Shot my S&W M&P Shield .40 today

[TwistedCopper]

I was anxiously awaiting the release of the XDs 45, but Springfield lost me with yet another postponement of it's release. I stopped in W.E. Sell Sporting Goods in Hanover, saw the Shield in .40 and asked to look at it. It was all over, and so is my wait for the XDs. Sorry Springer, ya snooze, ya lose.

On the the Smith and Wesson Shield...

I hate to call this a review, as there are plenty of those out there and all are very subjective anyhow. I will however, share a few observations and impressions from my first outing with my new M&P Shield .40...

I ran several defensive rounds through the Shield. I did not bother with FMJ rounds as I am trying to judge reliability and function for self-defense purposes so I used what made sense. In addition, I shot offhand at 7 yards. This is what I have come to view as a good training distance for self defense, which again is what this pistol is for.

I ran through the pistol the following:
20 rounds of Speer Gold Dot 180 grain JHP
20 rounds of Speer Gold Dot 165 grain JHP
20 rounds Hornady 165 grain FTX Critical Defense
50 rounds of Winchester 180 Grain Bonded JHP
25 Rounds of Remington 165 Grain Golden Saber

All ran flawlessly.

Accuracy was impressive. The few times I shot very slowly to try and be precise, it was precise. What I mean is, for the most part I was shooting defensive drills with quick follow up shots. When I shot for accuracy, it hit where I aimed it. Keep in mind this was only at 7 yards, but the sights were dead-on from the factory.

Recoil... this is very subjective, but I have to say it was much less than I expected. Don't get me wrong, this little powerhouse demands a firm grip, but I will say that the Kahr PM9 I had a while back was snappier. Not sure if it is the extra weight, larger size, or lower bore axis(?) but this thing was not unpleasant to shoot with either magazine. I could rapidly run through both mags and keep all the shots C.O.M. on a standard silhouette target. That means it works

So, in a nutshell, I think Smith has a real winner with the Shield. I'm going to continue to prove it's reliability then make it my every day warm weather carry weapon. I am quite pleased with it to say the least. I have looked long and hard for a Summer CCW that met all my needs and I have finally found that in my little M&P.

TC

First group, offhand 7 yards, 20 shots fairly quick follow up shots (Yes, I know it is a 100 yard rifle target):


Pics of the Shield with my FNP45 for size reference:

[nateebobo]

jesus christ, that ammo test prolly cost damn near what the gun did! glad to hear its working for you and nice write up/eval.

[TwistedCopper]

that ammo test prolly cost damn near what the gun did! glad to hear its working for you and nice write up/eval.

I have quite a bit stockpiled, so nothin' hurt here

[marks]

I picked up the Shield 40 a few days ago, and shot it yesterday. I also ran a variety of ammo, FMJ and JHP, through it (though not nearly the assortment the OP did). I also found it 100% reliable out of the box. I wasn't able to achieve the accuracy I'd like, but it wasn't a disaster either. Recoil is subjective, but comparing it to the SP101 snubby firing .357 magnum rounds, it's a walk in the park. Comparing it to say, a heavy steel frame gun, it's pretty substantial. It absolutely takes a firm grip and good trigger control to get good results. Of course, that's true with any gun, but the .40 S&W round demands that you give it your full attention in the Shield. I'm waiting on a Shield 9, which I expect will be a dream to shoot. This gun, in my hands, will take a bit more practice, for me to do well with it. But, 6+1 (or 7+1 with the extended mag) is pretty decent capacity for such a gun so small, thin, and comfortable to carry. I think it's a keeper. Having had a Walther PPS, I'd say that the PPS has a "feel" to it that I just love. It's a gun that just says "quality" and has a certain weight to size ratio that I loved. Unfortunately, I felt the PPS trigger was awful. If they put a Shield trigger in a PPS, I'd buy another PPS for sure. Right now though, comparing nearly all that's out there in this new thin, but not absurdly small genre of guns, I think the Shield is the overall best choice (certainly the best such gun I've owned).