S&W Shield

[Bridgeburner]

So, as I said, picked this Shield up on Saturday morning and took it straight to the range.

What I bought: It’s the 10035 model number w/o thumb safety. Paid $319 at Palmetto State Armory ($244 after rebate) and $20 transfer fee from my guy who does my transfers. When it’s all said and done I paid $264 for the gun. Which is insane because 4 months ago $370 OTD would have been considered a deal.

My initial impressions:

This is going to sounds like bitching or that I don’t like it. I do. A lot. I’m just being picky for the sake of honesty.

It’s not as refined as some other guns. There is a seam that goes down the back-center of the frame that’s kind of sharp. I’ve noticed it irritating my hand after a while. I’m going to have to take some sandpaper to it. There are also a couple roll pins that have sharp edges that will need to be tidied up.

When I choke up on the gun (high grip, thumb forward) the middle finger of my strong side (trigger) hand rubs on the bottom of the trigger guard. For long sessions I might have to wrap that finger in a little tape.

I don’t like the extended 8-round magazines. First, they look goofy. Makes the grip too long and screws up the balance of the gun. They are comfortable in the hand though. The main problem is executing reloads. The bottom of the mag catches on my palm when I do a reload at speed and stops the magazine from dropping free. I probably won’t use that one and will stick to the three 7 rounders that I have.

Loaded magazines are also a bitch to get into the grip when loaded. You really have to get some ass behind it or they won’t seat. Not something that is a surprise and this was expected. Just figured I would note that. It’s doable. Not sure if that will change as I get rounds through it.

My experience with the Shields have always been that getting the last round in the magazine was tough. This one is nearly impossible. I don’t own a loading device and had to use a flat head screwdriver to push the second to last round in enough to get the last round in. Hoping this loosens up with use but with only four magazines (bought two additional ones) it made a 750 round session quite cumbersome.

The trigger I love. There’s a little take-up, a wall, and a crisp break followed by a positive and tactile reset. After spending years mastering the DA/SA of the P-07 this trigger felt like a tuned 1911 to me. My experiences with the M&P line were that of sub-optimal triggers but that was 7-8 years ago (I think) and it seems they’ve made up some ground in this area.

Those (very) minor issues aside, this is an excellent design. A gun that compact that handles the way this gun does is a revelation. Todd Green (RIP) from Pistol-Training.com has a drill that I like to run. It’s called the F.A.S.Test. You print out the 8.5 x 11 target and use that. It has a 3 x 5 box on top and an 8” circle under it. From concealment @ 7 yards you draw and fire 2 rounds into the box, perform a slide-lock reload, and fire four into the circle. What you want is an under-10 second score. I can usually get around 6.4-6.8 with the P-07. With the Shield I was between 7.5 and 7.9 seconds. So I’m a second slower with the Shield. Keep in mind that the Shield is much smaller and much newer to me. This is a very impressive score (for me).

The gun ran flawless for me. I shot it, I had my 15 year old son shoot it, and I found a random guy at the range to shoot it. I probably accounted for about 400 rounds myself, my son about 200, and I had that guy (Tom) put 100 through it. Gun was 100% reliable for all of us.

Accuracy is hard to gauge with a gun this size and I didn’t do much to confirm it. I mainly shoot inside 15 yards but I did shoot a few magazines at 25 yards and was able to hit an 8” circle from that distance. I don’t think the gun is as inherently accurate as the P-07 (I don’t think many guns are) and I don’t think it’s as practically accurate as the P-07 either but I think it’s about average and is mechanically as accurate as most. Getting the most out of that short sight picture will take some work though.

Overall:

I think it’s probably the best combination of size and functionality that money can buy. I don’t think $2000 would get you a better combination. As far as a carry gun I haven’t decided on what I am comfortable with or not yet. It’s hard to give up 16 rounds in the gun for 8. It’s hard to give up the added handling you get with a larger framed gun. BUT… the Shield is probably good enough and it comes with its own advantages, mainly being size and trigger. 8 (or 9) rounds in a reasonably accurate and reliable package that can fit in your pocket just seems like the best of all worlds. Not sure if I’m ready to retire that P-07 but I can say that right now the Shield is on my belt and I’m very happy with it.

 

[Bridgeburner]

Forgot to add:

Ammo used was 500 rounds of P9HST4 and 250 rounds of Winchester White Box.

I'm sitting here in my office and I keep reaching to my side and patting with gun to make sure it's still there. I feel a little naked without 3 pounds of firearm at my side. That's a good thing though.

 

[PEOPLESCHICKEN]

So. A buddy of mine picked one of these up (9mm) the other day because of the $75 rebate and I had a chance to shoot one extensively. He dropped it off at the house and told me to check it out. He should have known better because "check it out" sounds like "put 500 rounds though it" to me haha.

I've shot them before but never running drills and never to this extent. I came away shocked at how well the gun handled. I wasn't as good as I am with my P-07 but it was pretty close. And this gun is a lot smaller. Still not sure about going from 15-16 rounds to 9-10 but... wow. I'm seriously thinking about picking one of these up. With the $75 rebate you can basically get one out the door right now for around $250. Which just seems INSANE.

Really thinking I'm going to order one. At $250 what can it hurt?

I bought one for my carry one in March. I have been very pleased with it. And with your rebate you are going to get one at a very good price. I say do it

 

[Bridgeburner]

Maybe I'll carry both the P-07 (belt) and the Shield (pocket) until I can ween myself off of the CZ haha.

 

[Yankee Traveler]

Forgot to add:

Ammo used was 500 rounds of P9HST4 and 250 rounds of Winchester White Box.

I'm sitting here in my office and I keep reaching to my side and patting with gun to make sure it's still there. I feel a little naked without 3 pounds of firearm at my side. That's a good thing though.

I work on an Army Post.

No concealed carry for me.

 

[Bridgeburner]

I work on an Army Post.

No concealed carry for me.

Yeah, definitely no concealed carry for you man.

 

[Bridgeburner]

BTW.

Noticed the slide wasn't going back as smooth as I thought it should last week. It was getting caught up with about a half inch left before being able to lock it back. Looking it over I came to the conclusion that the RSA was binding up before being completely compressed.

Sent an email last Thursday to Smith and Wesson figuring if they didn't want to send me a new one I would just buy it myself ($12). They got back to me same day apologizing and stating that they would send a new one out to me same day. I received it yesterday and the slide moves like it's on ball bearings now. Very happy with the service and very happy with the little gun so far.

Hoping to get it out to the range this weekend. I'm pretty much done trying to kill guns with high round counts and this is a good opportunity with the Shield to switch gears anyway. Since it's a smaller gun I'm going to focus a lot more on drills and getting the most out of each shot. I'll probably take 50-100 rounds with me and really focus on getting scores up to what I can manage with the P-07.

So far I am really happy with the way the gun handles but I'm pretty much sold on the way it carries. It's amazing that a firearm that carries that well can also be a performer in the field. S&W really knocked one out of the park with this design. Any bigger and it doesn't carry as well. Any smaller and it doesn't shoot as well. Just a damned near perfect gun.

 

[BubbleHead]

 

[Bridgeburner]

I'm up to 1000 rounds through the Shield after putting another 150 through it the other day. I can, at this point, knock the shit out of steel plates out to about 15 yards with the same speed as I'm used to with larger guns. It's really growing on me. It's definitely replaced the P-07 as my carry gun at this point and I'm almost ready to just say I've found the last gun I'll ever carry.

 

[Yankee Traveler]

Finally picked up the Shield.

M&P Shield 9 Performance Center, which means it has High Vis Fiber Optic Sights, Enhanced Trigger and a ported barrel & slide.

Have not put any lead down range yet due to time constraints...but thats coming soon.

 

[TheDayMan]

Sort of on topic, maybe not really, similar situation as OP and same make anyway... Anyone have a S&W SD9VE? I've been shopping around for a new 9, oddly enough read about sd9ve while I was taking a dump at work, and it piqued my interest because of the price and glockishness (am on the verge of giving in and just getting a Glock 19), so stopped by a local gun shoppe on my way home to check one out, and boom, they're having a S&W promotion sale...

Part of the promotion is shooting a free 15 rounds out of any of the guns on sale. What I found in 15 rounds is the trigger is heavy, which was expected based on what I read. Gonna go back tomorrow, maybe rent it so I can spend more time with it, or just buy it because the sale price is just too good.

Anyway, back to the original thought, anyone own one of these little glock knock offs? Thoughts on the heavy trigger? Worth just getting and putting some of the money saved into a trigger upgrade?

 

[Bridgeburner]

Sort of on topic, maybe not really, similar situation as OP and same make anyway... Anyone have a S&W SD9VE? I've been shopping around for a new 9, oddly enough read about sd9ve while I was taking a dump at work, and it piqued my interest because of the price and glockishness (am on the verge of giving in and just getting a Glock 19), so stopped by a local gun shoppe on my way home to check one out, and boom, they're having a S&W promotion sale...

Part of the promotion is shooting a free 15 rounds out of any of the guns on sale. What I found in 15 rounds is the trigger is heavy, which was expected based on what I read. Gonna go back tomorrow, maybe rent it so I can spend more time with it, or just buy it because the sale price is just too good.

Anyway, back to the original thought, anyone own one of these little glock knock offs? Thoughts on the heavy trigger? Worth just getting and putting some of the money saved into a trigger upgrade?

Sorry I'm just seeing this now man. Not sure how I missed it. My brother in law has an SD9VE. I've put about 500 rounds through it. The trigger is heavy but that can be helped greatly by an inexpensive kit from APEX. But anyway, the impression I was left with in regards to this gun is that it is unrefined and rough around the edges but a reliable weapon with acceptable accuracy. It is a nice size too.

Also of note: Few companies stand behind their products better than Smith and Wesson. They're known for best in the industry customer service.

 

[SJ76]

Been actually looking for a 9mm 3-3.5" handgun for my wife and have something I can shoot as well. Not sure about the newer S&Ws, I've been told to stay away by an old school gunsmith. Looked a Sig, Springfield, etc.

 

[TheDayMan]

Sorry I'm just seeing this now man. Not sure how I missed it. My brother in law has an SD9VE. I've put about 500 rounds through it. The trigger is heavy but that can be helped greatly by an inexpensive kit from APEX. But anyway, the impression I was left with in regards to this gun is that it is unrefined and rough around the edges but a reliable weapon with acceptable accuracy. It is a nice size too.

Also of note: Few companies stand behind their products better than Smith and Wesson. They're known for best in the industry customer service.

Thanks for the reply. I ended up with it, but missed the sale . I went back and shot it again and decided the trigger really isn't that bad, and I found the kit you mentioned if I ever decide it needs it. Even with missing the sale the price was just too good to pass up.

My only issue with it so far is I'm hitting pretty low, consistently. Like, getting pretty great groups 7" below the spot in aiming. I haven't had that issue before (not even when I shot the rental), at least so consistently, but I'm not entirely convinced it's not me yet, I'll give it a few more range trips and let someone else shoot it before I start contacting S&W and/or buying new sights.

Edit to add: maybe worth noting, mine has the black slide with the gray frame, like the sd9, which I understand is out of production. The slide says sd9, but I paid the sd9ve price, it came in a ve cardboard box, and seems to have VE components (I believe the sd9 came with a front night sight, mine does not). I didn't think about it too much when purchasing, I just prefer black to stainless slides, for a polymer gun anyway, so opted for it. Anyway, I'm kind of wondering if they just had leftover sd9 slides and used them in some sd9ve assemblies or something, and if that might be why the front sight might be off.

 

[Bridgeburner]

Been actually looking for a 9mm 3-3.5" handgun for my wife and have something I can shoot as well. Not sure about the newer S&Ws, I've been told to stay away by an old school gunsmith. Looked a Sig, Springfield, etc.

Why are you looking for a 3-3.5" gun? The only reason to really go under 4" is for carry. Will you be carrying the gun?

 

[Bridgeburner]

Thanks for the reply. I ended up with it, but missed the sale . I went back and shot it again and decided the trigger really isn't that bad, and I found the kit you mentioned if I ever decide it needs it. Even with missing the sale the price was just too good to pass up.

My only issue with it so far is I'm hitting pretty low, consistently. Like, getting pretty great groups 7" below the spot in aiming. I haven't had that issue before (not even when I shot the rental), at least so consistently, but I'm not entirely convinced it's not me yet, I'll give it a few more range trips and let someone else shoot it before I start contacting S&W and/or buying new sights.

Edit to add: maybe worth noting, mine has the black slide with the gray frame, like the sd9, which I understand is out of production. The slide says sd9, but I paid the sd9ve price, it came in a ve cardboard box, and seems to have VE components (I believe the sd9 came with a front night sight, mine does not). I didn't think about it too much when purchasing, I just prefer black to stainless slides, for a polymer gun anyway, so opted for it. Anyway, I'm kind of wondering if they just had leftover sd9 slides and used them in some sd9ve assemblies or something, and if that might be why the front sight might be off.

They may have had leftover parts. CZ and SIG especially are known to do that.

If you're experienced and you're holding the gun properly I would guess that it's the trigger. It's a heavy bu acceptable trigger but that doesn't make it ideal. You might need to focus more than usual when firing. I would make sure you have a high thumb-over thumb grip (your support hand thumb should be pointing at the target) and focus on applying the grip pressure with the support hand and only applying enough pressure with the strong hand to secure the firearm. Very deliberate trigger press.

Practice against a plain wall. Watch that front site for any movement or jerking when you press.

 

[SJ76]

Why are you looking for a 3-3.5" gun? The only reason to really go under 4" is for carry. Will you be carrying the gun?

Should have said 3.5-4.5". 3" is too small. I've got .40 springfield XD 5.5" now and want something smaller just in case I do want to carry.

 

[Bridgeburner]

Should have said 3.5-4.5". 3" is too small. I've got .40 springfield XD 5.5" now and want something smaller just in case I do want to carry.

Ah. Makes sense. I wouldn't stay away from S&W but you can tell by this thread I'm a fan. As far as smaller guns that remain shootable the Shield is about as small as you want to go. I'm able to maintain functional accuracy and speed with mine without too much of a drop off from a full size gun. Any smaller and those negatives would start stacking up on me. If you like the XD then the XDS might be an option. The Walther PPS is also known to be an accurate and manageable small gun. My recommendation would be the shield though. SIG's smaller guns are known to be great shooters and very accurate but unfortunately a good number of them also suffer from teething issues. But a good one is VERY good.

 

[Bridgeburner]

Thanks for the reply. I ended up with it, but missed the sale . I went back and shot it again and decided the trigger really isn't that bad, and I found the kit you mentioned if I ever decide it needs it. Even with missing the sale the price was just too good to pass up.

My only issue with it so far is I'm hitting pretty low, consistently. Like, getting pretty great groups 7" below the spot in aiming. I haven't had that issue before (not even when I shot the rental), at least so consistently, but I'm not entirely convinced it's not me yet, I'll give it a few more range trips and let someone else shoot it before I start contacting S&W and/or buying new sights.

Edit to add: maybe worth noting, mine has the black slide with the gray frame, like the sd9, which I understand is out of production. The slide says sd9, but I paid the sd9ve price, it came in a ve cardboard box, and seems to have VE components (I believe the sd9 came with a front night sight, mine does not). I didn't think about it too much when purchasing, I just prefer black to stainless slides, for a polymer gun anyway, so opted for it. Anyway, I'm kind of wondering if they just had leftover sd9 slides and used them in some sd9ve assemblies or something, and if that might be why the front sight might be off.

I should note as well that in my experience when a gun shoots low and it turns out NOT to be the gun... it's usually the shooter tightening their grip while firing. Which can be caused by a trigger that is heavier than what the shooter is used to. Just my experience.

 

[TheDayMan]

They may have had leftover parts. CZ and SIG especially are known to do that.

If you're experienced and you're holding the gun properly I would guess that it's the trigger. It's a heavy bu acceptable trigger but that doesn't make it ideal. You might need to focus more than usual when firing. I would make sure you have a high thumb-over thumb grip (your support hand thumb should be pointing at the target) and focus on applying the grip pressure with the support hand and only applying enough pressure with the strong hand to secure the firearm. Very deliberate trigger press.

Practice against a plain wall. Watch that front site for any movement or jerking when you press.

I should note as well that in my experience when a gun shoots low and it turns out NOT to be the gun... it's usually the shooter tightening their grip while firing. Which can be caused by a trigger that is heavier than what the shooter is used to. Just my experience.

I appreciate the input and advice. I'll get out again soon and slow down and play with my grip a bit. Ironically, I was trying more of the technique you described my first time shooting it, I've always used more of a thumbs down grip in the past.