Another idea- buy an air gun and practice in garage or basement. The low velocity of the air gun forces you to control grip trigger and follow through to get acceptable results

If you like the pistol and want to figure out how to make it work for you, dry fire is the answer, or at least the place to start. Aim at something small, get a solid focus on your front sight, and dry-fire the snot out of that thing. Adjust your hands so that your palms are engaging the grip firmly so that the gun can't slide in your hands, and give it whatever amount of trigger finger it takes to be able to press the trigger to the rear without causing the sights to move. Work that out in dry fire...find what works the best and practice it a bunch. You can balance a coin or empty shell casing on the front sight while you press the trigger to make sure you're not inadvertently moving the gun.

bulldog……it COULD be the weapon. I’m not an advanced marksman or sharpshooter, but I also don’t suck.

My buddy bought a Ruger 9mm. We were at the indoor range and he seemed to be having trouble getting a decent grouping. He asked me to try, and it was so bad, I think I was hitting the target in the next stall. Not really, but just trying to make a point.

I’d work with someone to make sure it isn’t YOU and that it IS the gun. Just for peace of mind. JMHO…

I once was having a heck of a time getting a semi-rapid centered group with my p225. I mentioned my struggles with the then owner of the range who offered to give my gun a try..... well, it sure was not the gun! At least for me, it was a skill issue that a competent instructor ( in this case the range owner) was able help me correct.

Silent

Thanks for all the replies.

More training. Dry fire. Bigger grips.

I’ve been trying to study my mechanics at home, and I think a big part of it comes down to how large my hands are compared to the Shield.

Because the frame is so small and skinny I’m feel like I have to grip it harder and in a weird way, since I can only really get two fingers on the grip.

I think that causes me to lose the trigger finger gap. With a heavy trigger pull I’m just manhandling it when it goes off.

The PPQ has always felt perfect in my hand.

I’d like to try to increase the grip size of the shield and possibly reduce the trigger pull.


I’ve signed up for a 90 minute private fundamentals class at my local range.

Appreciate all the responses. I’ll check back in when I’ve tuned up a bit.


Thanks everyone for not being hypercritical. We all have something to work on.

quote:

Originally posted by fwbulldog:
Thanks for all the replies.

More training. Dry fire. Bigger grips.

I’ve been trying to study my mechanics at home, and I think a big part of it comes down to how large my hands are compared to the Shield.

Because the frame is so small and skinny I’m feel like I have to grip it harder and in a weird way, since I can only really get two fingers on the grip.

I think that causes me to lose the trigger finger gap. With a heavy trigger pull I’m just manhandling it when it goes off.

The PPQ has always felt perfect in my hand.

I’d like to try to increase the grip size of the shield and possibly reduce the trigger pull.


I’ve signed up for a 90 minute private fundamentals class at my local range.

Appreciate all the responses. I’ll check back in when I’ve tuned up a bit.


Thanks everyone for not being hypercritical. We all have something to work on.

I had that same problem with the P365. The gun was just to small for me to comfortably close my hand around and still be able to manipulate the trigger properly without contorting my hand. I fixed the girth with a Hogue handall grip sleeve, and jammed my finger way into the trigger guard (past the first knuckle) to get a proper trigger pull. The combination of these two things allowed me to shoot it accurately, but I ultimately decided to just carry a bigger gun. I have the same issue with guns like the LCP, and even to some extent the P239. I can make them work, but it's not comfortable.

The Apex trigger is a huge improvement. Highly recommend.

Another way to help with the grip, I use the larger magazines and installed a Magguts kit that gives two extra rounds.
The base plate is slightly longer whi may help wi your grip, and the kits have been flawless in both my Shield and P365.

I carry a Shield, shoot it pretty well.
I shoot my USP Compact 9mm better and try to carry it more depending on cover requirements.
A plus is the increased capacity.

Do you need to simply get rid of it?
My answer is NO.

Practice, train, Apex trigger (it is what is in mine), better sights (I have TruGlo but XS big dot might be better).

Just to give up and say it's the gun is premature in my opinion.

Mostly practice will fix this.

Don't give up.

I just want to add that this is a great example of how helpful SigForum is to newer shooters. Really helpful yet diverse advice, no flaming. From the OP: non-defensive response that shows he's listening and seriously want to improve. The boss steps in with his advice; others disagree, again without hostility on anyone's part. This is why I keep coming back.

I am in the bigger grips division. I always liked my 365’s but it wasn’t until I shot my first WC grip that everything really snapped into place. So maybe some Talons to start and go from there?

TL;DR: Agree w/ Para. Get a different gun.

Long version:
I've owned a PPQ and a Shield 1.0, both in 9mm. PPQ has one of the best triggers on the market. Shield 1.0 & 2.0 trigger IMHO is mediocre or acceptable.

I bought the Shield largely due to wide praise and recommendations on this forum. I wanted to like it, but I shot it about as well as you do. I got rid of it, b/c my philosophy is that any handgun I own for self-defense should be something that doesn't require a lot of effort & concentration on my part to shoot well.

All these responses about, you need more training... Well sure, but if you spend that same time training w/ a gun that feels more natural, comfortable, & intuitive to you, then won't your shooting be that much better? Some shooters don't like manual thumb safeties. Some dislike Glock's grip angle. If they trained enough, they could adapt to the gun, but wouldn't it be more efficient to get a gun w/o a thumb safety or w/ a grip angle they prefer?

The Hogue rubber grip cover is inexpensive and worth a try. It might do the trick. What worked for me was getting a Shield Plus. I bought one not expecting to like it due to my experience w/ the Shield 1.0. Turns out the slightly wider grip and especially the new trigger make all the difference for me. It's one of my favorites now. Shield Plus has the best trigger out of the entire M&P line.

As Para posted, there are too many options out there to be forcing yourself to adapt to a gun. S&W has a $50 rebate on Shield Plus, so it can be had in the low-to-mid $300 range right now, which is a hell of a bargain. Canik Mete MC9 is under $400 and probably has the best trigger of all the micro 9s. Walther PPS is the same size as a Shield but has a much better trigger.

Not all guns work for all people. With that said, Talon grips completely changed my original Shield for me, for the better.