In 2020 after moving to a free state, I transitioned my daily carry away from my Walther PPS Classic to a P365XL. The SIG really is a wonderful platform, it’s soft shooting and accurate. My issue with the gun is the size of the grip. I have XL hands and it’s just too small for my mitts, especially the front to back dimension. No matter how I adjust my grip, I can’t make good contact with the gun on my support hand. Because of this, I shoot the ugly PPS better, but I really want a higher round count on board.

So Ive been spending some time in the local gun shop trying the different offerings that may provide a better fit. The SC920 is better, but not ideal, the Hellcat and FN offerings are similar to the SIG. I’ve owned the G48, but it wasn’t my cup of tea.

I think I have settled on the Shield Plus Performance series but haven’t found any in my area to rent. The two I am considering are the 3.1” ported, and the 4” ported. I don’t run an optic, so that’s not a concern, the no rail is unfortunate but there are ways around that.

For those of you that have or have shot either or both, I would like to hear your experience, likes, dislikes etc. I understand the risk / concerns with ported carry guns, but I’m fine with the risks.

I carry the old Shield (for now) but I have looked and a Plus for replacement.
The 4" barrel interested me the most.
If I were to go with a lesser length barrel I would just get a regular Shield Plus, upgrade the sights and trigger.

My gen 1 Shield has the Apex Trigger and a TruGLo sight.
I prefer a safety on striker-fired carry guns.
Although the safety on the Shield is way too small and more difficult to operate quickly.
I wish it were more distinctive so it were easily defeated on a draw.
The 4 inch barrel does sound nice to me.

In the mean time I may just switch to my HK UPS Compact as an upgrade, since I installed the GrayGuns reset upgrade it is quite a nice shooter.

YMMV

quote:

Originally posted by smschulz:
I prefer a safety on striker-fired carry guns.
Although the safety on the Shield is way too small and more difficult to operate quickly.
I wish it were more distinctive so it were easily defeated on a draw.
The 4 inch barrel does sound nice to me.

You should give the S&W Equalizer a close look. Similar in size to Shield Plus (uses same mags), normal size thumb safety, grip safety, and 3.675" barrel.

https://www.smith-wesson.com/product/s-w-equalizer-ts

I consider myself recoil sensitive. I tried a 3.1" ported PC model and didn't find a noticeable difference from my standard Shield Plus. I haven't tried the 4", but I think if you want to mitigate snappiness, you'd probably have better luck buying an aftermarket threaded barrel and attaching a micro comp, such as the one from Griffin Armament.

https://www.griffinarmament.co...fits-gen-1-and-m2-0/

I have a .40 3 inch PC ported Shield. Worst recoiling small pistol I have ever shot. Based on this experience I would urge you to stick with 9mm, regardless of the model you choose.

quote:

Originally posted by iron chef:
I consider myself recoil sensitive. I tried a 3.1" ported PC model and didn't find a noticeable difference from my standard Shield Plus. I haven't tried the 4", but I think if you want to mitigate snappiness, you'd probably have better luck buying an aftermarket threaded barrel and attaching a micro comp, such as the one from Griffin Armament.

https://www.griffinarmament.co...fits-gen-1-and-m2-0/

Don’t waste your money, those things are worthless. Just practice with the gun, shoot the snot out of it and learn to handle the recoil a little better. I don’t think it’s bad honestly, if you think that’s super snappy for a small pistol go shoot an XDS or a kel Tec pf9.

I’ve even compared it side by side to a 365 and I liked both, they shot very similarly but I felt like the shield plus shot a little better.

I don't have the PC model, but I do have a non-ported Shield Plus and am quite impressed with the trigger S&W put into it. It is much nicer than anything they have done prior. It shoots like a dream- mild,smooth and reliable. Compared to other similarly sized guns I have, it's one of my favorites because of the trigger/trigger pull. I did own a PC Shield 2.0 but I couldn't tell the difference between it and a standard 2.0 trigger/pull, if that helps. The extra length/weight of the barrel is nice though when shooting.

The grip texture is much nicer than prior texturing on the standard 1.0 and 2.0. If you are looking to carry it IWB without an undershirt, like I do in Fl., you might want to lightly sand down the side that will be against your skin, with some automotive type sandpaper but you don't have to do much. I seem to have to do this no matter what gun I carry, other than Glock.

With the PC models, they did it right when it comes to the fiber optic sights, in my opinion. They have a yellow/green front and a red rear, which helps my eyes focus on the front sight faster.

With that said, I rented a P365 Macro Comp at the range a couple days ago and am impressed with the recoil/feel due to the built in comp. If the S&W is anything like it, it will be an amazing gun to have.

Agree with patw. Despite its recoil, my PC is reliable, very accurate and has great sights. Its trigger is very good.

Keep in mind that S&W has $50 rebate on Shield Plus until the end of the year.

I am in the same boat on that I still CCW my original PPS 9MM and also like the Shield Plus after shooting it and found it to be a really sweet shooter for me but many other options I tried not so much. Too bad SIG does not make a grip module for the P365 series with a grip similar to the Shield Plus. There are a few aftermarket ones but don't want to chance them at their price tag.

I am probably going to get the optics ready Shield Plus with external safety. I don't need the OR but it comes with better sights too. LGS had Shield Plus (though limited supply) for $299 after rebate recently but only the non safety version.

I have the shield plus, no manual safety, with night sights (tritium). Really like this. For me it is better than the G43 series, which I really have to watch or it slide bites me badly. I don't get that with the shield series as it sits differently in my hand even with a super high grip.

I find them very accurate for what they are, and easy to shoot. Easier than a G43 or a P365, but as others have pointed out, all of this is subjective to you the individual. My only gripe is I wish it had a rail to hang something like a TLR7-sub from. You can get a TLR6, but those are less than ideal, imho. I carry good flashlights, but living in Alaska I believe a WML is an important part of the kit. If you need it you need it now, and it's dark here for long stretches.

Overall though, I like the shield pistols, especially the plus & 45 variants.

I currently have a standard 3.1" Shield Plus and I previously owned a Performance Center 4" Shield Plus (no comp or sight plate). I had them both at the same time and frankly the Performance Center 4" Shield Plus didn't shoot any better than the 3.1" standard.

I had the PC 4" for about a year before I decided to trade it off and I kept the 3.1".

I have decided to stay with the 3.1 version for smaller footprint. The only thing that bothers me about the PC version, is you can’t get the 3.1 without a safety. I know it’s small and I could probably just not use it, but the thought of it engaging at a critical moment is burning a hike in my brain.

^^^ Then just get the non-PC version and consider a trigger and sight upgrade.

I have also considered the M&P Compact 2.0 albeit a slightly larger pistol because of a better designed safety.

Try the Wilson combat grip module on your 365. I had the same issue as you. This made my 365 much better and I also shoot it better.

quote:

Originally posted by clandis:
Try the Wilson combat grip module on your 365. I had the same issue as you. This made my 365 much better and I also shoot it better.

Does it increase the length of pull?

Ah, this thread was meant for me! I had a PPS M2 LE that I shot lights out with. Wanted one of these new high cap wonder 9's. Went to the local range and rented a P365 and couldn't hit the broad side of a barn with it. Keep in mind I'm a seasoned IDPA shooter and while not a Grand Master I'm fairly decent. Realized the grip was just too small front to back which is why I always shot the PPS so well. Researched till I was blue in the face and landed on an S&W Shield Plus Performance Center. Went back and forth over 3" and 4" and realized the 4" is barely longer than the 3" PPS. Settled on this exact model:

https://www.smith-wesson.com/p...er-m-p-9-shield-plus

I've been carrying it for a while now and have shot in several matches. It's wonderful! Swapped the sights for some Trijicon HD's and that's all she wrote. Can have 10, 13, or 15 rd mags. I carry the 13's IWB summer time and 15's in winter. Wouldn't change a thing.

Yes it increases the pull and fills the hand better. I also added talon grips to the Wilson module. Helps even more.

I know the OP mentioned not wanting/needing an optic, but be advised some Shield Pluses have a slanted optics cut that for some users, with certain optics, report to have been unable to zero their optics. My Plus (s/n prefix JPN) has that slant, but I have not mounted an optic to it. I measured the slant, and it’s about a .014” difference between front and rear.

I have no idea if this is intentional or not. I do know at least two machine shops offer machining to correct that slant. I have not contacted S&W about this, and it seems there is very little info out there about it. I really like the Plus, as it feels much better in the hand than a regular Shield. Just wanted to pass this along for everyone’s consideration.

quote:

Originally posted by tcop143:
I know the OP mentioned not wanting/needing an optic, but be advised some Shield Pluses have a slanted optics cut that for some users, with certain optics, report to have been unable to zero their optics. My Plus (s/n prefix JPN) has that slant, but I have not mounted an optic to it. I measured the slant, and it’s about a .014” difference between front and rear.

I have no idea if this is intentional or not. I do know at least two machine shops offer machining to correct that slant. I have not contacted S&W about this, and it seems there is very little info out there about it. I really like the Plus, as it feels much better in the hand than a regular Shield. Just wanted to pass this along for everyone’s consideration.

Thank you. Since you can’t get a slide combination that is both optic ready and ported unless you get the 4” version, I was thinking I’d go for the factory porting for reliability, and have the slide cut for an optic if I ever choose to mount one.

quote:

Originally posted by tcop143:
I know the OP mentioned not wanting/needing an optic, but be advised some Shield Pluses have a slanted optics cut that for some users, with certain optics, report to have been unable to zero their optics. My Plus (s/n prefix JPN) has that slant, but I have not mounted an optic to it. I measured the slant, and it’s about a .014” difference between front and rear.

I have no idea if this is intentional or not. I do know at least two machine shops offer machining to correct that slant. I have not contacted S&W about this, and it seems there is very little info out there about it. I really like the Plus, as it feels much better in the hand than a regular Shield. Just wanted to pass this along for everyone’s consideration.

Thank you.

Since Smith doesn’t offer the 3.1” PC version with porting and an optic cut, I think I would get the factory porting and pay an after market vendor to do the slide milling if I ever decide to mount an optic.