I've only owned Sigs. Never owned Striker fire. I just happened upon a friend that offered to give me his Shield for $250, hardly used. Couldn't pass it up. I think it will be my EDC gun as it's a good bit smaller than my P250. (Next on the list is P938 but I don't have those funds right now).

I've carried one since they came out. Great gun, carries small, but feels like a larger gun when I shoot it.

Fine little gun. Like Phred, I think it shoots larger than it is. If you want to "enhance" the trigger, etc. APEX has some options for you.

I've had a few people recommend Apex trigger. It's a bit pricey but on my list for the future. So carry this gun with a round chambered and safety on, correct?

quote:

Originally posted by Cobra21:
Fine little gun. Like Phred, I think it shoots larger than it is. If you want to "enhance" the trigger, etc. APEX has some options for you.

So what,it shoots like a Glock 19?

quote:

Originally posted by frayedends:
I've had a few people recommend Apex trigger. It's a bit pricey but on my list for the future. So carry this gun with a round chambered and safety on, correct?

I have six M&Ps and have Apex triggers in three. The others didn't need it. The Shield is one that did not need it at all. I have shot several other Shields whose triggers were good enough. They shoot well as they are.
Yes, carry it with a round chambered.
I don't use the manual safety, and some Shields come without them. Depends on what you are comfortable doing.
If you are not familiar with using the Shields safety, it is best to disengage it using the side of the knuckle of your thumb, instead of the side pad of the thumb.

quote:

Originally posted by Arty:

quote:

Originally posted by frayedends:
I've had a few people recommend Apex trigger. It's a bit pricey but on my list for the future. So carry this gun with a round chambered and safety on, correct?

I have six M&Ps and have Apex triggers in three. The others didn't need it. The Shield is one that did not need it at all. I have shot several other Shields whose triggers were good enough. They shoot well as they are.
Yes, carry it with a round chambered.
I don't use the manual safety, and some Shields come without them. Depends on what you are comfortable doing.
If you are not familiar with using the Shields safety, it is best to disengage it using the side of the knuckle of your thumb, instead of the side pad of the thumb.

Thanks Arty. I just tried using the knuckle of the thumb and that makes a lot of sense from an ergonomic standpoint. I'm in MA and this has a 10.5 lb trigger pull. Not sure how much difference the Apex will be but all of my local friends are recommending it. I'll see once I get it to the range. It feels fine dry firing.

quote:

Originally posted by frayedends:
I've had a few people recommend Apex trigger. It's a bit pricey but on my list for the future. So carry this gun with a round chambered and safety on, correct?

I say carry it the way you are most comfortable. If you are used to swiping the safety on the draw then fine. For me, the shield safety is under sized and more difficult to disengage. I prefer to use a quality holster and disengage the safety after it's placed in the holster. My P238 (Sig) has the larger safety lever so it's "cocked and locked".

Good gun, I have really liked it in 9mm.

I ccw a 9mm shield for years.Soft shooting.8 rounds

I have a crimson trace light on my shield.

I thinks it is the best of the SW M&P line of guns.

Very nice little carry gun, and as others have mentioned... It shoots like a larger gun than what it is.

Of the M&P pistol line, I've owned the following: Full size .40, full size .45, 9mm compact, Shield 9mm.

The Shield was the most reliable and accurate of the bunch and is In my opinion, the only one of the M&P lineup worth owning. Very nice gun. Congrats.

Glad to see all the positive responses.
It is towards the top of the list for my mother to try out for her carry gun.

Other than the trigger, the only issue I've heard is that some have trouble racking the slide. It is slightly on the strong side but most people with normal strength shouldn't have much problem.
Mine shoots great, is reliable and is just the right size for carry to me.

I bought a .40 Shield on recommendation of a friend. No modifications, except different sights (truglo). At less than 200 factory rounds (Rem UMC) at an indoor range, it began to malfunction so much that I couldn't shoot it. I could press the trigger with no response. Several of us examined it at the range, couldn't figure out why.

I did some searching online, and found a number of individuals having the same problem. I finally found one who posted a picture; a crack between the trigger cutout and the mag release hole in the frame. It wasn't easy to spot, but I had an identical crack.

Every other poster had been denied warranty, with s&w claiming ammunition problems. In several cases, they were using reloads. In my case, it was all factory, and there were no overpressure signs. I contacted s&w who asked that I send it to them, and I did.

The other posters all said follow-up was slow, and that s&w claimed that they had to send the pistol to the "met lab." I contacted s&w, and mine was at the "met lab." Finally they refused to warranty the pistol, said they could find no defect or problem, or reason why the frame cracked and failed. I was told that whenever they couldn't identify a cause, standard practice was to claim that it was ammunition-related, and to refuse warranty. I have this in writing, and received the same thing by phone talking to the contact at s&w.

I was told that instead s&w would replace my pistol. Sounds like a great plan, except that in order to process the replacement, I'd need to send them the cost of a new pistol...I had to buy a new pistol as part of the "replacement" program. The cost was higher than I could buy elsewhere.

I asked if I'd be getting the same serial number and was told no. Further, I'd have to surrender my cracked pistol, which s&w would keep. So different serial number, pay for new pistol, they keep the old, not really my vision of a "replacement" and certainly not honoring their warranty. More of a bait and switch with a poor product.

I told s&w to pound sand, send back the pistol, which is still in one of my safes. The best assessment I could give of the pistol and of s&w is "disappointed."

Sorry to hear about your experience. A close friend had and S&W compact that developed a frame crack. It was 9mm and he shot factory ammo. It took many moths but they finally sent him a new frame. His now resides in the back of the safe.

Mine is very reliable but he factory trigger was very stiff and even with very deliberate pulls the front sight jerked off the target. Apex trigger and carry kit with the OEM trigger spring sorted it. The green laser flickers on and off when shooting so I put some tape over it.

One I had was impossible to rack without using an empty magazine. Conventional thought from many discussions is that this is one pistol that needs to be purchased in a store because of wide spread in action. . . . and, in any case, to have a light trigger one needs to perform a significant parts replacement that included taking off/on the rear sight. Great grip. Good sights. Just OK if you manage to find a good one.
Much less uncertainty and need to have work done with LC9s Pro, or G43.

I've liked the 9mm ones that I've shot well enough. But never quite enough to actually want to BUY one. Grip ergonomics was one factor; thin and long; weird feeling with my Glock (mis)aligned hands, and there was that wretched thumb safety thingy that I most certainly did not want. When the no-TS version went live I was once again briefly tempted, but I already went down the XDS path by then and that one rarely got a chance as a carry weapon as it was (a solitary less-than-one-week run, before one of the pins started rusting). The Shield 40 wasn't TOO bad on recoil; flip and pulse is not that much different from a Gen3 G27, IMO. But decidedly slow for me to shoot follow ups compared to the 9mm with any kind of effective accuracy.

I hadn't heard about the 40s cracking frames, but considering how ragged many full-size 40S&W police trade-in M&Ps that have come through the shop have been compared to comparable (but older vintage) trade-in Glocks, I can't say that I'm all that surprised. VERY disappointing that S&W won't stand behind their product; I've now read a number of posts across the web about this problem, and S&W's attitude is a real turn-off, as much if not more so than the barrel pitting of Walthers as cited in the recent CCP thread.

My wife carries one. Very reliable gun.

quote:

Originally posted by Phred:
I've carried one since they came out. Great gun, carries small, but feels like a larger gun when I shoot it.

I couldn't agree more. I also own a G43 but it stays in the locker...

What do you need to know about a M&P Shield - they're freakin' awesome!