Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Handguns Shield Plus

I'll probably have to get one, I love my 1st gen shield.

https://www.smith-wesson.com/product/mp-shield-plus

Have been tossing the P365 and Hellcat idea around, was going to buy one, but now with the introduction of the plus I may get one of those because I already own a shield and have holsters for it so I would not have to invest in more holsters. Nice play S&W.

Check this video out.

https://youtu.be/WRugstCi-HQ

the guy that does tractor work for me as the sas version. I've been sort looking at them. But now this is coming out. I have a 1st gen shield, full and compact 2.0 m&p, the m&p22, had a bodyguard. I love these m&ps, I shoot them well. Gotten rid of all my glocks and rugers.

I like that promo video. The Shield Plus looks like a winner.

Dang, PSA just listed them for sale on their site. In stock as of right now.

Ordered mine this morning.

LGS has 30 of them in stock, and more on the way. $519 It's my understanding that they are the only S&W dealer in the state to receive the initial shipments of the Plus. They even have a Plus that can be rented and shot in the indoor range.

Seems everyone is making a 365 competitor now. So we have the following

Springfield Hellcat
M&P Shield Plus
Ruger Max9
Glock 48/43x with Shield S15 mags
Sccy DVG
Taurus G3C Toro

Am I missing any from that list?

That was a pretty quick response from S&W; good for them.

And I just bought a new 9mm Shield last week.
It might get put in the back of the safe before it even gets used.

So we're 100% certain that the "regular" Shield holsters will fit the +???

One of the reviews I watched said holsters for previous generations of Shields work same - same for the Plus model.

I think I’ll pick one up. I love the shield and for me I can squeeze the $hit out of it better than the p365, which is a huge bonus on these pistols. I wonder if they are going to fit another round in the 45acp version?

I'm sorry for you.

I'll survive

I think it might be the best of the pack.

Yep. If you have a Shield holster, you're good to go.

Went to the range this morning and shot the new Shield plus, as well as the original shield in 9mm and 40S&W and a Springfield Hellcat.
I shot the plus better than any of the others and even thought it was better handling than the original. Loved the sandpaper like grip.

Since I had them all sitting on the table for cleaning I decided to try swapping mags, nope you cant do it.
Slides will interchange though, and the Plus fits my Dasantis Paddle holster I've used for years perfectly. It will be my new carry gun as soon as I run some more ammo thru it and find some 9mm carry ammo.

Ordered one. I like the standard Shield over 365 and I am guessing I will like this one even more.

the SIG 365 is a CZ 75Dpcr competitor.

finally got to handle one, I like it but they will have to come down in price before I bite. Paid 250 from psa for my gen 1 shield, after taxes and transfer. I think I have 290ish in it. My lgs wanted 529 for the shield plus the other day.

Got mine last week. Mine came with factory night sights and three mags (They normally come with two), but I paid standard price for it, so I'm assuming the sales clerk screwed up. I hope he doesn't get into trouble for it, but I'm not going back with the extra $100.00 in hand to make up the difference. A deal's a deal.

I shot 150 rounds of S&B 115 grain FMJ and 25 rounds of 124 grain Gold Dot through it. Flawless function (no surprise). I like it.




PS I didn't realize I had the Night Sight version till I got it home. I didn't even know they offered them with factory tritium night sights and an extra mag.

Sounds like it is priced competitively with the other popular 9 mm's from Sig, Glock, Springfield, ect. The Gen 1 Shield was heavily discounted after the 2.0 version was introduced. I wouldn't expect this new high capacity 2.0 Plus version to sell close to the price of the older Gen 1 guns.

Well, you have to go where the market takes you. The 365 was a breakthrough design and everyone is following.

I had a chance to shoot the Taurus Toro; I was impressed. Taurus seems to really have it together these days in their auto pistols.

Friends don't let friends use Taurus in a life threatening situation

Nice! I think I am going to run a XS Big Dot front and rear sight on mine.

Had those on my Ruger LC9S Pro. Wasn't crazy about them. If I got mine without factory tritium night sights, I'd buy a set of AmeriGlo Hackathorns.

My only complaint is that the rough, sandpaper-like, texture on the grips makes initial grip acquisition a little slower from the draw. When the grips are a bit smoother, you can slide your hand right into a proper grip with ease before you begin to draw. With the rough texture on the grips, you really have to apply some significant downward force to defeat the friction in order to get a full and proper grip in advance of the draw. It's a training issue that can be overcome, but it's a legitimate complaint. Of course, it's made up for somewhat by the superior grip retention under recoil, even with wet hands.

What don’t you like about them?

S

The makes me want to find a first edition M&P40C and belt-sander the pointless rail off it.

Hard to put my finger on it. I do really like bright orange on the front sight, though, rather than plain white.

Do you know where to snag some extra magazines?

Hope it serves you well. I like my mc1sc mossberg cause it's slim and shoots like a bigger gun. Far as capacity it's nice to have.

I bought a first generation shield for $199 when they had a lot of sales and $50 rebates from S&W. Best $200 I ever spent on a handgun. I carry a Sig 365XL daily, but can't help to think that the Shield Plus would be just as nice to carry and they shoot so well. Well made pistols for the money. I like the option of the manual safety with the Sigs and the S&W Shields, first generation anyway. Don't know if the newer ones are available with manual safety.

Tried everywhere. No one has any. In a month or two, they might start trickling in to Midway and Brownells.

Yes, they are available with a manual safety, but I requested one without one.

A major upgrade in round count that fits in my current holster. What’s not to like?

Very good business strategy on their part. No matter where you opinion falls about a manual safety, they have a model just for you.

Maybe, but they're as useless as tits on a bull, as far as I'm concerned.

Really? What's the difference between a safety on a handgun and a safety on a long gun? Never understood how someone could operate a safety on a rifle or shotgun, but it became a liability on a handgun? Few things happen as fast as covering birds on the rise with a shotgun, but no one would think about hunting with the safety disengaged while hunting.

Manual safeties on guns designed to be ready to go with a hair trigger (like a 1911 or an AR) are necessary. Not so on revolvers, though. Same for striker fired handguns, like the S&W M&P Shield Plus.

It takes less trigger pull to fire a round from most striker fired pistols than it does on the average two stage Ar15 trigger. A mil spec AR15 trigger is anything but a hair trigger.

From start to break requires a hair's breadth of travel on the 1911 and the AR. That's what makes them hair triggers. Not so with a double action revolver or a striker fired handgun.

By the time I was 15 I'd had an hour or two on pre 1940 Colt SAs, none of which--knowing what I know now--had a 3 lb trigger. One, an ancient 32-20, took only a wish to fire once the pad of your finger felt the trigger. Not a damn one of them had any pre-travel or take-up.

That 32-20 Colt had a hair trigger, just to keep things in perspective.

Just played with the P365 yesterday (PSA Easter deal with 3 12-shot magazines) with a Shield 40 and a Shield EZ 9... No comparison and the Sig was easily the best out of the box. The triggers on both Shields are atrocious compared to the Sig. Ergos favor the Sig for my hands.

FWIW, the Shield Plus has a newly designed trigger and gets rave reviews. Having said that, I'll stick with my Sigs and Glocks.

Just got mine out of jail yesterday. Went and shot it last night. Found it on GB. It came with 1-10 round and 3-13 round magazines. paid $499 for it. I think I did all right. It has the safety but I have no intention of using it. Compared to my gen 1 shield you can't hardly tell the grip difference. I really like it. I have contacted Magguts wondering when they will have a +2 for the mags and they said they are working on it now.

Odd that it came with all those mags, considering how hard they are to find and S&W only includes two for the standard model and three for the enhanced (night sight) model. You somehow lucked out on the mags.

As for the thumb safety, I wouldn't own a Shield with one. Either, like with a 1911, the thumb safety being engaged (with a round in the chamber) is the standard way to carry it (and that's how you constantly practice with it), or I don't want a thumb safety at all that could accidentally become engaged at the worst possible time and get you killed because routinely disengaging the thumb safety isn't part of your training.

Yes, what S&W did is make ergonomically improved copy of G26 (slightly longer straighter grip). The specs are nearly identical. Shield Plus=

Other than being made of similar materials, being striker fired, and having a similar trigger safety system, it's not much like a Glock 26. It's much more comparable to the Glock 43X.

I got my Shield Plus today and I am more pleased than anticipated. First of all, I own several Shields and despite their capacity, have always liked them over the Sig p365. This is because I can get a better purchase on the Shield vs the 365, which is important to me. I use a LOT of grip strength on pistols especially with my support hand. I have never been able to get a good purchase with my support hand on the 365 and was never happy with the grip in general. The first two generations of single stack Shields allowed me to cam inwards and really crush down on the pistol. The Shield Plus offers even more. The trigger has been much improved and the grip adds just a bit more surface to keep it pointing strait when ripping off rounds. Absolutely awesome. So far it fits all my other Shield holsters. Now to change out the sights. 2 is 1 and 1 is none.
S

Will they add the 45 ACP? How many rounds can fit?

I looked at one of those Shield Plus models the other day, and danged if it didn't feel really good, almost good enough to buy. I didn't buy it though, and didn't buy the 365XL, either. In fact, I didn't buy anything. Nothing was flippin' my switches. I simply can't find anything I want right now, period. I don't quite know what I want right now, but whatever it is, I ain't found it yet.

I have the Shield (not the plus) and a 365XL, I like both but to me the 365XL has a little different grip angle or something. I have to work a little to get the sights to line up. I do not seem to have that issue with the Shield.
I have not seen the Shield Plus but for those that have, is the grip about the same on the Shield Plus as it is on the Shield?
Thanks

Likely adding the .45 ACP to the Plus lineup would not increase round count. At most by one. Much fatter round.

Same angle. Just ever so slightly fatter. Most people say the slight increase in width is either unnoticeable or an improvement.

thanks, I found a shop that has one for either 559 or 599 I don't remember which but I am going to try and check it out this weekend

A slightly wider/thicker grip would be a good thing I think. The standard single stack Shield is a touch narrow in my opinion.

Agreed.

Already have that in the M&P 2.0

The 2.0 Compact in 3.6" and 4" with the small grip adapter is about perfect for me. It kicked my G19 to the back of the safe. The Shield Plus will get a hard look from me just because, but I dunno if it will replace the 2.0 Compact.

one question on the Plus, is the magazine as hard to load as the standard Shield? With it being a higher capacity I could see it being even a bigger pain to load.

One more question, what is the going price on the street for the Plus?

Thanks

well I guess that was 2 questions

No idea on the magazine, never owned one. Looked at one in a local store earlier this week and it was $549.99. $50.00 more than a P365 and $65.00 more than a G43x MOS and no night sights. Hard pass for me.

The magazine on my Shield Plus is easier to load.

My lgs had one marked 519 today. So they'd more than likely sell it for 489 if you bother to ask them.