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S&W Shield
- Thread starter gerrycaruso
- Start date
I got the Shield 9 (actually a couple of them) way back when they first came out and had no complaints since they were pretty much the icebreakers for that particular size gun. However as time has passed other manufacturers have entered the market and I hate to say left the S&W in the dust. The Hellcat and 365 have far more standard features, capacity options and I find them personally to be more comfortable to carry and shoot. Many find the S&W grip to be too long and narrow; the safety is an absolute train wreck - small, recessed and VERY easy to miss especially in a high-stress situation. The S&W grip texture went from 1.0 slick to 2.0 belt sander. Slide cuts for an optic? Night sights? Pay up. Want to put a light on it? Pony up for a custom fit trigger-guard light since it's got no rail.
I have the 365X with a Romeo Zero Elite now. Fits the hand well, 12+1 out of the box, very easy to carry concealed. It actually fits pretty well in a 1911 holster. My only gripes with it are (a) it's impossible to find magazines around here and (b) the adjustment button for the red dot is sort of awkward, you have to give the thing a prostate exam to adjust the thing. I've had customers try the Shield, Hellcat, Glock and 365 and they usually wind up going with either the Springfield or SIG.
S&W is still my go-to for wheelguns, I have a CSX which isn't bad except for that awful trigger, and the full-size M&P's are solid and reliable. Sadly, there's better options out there than the Shield.
I have the 365X with a Romeo Zero Elite now. Fits the hand well, 12+1 out of the box, very easy to carry concealed. It actually fits pretty well in a 1911 holster. My only gripes with it are (a) it's impossible to find magazines around here and (b) the adjustment button for the red dot is sort of awkward, you have to give the thing a prostate exam to adjust the thing. I've had customers try the Shield, Hellcat, Glock and 365 and they usually wind up going with either the Springfield or SIG.
S&W is still my go-to for wheelguns, I have a CSX which isn't bad except for that awful trigger, and the full-size M&P's are solid and reliable. Sadly, there's better options out there than the Shield.
The Gen 1 trigger sucked and it had a pretty high bore axis.
That said, with the Apex trigger, it was a perfectly fine gun. Never had any reliability issues and it was easy to shoot. Switched to the P365 for capacity increase. But if I was shopping for my first EDC gun, I’d be giving the Shield+ a good look.
That said, with the Apex trigger, it was a perfectly fine gun. Never had any reliability issues and it was easy to shoot. Switched to the P365 for capacity increase. But if I was shopping for my first EDC gun, I’d be giving the Shield+ a good look.
