Here’s our M&P Shield Plus review. The Smith & Wesson Shield, a micro-9mm pistol that was commercially successful, was introduced in 2012. The Kahr pistol series was the only competitor to the Shield when it was first introduced in 2012. The Kahrs did not achieve commercial success. The Smith & Wesson Shield was thrown for a loop by the introduction of Sig Sauer P365. The Smith & Wesson Shield was able to hold seven or eight rounds with an extended magazine. This was a far cry from the Sig P365 which could hold ten rounds of 9mm. Smith & Wesson Shield sales began to decline when this was combined with the introduction of other similar-sized pistols. Smith & Wesson introduced Smith & Wesson’s Shield Plus in response to this. Stock Shield Plus’s
New and Pre-OwnedGuns.com Smith & Wesson increased Shield Plus’ capacity to 10 rounds with a flush fit magazine and 13 rounds using a slightly-extended mag. The firearm’s design has been improved by Smith & Wesson Shield 2.0 and its original configuration. Table of contentsRole-based on size Role-based on size The Smith & Wesson® Shield Plus is designed for concealed carry, not competition. This gun is not large enough to be used for duty. This gun could be carried as a backup firearm, but not as a primary firearm. Concealed carry There are many ways to conceal carry a firearm. To conceal the gun effectively, it must be suitable for that particular carry position. In our Shield Plus review, we’ll discuss each of these. IWB Carry Keeping a gun in your waistband is the best way to carry a gun such as the Smith & Wesson MP Shield Plus. It is very concealable due to its thin profile. This gun has a decent grip, especially when compared to other brands. It has a 13-round capacity with the extended grip and 10 with the flush fit magazine. Appendix IWB Carry The Smith & Wesson Shield Plus may be a bit short for appendix IWB carrying. This is counterintuitive. Many believe that a shorter firearm will make it easier to carry at the appendix position. This seems intuitive until you look at how a gun interacts to the body. A shorter slide means that you won’t have as much area to distribute pressure when you carry at the appendix. Stock Shield Plus
Pre OwnedGuns.com – New and Pre OwnedGuns.com Most holsters have a weight that is above your beltline. Gravity will pull this weight to the floor. This will force the muzzle into your groin, making it uncomfortable. This can be avoided by using a properly designed appendix-holster. You can even add a wedge to the back to make it more comfortable. To make it more comfortable, you will want to ensure that your holster is well-made and round. OWB (Outside of the Waistband Carry) The Smith & Wesson Shield Plus makes the most sense for conceal carry firearms. You will need a large and long cover garment to conceal your concealed carry firearm OWB. A good OWB holster should be able to fit close to the body. This is why paddle holsters don’t work well. You will need a pancake-style holster to allow the gun to sit close on the body and take advantage the Shield Plus’s slim profile. Pocket Carry I don’t mention pocket carry as there will be people who want to carry this gun in their pocket. I know of people who have carried the Smith & Wesson Shield in their pockets. It’s not easy to carry this in your pocket, however. Stock Shield Plus
New and Pre-OwnedGuns.com – If you are a larger person or wear very baggy clothes, you may be able to do it. If you are smaller or of an average height and wear regular clothing, you may be able to carry a smaller gun in your pocket. The Smith & Wesson’s M&P Shield Plus is a great gun to keep in your pocket. Features: This firearm has a capacity of 10 plus one with a flush-fit magazine, and 13 plus one with an extender. This gun is a large and thick gun, so it gives you plenty of firepower. The Smith & Wesson M&P Shield Plus has a slim profile that I like. It also has more capacity. Magwell Although the Smith & Wesson MP Shield Plus magwell has no bevel, the magazine’s top tapers a bit, so the gun can function somewhat like a magwell. Stock Shield Plus’s
Here’s where the problems start. My grip on the Smith & Wesson MWP Shield Plus is so short that my hand extends below the grip. To drop the magazine, I must break my grip. This is true for both the flush fit magazine and the 13-round magazine. Grip/Ergonomics Many people don’t understand the ergonomics of firearms. Many people believe that a gun should feel comfortable in the hand. A gun should feel comfortable in the hand. It should also allow you to use leverage to move the firearm effectively. Sometimes these two goals don’t align. If I have to pick, I’ll choose effective control over feeling in my hand. Sometimes you can have both. The Smith & Wesson Multi-Purpose Shield Plus does just that. Although it feels good in the hand, some might find the profile a bit too narrow. The trigger guard is too low or not at all. This is another complaint. Although there is a slight undercut to this trigger guard, you will be locked knuckles if it is used frequently enough. Stock Shield Plus
Pre-OwnedGuns.com – Unfortunately, it doesn’t allow for you to reach as high as you would like. It takes a lot of effort to ensure a good grip on the Shield Plus. This is due to the undercut design. Extended Magazines: If you are using the flush-fit magazine with hands similar to mine, the magazine baseplate will be covered by your pinky. This allows you to have a good grip, but it is not as good as I would prefer due to the firearm’s size. The Shield Plus has a very high distance between the slide’s top and the bottom of its undercut. This is one of my main complaints. A smaller firearm, such as the Sig P365, will give you the same capacity but a smaller profile. I can get a nice ergonomic grip when I’m using the Smith & Wesson M&P Shield Plus 13-round magazines. This setup is fine by me. However, if you have large hands and plan to use the flush-fit magazine, it may be difficult to get a full grip. Beavertail The Smith & Wesson MP Shield Plus does not have a beavertail. The tang is very ergonomic and I have no complaints. It allows your hand to reach high without causing any pain. It doesn’t rub on your knuckles or bones. Texturing The Smith & Wesson M&P Shield Plus’s texturing is amazing. I’m sure you recall the texturing being smooth for those who were familiar with the original Shield. The Smith & Wesson M&P shield 2.0 texturing was very aggressive. Unfortunately, it was probably too aggressive to be of any use to most people. It can be irritating when it rubs up against the skin. It could be irritating. But, can you learn to live with it? Yes. It was a little too aggressive for 99 per cent of people. Yes. Smith & Wesson M&P Shield Plus has a nice compromise in texturing. It is very similar to sandpaper but is not likely to irritate skin. It gives you a good grip and is not too aggressive for carrying. Although I like the Shield Plus’s texture, I am concerned about its durability over time. Stock Shield Plus
New and Pre OwnedGuns.com It is a solid gun that I believe will do a good job. However, it has a rubbery feel that worries me. It will inevitably wear down, but only time can tell. We’ll find out if this is the case as these guns remain on the market longer. Slide The Smith & Wesson M&P Shield slide has both rear and forward serrations. However, the serrations at their forward portion are ineffective for anything other than press checks. They don’t offer much value, even if they are. The reason is that the serrations at the front of the gun measure only an eighth of an in height and are not very aggressive. However, the serrations at the rear are superb. They are just strong enough to allow you to cycle the slide without causing injury to your hands. The Smith & Wesson M&P shield Plus is heavy to lift the slide. This is something you should consider if you are a novice or new shooter. The Smith & Wesson M&P Shield PLUS Sights Sights are your standard three dot Sights. They can be painted white or made into a night-sight variant. The white-painted Sights look just like the ones you have seen on Smith & Wesson M&P pistols over the years. They work. They are made of all metal and they work. If I was going to carry this gun I would upgrade the sight to something better. Stock Shield Plus
New and Pre-OwnedGuns.com has a lot of options for aftermarket sight options. You won’t have any trouble finding the right one for you. Red-Dot Options Smith & Wesson also has an optics-compatible Smith & Wesson M&P Shield Plus. This is a major positive in this review. This is because I like the option to have a red dot on my pistol. Smith & Wesson previously did this with the Shield series. They used a proprietary optics mounting method for their optic. They have since changed this and allow the Smith & Wesson MP Shield Plus to use a Sig Romeo Zero, or Shield RMSc Mounting Pattern. It’s a great option because there are multiple dots that use it. This is something I am very happy to share in the M&P Shield Plus Review. Controls Controls are what can make or break a firearm. To safely operate your gun, you need to be able reach all controls. Safety Review of M&P Shield Plus Safety The Smith & Wesson M&P Shield Plus didn’t have safety features. I had originally planned to buy one, but the model my local store gave me was almost impossible to use. They had several of these in the store, and they were all difficult to use. They were so bad that my store had to send them back to their distributor. Stock Shield Plus’s
Pre-OwnedGuns.com and New Guns.com I don’t think those safeties are very well-designed. The Smith & Wesson M&P Shield Plus safeties are easy to use, but lack essential features. Safety on the Smith & Wesson MP Shield Plus is not ambidextrous. This means that if you are left-handed, you won’t be able deactivate safety. The safety is not very wide. It is easier to activate and use. Unfortunately, Smith & Wesson M&P Shield Plus safety is so low-profile it can be difficult to deactivate. You also don’t know if you’ll get it all at once. This is a negative point in the M&P Shield Plus review. Mag Release The Smith and Wesson Shield Plus magazine release is a standard M&P magazine release. It’s easy to reach with my thumb. It will also be easy to reach for smaller-handed shooters. It’s a great safety design that works well with anyone with large hands down to small hands. It can also be reversible and ambidextrous. Slide Stop M&P Shield Plus Review Again, the Shield Plus slide stop is a standard Smith & Wesson M&P slide stop. It has a rolled shape that I don’t like. Although it is great at locking the slide back manually, it isn’t very good at dropping the slide. Despite its aggressive texturing, it is very stiff. For new shooters, it can be a bit difficult to use. It is also difficult to drop it with my firing hand thumb. This makes it less ergonomically efficient. Stock Shield Plus
It can also be used as a pre-owned gun. This will make it impossible for smaller hands to use the Smith & Wesson MP Shield Plus. Trigger I believe the Smith & Wesson Shield triggers are vastly superior to the Smith & Wesson Shield triggers. Both the original Shield triggers and the 2.0 series’ were hinged. Hinged triggers may not work for everyone, and I was one of those users. This meant that I couldn’t reliably release the hand trigger safety from that firearm. The Smith & Wesson’s M&P Shield Plus trigger is, however, set up as a Glock. It features a trigger shoe section at the front that is extremely long and easy for shooters to activate. The shape of the trigger shoe is also slightly improved. It has a flatter profile, but a slight curve in its trigger. This gun’s trigger profile is very pleasing to me. The trigger has a light take-up just before you reach the wall. After that, you have the slide with a little creep before you reach the break. The reset is quite short and resets at the wall. The trigger on the Shield Plus is a great feature. That, along with the texturing will be the highlights of my review. Aftermarket M&P Shield Plus Review. The M&P Shield Plus has a decent aftermarket because it uses compatible Smith & Wesson Shield components. Recoil spring assemblies and similar parts can be purchased at a reasonable price, and the sights are identical. Accessories such as magazine extensions and other accessories are not available yet. Unfortunately, the standard Shield magazine accessories won’t fit on the Plus model. Stock Shield Plus
Maintenance for the Shield Plus can be done in the same way as any Smith & Wesson M&P. To remove the magazine, lock the slot on the firearm and make sure that the gun and chamber are completely empty, you will need to lock it back. After you have done this, rotate the takedown lever. Next, use a flathead screwdriver or a flathead to push the yellow spring underneath. This will allow the slide’s to drop, so you don’t have to pull the trigger while disassembling the firearm. Once that is done, the slide will move forward. Next, you can remove the barrel and recoil spring from the gun to clean it. To reassemble the firearm, you will need to first pull the slide off, then lock it back and then rotate the takedown lever up. After you have done this, insert a magazine into the gun to push the yellow spring back into its place. This will ensure that your trigger is not dead. M&P Shield Plus Review Aesthetics I have never been a fan Smith & Wesson M&P Shield. However, the Shield Plus seems like it is changing my mind. The gun’s overall proportions are similar, and it still has that strong look. However, the trigger shoe and new texture have drastically improved the firearm’s appearance. These items seem to help balance out the firearm’s work a lot better. Although it’s not a beautiful firearm, it does look better than the older models. It’s the shape of the trigger shield which has made the firearm look better to me. Shooting The Smith & Wesson M&P shield Plus has a full grip, which aids in recoil control. It doesn’t work well for me if you use the flush-fit magazine. You’ll probably get the same performance from either magazine if you have smaller hands. Stock Shield Plus
New and Pre-OwnedGuns.com This gun’s recoil is a bit fast. It isn’t as smooth as guns like the Sig P365. This is an area where Smith & Wesson could have done more design work and paid more attention. To make it work, they would have to make some changes to the firearm. Bore Axis M&P Shield Plus Review The firearm has a high bore axis and the undercut issue that we mentioned earlier. This makes the gun more flippy and gives it more recoil than flat-shooting guns such as the P365 and Springfield Hellcat. Despite this, it does have the largest grip of any firearm. For larger-handed people, a large grip with a good distance between the frontstrap and the back is a great feature. The Smith & Wesson M&P Shield Plus might be more suitable for you if you have larger hands. It’s personal preference. This is a great choice if you are a Smith & Wesson enthusiast who wants a slightly larger gun. Concluding Thoughts Although the gun’s flush-fit mag isn’t the most efficient, it is one of its most efficient guns with the 13-round capacity magazine. This gun is perfect for concealed carry OWB. The grip is slim and feels more like a full-size gun, than some of the smaller options. Stock Shield Plus
New and Pre-OwnedGuns.com Overall, I am happy with this gun and I am thrilled with the Smith & Wesson improvements to the trigger, texture, and capacity. Overall, this was a positive M&P Shield Plus review. Like this:Like Loading…
