Hey S&W fans, new Shield Plus is out...

GunNut

If you like your Shield you are going to LOVE the new Shield Plus.  Last week I got to handle a pre-release gun and wow!  Could not shoot it because it was not “officially” released yet.  Same size frame as a standard Shield but increased capacity.  Their answer to all the high cap micros out there and it’s a nice one.

This gun is SLIM and fits really nice in hand.  But the new gun capacity is 10 (flush fit) or 13 (extended mag).  The grip angle is comfortable and it’s aggressively stippled for great control.  

The best news is the trigger.  It is light, smooth and has a really nice reset.  Well worth a closer look.  Should be in rental counters by now.

Bigslug

S&W comes up with the Shield.

A new company calls themselves Shield Arms comes up with a boosted cap mag for the little Glocks.

S&W comes up with a new boosted cap Shield.

S&W pulls the M&P name off their old duty revolvers and sticks it onto autoloaders and AR-15's.

S&W pulls the Victory name off their WWII Lend Lease revolvers and slaps it onto a .22.

Anybody else (A.) get the feeling we're running out of names for stuff, and (B.) long for the days when they'd just designate it after the inventor, the year of intro, and update with things like "A1" or "MKII"?  

JKP

I like my 9 and 45 Shields, especially for the money.   The higher capacity models should do well but I wonder if they are a bit late to market? Factory night sights with the quality trigger in the Shield would be a solid approach. 

GunNut

JKP said:

I like my 9 and 45 Shields, especially for the money.   The higher capacity models should do well but I wonder if they are a bit late to market? Factory night sights with the quality trigger in the Shield would be a solid approach. 

The new Shield has pretty good availability with PSA selling them right now in the mid-$500s.  I think they’re a really good deal.

bobbyrlf3

I'm probably wrong, but I don't recall the Shield having a trigger safety before; is that new?

Diver43

bobbyrlf3 said:

I'm probably wrong, but I don't recall the Shield having a trigger safety before; is that new?

I have one of the older ones.  It is not as pronounced but definitely there

MileHighShooter

I have already had to send one back to S&W for warranty repair.  Do not. I repeat, DO NOT BUY NEW S&W'S for at least a year after release. They are NOT doing any real testing or QC, they are rushing new products out asap. 

EZ 9, over a dozen sent back (not including the recall,  and totally different reasons). Shield 2.0, sent back at least 1/2 dozen.

I have literally sent more S&W M&P pistols for warranty repair in the last 18 months than Taurus in 10 years

GunNut

MileHighShooter said:

I have already had to send one back to S&W for warranty repair.  Do not. I repeat, DO NOT BUY NEW S&W'S for at least a year after release. They are NOT doing any real testing or QC, they are rushing new products out asap. 

EZ 9, over a dozen sent back (not including the recall,  and totally different reasons). Shield 2.0, sent back at least 1/2 dozen.

I have literally sent more S&W M&P pistols for warranty repair in the last 18 months than Taurus in 10 years

Damn!  That’s useful information!

Zee

I held one yesterday. 

Oh HELL no!!  Ergonomics and function failures from the get go!!

Diver43

MileHighShooter said:

I have already had to send one back to S&W for warranty repair.  Do not. I repeat, DO NOT BUY NEW S&W'S for at least a year after release. They are NOT doing any real testing or QC, they are rushing new products out asap. 

EZ 9, over a dozen sent back (not including the recall,  and totally different reasons). Shield 2.0, sent back at least 1/2 dozen.

I have literally sent more S&W M&P pistols for warranty repair in the last 18 months than Taurus in 10 years

Really good to know,  I picked up my P365 the other day and have been thinking of getting the wife a SW Shield EZ.  guess we will wait and see how it turns out.

GunNut

Zee said:

I held one yesterday. 

Oh HELL no!!  Ergonomics and function failures from the get go!!

Oh I knew you were going to hate the gun before you touched it.  Too XD like and I know how much you dislike that platform.

Zee

My issue was the grip and magazine. It’s a blood blister waiting to happen on a reload. 

That, and ANY pressure on the slide release and it will fail to lock back on empty. 

GunNut

Zee said:

My issue was the grip and magazine. It’s a blood blister waiting to happen on a reload. 

That, and ANY pressure on the slide release and it will fail to lock back on empty. 

I have the same issue with the slide release on SIGs.  It is where my finger naturally lands with my grip and the slide won’t lock back in me.  That’s why so many have moved on over the years.  The grip thing is endemic of compact guns that are short gripped and use extended mags with the added grip piece like the XD and others to add capacity.   That why I like the new 43Xs-48 so much.  Full grip with no need of mag extensions.

Gene L

S&W seems to have lost its place in modern firearms.  Smiths are getting worse and less innovative while Taurus is getting better.  Truth is, I doubt I'd buy a new S&W.  Hillary hole be damned.

MileHighShooter

Sent #2 back yesterday.  Broken trigger safety.