I was speaking ONLY about preferences on types of sights.
No need to be condescending.

quote:

Originally posted by Ryanp225:

quote:

Originally posted by Dusty78:

quote:

Originally posted by Ryanp225:

quote:

Originally posted by Dusty78:
My issue with the PC version is the dumb fiber optic Sights. These are carry guns not target pistols. Night Sights or nothing

Personal preference. Not all carry guns have to have glow in the dark sights.

You are right totally makes sense for a gun with a potted barrel to be fired at night without night Sights

A set of Ameriglo night Sights with yellow or fluorescent front sight paint will work just as well as fiber optic Sights in daylight conditions and has the added bonus of being able to be seen at night. I think the Shield is a great gun but the PC is a gimmick pistol. The shield already has some of the lowest felt recoil of any of he small single stacks. Just goes to show you how far the performance center at S&W has fallen. They used to make masterpieces not gimmicks.

I didn't mention a thing about a ported barrel now did I. I was speaking ONLY about preferences on types of sights.
No need to be condescending.

Sorry. but we are specifically talking about fiber optic Sights on a shield carry pistol that comes with a porter barrel.

One of the reasons that I was a bit hesitant to sell my original Shield was not only is the Shield one of the softest if not the softest recoiling compact single stack 9mm pistol, it was also just as accurate for me as a good full size pistol up to 10 to 15 yards which is as far as I had shot my original. I was very impressed at how accurate it was and how easily it seemed to get bullseye hits with to the point where it was just as fun and enjoyable using it as a "range gun" as practicing with it as a compact carry piece.

If my M2.0 is just the equal of my original accuracy-wise, I'll be a happy camper. I'll definitely be pushing it out to 25 yards too to see what it can do at longer range. I find the standard Shield sights to be excellent as far as three dot stock sights go and with the integrated laser and the small flashlight in my pocket, should be a great companion night or day.

Just ordered the Shield 2.0 9mm with laser from Sportsman's Outdoor Superstore Order. I look forward to shooting it.

I think you will be very happy with it. I just took mine to the range this weekended and very happy with mine. It is every bit as accurate as my 1.0 was (very accurate!) and functioned flawlessly with all 115, 124, and 147gr ammo. Mine seems to really like the 147gr HSTs which is great because those and the 124gr HSTs are my go to rounds for defensive use. (non +P) Love the M2.0 grip and the trigger breaks nicely too. Just make sure your laser adjustment and disassembly tool is in the box when you get it. I didn't notice mine was missing until right before I went to the range so I only used the laser for a couple of mags to see the approximate range it may be set for until I get the tool. Looks like mine hits the dot at around 15+ yards, but again, the first time out I was concentrating on function and using the sights. I called S&W about the missing tool and they promptly shipped one out to me to be received soon.

One thing I did notice is that the 1.0 8 round mags are a little harder to seat that the 2.0 mags due to what looks like a very slight difference in the height of the sleeves. When the slide is locked back you don't really notice it much but when the slide is forward, even without ammo in it, it is noticeably harder to seat. S&W says they will have the M2.0 Shield sleeves available in the next couple of weeks to buy separately for those that want them.

This is my first Shield so I don't have have 1.0 mags to use. I'm glad to hear that you are pleased with yours. I wasn't sure about getting the laser mounted one, but for $20 more it sounded like an easy decision. Is the laser removeable?

The housing is not removable as it is literally part of the frame so the batteries have to be accessed from the inside. It does have small adjustment holes that are accessible from the outside though. The laser itself can be disassembled from the inside per the instructions, but since mine was missing the disassembly / adjustment tool, I didn't really mess with it yet from that aspect. The activation buttons are nice and flush and need a moderate amount of pressure to activate so they don't activate accidentally. I found it pretty easy to turn on with my trigger finger in a drawing motion and I have hands that are on the smaller side. The only way I could see someone maybe having a bit of an issue turning the laser on is if you have large, fat fingers (no offense!) since the button is so flush with the frame. Other than that, I found it a very nice perk for only $20 difference and holster makers are already making holsters for the integrated laser pistols in many cases.