I’ve been involved in shooting sports for a long time now – first as a young boy accompanying my father and grandfather on hunts and then later as a member of my high school shooting team. Lately, I’ve mostly been interested in pistol shooting and even with a very challenging schedule, I still enjoy going to the range on a monthly basis to put rounds on target. After high school, my first handgun was a Ruger Mark III. After that, I graduated to a Beretta 92FS and then ultimately a Springfield XD45 Compact. Punching big holes is great fun, but rising ammo costs convinced me that I needed to add a 9mm back to my collection if I was going to practice on a regular basis. That ultimately led to my recent purchase of the extremely popular and sometimes hard to find Smith & Wesson M&P Shield 9mm.
Smith & Wesson M&P Shield
Obviously there are a huge number of great choices available in that caliber so why the M&P Shield? My wife often makes fun of my meticulous approach to big ticket purchases and this was no different. I generally prefer to spend a lot of trigger time to develop familiarity versus splitting my time shooting a safe full of guns so finding the right one was important. I decided to narrow the field based on a specific set of criteria.
SIZE
I wanted something smaller than my XD45c but not too small that it wasn’t enjoyable to shoot. I quickly ruled out “pocket nines” on the smaller end of the spectrum like the Kahr CM9 because they didn’t fit my hand well and recoil was more of an issue. Also, earlier this year Illinois passed a CCW law, which will be rolled out in January. So concealment was definitely a consideration this time around.
TRIGGER
I was also very interested in the Beretta Nano. In fact, the Nano finished second to the Shield because there were a number of things I liked about the gun. One thing I didn’t like was the trigger. The pull was heavy at 8 lbs with a long travel and equally long reset. Some people laud the Beretta’s trigger because it is designed especially as a carry gun and heavier triggers help prevent accidental discharge. However, in my opinion, it takes a very skilled shooter to be consistent under stress and be accurate with follow-up shots using a trigger that heavy (read Larry Vicker’s excellent article on trigger pull weight). I prefer a Glock-like trigger – around 6 lbs with a take up, crisp action, and shorter reset. The Shield has just that kind of trigger and it has smoothed out nicely with dry fire practice and additional range time.
REALIABILITY
The other deal breaker for me with the Nano was FTE’s while shooting 115 grain ammo. 9mm is hard enough to find as it is without owning a gun that won’t shoot typical target rounds reliably. During my range time, the Nano I was testing had an average of 2-3 FTE’s per 50 round box of Winchester White and Federal Range and Target. Not exactly confidence inspiring and a real pain in the ass. I’ve watched some reviews that claim issues even with the heavier bullet weights while others have had no issue at all. It seems like it may come down to the gun you get at purchase.
On the other hand, similar to my Springfield XD, the Shield lived up to it’s reputation of taking any kind of ammo I could throw at it without a single failure. Call me crazy, but I demand 100% reliability in my guns. Also, in a SHTF situation, I don’t want my firearm to be finicky in terms of the ammo it will cycle reliably. Yeah, I’m also talking to you Kimber Solo owners. No thanks.
OVERALL PERFORMANCE
The Shield probably isn’t as bench accurate as the Nano or the Kahr, but I shot it as accurately as I’m capable because it really handles more like a full frame gun. It’s just large enough to effectively manage recoil on follow-up shots and the Shield comes out of the box with a nice set of three dot sites.
I’m not able to get a third finger on the grip with the 7-round magazine.
But, I am able to get a full grip on the gun with the 8-round extended magazine. I did shoot smaller groups with the extended magazine but the gap in accuracy wasn’t huge.
BOTTOM LINE
So far, after about 400 rounds, I’m extremely pleased with the M&P Shield. So far everything positive I heard about the gun prior to purchase is spot on. It’s enjoyable to shoot, reasonably accurate for a gun it’s size, and reliable. If your criteria is similar to mine then I highly recommend you consider it when making your next handgun purchase.
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