It is no secret that I recommend the S&W Shield 9mm with no reservation. Â Here is the first review I made of the pistol. Â One change, after the installation of the APEX trigger kit, I have no complaints about the trigger.
https://youtu.be/jKl1CfvIOHg?t=2m14s
I, as most everyone else in the world, heard about the Smith & Wesson Shield due to the big hype of its release. Â Since then I have heard seemingly endless praise for this little pistol. Â I was skeptical as always; primarily because most gun reviews tend to be positive, and leave out those little nuggets which would lead one to find a gun to be sub-par in the name of selling advertising. Â Casey was able to acquire one through a friend, who got it from a third friend, and it was not until Casey got and recommend it that Justin took a real serious look at the pistol, and purchased one for himself.
The Shield by design seems to be the ideal carry weapon. Â Slim, light, decent caliber selection, full size sights, standard controls, and enough of a grip to fit most of your hand.
Initially, primary concerns were trigger, handling, and recoil. Â Many of these small 9mm and larger caliber guns are simply not fun to shoot. Â They tend to be snappy and generally difficult to shoot. Â You might find one with a good trigger, but it has poor sights. Â The next one recoils smoothly but has a nightmare of a trigger. Â Does the Shield do it all and do it all well?
Trigger
The trigger is the best one I have found from M&P.  It is still far from a 1911 or well worn Glock, but it is noticeably improved.  The consensus from many others is a APEX trigger is a must for M&Ps. The “tactical” trigger that comes in the Shield is a marked improvement over S&Ws initial offerings in the M&P line, but it still isn’t great. It is great comparatively, but in the grand scheme not as good as could be. But, Its not so bad I feel the need to run out an buy an APEX trigger kit RIGHT NOW. Maybe later…or not.
UPDATE: I later purchased the kit and it is well worth the money 🙂
Controls
KISS – It has everything you need, out of the way, plain and simple.  I had no issues operating the gun or its controls.  One thing that I think would be a good improvement or addition is in the area of the safety.  If you are so inclined as to use the Shield’s safety, I think it needs to be a little bigger.  The current full sized M&Ps have a 1911 style safety that would be at home in a reduced size form on the shield.  There is perhaps a market for an after market manufacturer to offer an upgraded part.
I didn’t use the safety much, but was impressed with the ease at which the safety is disengaged.  It seems to be a potentially heated topic to discussion, to safety or not, with the Shield.  But so far, I have not utilized it.
CAVEAT: Casey carries his in a Gen 1 Raven Concealment Vanguard in the Appendix position. He uses the safety and would like a little larger lever.
Reliability
I shot a random mixture of 115-147 grain 9mm, FMJ, HP, and even some steal cased stuff. Â I had 1 failure to extrract with steal ammo and that was it. Â My range session was by no means a torture or reliability test. Â I did however think it was telling that the one time I stacked the ammo in the magazine by type, I felt no significant difference.
Accuracy
I didn’t do any accuracy tests.  Most shots were from 15 yards on a 2/3 IPSC steal target.  The steel was freshly painted to show all hits.  I then stepped back to 25, first shot “Ding!” then walked to 50 yards, first shot, “Ding!”  I hope to do some more work at distance, but so far the Shield seems more than capable at distances far greater than its intended role.
Recoil
I was pleasantly surprised that the recoil of the Shield was a non-issue. Â I was able to drive the gun very well and shoot reasonably fast. Â Time will tell, but after the first range session I would say that I can shoot it just as well and fast (maybe a little faster) than my GLOCK 26.
Feel
It feels a little loose in the hands without finger grooves or a palm swell to help drive your hand upwards to the axis of bore, but as I shot, it didn’t prove to be a big issue.  The Shield didn’t try to jump out of my hand like some other subcompacts I have shot.  I think it might benefit from some stippling or grip work, but I feel very confident with it in stock form. It does get a bit slick when sweaty.
AvailabilityÂ
Shields have been very difficult to find until recently. Â They seem to be showing up on most stores shelves now. Â BUT, expect to pay more than the sub-$400 MSRP. Â I got mine for $450 and by coincidence drove by this sign for one for $507. Â So, they are out there, but still inflated in price.
Conclusion
I think the Shield has a lot of potential to be an excellent daily carry for the average CCW, off duty, etc.  It is really the ideal minimalist carry option.  I am currently carrying it in a BladeTech IWB Holster. I have a few others on order, but so far the BladeTech is serving me well.
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UPDATE:
For those of you who haven’t seen the safety bulletin from Smith & Wesson, see the vid and check your gun. I don’t know how wide spread a problem it has been, but S&W will fix it if is not right.