Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Handguns M&P Shield - safety or no safety?

I'm used to wiping off a safety, but I'm also used to my Kahr. Thinking of picking up the Shield, and leaning toward the no safety model. Any good reason not to go with no safety?

No safety for me. Just don't feel the need for it.

No

Definitely no.

It's not large enough to be reliable, either to know it's off or to swipe it off when it's on. IME

It can't be removed on the Shield like in the full size and compact model.

No safety.

that depends - do you want a safety? If you do, get one with a safety. If not, get one without.

it's all personal preference.

the only pistol I own with a safety is a 1911 I carry cocked and locked. I have two shields one in 45 one in 9mm no safety.

I would rather not have a safety. If I had the Shield with a safety,I don't think there would be any problem just keeping it off.

I"ll probably be out voted here, but I won't carry without a safety. I want to keep my right foot and my right testicle. You can always carry with the safety off if you so desire. Some say that the extra second to flip it off is critical. With some practice, you can flip the safety off while drawing and placing your support hand in place.
But that being said, I think it's up to the individual. I once bought a .380 without a safety by mistake. Tried carrying it for a while,but felt a little naked, or apprehensive is a better word, so I kept it for use in my home. Go with your desire.

A safety is gay.




Dave

My Shield 45 has a safety. I am so used to safeties on my 1911's that anything else seems naked without one. I alternate CCW carry with it and my Kimber Ultra Carry II, and I don't want to have to think about which one it is when I draw.

It takes all of a nannosecond to draw, flick the safety off, and fire. I just like the feeling of an extra measure of safety while carrying.

They make 'em both ways for a reason!

None at all. No point in having a thumb safety on a striker fired handgun. One of the main advantages of a striker fired handgun is the absence of a thumb safety ... less to go wrong at the worst possible moment. Can't imagine why they ever chose to offer any with a thumb safety.

To clarify why I ask....
My hand injury a year ago involved significant nerve damage. I have been shooting with my weak hand only, as a result. I am recovering much of the use of my previously strong hand, and have recently recovered to the point that I can shoot with my normal strong side, but acquiring a good grip is slow with the guns I have.

I just did some experimenting with various pistols, and found that I can get a good shooting grip on the Shield in my injured hand with haste, but not other models that I am familiar with. I have no problem with the 1911 safety with my weakened thumb, but the Shield safety would be difficult at this point. I am lead to expect further progress with my hand,but it's looking like we're talking at least another year to get reasonably close to normal.

In the meantime, think I can get by much better with the Shield than any other pistol I've tried. My only concern, since I know little about this pistol other than its reputation for reliability, is whether there is any disadvantage in going without the safety. And no,pocket carry is not in the picture, nor is appendix carry.

I think your question has been answered.

I'm glad to hear of your improvement.

Yes, I think I have enough of an answer. Thank you all. Taking advantage of a sale this week, and going with no safety. Any other issues I need to know about with the Shield?

If S&W would've done a better job with the safety it might be ok but with what they designed, no way.

As for why not just leave it off? I let my cousin shoot my first one and he handed it back with the safety on. I sold it and bought one without the next week.

Just keep the TG covered and take care holstering.

I waited until S&W offered the shield sans safety before I got mine. Something that I have found to be handy is a trigger shield:



It keeps the trigger covered when the pistol is not in your holster, and functions as a minimalists holster. I got mine from Amazon .

Like you I generally have zero concerns over my ability to flip off a safety, but I think until you're hand is back to 100% you're making the right call.

Another exception would be if I were planning on really lightening/shortening the trigger pull. I'd prefer a active safety in that case.

Beo's pic of the trigger shield,is just another reason I want a gun with a thumb safety. I think he was smart to buy one.

The issue really isn't having A safety, it's having THE SHIELD safety. And the Shield safety sucks. I've seen several cases of people who were just going to leave it off, who found it on when they needed to shoot and have seen people miss it under stress.

I am a Conservative, I vote Republican, I am an American citizen, and I have a Shield with a thumb safety. I also have a M&P Pro 9, without a thumb safety.

Smith and Wesson was happy to sell me one of each!

Missing it under stress is the deal breaker. Everyone thinks that safety is no problem,but you don't know until you are under that kind of stress. Motor skills go to near zero.People who have never experienced it,just don't understand. Even very experienced and trained shooters have failed to disengage the infinitely better design of a good 1911 safety when under that stress.

I don't understand the mindset that must have a safety to feel comfortable. If you can't trust yourself to keep your finger off a trigger,how can you trust yourself to engage or disengage a safety? Modern pistols have a FP block and will not fire unless you pull that trigger. Just keep your finger off the trigger until you are ready to shoot. Pay attention when holstering your pistol. If you can't pay enough attention to not accidentally pull a trigger when holstering how can you pay enough attention to not accidentally disengage a safety?

Okay...okay. We can all drop the safety/no safety debate now. It's been done a thousand times here. My question was about a specific gun for a specific purpose - and that is answered.

It's a done deal. Now, I must order a holster....

I'm curious, leather or Kydex? I'm in the market for a leather holster for my Shield. I have one of the plastic ones and do not like it even a little bit.

BP...

I have two Crossbreed holsters for mine: A Superslide (OWB) and an Appendix Carry (IWB). I like them both. The appendix holster is also tuckable, and it works for me without a cover garment.

I've tried kydex before and didn't like it until I tried a Vedder LightTuck. I currently use one for my G43 and greatly prefer it to leather.

El Paso Saddlery C-Force IWB. I was a long time devotee of the Milt Sparks VM II, but now all I want is the C-Force.

Having a safety that you don't use could be the worst possible choice. You run the risk of it somehow getting engaged and you not knowing it. If you then need the gun quickly, it won't work, and if you never use the safe, you may not figure it out in time. A lot of ifs, I know. A lot of bad outcomes avoided, by either using the gun correctly, or getting the correct gun.

I usually prefer leather. Lots of new stuff in kydex since I last shopped holsters though, so no decision at this point.

Kydex. It doesn't soak up sweat, it's thinner and a good maker will round any edges so it's comfortable. I have been using one from www.pjholster.com since I bought my first Shield and it works very well.

I use a small leather Ambidextrious holster for my CC. It's not fancy. No provision for an extra mag, but it's compact and made with nice Leather. Manufacturer is Bulldog. Comes in different sizes. Only around $30. Not made for Laser sights. You need to soften it up before use. I have some Kydex also, but I prefer the Bulldog

More experimenting today....

IWB is out for now. Because of the nerve damage issues, any IWB on my strong side won't work. My little finger interferes with obtaining a grip with the gun pressed so tight to my body. I think I will be okay though with the right OWB holster.

I had pretty much abandoned IWB with compact pistols anyway, long before the injury. I almost completely stopped carrying the K9 in the VMII and switched to the DeSantis Mini-Slide - which I am doing with weak hand currently. Not that the VMII wasn't working - I just rarely have any need to go IWB with such a compact pistol, because I can conceal it well enough with the Mini-Slide, and it's easier to live with.

But the Mini-Slide isn't available for the Shield - which surprised me. Another OWB concealment holster I've used happily is the Galco Combatmaster. Messing around some more with the one I have, for a snubby SP101, it was interesting to find that I now can get a good grip on the Hogue-gripped SP101 with my injured hand. Didn't work last time I tried it. Going to have to give that a go with some stout loads and see what happens, just for fun. Might be my trail gun for a while....

So anyway - I'm giving serious consideration to the DeSantis Speed Scabbard right now. While kydex makes a lot of sense to me for IWB these days, I'm not liking any of the kydex OWB holsters I've viewed so far for concealment.

why not a safety.. its there if you need it and don't use it if you don't want too. Mine has one, never got in the way.

Read posts above.

i have.. there is no way the safety engages by itself. This is highly unlikely. In fact, i have one of the first shields that automatically came with a safety. Been carrying it for years. Never happened.

I sometimes use my safety to reholster when at the range etc... especially IWB carry. Don't have too, just do.

i also carry a kahr without a safety so i know what carrying a gun is with and without. The simple fact is, the safety on the shield has never gotten in my way. I usually recommend new shooters or new individuals to CCW chose a safety.

Regardless - the facts remain......others have had the safety engage unintentionally while carrying, and my weakened thumb is not to be relied on with that particular safety. I advise newbies to buy high quality holsters and mind their fingers and shirt tails. Safeties, and where they should and shouldn't be, are a separate issue.

Anyway, the decision is made and I am quite comfortable with it. Dry-fire practice ensuing. I think I'm going to have an easy time with this pistol. I have time to think about holsters, since I am currently essentially a dedicated wrong-handed shooter (for about a year now).

No safety on my 9MM Shield. I had a choice and chose the non safety version. Glad I did.

I've heard that and I believe it to be BS. At best it's a circular argument - if a pistol is being carried in a way a safety can be swiped off it better have one because it's just matter of time before the trigger gets swiped.

Just another mechanical device to worry about. No need for it, so why take the chance?

Perhaps I'm reading more into Blues post than he intended. But swiped off isn't really the problem. Swiped on, OTOH, would be. BTW - I had the safety on a BHP get swiped off while riding in a Sparks Executive Companion one time. Surprised me when I noticed, but didn't scare me. At any rate - we don't need no stinking safety.

Depends on what you've trained with. If it's been striker fired pistols with no manual safety than stick with that manual of arms and get the Shield without one.

Yep. Glad I chose the "no safety" model. I see no problem in its non-existence, that wouldn't be the essentially same with a Glock, a Kahr, or any good DA revolver.

After getting some trigger time, I am quite impressed with this pistol. I have to admit that it is easier to shoot accurately with speed than the Kahr, and reliability is, so far, proving to be a non-issue.