Smith and Wesson MP Shield Plus Review

[maverick52]

I just picked up the Shield Plus a couple of weeks ago. Not sure if any of you got one, but this is by far my favorite EDC gun. The Sig 365 is going in the safe for a while. I got the one that has a cut out for a red dot. Also comes with night sights and a new and improved trigger. The texture on the grip is really nice too. Not too rough or too smooth. On a personal level the gun fits my hand really nice. I love the grip angle and the weight distribution. At 30 feet I had a really tight group with 50 rounds, and not much thought involved. Again the trigger pull is crisp with hardly no creep. In fact I let off a ND at the range due to how tight it is. Long story short- this is one hell of a gun. I may even put my 365 up for sale.

 

[Carlos Hathcock]

50 rounds! Holy rich guy!

 

[S&W Fan]

I haven’t looked into them much yet , but I am interested. What makes it a “ plus” besides the cutout for a red dot ?

 

[nortatoga]

I haven’t looked into them much yet , but I am interested. What makes it a “ plus” besides the cutout for a red dot ?

+2 rounds....


M&P SHIELD PLUS

M&P 9 SHIELD PLUS THUMB SAFETY​

SELECT
STATE COMPLIANCE

State Compliance
NO RESTRICTIONS
SELECT OPTIONS BELOW
CAPACITY

10+1 10+1, 13+1

 

[maverick52]

2 ero

+2 rounds....


M&P SHIELD PLUS

M&P 9 SHIELD PLUS THUMB SAFETY​

SELECT
STATE COMPLIANCE

State Compliance
NO RESTRICTIONS
SELECT OPTIONS BELOW
CAPACITY

10+1 10+1, 13+1

yeah. 2 rounds extra. Nights sights, New flat trigger and rds cutout.

 

[Will556]

If your ND’ing with it, you probably shouldn’t carry it. Not until you get used to it and that doesn’t happen anymore, doesn’t really matter the reason why it’s happening regardless. If you take it out to practice and find yourself ND’ing periodically anyway…definitely don’t carry that thing. Just my two cents anyway.

 

[maverick52]

It

If your ND’ing with it, you probably shouldn’t carry it. Not until you get used to it and that doesn’t happen anymore, doesn’t really matter the reason why it’s happening regardless. If you take it out to practice and find yourself ND’ing periodically anyway…definitely don’t carry that thing. Just my two cents anyway.

Not a constant occurrence. I’ve put about 300 rounds in and it happened once when it was pointed down range. At the target. But point well take.

 

[Will556]

I’m glad it happened while it was in a safe direction and that nothing terrible happened. But if it were me and I genuinely felt as if the trigger was a little too light for carry/duty use and were worried on ND’s, I wouldn’t carry it. I’m not saying that has to stay that way. It could just be a training issue until you get used to the trigger and if that’s the case, then once you’re used to the trigger and 100% confident that you’re not going to snatch that gun out in a self defense situation with you adrenaline pumping, heart rate jacked up, and negligently send a round somewhere you don’t intend, then you’re good to carry that thing. I’m also glad you didn’t take my last comment personal in anyway, because it wasn’t meant to be taken that way if it was. Just my view on the matter and I respect the lack of an aggressive response back…better than how the majority of people on the interwebz would have reacted and get all butthurt.

 

[Podmonkey]

I absolutely love mine. The Shield Plus has been my constant carry companion since I got it last spring. Mine is the standard 3" model, no RDS cut. I am glad it doesn't have the cut, I have no intention of putting a red dot on it and if I were I'd prefer to have it custom milled in anyway.
Here it sits on my bedroom door knob in a Galco Miami Classic Lite shoulder rig awaiting the next day's service (and underneath the HD gun)


As for the NDs- I think we have all squeezed off a premature shot on the range while staging the trigger at one point or another, if that were the case I don't consider an ND exactly, the gun being pointed in a safe direction, at a target with the intention to shoot if not just at that exact moment. I certainly don't consider the factory Shield trigger to be too light for a defensive pistol. Despite what some marketing materials and reviews may have stated its about a 6lb pull and very positive with a sharply defined wall before the break. The trigger is perfectly suited for its task. It is definitely not like a Glock or P320 trigger which have the traditional "mush" in them. With the newer M&Ps there is just a light take up to the wal and no creep before the break. If one were expecting a Glock type pull and trying to stage on the last bit of creep just before the break I can see how that might result in squeezing of a shot on the M&P, on which you will apply more and more pressure on the trigger until it snaps.
The actual downside of the gun is the extreme scarcity of magazines.

 

[Podmonkey]

I haven’t looked into them much yet , but I am interested. What makes it a “ plus” besides the cutout for a red dot ?

Not all Pluses have the RDS cut, it's an option.
The Plus mainly is about the increased magazine capacity but also has some small ergonomic improvements over previous versions such as:
-The grip texture is similar to the M&P 2.0 texture
but toned down a little. It's not as abrasive but still is secure in the hand. Good for IWB concealment.
-The flat face trigger with a wide trigger dongus as opposed to the older hinged trigger. It's more comfortable on the finger but IMO the actual trigger pull is the same as previous models which were always quite serviceable if short of being great.
-A nice but often overlooked improvement is the slightly extended mag release which is now also metallic and sporting an extremely aggressive texture.
-The grip is slightly swelled to help accommodate the increased magazine capacity. It doesn't affect concealabilty at all but it does fit in the hand a little better.
-Neither a hear nor there change but the magazines are now painted black. I believe they are still of stainless steel construction. Also damn near impossible to find spares of as well.
It would be nice to see some of these small improvements spread to the other M&P pistol models, particularly the mag release.

 

[Podmonkey]

+2 rounds

10+1 10+1, 13+1

That would be +3 and +5 rounds actually. The standard Shield has magazine capacities of 7+1 flush mag and 8+1 extended mag. A significant increase.

 

[Acer-m14]

I haven’t looked into them much yet , but I am interested. What makes it a “ plus” besides the cutout for a red dot ?

here you go from a Pro ..