The new S&W Shield has generated quite a bit of excitement since its announcement at the 2012 NRA Show. At first glance, this self-defense handgun appears to be the you-know-what: diminutive size, 9mm and .40 caliber chambering, light weight, good quality sights and single stack magazine (all features that are highly prized in the sub-compact market). However, I’ve found a couple head-scratchers—I mean features—that leave a dry taste in my mouth on this otherwise promising new pistol . . .
The low hanging fruit of criticism: the Shield’s manual thumb safety. Whether or not one should have a safety on a self-defense handgun is a topic that’s been beaten to death (should’ve come armed). And looks like it’s coming back for more. Meanwhile, I’ll avoid another critique of this less-than-ideal “safety” device. I’m more concerned about the Shield’s extended eight-round magazine.
The 9mm Shield comes with two mags: one seven-rounder and one eight-rounder. The seven-round mag fits flush with the bottom of the grip. The eight-round mag sticks out about 3/4″ and includes a polymer sleeve that fits over the base of the magazine—giving your pinky a little more purchase on the grip of the pistol. As you’d expect, the diminutive Shield feels much better in hand with the eight-round magazine inserted.
The Shield’s sleeve is held in place by friction. The sleeve can slide up the body of the magazine with little effort. If you were to carry one of these extended mags as a spare, it’s possible that the polymer sleeve would move up the body of the magazine. Should a reload be required, seating the spare magazine in the pistol becomes far more challenging. If the sleeve isn’t in its proper place, you have to really whack the magazine to get it to seat and even then it’s not guaranteed it will do so properly.
If you plan on carrying a spare magazine with your Shield, you must use the eight-round magazine. However, carrying the seven-round magazine as your spare causes another problem. Should you need a reload, you’ve now altered the handling characteristics of your pistol—by going from the full grip offered by the eight-round mag to the truncated grip of the seven-round mag (which leaves your pinky dangling).
If you carry a Shield, I recommend that you pick the magazine length that works best for you—and only use that magazine in your pistol. If you choose to carry the pistol with the eight-round magazine as a spare, I would superglue the sleeve to the magazine body or remove the sleeve from the magazine to avoid problems. Because that’s the last thing you need in a concealed carry firearm.
Tim runs the YouTube Military Arms Channel
That’s why God created epoxy.
Indeed. A drop of superglue will take care of that.
I shot the Shield with both magazines, and had no problems.
I still want one.
Beat Me To It!
DUH !!!! Guess Tim never heard of Gorilla Glue either…..for the sleeves. It’s been 2 years of everyday carry and the sleeve’s have not moved a micron. Some people just have to have something to complain about I guess.
Have you tested this theory, or do you just have a lot of time to think?
I have handled several Shield pistols now, and have not seen an issue.
“Next on the 10 o’clock news…something in your house is toxic for your children, the everyday tissue you use might be deadly, and could your magazine design lead to world destruction?”
Let’s not get sensationalist guys.
only issues i have had with my shield 9mm, is in a emergency or tac reload i 1. find it harder for the mag to clear the palm of my hand 2. i sometimes pinch the living crap out of my palm slamming a mag back in. tried removing the bushing, didn’t feel right or i could mill the lug off the back where the heel of my hand is, leaving a good size gap, deface my pistol? that i don’t want to do, so i live with it.
that pinch is a problem with all compacts and sub compacts.. straighten your pinky to pull the flesh of your palm away and avoid that nasty blood blister.
YOU 100% PERCENT CORRECT THIS FIREARM HAS NOT LIVED UP TO THE GREAT REVIEWS THAT IT HAS BEEN GIVEN!! THE MAG RELEASE BUTTON STICKS,RELOADING A MAG IN THE WELL WILL PINCH THE PALM OF YOUR HAND AND WHEN DROPPING A MAG THE PALM OF YOUR HAND WILL PREVENT THE MAG FROM FREE FALLING. COMBAT RELOAD AND YOU WILL NEED TO TAKE COVER AND DISTANCE. 25 YEARS OF LAW ENFORCEMENT SERVICE THIS PISTOL WILL NEED TO BE TOOLED FOR ME TO CARRY. S&W MP LET DOWN?
Grip sleeves are a solution in search of a problem, and they often end up creating unnecessary problems of their own.
If your smaller-capacity pistol will accept larger magazines, you should carry the standard magazine for concealment (possibly with a finger rest extension if you need it) and carry the larger magazine as a spare. But standard concealment-length magazine is probably the magazine you should use for concealed carry.
Why? Because ‘Compact’ or ‘Carry’ pistols usually earn that name by shortening the barrel (which doesn’t help concealability that much) and shortening the grip (which does.) Adding that length back onto the grip leaves you with a snappy, short-barreled gun now doesn’t even conceal very well.
Grip sleeves also create the risk of seriously mashing your fingers when you ram them home. Short magazines don’t let you do this, becuase you *can’t* ram them home all the way without shifting your strong-hand grip up and out of the way a little bit. Higher-capacity magazines can’t mash your fingers, because their baseplate never touches the butt of your compact pistol.
Farago did that once with an XD, IIRC, and so did a friend of mine. They never used magazine sleeves again.
You blathered on about something that you don’t even understand. There are no mag options other than the two provided with the gun and no finger rest options unless you fab something. And the reviewer was making the point about the change in gun characteristics should you need to reload with the different mag in an emergency. But otherwise you had a great (although irrelevant) response for some general conversation about mags.
Plus 100!
Yes, I have tested this and know it to be an issue. Take one of your mags and push the polymer sleeve up. It shouldn’t take much effort, it doesn’t on mine. Now insert it into the pistol quickly as if doing a reload.
You can be the judge.
Is it something that would keep me from buying the pistol? No. However it’s something people should be aware of if they’re planning to carry the 8 round magazine as a spare especially if you don’t have a mag pouch that rides high enough on the magazine to ensure the sleeve doesn’t get pushed down.
I’ll demonstrate this issue in my review video that will be posted to the Military Arms Channel on Youtube next weekend.
Chris,
I agree. The sleeve is a solution to a manufactured problem. S&W should have designed the pistol to either be an 7 round or 8 round pistol. The sleeve is an attempt to sell two pistols for the price of one thus increasing their market share using something of a gimmick.
SIG, Glock, and Springfield have all flirted with these silly magazine sleeves, and I hope they all give up one of these days. There are few CCW guns more practical than their compact models, due to their concealability and backup-magazine firepower.
BTW, your YouTube channel rocks!
Thank god I can still find used Sig Sauer P225s on the market.
What do the 2 pistols have in common? Not much, in my estimation, is why I’m asking.
Quite a bit, I would think. Aside from the obvious differences (alloy frame versus polymer and external hammer versus striker) they both are single stack nine milimeter pistols with three and a half-ish inch barrels. They are roughly the same size and have a comprable weight. They both are meant to fill the role of a concealed carry pistol. One is a proven design while the other is still new with some bugs to work out.
The P225 has a full pistol grip holding eight rounds. If you need a full pistol grip then why buy a short grip and a magazine extension? Aside from the issue of a rubber slip mentioned above isn’t there some concern over tension (from your hand) on the lower portion on the Shield’s grip causing a Mia-feed?
I don’t mean to speak poorly of the Shield but why compromise and buy a short grip and add an extension? If you need a full grip then buy a gun with a full grip.
I’m sorry, a few quick corrections. I meant to put the last line of the first paragraph at the end of the second paragraph. Also, I misspoke. The P225 was not intended as a Concealed Carry weapon but I think it fills the role well.
While I understand not everyone wants/needs a full length grip there are those of us who do but there are also precious few examples of these still in production.
Well, for those households without endless supplies of money, it allows a husband to conceal carry when he is out, and his wife to conceal carry with the same gun when she is out. No need to buy two separate guns.
I had this same problem with the M&Pc I found it easy/better to just run a compact mag with and +5 baseplate. I still bought a few full size mags that I use at the range didn’t really need a grip extension for those. But if I want to carry it with a full size grip I’ll use the default mag with extended baseplate.
This is not a stumper:
If the grip sleeve bothers you then (Pick one, but only two of them will help):
1. glue the thing on
2. use the smaller mag (buy some 7 rnd mags for carrying extra ammo…donate the 8rnd to me).
3. complain
*item 2 above is also the solution to the dilemma of changing grip shape by switching mag types in a fight.
Mine did not move without some serious force. It is on very tight. I would be happy to find your 8round mag a home.
Even though I said I wasn’t gonna get one, I did. And I LOVE it. Only problem I’ve had with it is my flush mag not holding the slide back open on empty. The extended mag does every single time. Flush mag? Not so much.
You’re picking nits…. as far as the magazine is concerned. I completely agree with you with regards the the manual safety.
Of course the really important issue is reliability, and we don’t know enough to determine that on this new pistol. Neither the thumb safety nor the sliding grip extension is a deal breaker for me. I would weigh the trigger ahead of both of those.
I currently carry a Glock 23 and am looking at the Walther PPS and M&P Shield. I’m looking for, first and foremost, a thiner carry pistol. While I don’t have generous love handles, I’m a bit thick around the middle and a thinner gun will give me more carry options – especially as we move into summer. At this point the Walther is a more proven pistol than the new Shield.
I am only at 150 rounds and the trigger is already improving. Of course those 150 rounds were 100% reliable.
Nice pistol…it may even start to edge out my P7 in the carry rotation.
Personally, I won’t shoot any pistol that I can’t get my entire hand on the grip. Guns that require an extended mag to accomplish that open the opportunity for the lower finger to get injured when inserting magazines. I still have a scar from that happening about 12 years ago.
I agree that a sleeve held by friction is a disaster waiting to happen.
The safety is another disaster in wait. It is too small to be useful and leaving it disengaged opens the up the possibility that it could be engaged accidentally without the shooter’s knowledge–thereby, not working when the needed the most.
What a waste and shame.
The shield is proof that S&W knows more about making guns than shooting them.
Can the safety lever be replaced with one that is thumb switchable?
Just asking. It looks like another m&p concealed has a normal safety.
I’ve paddle holster carried a S&W M&P Shield .40 for quite awhile now. I keep the safety on, and I can draw/thumb safety off/acquire target VERY fast. I’ve never had the safety snag, or had the safety move on or off. I’ve carried it in all kinds of environments, including horseback riding, with jackets, etc, and never had a single issue with the safety. Of course, your best safety (as we all know) is keeping your booger finger off the bang switch.
I’ve heard every possible pro and con to the gun, and all I can say is that I LOVE it.
I have my Shield in my pocket right now. It’s a bit bigger than my CM9 but it has the Kahr beat in ergonomics.
My Shield has been 100% reliable with everything I’ve fed it too. I like the trigger, it has a great trigger reset as compared to my M&P9 that lacks tactile or audible feedback on reset. It’s also an accurate pistol, easily matching the performance of its bigger brothers.
The only thing I would change is the safety. I hate it. It being there drives me nuts because even though I don’t use it I know I have to train to disengage it on every presentation. If I don’t Murphy’s Law will kick in at the moment of truth and I’ll find myself yanking on a frozen trigger wondering why my pistol isn’t going BANG. Fortunately the safety is surprisingly easy for me to hit with the first joint of my thumb making the disengagement relatively painless.
I do like the pistol.
+1
You know, the safety can be removed and the hole covered with a plug if you so desire.
Personally, I like the safety on my Shield. If I am carrying it in a holster, it won’t get used. Occasionally however, I’ll pocket carry or (gasp!) throw it in an accessible hidden pocket on my backpack and for that, I’ll utilize the safety.
Seems like a non-issue to me. I do what Chris Dumm recommends with my XDm 3.8 compact.
Happy shooting, dv
This debate about “safety vs no safety” is as amusing to me as it is pointless.
Clearly there are gun owners who do not like the feature. So be it. Not everyone in America can be high-speed low drag with their sidearm. Some people legally cannot carry a gun beyond their front door. Some gun owners have *very* young children out and about the home. Others might want to teach a completely new person about the 4 rules without putting any bullet holes in the surrounding area .
Rather than slander a manufacturer for offering a choice, perhaps we should be grateful to S&W for making a piece equipped to prevent another “IGOTD” post.
hhhmm well this is an issue.
Two things I can think of that could be done by the manufacturer.
As far as the gluing home solution that would work, but..
If the sleeve for the 8 round fits other compact pistols then set it up so you sell it that way with the sleeve fixed.
Or build the extender into the grip design so you either shoot 8 or remove it and shoot 7. I know that sounds odd but this you at least not put you in a position of an ill fitting magazine at an inopportune time.
ST, people shoot themselves and other people every day with firearms that have manual safeties. A safety doesn’t make a firearm safe. A firearm is nothing but an inanimate tool. A tool is only as safe as the person using it.
Every firearm made today has a safety included, it’s called the “trigger”. If you pull the trigger there’s a good chance you’ll put a hole in something. If you don’t pull it, nothing bad will happen. The addition of extra doo-dads only complicates the firing sequence on a tool that needs to be as simple as possible given its purpose. If the owner of the weapon is unsafe there is a good chance they will have an accident regardless of how many safeties are made available to them.
Totally agree.
Unrelated question, but, have you had any issues with the flush mag not holding the slide open after the last round?
Or any issues with the mag release button being pressed while in holster?
I’ve had no issues with the mag not holding the slide open on the last shot so far.
I don’t have a proper holster yet, I’m waiting on my Raven Phatom to arrive this coming week. But I don’t anticipate any issues given my experience in carrying a regular M&P.
Any issues I discover I’ll report in my video review.
A tool is indeed only as safe as the person using it.
This is the crux of the solution,and simultaneously the crux of the problem. The 2nd Amendment does not only apply to only the “responsible” citizens.Joe Moron and Joe Responsible both have the right to keep and bear arms. Joe Responsible doesn’t need any kind of safety at all , trigger or otherwise, because his safety is in the mind. Joe Moron thinks the 4 rules are merely “polite suggestions”. As long as the gun’s not loaded, what’s the problem eh?
Until his negligence puts a bullet into a kid . Then the child’s family sues S&W, claiming the lack of an external safety is why he’s injured. The pro-disarmament media and government functionaries weigh in , and before you know it “Joe Moron Law” is put forward in the Senate requiring 15LB trigger pulls on all new guns sold.
We do not need to worry about the squared away gun owner. Its the negligent fools who need an external safety:not so much that they don’t shoot themselves, as they’ll find a way around any “idiot proof” device, but so that we don’t have a mountain of socialist BS to contend with when they screw the pooch.
Actually if you look at the amount of Carry Permit holders that need to do a reload in a gun fight you will see that you could actually just leave the extra mag home.
I just purchased the S&W Shield. The external safety is recessed into the frame, very sleek and does not stick out. It requires a little more effort to engage and less effort to disengage the safety. Can be flipped off with the thumb. It is unobtrusive enough to be not used at all if that is a preference. The 8 round magazine, leave the collar off, glue it in place. I prefer the short magazine so will buy a couple extra short mags.
If you have to reload under fire, it seems like a shift in the ergonomics is the least of your problems.
Agreed.
It does surprise me though that it is that easy to slip up the magazine. Seems like a big oversight on S&W part. I imagine there are some easy fixes that can be used to combat sleeve-slippage. Like gluing rubber to the inside of the sleeve, or using a fat, black rubber band at the bottom of the magazine, then slipping the sleeve over that.
I have the Shield and have not had this issue while carrying everyday in our gear (which holds the Shield and mag extremely close to the body). I also allow the mags to drop to the ground when reloading without an issue.
I have one and the sleeve does not slide up the magazine. It is mounted firmly at the bottom. Maybe the author had a ore production model.
I own it as of two days ago!! It’s awesome!!! The trigger is so light compared to the other m&p’s that I may actually use it. As for the extended mag; that will only be used at the range. I can’t carry a lot. If I need more than 7+1, I’m screwed I guess… The extended mag prints too much for my purposes. I never was a “get the newest” guy, but just happened to be st the right place/right time… If this guns downfalls are a safety and something that can be fixed with glue, I’m a happy camper!!
It’s simple; either the sleeve is loose enough that it slides easily, in which case it doesn’t take much effort to get back in place on reload, or it’s tight enough that it doesn’t move on it’s own, in which case it is unlikely to have moved, and again won’t be an issue when reloading.
Then there’s the 3rd option, which my pistol falls under. The sleeve is loose enough to easily move while the mag is being carried in a pocket or mag pouch and it does interfere with reloading to the point where you have to stop what you’re doing, look at the magazine, whack it again to make sure it seated in the well, then let the slide go and resume shooting.
It’s a problem.
I just got back from the range where I let 4 other people shoot the pistol. I didn’t discuss my concerns about the sleeve with them and let them shoot the pistol with both mags as much as they wanted. Without exception all of them commented on the annoying tendency of the sleeve to ride up the magazine causing problems with seating the mag.
Perhaps I’m just lucky and the sleeve on my mag is unique. I’ll have to play with some more mags if I can find them. However, it’s a poor design in that there is nothing preventing the sleeve from moving up the magazine body except minimal friction.
It’s easy enough to remedy, I’ll leave the 8 round magazine in the drawer. With the 8 round magazine in the Shield its grip is as long as a Glock 19’s grip. Since the Shield is supposed to be a sub-compact, I see little reason to use the 8 round magazine. If I wanted a gun the same length as the Glock 19 I would just carry my Glock 19 and have 15 rounds vs. 8.
The length of the 8 round magazine coupled with it’s sleeve is an overall bad idea. Fortunately it’s a bad idea that can be left in a drawer. Aside from that, I love everything else about the gun. I fired a wide variety of ammo though it again today with no problems. It’s accurate, ergonomic (even with the 7 round mag), shoots very well, and is handsome. I’ve even gotten comfortable with the thumb safety. I can easily brush it off on the draw as my thumb finds it very quickly and positively.
Glock 19 really hangs up in my pocket when i have my 33 round clip in it, but it has smooth transition in gun fights for clip change. Heck if I cant hit them with 66 rounds call the meat wagon im done!
How many of the gun fights you have been in that ever progressed beyond an 8th round, or should the question be how many gun fights have you imagined yourself in that needed more than 8 rounds.
Try not to shoot yourself, the rest will work itself out on its own.
The manual safety probably should not be used for carry. It isn’t large enough to reasonably expect a user to disable the safety under stress. I believe that it is merely there to satisfy the laws of a couple of the more restrictive states.
I shot my Shield yesterday. 150 rounds all 115 gr. 50 rds Sellier & Bellot, 50 rds Wolf, and 50 rounds Federal Classic Hi-Shok JHP. The pistol shoots and feels like a larger gun. Absolutely flawless operation but 150 rounds isn’t enough to form an opinion. I’ll know more after about 1000 rounds. My accuracy at 15 yds was about a 4 to 5 inch group. I was shooting low and left about 6 inches. I have this problem with other guns too so I think it’s my glasses. I have a pair made so I can focus on the front sight. I only used the short magazine so can’t comment on the spacer collar. Has a quality feel, fit, and finish. The trigger felt good. It is a short pull and nice break. No complaints about the trigger at all. So far I like it.
Safety is optional last time i used it its either on or off….right? So if you wanna pack heat without safety just dont engage it problem solved. Personally I wont have it engaged but if im with other people at the range and the gun is being handled by multiple people its a nice feature.
Gees! I read more bonehead trash from mall ninjas on the web. I will restate the question….Just how many gun fights have you been in? As for me I do my best to avoid them. Hasn’t always turned out that way but, I am still walking and talking trash. Have a great day.
The other option being to completely remove the sleeve when carrying the 8 rounder as your backup mag. It’s not going to be flush or look as pretty, but if you were to get to that backup mag, that’s the least of your concerns.
You could also install a set screw in the back of the sleeve. I also own an M&P .40c. I bought a full size magazine for this gun and a sleeve to take up the space. This sleeve came with a preinstalled set screw. This works very well.
You are really picking the nits off the nits. Your complaint is ridiculous.
As I get older and somewhat fatter, I am straying away from the little bitty guns, although this ‘shield’ and also the springfield little 45 caught my eye…too bad they didn’t make that one ‘commander sized’ with at least 4″ bbl and 7+1 full grip…I would buy one. Been carrying IWB appendix lately, big difference you guys. Not nearly as much constant checking your cover garment for strong side carry IWB.
Tug your shirt much? Try appendix. Glance down. good? yup. I chopped the grip on my gen 3 glock 35 to take the G-23 mags, and carry that 5″ bbl 13+1 big glock no problem. Works better with shorter grip longer slide ratio…but you got to be careful of your ‘ovaries’ of course. I would consider myself a failure if I ever had to pull it in self defense, gotta be aware, condition yellow, etc. But I like to shoot a lot, and like something with me I can hang onto, and hit with. I have carried the full size m+p 40 appendix style, but it seems top heavy compared to the long slide glock.
I own a shield 9mmand it’s not the magazine that concerns me. I have little confidence in this gun after 4 FTF in the first 100 rounds through it. Also it easily gets knocked out of battery (even during shooting) and will in fact fire out of battery if it’s only out by a small amount. I believe this is what is leading to the light primer strikes and FTF I’m having.
Yes I can send it back to S&W and will be doing so but that just means more time without a gun I purchased less than a week ago. There shouldn’t be any problems.
Just a comment on my observation of the S&W Shield – I understand that it is an exceptional pistol, and it seems that all the reviewers love it, but… I really wanted to like it, and was hoping it would offer a better alternative to what is already available for concealed carry… but after having a local dealer order one for viewing, I was a little disappointed.
The gun is 4.6″ high for God’s sake! That’s bigger than the new Springfield XDs in .45, and almost half an inch higher than a Glock 26!
I’m sorry to all of those who are raving about how wonderful this model is, but IMHO the M&P Compact appears to be a much better choice if someone is looking for a gun in this size class.
For concealed carry in .45 btw, the Springfield XDs is going to be VERY HARD to beat! For 40mm concealed carry, will S&W, Glock, Ruger, or someone, please offer an alternative to Kahr’s PM9/PM40 (5 1/2″ x 1″ x 4″)!
Please include sights like the XDs, size and weight of the PM40, ambidextrous mag release, good trigger, no external safety or slide release like the Nano, but not feeling so much like a brick as the Nano does, a grip like the Walther or Ruger S22, and to repeat for any of those manufacturers who don’t really understand the concept of concealed carry, keep the height at 4″ or less so it will fit in a pocket . Oh yea, and if you really want to make us happy, include a nice case with at least 4 extra mags – also, don’t forget to include optional extended mags for those days at the range, for those who need a longer grip, or for those who think they might need more than 5 rounds in a shootout 🙂
If a mag sleeve reloads become an issue for compact self-defense CC you are
A) visiting the wrong Beruit neighborhoods
B) packing the wrong tool for the job at hand
(get a rifle, as well as several friends)
I have been carrying my .40 Shield, pretty much 24/7 DONT REMOVE THE SLEEVE. Slamming the extended magazine home without the sleeve while the slide is locked to the rear will bend the small metal projection that helps to eject spent casings. The magazine will travel too far into the magazine well. This will effect the proper function of the slide and prevent the slide from going forward. This is a very bad situation to find your self in during a combat reload. I use a Bianchi single stack mag pouch and it keeps the sleeve in place. If you hurt your little pinky finger in the process at lease you can now have something to brag about. I love the Shield but it does have some issues, like every gun. I don’t like that the magazine release spring is so light that leaning against your pistol can eject the mag. I do like that I can carry a .40 cal in shorts and flip flops with zero signature.
It’s also got some kick, especially using Buffalo Bore ammo. But I kinda like that too.
Still a problem today… Just bought a shield last week and took it to the range. Somewhere in the process of shooting 200 rounds I went to reload and mag would not seat in gun period. First thought was WTF and after looking the extension had come loose and climbed up the mag and wedged. Not a good position to be in. It does have what can be marginally called a retention but it does not work. Overall the mags seem cheap in comparison to all my other S&W mags.
I’ve noticed the same thing with my Shield extended magazines – wonder why more people aren’t complaining?
Cheap? If you think the magazines on the Shield are cheap, you should see what Kahr uses on their (my) $958 PM9! They (kind of) cover themselves by stating that the gun won’t chamber reliably unless the slide stop is used, but a better (designed) quality magazine would solve their problem. Of course they deny that they have a problem, but what a pain to clear a jam in a pistol that can only be chambered using the slide stop!
I just purchased a new S&W Shield. My 8-Round mag clearly has a fixed, attached, one-piece, bonded and otherwise immovable base. Thought you guys should know.
I just bought two of these very recently. Maybe there’s a difference in design a tad but mine bot have free floating spacers. they arnt a bother though even if not in the correct, place the mag slides in flawlessly putting the “extension” in place every time.
Had my Shield for just over a year. Not one flaw, hiccup, or burp. Rapid fire, no problem. Accuracy, no problem. Re-acquiring, target during rapid fire and mag exchange, no problem. It seems some people need to practice, practice, practice!
As a proud sheild owner, reading this page with my sheild handy,testing loading the extended mag multiple times.
Even if the “extesnion” is at the very top of the mag, as long as you move your pinky out of the way it goes in flawlessly. the only real issue with this design is the spring tension on the fully loaded 8 round mag,slam that thing in the you slam the door on your 73 chevy, takes a lil umph. (if the slide is closed)
Shooting this gun at a target range that only allows 5 rounds per mag regardless of size i used both mags, shooting i quickly forgot they were any different, feels the same, shoots the same, never jammed my finger.
If any non sheild owner on here wants to gripe about this please come shoot my gun, I’ll even buy the bullets.
hit me up joewuest @ gmail .com
I’m in Alton, IL
Heard of this “problem” in a review when I bought my Shield 9 right after they came out. Never has affected the ability to insert the 8 rounder, just takes a good rap. The 7 rounder caused a blood blister on my pinky pad because my finger rested over the gap. I have used Pearce Grips mag extensions on several guns and as soon as they came out with one for the Shield I got one and put it on the 7 round mag. Amazing difference. I just picked up a new Shield 40 and have a grip extension ready to be installed. I also put Talon rubber grip tape on the 9 and liked it so much the 40 will get the same treatment. OBTW, the extension on the 40’s longer mag does not move, so Smith must be listening.
Update:
I just attached the Talon Grip for the extended magazine and it encloses the grip extension so it cannot move. I forgot about that in my previous post. “Problem” solved!
Just finished adding the Talon Rubberized Grip Tape on my Shield 9 and it is good stuff, fixed the possible mag. ext. slip problem. The grip now feels great and the tape went on easy fit well, good company.
Careful, if you “remove the sleeve from the magazine to avoid problems” and are overzealous in seating your mag (Like I was), then you will end up bending the ejector on your sear block (the thin pin looking object you can see protruding next to your firing pin hole). I had this happen to me just today and my shield failed to go into battery multiple times until the ejector was bent back into place. This also makes it difficult when reassembling your shield. My consequences for my actions. I love my shield, it has been running perfectly otherwise.
Love, love, love my M&P Shield! As a gal with small hands, I struggled to find a concealed carry handgun that would fit and shoot well. Went to our local gun store and rented several hand guns and the shield came out the winner. Love the sight picture. I can put it on target so quickly and be accurate. Guys, if you’re looking for a weapon for your wife or girlfriend, I highly recommend having her try out the shield.
If you have to reload after 7 rds good look to you.the s has hit the fan hopefully 8 more rds will solve your problem
Comments are closed.