Smith and Wesson M&P Shield 9mm Review
I became a fan of the M&P line a while back, owning a full sized 9mm, compact 9mm and a full sized .22lr. All three of these guns have functioned flawless for me and the compact served as a EDC for quite some time. After I read the M&P Shield was coming out, I knew I had to have one. I NEVER jump on the bandwagon or buy a new to market product for fear of initial recalls and issues. However, this was too cool to pass up. After calling around yesterday and today, I tracked down ONE at Plainfield Shooting Supplies, maybe the last in Indy for the weekend! I paid $389 + tax, which was a remarkable price for an impossible to find gun.
Initial Impressions:
WOW. Just WOW. The Shield reminded me of the Walther single stack 9mm as soon as I took it out of the box, except it doesn't feel like a hammer, it feels like a piece of art. It came in a cardboard box, which left something to be desired as I'm a big fan of S&W handgun cases. However, S&W made a good call in cutting costs by packaging it in cardboard as it would have never seen the inside of a nice case again!! It came with the usual manuals, safety lock and 2 magazines, one seven round and one eight round with an extention. This seems to be copied from Kahr. I bought a new PM9 a while back which came with one 6 and one 7 round with extension. The construction and quality of this gun are top notch, it feels solid, it feels rugged.
Size:
Below are a few pictures of the Shield compared to an M&P9 and M&P9c. As you can see, it is significantly slimmer. On paper, not so much, but when you are only talking 1.2" wide on the original M&P's, 0.96" is a 20% and .24" reduction. The immediate fear with purchasing a, possibly pseudo, pocket pistol is how it feels in the hand. I have to say, I had no trouble gripping this AT ALL. After putting 100 flawless rounds through it at the range, I can honestly tell you there is little difference in operating this compared to my full size. Obviously, quite a different feel, but no notable increase in muzzle flip or speed of sight alignment for follow up shots. The Shield conceals easily in pocket, and I assume IWB or OWB, as I have yet to purchase more holsters for it.
For reference, here are the sizes on the other M&Ps
M&P-------OAL---Height---Width---Sight Radius
Full Size---7.63"---5.5"------1.2"-----6.4"------
Compact---6.7"----4.3"------1.2"-----5.75"----
Shield------6.1"----4.6"------0.95"---5.3"------
For loosing 1.53" OAL, 0.9" height and 0.25" width, I'm impressed the sight radius was only brought down 1.1" from the full size!!
As you'll see, the Shield is 0.3" taller than the compact, but this is barely noticeable. As a matter of fact, I had to pull out the calipers on the Shield to verify S&W website was correct because I didn't believe it! It is 4.55" tall if you have the slide paralleled to the ground and measure to the top of the sight, but at a slight angle it measured 4.2" total height.
Trigger:
The common complaint on the M&P series has always been the trigger. While I love the APEX jobs as much as anyone else, other than not having a real audible and tactile (not tactical
) reset, I've found the stock triggers to be very pleasing, with only a little to be desired. The little left on a stock trigger to be desired was kicked in the behind by the engineers at S&W and I can tell you I won't be buying any aftermarket triggers for this little Shield. While still a bit 'gritty' out of box, which I'm sure will smooth out, the reset is fast, hard and audible. The trigger pull itself I'd estimate to be between 6-7lbs, a bit on the heavy side for my tastes, but for a carry gun, I won't complain.
Safety:
I hate safeties, I really do. I don't like the idea of more mechanical things to think about on my EDC. After experiencing the ugly as sin safety on my M&P 22 pistol, I was scared at first. I was not all disappointed to find it is an non-ambidextrous mini piece of nothing. Don't get me wrong, I tried using it as a safety and though tiny, EASILY engaged every time while swiping the thumb over it like a 1911. It's tiny, but easy to manipulate if desired and easy to not, if not desired. Whether it was engaged or not, it really didn't want to budge. I will be leaving it off at all times and initially feared it might come on without noticing, but after really feeling and trying it out, I have no doubt in my mind it'll stay safety off unless so desired, regardless of carry method.
Accuracy:
Ok, so I can hold my own at the range and keep bullets on target as good as the average gun lover, but I am NOT a great shot by any means nor would I consider myself even comparable to an entry level competition shooter, but I was surprised I was almost as accurate with this as my full size M&P. Here is a picture of my target below on my first 7 rounds at about 7 yards. Two strays were obviously my doing, but for a 3" barreled carry gun, I am impressed. The sight picture is easy to put together and with either magazine, the gun is easy to hold steady, especially for it's size! Though, you have to pinky under the 7 round magazine.
Overall impressions:
S&W, you had me as a fan before on your M&P line, but I'm glad to say I have a baby 9 that can slip into my pocket with ease. "The .380 phase was cute", as I saw written in an add, but as the slim single stack 9mm's keep coming out, I feel that one will dominate the market. At an MSRP of under $450, and as great of deals as stores like Bradis and PSS will give you, there's no doubt it in my mind this is the PM9 killer. Sorry Kahr, you had a good run.
Now, Glock, what do you have to say about this? Where's your single stack? We've all been waiting!
I became a fan of the M&P line a while back, owning a full sized 9mm, compact 9mm and a full sized .22lr. All three of these guns have functioned flawless for me and the compact served as a EDC for quite some time. After I read the M&P Shield was coming out, I knew I had to have one. I NEVER jump on the bandwagon or buy a new to market product for fear of initial recalls and issues. However, this was too cool to pass up. After calling around yesterday and today, I tracked down ONE at Plainfield Shooting Supplies, maybe the last in Indy for the weekend! I paid $389 + tax, which was a remarkable price for an impossible to find gun.
Initial Impressions:
WOW. Just WOW. The Shield reminded me of the Walther single stack 9mm as soon as I took it out of the box, except it doesn't feel like a hammer, it feels like a piece of art. It came in a cardboard box, which left something to be desired as I'm a big fan of S&W handgun cases. However, S&W made a good call in cutting costs by packaging it in cardboard as it would have never seen the inside of a nice case again!! It came with the usual manuals, safety lock and 2 magazines, one seven round and one eight round with an extention. This seems to be copied from Kahr. I bought a new PM9 a while back which came with one 6 and one 7 round with extension. The construction and quality of this gun are top notch, it feels solid, it feels rugged.
Size:
Below are a few pictures of the Shield compared to an M&P9 and M&P9c. As you can see, it is significantly slimmer. On paper, not so much, but when you are only talking 1.2" wide on the original M&P's, 0.96" is a 20% and .24" reduction. The immediate fear with purchasing a, possibly pseudo, pocket pistol is how it feels in the hand. I have to say, I had no trouble gripping this AT ALL. After putting 100 flawless rounds through it at the range, I can honestly tell you there is little difference in operating this compared to my full size. Obviously, quite a different feel, but no notable increase in muzzle flip or speed of sight alignment for follow up shots. The Shield conceals easily in pocket, and I assume IWB or OWB, as I have yet to purchase more holsters for it.
For reference, here are the sizes on the other M&Ps
M&P-------OAL---Height---Width---Sight Radius
Full Size---7.63"---5.5"------1.2"-----6.4"------
Compact---6.7"----4.3"------1.2"-----5.75"----
Shield------6.1"----4.6"------0.95"---5.3"------
For loosing 1.53" OAL, 0.9" height and 0.25" width, I'm impressed the sight radius was only brought down 1.1" from the full size!!
As you'll see, the Shield is 0.3" taller than the compact, but this is barely noticeable. As a matter of fact, I had to pull out the calipers on the Shield to verify S&W website was correct because I didn't believe it! It is 4.55" tall if you have the slide paralleled to the ground and measure to the top of the sight, but at a slight angle it measured 4.2" total height.
Trigger:
The common complaint on the M&P series has always been the trigger. While I love the APEX jobs as much as anyone else, other than not having a real audible and tactile (not tactical
) reset, I've found the stock triggers to be very pleasing, with only a little to be desired. The little left on a stock trigger to be desired was kicked in the behind by the engineers at S&W and I can tell you I won't be buying any aftermarket triggers for this little Shield. While still a bit 'gritty' out of box, which I'm sure will smooth out, the reset is fast, hard and audible. The trigger pull itself I'd estimate to be between 6-7lbs, a bit on the heavy side for my tastes, but for a carry gun, I won't complain. Safety:
I hate safeties, I really do. I don't like the idea of more mechanical things to think about on my EDC. After experiencing the ugly as sin safety on my M&P 22 pistol, I was scared at first. I was not all disappointed to find it is an non-ambidextrous mini piece of nothing. Don't get me wrong, I tried using it as a safety and though tiny, EASILY engaged every time while swiping the thumb over it like a 1911. It's tiny, but easy to manipulate if desired and easy to not, if not desired. Whether it was engaged or not, it really didn't want to budge. I will be leaving it off at all times and initially feared it might come on without noticing, but after really feeling and trying it out, I have no doubt in my mind it'll stay safety off unless so desired, regardless of carry method.
Accuracy:
Ok, so I can hold my own at the range and keep bullets on target as good as the average gun lover, but I am NOT a great shot by any means nor would I consider myself even comparable to an entry level competition shooter, but I was surprised I was almost as accurate with this as my full size M&P. Here is a picture of my target below on my first 7 rounds at about 7 yards. Two strays were obviously my doing, but for a 3" barreled carry gun, I am impressed. The sight picture is easy to put together and with either magazine, the gun is easy to hold steady, especially for it's size! Though, you have to pinky under the 7 round magazine.
Overall impressions:
S&W, you had me as a fan before on your M&P line, but I'm glad to say I have a baby 9 that can slip into my pocket with ease. "The .380 phase was cute", as I saw written in an add, but as the slim single stack 9mm's keep coming out, I feel that one will dominate the market. At an MSRP of under $450, and as great of deals as stores like Bradis and PSS will give you, there's no doubt it in my mind this is the PM9 killer. Sorry Kahr, you had a good run.
Now, Glock, what do you have to say about this? Where's your single stack? We've all been waiting!
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gun and it looks like they delivered.
I guess I will be hitting the range after work for some break-in time.
