So I got my new springs and followers. It didn't fix anything. With the new spring and follower in the magazine it now won't load 12 rounds. I guess I'll have to shave down the follower legs like the other follower. Apparently the 15 round mags run better, so I'm gonna grab one and see how that goes. After that I'm going to sell the shit. I'm done fucking with it
@@NightwoodGuns if the 15's run like they should then I'm good with that. The 10 seems to work better than the 13. It's ridiculous, especially for how much I paid for this used firearm. I could have just gotten a new 43x or something similar. Instead I went with this and while it runs fine the magazine thing is just unacceptable. They fucked up the easiest part and still haven't fixed it. They use the same springs between the 10, 13, and 15 round mags. Seems like a huge oversight and instead of fixing it they tell us, the consumer to "load em and leave them for a few weeks". That's not helpful, that won't do much of anything.
3 місяці тому+2
@bdub0983 sold my plus because of the magazine problem too. Loading it to 13 significantly damaged the ammo.
I had problems right out of the box with my last FOUR new gun purchases. 2 Sigs, 1 CZ and 1 Glock. I think gun manufacturers are just cranking out an enormous number of guns, pushing their tooling way too far in order to maximize profits. We are in the golden age of firearm design, but going back to the dark ages of manufacturing quality.
I agree. Its a crapshoot now. Post Covid everyyyyy manufacturer is having QC issues: S&W(even the performance center), Glock, Sig, CZ, hell, even Berettas high end models…
I got a M&P ar10 and it was completely ruined right out of the box. Dead trigger, charging handle was so bent inside the upper, it wouldnt budge. Had to send it back, i told them to send me a new one because i could not trust this firearm to protect my family. Also i had an issues with a usa glock 26 gen 5 out of the box, recoil spring was wayyyy too heavy. Stick with B&T, HK, or Austrian made Glocks.
I bought my SHIELD PLUS a month after it was released. Have well over 6,000 rounds thru it of various FMJ, SYNTECHS, and JHP'S and fortunately I HAVE NEVER HAD AN ISSUE WITH IT. I also have a SHIELD 45acp and not a SINGLE ISSUE with firearm either. Maybe i got lucky!!! But i do LOVE the M&P LINE UP.
That’s great to hear! Funny enough, it seems a lot of the people commenting with issues purchased in the last year or two. It seems that first year of launch might have been better 😅
I was really sad to hear about the issues with this pistol because I’m also a fan of the M&P as well. I carry my sig p365xl over everything else that I own but I’ve been known to shoot an m&p a time or two when I’m out shooting cans or plinking at steel.
I appreciate your honesty, as always. This is my primary carry, and I've owned 3 of them over the last 3 years including a pc 4", so I'm def a huge fan, but I'm not butthurt by your review. One of the most common complaints about this gun is that people can't load the mags to capacity, or at least have a very tough time getting the last round or two in. A couple of other youtubers discovered that there is a flaw in the mag follower design that causes the spring to bind when it's compressed to near capacity. There's a couple videos that show the issue and a quick DIY fix with a dremel or razor knife. I had the same issue as you with all 3 that I've owned, but after making the mods, the issue was 100% solved. S&W definitely knows about the problem and at least used to replace any mags that you couldn't get the last rounds in. Not sure if they're still doing that. As far as I know, they haven't modified the follower design to permanently fix the issue going forward. It sucks that we have to troubleshoot and gunsmith our own brand new firearms, but I think every similar gun has quirks no matter who makes it. QC is an issue throughout the industry these days. Great review, and I agree with your assessments, good and bad. Edit: My reset is much shorter and smoother than yours on the standard plus that I kept, and the pc reset is stellar.
I have a a shield plus that I bought a couple weeks after release and I haven’t had any issues with it but I do have extra mags I purchased afterwards that I can’t top off. I’m seeing on the facebook groups where there are some QC problems surfacing in the last year or so.
I modified my mags removing the plastic lip on the magazine follower and it worked like a charm. I actually converted my 10 round mag to a 13 rounder with the magguts kit. I haven’t shot it with the mod yet but do like this gun quite a bit. One of my only firearms I’ve never had an issue with. I bought this in 23’ if it helps and it came with an optic cut and night sights for $359 at bass pro (along with a $50 rebate).
MAGGUTS, MAGGUTS,MAGGUTS. Bought a Performance Center Shield when they first came out. Wanted more capacity and installed the MagGuts in both the short and long mags and it’s been 100% after almost 1000 rounds. Picked up a Performance Center Shield Plus when they first became available and immediately ordered the MagGuts kits for the short and long magazines when they became available. I now have 13 rounds in the short mags and 15 rounds in the long mags and approaching 700 rounds with ZERO malfunctions. After about a week after loading all the mags and letting them sit, I can now load all the mags to full capacity without a struggle. The MagGuts kits are a mandatory upgrade for the Shield series.
I agree. I have a Shield M&P Plus 1.0 with 8 round mags and bought the magguts spring kits to bring them to 10 rounds. After 850 rounds they are flawless and only protrude an extra 1/2" maybe? Love them.
Bought a Shied Plus about a year ago.... I got 3 13 round mags with it...All 3 had to be sent back for new ones... Smith and Wesson took them back with no issues and they work great.... Check your mags... The gun is awesome, the trigger is one the best in its class..Great shooter.... Update.. I had about 400 rounds through my Plus about May/June, I had to send it back to S&W as the trigger safety pin was walking out and one of the pins in the frame was too just slightly...Got it back in less than 2 weeks and I have put another 150 to 200 rounds through it with no issues
I joined a Shield Plus group in FB I've seen tons of people complaining issues about their Shield Plus. You are correct, I cannot do 13+1 with the gun, whenever I load the full 13rd mag, it has to be slide lock open. I carry the same firearm everyday. I put around 1200 rounds into it no malfunctions whatsoever, very reliable. Maybe I just got a lucky batch.
I can assure everyone that I really loved this gun , so much so that when it was impossible to get an extra 13 round mag I purchased another Shield Plus just to get another 13 round mag . I now know that the 13 round mag springs become weak when carried in a loaded in chamber 13 + 1 gun for extended time . I first noticed my gun not locking back on last round . Did it on all 3 of my 13 round magazines , took about 6 months of carry fully loaded .
I have the shield Plus for approximately a year and a half. It has over 3,5 00 rounds through it. Not one single malfunction. Very reliable. I got the one optics ready with the night sights
I got the S&W PC M&P Shield Plus OR Carry Comp with the 4 inch barrel. Trigger was very gritty and heavy. Took the slide off and pressed down on the striker safety plunger. Extremely gritty. Took pistol to Apex tactical and they installed their Apex Ultimate Striker block (plunger) and spring. They did that free of charge. I am grateful. I live in Arizona, otherwise I would have had a qualified gunsmith do that. I currently don't have a work bench or vice. Borrowed a vice to install the Apex trigger. Now the trigger is smooth as butter after installing the Apex striker safety block. Apex Tactical has the best customer service. I had already installed the Apex Enhancement Action trigger and the Apex 1 dot sear. Trigger pull weight dropped from 5 lbs 13 oz to 3 lbs 13 oz. I mean, why not just put better quality parts in the pistol to begin with? In the past, M&P Shield pistols have had burrs in the striker safety block (plunger) channel in the slide. Manufacturing QC issue. So the burrs have to be smoothed out with a Dremmel stone bit but using a cordless drill at slow speed. Will do range time tomorrow with the pistol. I had a M&P Shield 3.1 inch before and it was snappy. It was accurate if I took my time.
I bought a regular Shield Plus in the first few days it was released, and a Shield Plus Performance Center about 4 months ago. I always load my mags the way you describe, full 13 rounds, and have never had this issue. I have around 1000 rounds through my original and 300+ through the new one. I have 10 of the 13 rounds mags, not an issue on any.
I've had my Shield Plus since about a month after launch. Right when the 1st optic ready models in the bug out bag pack came out. The front sight was installed backwards.. other than that I'm 2500 rounds in without a single failure. All ammo types.
My performance center model shoots about 4 to 5 inches left even at 6 or 7 yards and inhale tried everything I can think of . My other shield shoots dead on .
In this video, you highlighted the reason why I'm sticking with a Glock 26 for everyday CCW. It's only marginally thicker than the micro 9s, but doesn't have any issues at all and has been proven trustworthy for over 25 years. I definitely understand why people typically prefer micro 9s these days, but to me, the small reduction in waistband thickness isn't worth sacrificing impeccable reliability. As an added bonus, there's many Glock 26 magazine base plates available that will allow you surpass the capacity of the micro 9s while keeping the same length grip.
The mag issue with not being able to load all the rounds is actually due to the underside of the follower where the spring compresses. The design has a ledge in it that actually causes the spring to bind up before it has fully compressed and this prevents you from loading every round. Every shield plus mag I’ve ever owned I take the follower out, remove the spring, and use my dremel to file down the ledge to a nice slope. There are zero issues after this. If interested you can contact me and I will provide pictures
A few others have mentioned the same thing. I was able to load all of the rounds without issue, but I’m sure it was caused by the same problem. Have you heard if S&W is working on a fix? The gun has been out for 3 years so I’m surprised there is still a widespread issue.
Havent heard of a fix from S&W, and actually I had a separate issue with a 13 round mag where the follower after last round would go up to high in the mag and go past my slide lock lever. S&W sent me a new 13 round mag no questions asked but both had the same design of follower.
I bought a brand new shield plus from academy sports almost a year ago to the date. I have ran everything from cheap fmj rounds, to high dollar defensive rounds. Coming up on the 2,000 round mark. Yes, that is a decent amount in a short time. I haven't had a single issue and or failure. I have the 10 round flush fit, 13 round, and 15 round that came out with the equalizer. From the box day one, I have never had a single issue with mags. I load them to the top always. Sucks you got a lemon. I have honestly never heard such a negative opinion of a shield.
When I got mine, I ordered it from PSA and it was the combo package that had night sights, optics cut and 5 magazines. Out of the box it had: A bent guide rod The rear sight was HANGING OFF THE SIDE OF THE SLIDE And the firing pin/striker was stuck in the forward position which prevented any rounds from going into the chamber and had they gone into the chamber, it would have full autoed itself without even touching the trigger (sounds cool unless you're loading it in your house) Smith fixed it all for free but I didn't have my gun for 3 weeks and they asked a MILLION questions and it was a huge pain in the ass and they replaced the guide rod with the wrong one so I ended up buying one myself because I was tired of dealing with them
The problem with the mags lies with the followers. All of mine required the disassembly of the mags, using 3d printer file sets and shaving off the squared edges on the underside of the follower. The issue is that the spring is catching on those edges, so you have to round them and make them smooth. I did that for my 3 15 rnd mags they sent me, for my 13, which allowed me to then easily load 13, did it for my 10 which allowed me to easily load 11. I also sent my gun back because the trigger pin walked out after 100 rnds. The safety dongle in the trigger was also not activating when I pulled the trigger. The whole trigger was moving and not that trigger safety first, so every trigger pull was like I was snapping it through a piece of resistance. Now its great and is my go to. Shot prolly 1500 through it now since they sent me those 15 rnd mags, and i had to test everything thoroughly.
I had the same issue the very first time I shot mine at the range. It came with a 10- and 13-round magazines. They both caused the gun to malfunction. By the time I shot about 300 rounds through it, I noticed most of the entire trigger roll pin walked out. I shot over 2000 rounds through my Springfield Armory XD-9 SC. Not once did it malfunction.
My wife and I both own the shield plus. We bought them two years ago (2022). We have put at least 600 rounds each through them at the range. Neither of us have experienced a single failure. We always use the 13 round mags. We have no reservation about trusting our lives with them.
It's not just the Shield Plus. I heard a S&W rep at the SHOT show call the 1854 44 mag a “throw back to our heritage”. I’m a 10mm guy since about 1990. Super excited with the S&W M&P 10… bought two. Both jammed regularly, (failure to feed), The magazine fell out the bottom while shooting in both, and on one the supplied plastic optics plate cracked, the screws sheered, and my RMR flew backwards over my head. I sent them back to S&W twice. Failure to feeds continued after receiving them back each time. Called a third time and was transferred to a girl who sounded quite young. She interrupted me, talked over me, and told me that my request that S&W exchange my pistols wasn’t going to happen since the issues were fixable. And she said that I “should shoot better quality ammo”. I guess higher quality than the Federal, Fiocci, Mag Tech, Sig, and Hornady that I had written them about failing, and that I spent a fortune on testing their guns. I filed a BBB complaint but through mediation had no confidence in S&W’s offer to “service my guns”, (for the third time). I wonder if engineering a defective product and then having an arrogant and entitled sounding young lady dismiss your victims is also a throwback to S&W’s heritage; or perhaps rather, they are turning over in their graves.
I have heard so many issues about their 10mm, one of which I experienced first hand on a buddy’s gun. All of the same stuff you described including the optic plate failing. That sounds like a horrible experience… 😬
Smith&Wesson has most definitely went downhill. They stopped innovating as a company and the improvements that they do make are usually cheap and minor. For an example they put flat faced trigger shoes in their compact and full sized pistols but they didn't improve the actual function of the trigger. The trigger take-up, break and reset wasn't improved except for the shield plus. The quality control has went downhill and their m&p 10mm was a complete failure due to reliability issues. It's honestly sad because they use to make the best striker fired pistols. They must have a new owner or a new CEO.
Smiths qc sucks anymore, bought a 22 compact and instafail. Trigger bar was slipping off the sear not dropping the hammer. One shot through it and back to smith it went. I also leave my mags loaded to break them in👍🏻
@NightwoodGuns you are 💯 correct, they used to be a great company. Idk if it's not enough employees, people not wanting to work, or just incompetence. Or all the above. People used to take pride in their work, not anymore
Appreciate you honesty on the Shield Plus. I hope Smith sees your review and adds the light rail and optics cut. The equalizer has the rail and is optics ready so it seems they could add it easily to the shield. I came to here specifically to thank you for the DPM spring reviews. I Started running DPM in my M&Ps after your reviews and was blown away. 100% best mod for M&Ps of any size. The comped spec series 2 with DPM turns into a open gun for the streets! DPM + Apex makes the M&P almost perfect. Thanks for the content and honest reviews. Cheers!
Thank you for your honest review! You helped me make my decision as I was about to buy one of these in the next few days but after your reviews and others in the comments I think I will move on. I'm not willing to spend over $500 to have constant malfunctions and have to "MOD" my new gun. S&W is going to hate you!
I’m glad the review was helpful. I am just a single data point and it’s a great shooter if you get a good one 😂 But this one was more trouble than it was worth and I’m grateful to those in the comments who offered their input as well 👍
I had an MC9 and it had multiple issues. Had a P365 XL and about 500-600 rounds in, started to get FTFs. Went 43X MOS and 900 rounds in one FTF first 100 rounds. That’s why my main edc is my VP9sk. While it’s a bit larger, I’ve never had any issues. If I need a smaller footprint I’ll carry my 43X b/c it’s been 💯 through 800 rounds
Wow, that’s wild. Obviously I had massive issues with the MC9. But I’ve taken the G48 and P365 over 1k without cleaning. Thanks for sharing your experience, that’s interesting!
I’m glad you mentioned the trigger reset because that’s my only complaint about my wife’s shield plus. If I were the one to carry it, I would get an Apex trigger as well.
Bought the shield today exactly shot about 100 rounds brand new no malfunctions or issues just my horrible aim being a problem. will keep shooting it to see if theses claims are valid.
FYI - I just called SW customer service and they will be sending me 3 sets of spring and followers for the 13 & 15 round mags. So yeah I think there’s an upgrade for this issue on not getting the full capacity in these mags. The followers are out of stock as of today and he said I’ll be getting the springs first, no telling how long the followers will take.
You think they would have recalled this or at least fixed it after 3 years of production. Not a good look for S&W but at least there’s a fix… that is out of stock…
I hope the new springs and followers work for you. Unfortunately they did not correct the problem for me in my three year old 13 round mags. I love the gun, but have decided to only carry 12 rounds in my spare mag for reliability sake.
Yeah 12 and 1 in the pipe is how I’ve been running it. If it doesn’t work I’ll probably end up grinding back the corners of the followers as mentioned in a YT video and was said it worked like a charm. No rush though because the followers are back order and no telling how long it will be to get them.
See my comment on the video. There’s a solve to the follower issue that you can do yourself. I do it to all my shield plus mags and there’s zero issues. If there’s a way to contact me directly I can provide pictures to better describe it.
I just tried out the Performance Center version of this gun, and it was very good. Like, so good for me it was hard to miss at self defense ranges (up to 10 yds). It did not have the dot you mentioned. My only dislike was the slide lock/release was very stiff. But the grip size was perfect for me.
Exactly, it’s a great little shooter! 🙌 And it seems the slide stop stiffness varies throughout the whole M&P line. I’ve had some that you could stand on with both thumbs and it wouldn’t close.
If I manually lock the slide back, I can't release it with the slide stop. If I let the magazine follower lock the slide, I can release the slide with a loaded mag inserted with no problem.@@NightwoodGuns
Thank you for pointing out the malfunction you experienced with topped off mags. I have been carrying that way and have not tested. I had issues with my shield plus right out of the box (purchased around Christmas). There was something causing the striker to stay forward after a dry fire. It would only reset when catching the sear on return. I sent it back and they fixed it with striker assembly repair as the only detail on my receipt.
I haven’t ever had an issue. I have tried all sorts of ammo and I always carry with one in the chamber and I absolutely always top off my mag. It hopefully was just yours but that is a weird malfunction happening only on the 13 round mag. Again my 13 round mag never had problems.
I picked up my Shield Plus optics ready with night sights for $430 including tax out the door at Academy with a 10% First Responder/Military discount. So far my only minor complaint is my slide release is super tight and i have to put in alot of force to release the slide. However im a over the slide kind of guy when reloading so its really a non issue. Otherwise fantastic gun!
I replaced my S&W v1.0 .40 compact that was my EDC with a Shield Plus 9 (along with the 15 round mag) and love how it shoots. I may have to run a few hundred more rounds through it at the range to make sure my firearm is good to go. Thanks for the video!
@@NightwoodGuns I'm wondering if it will exhibit the same behavior with the 15 rounder... may pick another one up on my day off so I can compare one with range ammo and my other one with defensive ammo.
@@NightwoodGuns Went to the range today, ran about 100 rounds through the 13 round mag and always loaded it up to max capacity +1 in the chamber before firing. I didn't run into any issues you described, but I did experience the slide not locking back once the mag was completely empty a couple of times.
@@livefreeprintguns Awesome! I’m glad to hear it ran! Apparently Smith has been aware of the 13 round mag issue and will replace problem mags… I’m just wondering when they were planning on telling anyone… 👀
Maybe something happened during manufacturing. My shield has a trigger that is above par. Reset is unmatched. Breaks like a little piece of glass. Send it in and see if there is a defect. S&M will make it right
Would love to see a review from you of the FN Reflex. Loving mine so far have had no issues, but have seen online many issues out of the box, although many of those are from when the pistol first became available. Either way an interesting take from FN being internal hammer fired with one of the better triggers I’ve felt on a micro compact. Not many reviews out there being a newer gun.
My new R7 Mako Tactical did this and got worse after 200 rounds of suppressed fire... It went back to Kimber, completely on their dime. I just bought it and the R7 has been in existence for 2 years, only thing that changed was the barrel. IMO, if you want the shield plus, get it, test it, if it works great, if not, send it back then ensure it does. Once it does, it will continue to work. The shield plus will be my replacement if the R7 just doesn't work out.
They put too much spring in the mags. I cut one coil off of the spring and it still has a long enough spring to function fine. The spring fills up too much space in the mag to let it be fully loaded..
I wanted to like the shield plus but on the first trigger pull I couldn’t pull the trigger. My finger was too high and it wasn’t hitting the trigger safety. Of course I saw what happened and every pull after that was fine, but I cannot risk drawing a firearm in an SD situation and not having it go bang. No matter how rare the instance.
I got the Plus PC version and the trigger reset is almost scary in the opposite direction, so short. Mine just had an issue with the trigger not reseting and replacing the striker assembly seems to have fixed it. I love the gun, with the ported barrel and slide it's extremely controllable even when rapid firing. I can keep a good group at 30 yards on the first mag even after a 3 week break between shooting. I highly recommend the PC version.
Another top-tier pistol review... thank you. I don't like micro pistols. My warm weather EDC CCW is a S&W M&P 9 M2.0 3.6" Subcompact with the excellent frame-mounted ambidextrous manual thumb safety (FM AMTS). My personal self-defense load is Underwood's 124 Gr +P (Speer Gold Dot) Bonded JHP. I purchased this pistol, new, in early 2020 for $450. About 3,000 rounds later, I've enjoyed 100% flawless functionality. This is a great little pistol, and very easy to shoot well. It replaced my old Gen4 Glock 26. I've had zero issues loading up and shooting 12+1, 15+1, and 17+1 capacity magazines. The only thing this pistol needed in order to be perfect for me was: 1. AmeriGlo all-steel tritium night sights, to replace the perfectly serviceable OEM stock all-steel three-dot contrast combat-style sights. 2. I custom stippled the already fantastic grip texture, bringing it higher up on the frame, to facilitate an even better grip for the meat of my support hand thumb. 3. I installed an all-metal Apex Tactical Duty-Carry trigger to replace the perfectly serviceable OEM stock plastic hinged trigger. It's more or less the same story for me regarding my cool weather EDC CCW, the S&W M&P 9 M2.0 4" Compact Optics-Ready pistol with the FM AMTS ($420, new), which replaced my even older Gen3 Glock 19. IMHO, the S&W M&P 9 M2.0 pistols are quite simply superior to their Gen3 and Gen4 Glock counterparts, much easier to shoot well, they've proven to be at least every bit as reliable, and much more to my liking. Good things! 👍
I checked out the original shield at the local shop years ago. The feed ramp had a large chip. Went through 4 more new 1s to get 1 without a chip. Buddy also had a full size m&p that would not eject.
An excellent review and thank you for being one of the reviewers on UA-cam who's not afraid to call out someone if they make a product that doesn't function properly. Especially one that you are calling upon to save your life. I have the Equalizer which I believe takes the same mags. Mine came with a 10 13 and a 15 mags when I bought it. They had a rebate for three additional free mags. which were all 15 round mags. I don't know what your experience was with loading the mags, but with mine I find them extremely difficult to fit the last round or two into the mag regardless of whether it is the 10 13 or 15 round magazine. Even using the included upLula loader that came with my pistol It is close to impossible to actually load the magazine to its full capacity. Then It's very difficult to get the mag to snap into place when you load it into the pistol. You have to give it a good slap to get it to seat once you insert it. It's obvious to me that there's not enough room in the magazine for the loaded rounds to compress easily enough to allow the magazine to seat home smoothly and easily. It is like that with all the mags. I'm doing the same thing you're doing with your mags. I have all of my mags loaded as full as I can get them and then I leave them set for a while and unload and reload them So far I have done this about 3 or 4 times and the result is still the same as far as how many rounds I can load into a magazine. I have also disassembled them to check them for function and that they have the correct parts in them. So far they all seem to work without malfunctions, but I am not loading them to their full capacity. I will load them two short of their state and capacity and that seems to allow them to slip right into the pistol and lock into place with zero difficulty. Then I will also load one in the chamber. Doing it that way I have had zero malfunctions but I also have less than what the advertised and stated capacity of the magazines actually are in reality. I don't know if it is the design of the magazines that causes them to be this way or if Smith and Wesson are just overstating the capacity of the magazines in order to make the pistols more attractive to purchasers. Especially in this day and age where everyone is capacity crazy. When I saw you outside shooting I thought to myself Man that really looks like Arizona. I lived there from 1959 through 2014. Very familiar with the entire Valley area. One of the things I loved about Arizona when I lived there was that you could easily find someplace to go shooting. So much desert land around there you could drive anywhere within 10 mi probably of where you lived and find somewhere that you could shoot. Now I'm at the other side of the country in North Carolina and as far as just driving away someplace not too far from home to shoot forgettaboutit. You're going to an indoor range. There's nothing inherently wrong with that I just much prefer shooting outside. That's probably due to my many years in Arizona lol.
I’m glad you enjoyed the video and thank you for thoroughly sharing your experience 👍 I’m grateful to live in AZ, I was born and raised here. But it has changed a lot since you left and not for the better. I’m optimistic we can turn things around though.
@@NightwoodGuns Yeah I still have friends there so they keep me apprised on what's going on. And I also keep an eye on it too. I know it's becoming more and more blue. That color change doesn't surprise me considering all of the California transplants that migrated into Arizona. I also lived in Yuma for many years so I have friends in the border patrol down there They keep me apprised of that mess as well.
@@carlmontney7916 Yep, it’s a mess. Plenty of “red state” people moving here as well. Makes it hard to shoot in the desert anymore. It’s always busy. Like I said, I remain optimistic. Seems like people around here have had enough. But AZ is way more blue than I ever expected it to become.
@@NightwoodGuns definitely not the state of Barry Goldwater and conservatism anymore. I still do miss Arizona and consider it my home. Even though I'm in North Carolina now it's just a stopover for me till I get back home again. One thing I was going to mention about the magazines is that I also own a Taurus G3C and I have an LCP Max as well. Neither of those have magazine loading issues I can easily stuff them full and they go right into the pistol without any issue at all. I really think there's something kind of strange with the M&P mags. The 10 round seems to be better than the higher capacity ones. I also run the Pearce PG SP 13 magazine Grip extensions. Very nice for additional little finger support and doesn't impede the carry at all. If you've never looked into those they're a quality product.
The angle of the follower catches when you have 12 rounds in. You need a traditional speed loader to push and pop through it. Do that a bunch of tines and it breaks in. I top off at 13 plus 1 with most ammo. Some ball is a hair to big to fit the 14 though
I feel like he just got a bad M&P Shield Plus. Everyone else that's done a review on that gun, loves the trigger and never had a malfunction problem like he's having. which means that's a him problem. He has to call Smith & Wesson to deal with it. The only reason I didn't get the plus is because I have a Heavily modified Shield 2.0 so I decided to go with a Sig P365X but The latest version of it That way sig would have ironed out any bugs that they Previously had in the gun.
I just share whatever experience I have. Good or bad. You are free to use the info however you want. I’m curious how many reviewers actually tested topping off the 13 round mag. Might be worth going back through and looking. 🤷♂️
I had this problem with my shield plus as well. Also, take down lever coil inside the frame popped out, live ammo was stuck inside the chamber and had to whack the slide off the frame with a hammer in order to remove everything.
Interesting issue you had. Mine hasn't had this issue and I know I have went through that exact scenario. I'll have to test it again next time I train with it. I train and carry mostly with the 13 round mags and have had 2 malfunctions, one was my fault riding the slide stop and the other was a magazine issue from a 15 round mag. currently more than 1k rounds less than 2k rounds of mostly sellier and bellot 115 grain fmj( half the rounds), magtech 115 fmj (almost other half) and 124 grain federal hst (200 rounds).
@@volkskrieg8735 It’s certainly an issue that shouldn’t happen and while it doesn’t seem common… I’m definitely not the only one. Goes to show that you have to vet each individual pistol for reliability no matter the manufacturer.
Dang, I always thought this was the rock solid choice (never owned one). I’ve seen the 30 super carry optics ready model going for around $300. Love your content as always man! Been watching gunsmith cats on my Plex cause of you.
Ive never topped off magazines for that very reason. The loaded mag puts pressure on the chambered round. Ive seen this from almost every brand especially when I worked in a gun range. Edit: I think companies tout that plus one option because it sounds better but i download all my mags because ive seen issues thru all brands and types.
I always test for this and I’ve only ever seen it happen occasionally with brand new mags for micro guns. Usually irons out after cycling 2-3 times. Never had it last 500+ rounds before.
I have the shield plus and the shield plus 4 in PC model. The 4 in model almost never cycles after the first shot when you top off with +1 with a 13 round mag. The 3 in model has shown some issues with this, but it is usually okay. I think this is more about the magazine not truly being 13 round capacity. They just shoved as much in as they could and forced 13 to be able to market against Sig. No problems with the 10 round mags. Also, the trigger reset is perfectly fine for CC.
Thanks for sharing your experience! I demand more from my carry guns so I prefer a shorter reset. But I do think the trigger reset is perfectly fine for its price point. 👍
Sorry I'm late to the review, That said I own the Shield Plus and is in my daily carry rotation. I have to agree with most of your criticisms but there are solutions to fix them ie the magazine issue. After a lot of research I found a simple follower mod that fixes the problem, although you would think S&W would fix it themselves especially since it's been an issue since day one. Still looking for a solution to the reset problem which can be annoying. Regardless, thanks for the honest review.
Went from carrying my shield plus and Glock 19 to hellcat pro! Couldn’t be happier. Conceals like a sub compact but shoots like full size with all the features, we typically have to send our glocks out to get done & spend a ton of money. At least here in California. Aka Commiefornia. Running hellcat pro in T-Rex arms sidecar. Tlr 7 sub with the holosun eps carry MRS.
I have a S&W Shield 9mm and replaced the Henge Trigger with a Hyve Monarch Trigger (flat face). also With Hogue grip. A very real improvement. I also have a S&W 9mm Shield Plus.. With the new Trigger the Shield shoots as good as my Shield Plus. I also have Hogue Grip on my Shield Plus. I am keeping Both. I also replaced Barrels with 3 5/8 inch Threaded Barrels on both. Better lock up and a Great improvement. No malfunctions. Even after topping the Mag with 13 rounds. Anyway I only load my Shield Plus 12 and 1 and the extra mag with 12 rounds. 13th round is very to tight for my comfort. Could cause malfunction in the future, short stroke of the slide. I'm good with 12 rounds in the Mag.
@@NightwoodGuns Did you know all S&W M&P Handguns has metal in the frame covered by polymer? This is why the SD9 2.0 is Cheaper then the M&P 9mm 2.0. Also the SD9 2.0 has polymer Slide Bar and Slide lock. I have a SD9VE (paid $275.00) i upgraded with Stainless Steel Bar, Slide lock, and Apex Enhancement Trigger. I love the way it shoots now after the upgrades.
Got mine with 5 mags for $480 about a year ago. I agree with all of your "goods". My reset isn't as rough as yours and is very positive, but it's not mind-blowing. Still, no other micro gat has a better trigger in my experience, which is limited. It's almost as easy to shoot as a full sized handgun. I was very interested to hear about the no-top-off...that's an issue mine didn't have. I do have additional negative: their optics-ready version required me to mill off the recoil bosses to mount my Holosun. While I've had no reliability issues, I really hated to do that. I also still hate the loaded chamber indicator that smokes the dot, but that's a general m&p thing, not just the S+. Again, yes, shout-out to Bear Arms!
The MC9 had a better trigger… but… 😭 Great observations, there’s a lot to love about the Shield Plus 👍 Interesting about the optic cut. A few people in the comments have complained about it now.
@@NightwoodGuns yeah, I like the MC9 but my only experience with that one is in YT vids, and they have indicated they have had some somewhat significant issues.
I own 7 S&W firearms and Never fail or an issue over 36 years now. I’ll trust a Smith and Wesson over any other firearm ever! 1st 🥇 USA 🇺🇸 company with a Lifetime Warranty and Thee Very Best Customer Service Ever
My original shield has been bulletproof, through 4-5k rounds over the last 10 plus years. Just got a shield plus and sights seem off. Great groups just three inches left, consistently. Going to test the gun on a rest just to be 100% sure its not me, before I start messing with the sights. Old one is spot on, if I do my part. I ran it as it came soaked in oil and grease and it ran flawlessly, so far.
That's wild. I've got 10, 13, and 15 rounds mags, and they've all worked fine. Furthermore, the trigger on mine is phenomenal. The reset on mine is very audible and tactile. Not very long either.
I’m sorry to hear that about yours I got mine 2 years ago and love to shoot. I’m not too sure how many rounds I’ve put through it but I have never had any issues with mine. Thankfully I got a good one
I'm still making my mind between the hellcat and Shield Plus. I'm not a big guy 5'10 - 165 lbs so I'm leaning towards the hellcat because of more concealable. However everyone says the Shield Plus is less snappy and more overall better gun. I was going through your channel but didn't see a hellcat review. would love to get your inside or peoples thoughts.
I would personally take the Shield Plus over the Hellcat. Nothing wrong with the Hellcat, it’s just a little snappier with recoil. The Shield Plus shoots very well. Just make sure whatever firearm you end up with, you personally test your individual pistol for reliability or QC issues. The industry has been rough recently. 👍
Except for the bottom rail, the Shield Plus Performance Center answers all the negatives. I've never had any issues with topping off the mags. Thanks for the review!
I bought one I think last year. Maybe 2022. No issues through maybe 200 rounds. Based on this review though I'd say, for people who must have a Shield Plus right now, it might be a better idea to find one used somewhere than to gamble on their current QC
My first firearm I ever bought for myself was a Walther PPQ SC LE. I put about 1400 rounds through it with pretty much any ammo you could think of and never had a malfunction. I was super impressed. Snappy, yeah, but it's a subcompact. As a lefty, everything was exactly where I needed and I used to carry it with the 10 round mag and pinky extension and a 15 rounder as a backup. I've since moved to DA/SA guns, but I'll never get rid of that PPQ.
My first-gen Shield and Shield Plus have been super reliable and very pleasant. But I did put Apex sears in each of them to give amazing trigger pulls. However, since Wilson Combat introduced their P365 grip modules, I’ve become a Sig P365 fan. Those grips really help me lock in better than S&W’s frames. And this modularity is what sets Sig apart. But I would not be afraid to trust my life to a Shield whatsoever
First saw your review on the Canik Mete mc9 and really appreciate the honesty in the reviews. Been going back and forth between the Canik and the shield plus for my first ccw.
I have the 4" ported pc model, produced 9/16/21. I experienced the problem you're having before. All I did was make sure the underside of the slide had some oil on it and haven't had any problems since. A topped off mag fits pretty tight, and it was just friction slowing the slide down. Also, maybe try some hotter ammo. The gun shoots fantastic. I was able to win it on an auction site for around $550 after paying the dealer fee, so I got a heck of a deal. I bought some 15 rd mags and have experienced some problems with them not locking back on the last round but bought some shield glock springs that are longer and that fixed them. I haven't had problems getting them fully loaded, but I use a mag lula. I really like the pistol. It's a joy to shoot.
Maybe I just got lucky, but I've put probably 1500 rounds through mine so far, and I've never had a malfunction. HOWEVER, my slide release was insanely stiff at first, and the 10rd mag it came with didn't lock slide to rear on an empty mag.
My Shield Plus Performance Center has never had a malfunction after about 1k rounds. My only complaints are you really have to slam a full mag in to get it to seat in the grip. And the slide stop is damn near impossible to release with a thumb when you have a full magazine in it.
I've been shooting since the late 80s (my dad was a gun dealer). For that reason I've seen many makes of guns fail, at one time or another... Two things I've learned: #1) No matter how "reliable" the reputation, every gun company (like cars) have an example that was "made on a Friday at 5pm." Therefore... #2) Buying a gun and not shooting it for reliability is like buying a car and not test driving it first. At that point, you deserve what you get, imo.
I have an early release with none of these issues mentioned over 2k rounds and only a pin worked its way out. But regardless of my luck and lone issue, qc is huge especially for new owners/ chl folks.
I was thoroughly impressed with the Shield Plus. I have fat hands and most little guns I can’t shoot well. This thing is great. The one I shoot is a relatives carry gun and we shoot it quite a bit. I don’t think trigger reset is a big deal on a defensive firearm. If you’ve never shot under a high stress situation. Your never even going to notice that when your trying to save your life.
Every gun has to be vetted and regularly used and tested for any changes you make ammo especially. ❤❤❤ Glock and Smith are my go to but there is not a gun in the world that does not need to be vetted after purchase. I absolutely love my MP Shield 40 gen 1 California model with hi viz sights. I run an NDZ pinky ext on my 6 round flush mag even with big hands I have a solid grip. My two spare mags have hyve Extensions giving me 8 round reloads. It's my go to for any occasion. It took me a couple of days practicing before I was really confident shooting the 40 out that tiny barrel. I love 40sw and I love that smith doesn't forget about us 40 Bois. Appreciate your honesty about your experience.
My Shield Plus came with a manual safety that was virtually impossible to move, either up or down. After at least a couple thousand dry manipulations - taking both thumbs - it loosened up a tiny bit, but I found a larger thumb safety lever online which has totally compensated for the problem (though requiring a custom AIWB holster). But the gun's final inspection at the factory should have caught and resolved that problem: someone - either on the production line or their supervisor - just didn't care. Other than that, the gun has been flawless in operation.
Thanks for sharing your experience. I’ve heard from people who no longer work at a few of these manufacturers that they were forced to push through guns that failed QC to meet quotas. Doesn’t inspire confidence…
Brett, you put 500 rds thru a single shield plus mag You shoot a ported gun from rentention and destroy your arm with shrapnel You give honest reviews good and bad without fear of gun companies hating you All this and more, just so we the viewers can be best informed Thank you
My shield plus had a metal piece come up under the red dot. It ruined my optic plate, sent the whole gun back. They drilled a hole through the slide. It took me about 8 weeks to get it back. I was not impressed but some of the problem was with the FFL. I wanted a new slide…. That was my last S&W.
Had a Shield Plus and pretty much agree with all of this. Of the micro 9’s is likely one of the best shooting but, for me, still not fun to shoot or train with. But they’re a compromise because it was great to carry. For now, a Glock 26 is hard to beat for carry AND ease of shooting.
Did you have the 13rd issue with a dpm system as well? Even though this issue shouldn't occur at all in the first place I wonder if a dpm would "hot fix" the issue. With my sample size of 1 I get a very authoritative return to battery and I wonder if that would be enough to overcome the issue with the topped off magazine. Thanks again for another honest upload and keep up the great work 👍
Good question! But no, it did not solve the issue. I definitely had the same thought, though 😅 Sounds like there are some mags with bad followers out there based on the comments and forums. Just a pretty bad showing that they’ve had nearly three years to sort it out and it’s still an issue 👀 As per the usual I went from an M&P fanboy to S&W hater overnight 🙄😂 If something good or bad happens, I share it with no allegiances 🤷♂️👍
Honest review. I got this gun. After 2nd range trip it seized up on disassembly and slide got completely stuck. One of the springs under the slide rail came lose and was unreachable. Had to ship it to S&W to fix. They sent it back after fixing and it’s been flawless since. But it was a catastrophic fail of a firearm that is unacceptable.
I felt the same way about the trigger reset but I kept hearing honest outlaw rave about the trigger and reset even though he’s usually a stickler on reset. I wonder if he just got lucky with his trigger or maybe the performance center trigger is better? Great video!
I’m glad you enjoyed the vid! Yeah, I feel like I’m being gaslit about the trigger reset 😂 It must just be inconsistent with Shield Pluses. I watched his vid and his reset looks much better than mine. Good to know I guess 👍
My shield 2.0 plus is great and accurate EXCEPT when I put an optic on it. The optic wouldn’t zero but the same optic had no issues on a hellcat (holosun eps carry). The S&W shield optic cut is not level because it was cut at a slight angle. It just needs to be redone and done correctly. Currently can’t run any optic on the gun because the adjustment will bottom out before I can get a proper zero. None of my other guns have ever had this issue
I had the og smith&wesson. It only had a jam once. After that, never had a jam. And now i have the smith&wesson performance center shield with fiber optic sights and rmr ready with ported barrel 4" model. And i love it! Never had a jam!
Polish the feeding ramp with dremel tool cotton bit with Green Jewlers Rouge lightly that should fix it. My HK VP9 needed it and never had a feeding issue ever again
I took my shield plus to the range and didn't have any malfunctions after running some hollowpoints through it (1 in chamber and full mags). As for the magazines not holding max ammo, you'll need to buy a mag loader until they're broken in. After that I'm loving my shield plus
Mine has no problems. Well built tank of a firearm. Decent trigger. Mine came with night sights. Shoots to point of aim right from the box. Up to par with no mods necessary. Quite happy with it. The mag fix is easy, or call S&W and they will send you the updated spring/follower.
So I got my new springs and followers. It didn't fix anything. With the new spring and follower in the magazine it now won't load 12 rounds. I guess I'll have to shave down the follower legs like the other follower. Apparently the 15 round mags run better, so I'm gonna grab one and see how that goes. After that I'm going to sell the shit. I'm done fucking with it
Thanks for the update. Hopefully others will find it helpful 👍 I feel your frustration, though…
@@NightwoodGuns if the 15's run like they should then I'm good with that. The 10 seems to work better than the 13. It's ridiculous, especially for how much I paid for this used firearm. I could have just gotten a new 43x or something similar. Instead I went with this and while it runs fine the magazine thing is just unacceptable. They fucked up the easiest part and still haven't fixed it. They use the same springs between the 10, 13, and 15 round mags. Seems like a huge oversight and instead of fixing it they tell us, the consumer to "load em and leave them for a few weeks". That's not helpful, that won't do much of anything.
@bdub0983 sold my plus because of the magazine problem too. Loading it to 13 significantly damaged the ammo.
Ohhh good to know! I'll leave mine with 12 in it then! I was going to try stuffing #13 in there to stretch it out.
I have a M&P Compact and a M&P Shield Plus. Both have never had a failure
Great to hear! 👍
I have the Glock 43x. I shot around 54 million rounds and zero issues.
@@OmarGonzalez-gx1ks 🤣 200 million through my SCCY and it’s still going strong. No cap.
@@NightwoodGuns 😂👍
Me too
I had problems right out of the box with my last FOUR new gun purchases. 2 Sigs, 1 CZ and 1 Glock. I think gun manufacturers are just cranking out an enormous number of guns, pushing their tooling way too far in order to maximize profits. We are in the golden age of firearm design, but going back to the dark ages of manufacturing quality.
I agree. Its a crapshoot now. Post Covid everyyyyy manufacturer is having QC issues: S&W(even the performance center), Glock, Sig, CZ, hell, even Berettas high end models…
Yep, you're probably not wrong. I've had issues with...three of my last firearms (Shadow Systems, Robinson Armament, and PSA). Some minor, some not.
I got a M&P ar10 and it was completely ruined right out of the box. Dead trigger, charging handle was so bent inside the upper, it wouldnt budge. Had to send it back, i told them to send me a new one because i could not trust this firearm to protect my family. Also i had an issues with a usa glock 26 gen 5 out of the box, recoil spring was wayyyy too heavy. Stick with B&T, HK, or Austrian made Glocks.
Agreed
Yep, I’ve had the same observations in the last few years.
I bought my SHIELD PLUS a month after it was released. Have well over 6,000 rounds thru it of various FMJ, SYNTECHS, and JHP'S and fortunately I HAVE NEVER HAD AN ISSUE WITH IT. I also have a SHIELD 45acp and not a SINGLE ISSUE with firearm either.
Maybe i got lucky!!!
But i do LOVE the M&P LINE UP.
That’s great to hear! Funny enough, it seems a lot of the people commenting with issues purchased in the last year or two. It seems that first year of launch might have been better 😅
Same
I was really sad to hear about the issues with this pistol because I’m also a fan of the M&P as well. I carry my sig p365xl over everything else that I own but I’ve been known to shoot an m&p a time or two when I’m out shooting cans or plinking at steel.
I also have both and have problems w/BOTH !
I appreciate your honesty, as always.
This is my primary carry, and I've owned 3 of them over the last 3 years including a pc 4", so I'm def a huge fan, but I'm not butthurt by your review.
One of the most common complaints about this gun is that people can't load the mags to capacity, or at least have a very tough time getting the last round or two in.
A couple of other youtubers discovered that there is a flaw in the mag follower design that causes the spring to bind when it's compressed to near capacity.
There's a couple videos that show the issue and a quick DIY fix with a dremel or razor knife.
I had the same issue as you with all 3 that I've owned, but after making the mods, the issue was 100% solved.
S&W definitely knows about the problem and at least used to replace any mags that you couldn't get the last rounds in. Not sure if they're still doing that.
As far as I know, they haven't modified the follower design to permanently fix the issue going forward.
It sucks that we have to troubleshoot and gunsmith our own brand new firearms, but I think every similar gun has quirks no matter who makes it.
QC is an issue throughout the industry these days.
Great review, and I agree with your assessments, good and bad.
Edit: My reset is much shorter and smoother than yours on the standard plus that I kept, and the pc reset is stellar.
Thanks so much for the info and your thorough input! 👍 Excellent comment!
I have a a shield plus that I bought a couple weeks after release and I haven’t had any issues with it but I do have extra mags I purchased afterwards that I can’t top off. I’m seeing on the facebook groups where there are some QC problems surfacing in the last year or so.
@@orenkieth2753 Interesting, thanks for sharing! 👍
A. I sympathize, my s&w Plus Performance Center 3" had a bad trigqer bar out-of-box (
I modified my mags removing the plastic lip on the magazine follower and it worked like a charm. I actually converted my 10 round mag to a 13 rounder with the magguts kit. I haven’t shot it with the mod yet but do like this gun quite a bit. One of my only firearms I’ve never had an issue with. I bought this in 23’ if it helps and it came with an optic cut and night sights for $359 at bass pro (along with a $50 rebate).
MAGGUTS, MAGGUTS,MAGGUTS. Bought a Performance Center Shield when they first came out. Wanted more capacity and installed the MagGuts in both the short and long mags and it’s been 100% after almost 1000 rounds.
Picked up a Performance Center Shield Plus when they first became available and immediately ordered the MagGuts kits for the short and long magazines when they became available. I now have 13 rounds in the short mags and 15 rounds in the long mags and approaching 700 rounds with ZERO malfunctions. After about a week after loading all the mags and letting them sit, I can now load all the mags to full capacity without a struggle.
The MagGuts kits are a mandatory upgrade for the Shield series.
I concur! Besides the extra capacity, they seem to load and run smoother.
I too have extensively tested my magguts mags and fully endorse them
I agree. I have a Shield M&P Plus 1.0 with 8 round mags and bought the magguts spring kits to bring them to 10 rounds. After 850 rounds they are flawless and only protrude an extra 1/2" maybe? Love them.
Bought a Shied Plus about a year ago.... I got 3 13 round mags with it...All 3 had to be sent back for new ones... Smith and Wesson took them back with no issues and they work great.... Check your mags... The gun is awesome, the trigger is one the best in its class..Great shooter....
Update.. I had about 400 rounds through my Plus about May/June, I had to send it back to S&W as the trigger safety pin was walking out and one of the pins in the frame was too just slightly...Got it back in less than 2 weeks and I have put another 150 to 200 rounds through it with no issues
I joined a Shield Plus group in FB I've seen tons of people complaining issues about their Shield Plus. You are correct, I cannot do 13+1 with the gun, whenever I load the full 13rd mag, it has to be slide lock open. I carry the same firearm everyday. I put around 1200 rounds into it no malfunctions whatsoever, very reliable. Maybe I just got a lucky batch.
I’m glad yours is running well! 😎👍
I can put a +1 on all full mags (10, 13, 15 ) but just gotta put some effort in pushing back the mags., Tried the +1 in the range no problem.
I can assure everyone that I really loved this gun , so much so that when it was impossible to get an extra 13 round mag I purchased another Shield Plus just to get another 13 round mag . I now know that the 13 round mag springs become weak when carried in a loaded in chamber 13 + 1 gun for extended time . I first noticed my gun not locking back on last round . Did it on all 3 of my 13 round magazines , took about 6 months of carry fully loaded .
I have the shield Plus for approximately a year and a half. It has over 3,5 00 rounds through it. Not one single malfunction. Very reliable. I got the one optics ready with the night sights
Good to hear! 👍
The only honest channel I have come across in this genre. Keep up the great work!
😎👍
I got the S&W PC M&P Shield Plus OR Carry Comp with the 4 inch barrel. Trigger was very gritty and heavy. Took the slide off and pressed down on the striker safety plunger. Extremely gritty. Took pistol to Apex tactical and they installed their Apex Ultimate Striker block (plunger) and spring. They did that free of charge. I am grateful. I live in Arizona, otherwise I would have had a qualified gunsmith do that. I currently don't have a work bench or vice. Borrowed a vice to install the Apex trigger. Now the trigger is smooth as butter after installing the Apex striker safety block. Apex Tactical has the best customer service. I had already installed the Apex Enhancement Action trigger and the Apex 1 dot sear. Trigger pull weight dropped from 5 lbs 13 oz to 3 lbs 13 oz. I mean, why not just put better quality parts in the pistol to begin with? In the past, M&P Shield pistols have had burrs in the striker safety block (plunger) channel in the slide. Manufacturing QC issue. So the burrs have to be smoothed out with a Dremmel stone bit but using a cordless drill at slow speed. Will do range time tomorrow with the pistol. I had a M&P Shield 3.1 inch before and it was snappy. It was accurate if I took my time.
I bought a regular Shield Plus in the first few days it was released, and a Shield Plus Performance Center about 4 months ago. I always load my mags the way you describe, full 13 rounds, and have never had this issue. I have around 1000 rounds through my original and 300+ through the new one. I have 10 of the 13 rounds mags, not an issue on any.
That’s great to hear! 👍 Thanks for sharing your experience.
I've had my Shield Plus since about a month after launch. Right when the 1st optic ready models in the bug out bag pack came out. The front sight was installed backwards.. other than that I'm 2500 rounds in without a single failure. All ammo types.
That’s hilarious 😂 I’m glad it ran well at least!
I guess they didn't test fire it either...🙄
i had the same experience with i bought my shield m2.0, front sight backwards
My performance center model shoots about 4 to 5 inches left even at 6 or 7 yards and inhale tried everything I can think of . My other shield shoots dead on .
In this video, you highlighted the reason why I'm sticking with a Glock 26 for everyday CCW. It's only marginally thicker than the micro 9s, but doesn't have any issues at all and has been proven trustworthy for over 25 years. I definitely understand why people typically prefer micro 9s these days, but to me, the small reduction in waistband thickness isn't worth sacrificing impeccable reliability. As an added bonus, there's many Glock 26 magazine base plates available that will allow you surpass the capacity of the micro 9s while keeping the same length grip.
The G26 was the subcompact gold standard for a very long time. Tried and true 👍
The mag issue with not being able to load all the rounds is actually due to the underside of the follower where the spring compresses. The design has a ledge in it that actually causes the spring to bind up before it has fully compressed and this prevents you from loading every round.
Every shield plus mag I’ve ever owned I take the follower out, remove the spring, and use my dremel to file down the ledge to a nice slope. There are zero issues after this.
If interested you can contact me and I will provide pictures
A few others have mentioned the same thing. I was able to load all of the rounds without issue, but I’m sure it was caused by the same problem. Have you heard if S&W is working on a fix? The gun has been out for 3 years so I’m surprised there is still a widespread issue.
Havent heard of a fix from S&W, and actually I had a separate issue with a 13 round mag where the follower after last round would go up to high in the mag and go past my slide lock lever. S&W sent me a new 13 round mag no questions asked but both had the same design of follower.
Also the 10 rounder has the same design follower so I would imagine every design of mag has the same issues
Would absolutely love some pictures on how this is done since I’ll be getting my shield plus real soon.
I would like to see the pictures. Thanks
I bought a brand new shield plus from academy sports almost a year ago to the date. I have ran everything from cheap fmj rounds, to high dollar defensive rounds. Coming up on the 2,000 round mark. Yes, that is a decent amount in a short time. I haven't had a single issue and or failure. I have the 10 round flush fit, 13 round, and 15 round that came out with the equalizer. From the box day one, I have never had a single issue with mags. I load them to the top always. Sucks you got a lemon. I have honestly never heard such a negative opinion of a shield.
I’m glad yours is running great! 👍
When I got mine, I ordered it from PSA and it was the combo package that had night sights, optics cut and 5 magazines.
Out of the box it had:
A bent guide rod
The rear sight was HANGING OFF THE SIDE OF THE SLIDE
And the firing pin/striker was stuck in the forward position which prevented any rounds from going into the chamber and had they gone into the chamber, it would have full autoed itself without even touching the trigger (sounds cool unless you're loading it in your house)
Smith fixed it all for free but I didn't have my gun for 3 weeks and they asked a MILLION questions and it was a huge pain in the ass and they replaced the guide rod with the wrong one so I ended up buying one myself because I was tired of dealing with them
Wow that’s ROUGH! 😱 Thanks for sharing your experience 👍
I remember requesting a while ago and you actually came through on it. Im actually elated. Awesome video again, thanks Brett!
Right on! I’m glad you enjoyed it! 👍
The problem with the mags lies with the followers.
All of mine required the disassembly of the mags, using 3d printer file sets and shaving off the squared edges on the underside of the follower.
The issue is that the spring is catching on those edges, so you have to round them and make them smooth.
I did that for my 3 15 rnd mags they sent me, for my 13, which allowed me to then easily load 13, did it for my 10 which allowed me to easily load 11.
I also sent my gun back because the trigger pin walked out after 100 rnds. The safety dongle in the trigger was also not activating when I pulled the trigger. The whole trigger was moving and not that trigger safety first, so every trigger pull was like I was snapping it through a piece of resistance.
Now its great and is my go to. Shot prolly 1500 through it now since they sent me those 15 rnd mags, and i had to test everything thoroughly.
I’m glad it all worked out 👍
I had the same issue the very first time I shot mine at the range. It came with a 10- and 13-round magazines. They both caused the gun to malfunction. By the time I shot about 300 rounds through it, I noticed most of the entire trigger roll pin walked out. I shot over 2000 rounds through my Springfield Armory XD-9 SC. Not once did it malfunction.
My wife and I both own the shield plus. We bought them two years ago (2022). We have put at least 600 rounds each through them at the range. Neither of us have experienced a single failure. We always use the 13 round mags. We have no reservation about trusting our lives with them.
That’s great to hear! I’m glad you thoroughly vetted your pistols for reliability because anybody can put out a lemon 👍
😂 you are the one guntuber who is 100% guranteed to show FTF out of every pistol... Gun manufacturers screech when you do an upload!!! 😂😂
There were a couple of booths at SHOT where they were not thrilled to see me 😅
@@NightwoodGuns hahahaahaa yeah but at least you are truthworthy!!! Your reviews are legit 👍
@@KNIGHTOFSIN187 I’m glad you’ve been enjoying my reviews 👍
I agree!! Good comment.
@@NightwoodGunsLMAO!!
It's not just the Shield Plus. I heard a S&W rep at the SHOT show call the 1854 44 mag a “throw back to our heritage”. I’m a 10mm guy since about 1990. Super excited with the S&W M&P 10… bought two. Both jammed regularly, (failure to feed), The magazine fell out the bottom while shooting in both, and on one the supplied plastic optics plate cracked, the screws sheered, and my RMR flew backwards over my head. I sent them back to S&W twice. Failure to feeds continued after receiving them back each time. Called a third time and was transferred to a girl who sounded quite young. She interrupted me, talked over me, and told me that my request that S&W exchange my pistols wasn’t going to happen since the issues were fixable. And she said that I “should shoot better quality ammo”. I guess higher quality than the Federal, Fiocci, Mag Tech, Sig, and Hornady that I had written them about failing, and that I spent a fortune on testing their guns. I filed a BBB complaint but through mediation had no confidence in S&W’s offer to “service my guns”, (for the third time). I wonder if engineering a defective product and then having an arrogant and entitled sounding young lady dismiss your victims is also a throwback to S&W’s heritage; or perhaps rather, they are turning over in their graves.
I have heard so many issues about their 10mm, one of which I experienced first hand on a buddy’s gun. All of the same stuff you described including the optic plate failing. That sounds like a horrible experience… 😬
Smith&Wesson has most definitely went downhill. They stopped innovating as a company and the improvements that they do make are usually cheap and minor. For an example they put flat faced trigger shoes in their compact and full sized pistols but they didn't improve the actual function of the trigger. The trigger take-up, break and reset wasn't improved except for the shield plus. The quality control has went downhill and their m&p 10mm was a complete failure due to reliability issues. It's honestly sad because they use to make the best striker fired pistols. They must have a new owner or a new CEO.
@@Shenmue06 Basically almost every company/manufacturer is having problems since 2020..
Smiths qc sucks anymore, bought a 22 compact and instafail. Trigger bar was slipping off the sear not dropping the hammer. One shot through it and back to smith it went. I also leave my mags loaded to break them in👍🏻
I wonder what’s going on over there. QC is slipping industry wide, but Smith seems to be particularly rough.
@NightwoodGuns you are 💯 correct, they used to be a great company. Idk if it's not enough employees, people not wanting to work, or just incompetence. Or all the above. People used to take pride in their work, not anymore
@@N.R.S.412 Yep, times have changed unfortunately…
The .22 compact isn’t made by S&W.
@@milspecmike8440 mp 22 is made by walther and mp 22 compact is made in Springfield mass. Had to look it up myself
Appreciate you honesty on the Shield Plus. I hope Smith sees your review and adds the light rail and optics cut. The equalizer has the rail and is optics ready so it seems they could add it easily to the shield. I came to here specifically to thank you for the DPM spring reviews. I Started running DPM in my M&Ps after your reviews and was blown away. 100% best mod for M&Ps of any size. The comped spec series 2 with DPM turns into a open gun for the streets! DPM + Apex makes the M&P almost perfect. Thanks for the content and honest reviews. Cheers!
I’m so glad to hear that! 🙌
Thank you for your honest review! You helped me make my decision as I was about to buy one of these in the next few days but after your reviews and others in the comments I think I will move on. I'm not willing to spend over $500 to have constant malfunctions and have to "MOD" my new gun. S&W is going to hate you!
I’m glad the review was helpful. I am just a single data point and it’s a great shooter if you get a good one 😂 But this one was more trouble than it was worth and I’m grateful to those in the comments who offered their input as well 👍
I had an MC9 and it had multiple issues. Had a P365 XL and about 500-600 rounds in, started to get FTFs. Went 43X MOS and 900 rounds in one FTF first 100 rounds. That’s why my main edc is my VP9sk. While it’s a bit larger, I’ve never had any issues. If I need a smaller footprint I’ll carry my 43X b/c it’s been 💯 through 800 rounds
Wow, that’s wild. Obviously I had massive issues with the MC9. But I’ve taken the G48 and P365 over 1k without cleaning. Thanks for sharing your experience, that’s interesting!
I’m glad you mentioned the trigger reset because that’s my only complaint about my wife’s shield plus. If I were the one to carry it, I would get an Apex trigger as well.
Agreed 100% 👍
Bought the shield today exactly shot about 100 rounds brand new no malfunctions or issues just my horrible aim being a problem. will keep shooting it to see if theses claims are valid.
FYI - I just called SW customer service and they will be sending me 3 sets of spring and followers for the 13 & 15 round mags. So yeah I think there’s an upgrade for this issue on not getting the full capacity in these mags. The followers are out of stock as of today and he said I’ll be getting the springs first, no telling how long the followers will take.
You think they would have recalled this or at least fixed it after 3 years of production. Not a good look for S&W but at least there’s a fix… that is out of stock…
I hope the new springs and followers work for you. Unfortunately they did not correct the problem for me in my three year old 13 round mags. I love the gun, but have decided to only carry 12 rounds in my spare mag for reliability sake.
Yeah 12 and 1 in the pipe is how I’ve been running it. If it doesn’t work I’ll probably end up grinding back the corners of the followers as mentioned in a YT video and was said it worked like a charm. No rush though because the followers are back order and no telling how long it will be to get them.
@@papi872 Thanks for sharing 👍 Good info!
See my comment on the video. There’s a solve to the follower issue that you can do yourself. I do it to all my shield plus mags and there’s zero issues. If there’s a way to contact me directly I can provide pictures to better describe it.
I have a shield plus. No problems with the 10,13, or 15 round magazines and will cycle everything.
I just tried out the Performance Center version of this gun, and it was very good. Like, so good for me it was hard to miss at self defense ranges (up to 10 yds). It did not have the dot you mentioned. My only dislike was the slide lock/release was very stiff. But the grip size was perfect for me.
Exactly, it’s a great little shooter! 🙌 And it seems the slide stop stiffness varies throughout the whole M&P line. I’ve had some that you could stand on with both thumbs and it wouldn’t close.
If I manually lock the slide back, I can't release it with the slide stop. If I let the magazine follower lock the slide, I can release the slide with a loaded mag inserted with no problem.@@NightwoodGuns
Thank you for pointing out the malfunction you experienced with topped off mags. I have been carrying that way and have not tested. I had issues with my shield plus right out of the box (purchased around Christmas). There was something causing the striker to stay forward after a dry fire. It would only reset when catching the sear on return. I sent it back and they fixed it with striker assembly repair as the only detail on my receipt.
I haven’t ever had an issue. I have tried all sorts of ammo and I always carry with one in the chamber and I absolutely always top off my mag. It hopefully was just yours but that is a weird malfunction happening only on the 13 round mag. Again my 13 round mag never had problems.
Thanks for sharing your experience 👍
No problem, I love your videos! I also have a True precision threaded barrel in my shield plus. Go check my video it’s pretty short.
@@DanielBoom54 Very nice, man! 👍
I fixed my Shield Plus issues by switching to Springfield Hellcat and Hellcat Pro for my micro options. 😎
Great vid and catch. I don't trust the top off in guns (pps) seems too forced. Wonder if loading your back up mags to 12 would work around.
I always top off. I wonder how many people do and don’t 😅
I picked up my Shield Plus optics ready with night sights for $430 including tax out the door at Academy with a 10% First Responder/Military discount. So far my only minor complaint is my slide release is super tight and i have to put in alot of force to release the slide. However im a over the slide kind of guy when reloading so its really a non issue. Otherwise fantastic gun!
I’ve put thousands of rounds through my shield plus, never had a FTF
I love my 2 year old Shield Plus. Only have 250 rds through it, but zero issues. Nice trigger, nice ergonomics and accurate for such a small pistol.
Glad to hear yours has been great! 👍
I replaced my S&W v1.0 .40 compact that was my EDC with a Shield Plus 9 (along with the 15 round mag) and love how it shoots. I may have to run a few hundred more rounds through it at the range to make sure my firearm is good to go. Thanks for the video!
Glad you enjoyed the vid! Definitely double check topping off the gun 👍 I love the way it shoots, probably my favorite shooting “micro”
@@NightwoodGuns I'm wondering if it will exhibit the same behavior with the 15 rounder... may pick another one up on my day off so I can compare one with range ammo and my other one with defensive ammo.
@@livefreeprintguns Let me know how it goes 😎👍
@@NightwoodGuns Went to the range today, ran about 100 rounds through the 13 round mag and always loaded it up to max capacity +1 in the chamber before firing. I didn't run into any issues you described, but I did experience the slide not locking back once the mag was completely empty a couple of times.
@@livefreeprintguns Awesome! I’m glad to hear it ran! Apparently Smith has been aware of the 13 round mag issue and will replace problem mags… I’m just wondering when they were planning on telling anyone… 👀
Maybe something happened during manufacturing. My shield has a trigger that is above par. Reset is unmatched. Breaks like a little piece of glass. Send it in and see if there is a defect. S&M will make it right
It was “in-spec” 👀 Oh well.
Would love to see a review from you of the FN Reflex. Loving mine so far have had no issues, but have seen online many issues out of the box, although many of those are from when the pistol first became available. Either way an interesting take from FN being internal hammer fired with one of the better triggers I’ve felt on a micro compact. Not many reviews out there being a newer gun.
I’ll consider it, I was just surprised by how expensive it was when I saw it at my local shop 😅
My new R7 Mako Tactical did this and got worse after 200 rounds of suppressed fire... It went back to Kimber, completely on their dime. I just bought it and the R7 has been in existence for 2 years, only thing that changed was the barrel. IMO, if you want the shield plus, get it, test it, if it works great, if not, send it back then ensure it does. Once it does, it will continue to work. The shield plus will be my replacement if the R7 just doesn't work out.
Thanks for sharing your experience 👍
Had a shield plus, got rid of it for a 43X and never looked back! 43X has become my ONLY carry gun
The 43X is consistent 👍
They put too much spring in the mags. I cut one coil off of the spring and it still has a long enough spring to function fine. The spring fills up too much space in the mag to let it be fully loaded..
I wanted to like the shield plus but on the first trigger pull I couldn’t pull the trigger. My finger was too high and it wasn’t hitting the trigger safety. Of course I saw what happened and every pull after that was fine, but I cannot risk drawing a firearm in an SD situation and not having it go bang. No matter how rare the instance.
Great observation, I could see that happening 😬
I got the Plus PC version and the trigger reset is almost scary in the opposite direction, so short. Mine just had an issue with the trigger not reseting and replacing the striker assembly seems to have fixed it. I love the gun, with the ported barrel and slide it's extremely controllable even when rapid firing. I can keep a good group at 30 yards on the first mag even after a 3 week break between shooting. I highly recommend the PC version.
You’re one of a handful of reviewers that I absolutely trust for an honest review.
Glad to hear it 👍
Milton Wes is Quality Control sucks
Another top-tier pistol review... thank you.
I don't like micro pistols.
My warm weather EDC CCW is a S&W M&P 9 M2.0 3.6" Subcompact with the excellent frame-mounted ambidextrous manual thumb safety (FM AMTS). My personal self-defense load is Underwood's 124 Gr +P (Speer Gold Dot) Bonded JHP. I purchased this pistol, new, in early 2020 for $450. About 3,000 rounds later, I've enjoyed 100% flawless functionality. This is a great little pistol, and very easy to shoot well. It replaced my old Gen4 Glock 26. I've had zero issues loading up and shooting 12+1, 15+1, and 17+1 capacity magazines.
The only thing this pistol needed in order to be perfect for me was:
1. AmeriGlo all-steel tritium night sights, to replace the perfectly serviceable OEM stock all-steel three-dot contrast combat-style sights.
2. I custom stippled the already fantastic grip texture, bringing it higher up on the frame, to facilitate an even better grip for the meat of my support hand thumb.
3. I installed an all-metal Apex Tactical Duty-Carry trigger to replace the perfectly serviceable OEM stock plastic hinged trigger.
It's more or less the same story for me regarding my cool weather EDC CCW, the S&W M&P 9 M2.0 4" Compact Optics-Ready pistol with the FM AMTS ($420, new), which replaced my even older Gen3 Glock 19.
IMHO, the S&W M&P 9 M2.0 pistols are quite simply superior to their Gen3 and Gen4 Glock counterparts, much easier to shoot well, they've proven to be at least every bit as reliable, and much more to my liking.
Good things! 👍
Sounds like an amazing setup! Very nice! 😎👍
I checked out the original shield at the local shop years ago. The feed ramp had a large chip. Went through 4 more new 1s to get 1 without a chip. Buddy also had a full size m&p that would not eject.
Interesting… thanks for the input 👍
An excellent review and thank you for being one of the reviewers on UA-cam who's not afraid to call out someone if they make a product that doesn't function properly. Especially one that you are calling upon to save your life.
I have the Equalizer which I believe takes the same mags. Mine came with a 10 13 and a 15 mags when I bought it. They had a rebate for three additional free mags. which were all 15 round mags.
I don't know what your experience was with loading the mags, but with mine I find them extremely difficult to fit the last round or two into the mag regardless of whether it is the 10 13 or 15 round magazine.
Even using the included upLula loader that came with my pistol It is close to impossible to actually load the magazine to its full capacity. Then It's very difficult to get the mag to snap into place when you load it into the pistol. You have to give it a good slap to get it to seat once you insert it.
It's obvious to me that there's not enough room in the magazine for the loaded rounds to compress easily enough to allow the magazine to seat home smoothly and easily. It is like that with all the mags.
I'm doing the same thing you're doing with your mags. I have all of my mags loaded as full as I can get them and then I leave them set for a while and unload and reload them So far I have done this about 3 or 4 times and the result is still the same as far as how many rounds I can load into a magazine.
I have also disassembled them to check them for function and that they have the correct parts in them. So far they all seem to work without malfunctions, but I am not loading them to their full capacity. I will load them two short of their state and capacity and that seems to allow them to slip right into the pistol and lock into place with zero difficulty. Then I will also load one in the chamber. Doing it that way I have had zero malfunctions but I also have less than what the advertised and stated capacity of the magazines actually are in reality.
I don't know if it is the design of the magazines that causes them to be this way or if Smith and Wesson are just overstating the capacity of the magazines in order to make the pistols more attractive to purchasers. Especially in this day and age where everyone is capacity crazy.
When I saw you outside shooting I thought to myself Man that really looks like Arizona. I lived there from 1959 through 2014. Very familiar with the entire Valley area. One of the things I loved about Arizona when I lived there was that you could easily find someplace to go shooting. So much desert land around there you could drive anywhere within 10 mi probably of where you lived and find somewhere that you could shoot. Now I'm at the other side of the country in North Carolina and as far as just driving away someplace not too far from home to shoot forgettaboutit. You're going to an indoor range. There's nothing inherently wrong with that I just much prefer shooting outside. That's probably due to my many years in Arizona lol.
I’m glad you enjoyed the video and thank you for thoroughly sharing your experience 👍 I’m grateful to live in AZ, I was born and raised here. But it has changed a lot since you left and not for the better. I’m optimistic we can turn things around though.
@@NightwoodGuns Yeah I still have friends there so they keep me apprised on what's going on. And I also keep an eye on it too. I know it's becoming more and more blue. That color change doesn't surprise me considering all of the California transplants that migrated into Arizona.
I also lived in Yuma for many years so I have friends in the border patrol down there They keep me apprised of that mess as well.
@@carlmontney7916 Yep, it’s a mess. Plenty of “red state” people moving here as well. Makes it hard to shoot in the desert anymore. It’s always busy. Like I said, I remain optimistic. Seems like people around here have had enough. But AZ is way more blue than I ever expected it to become.
@@NightwoodGuns definitely not the state of Barry Goldwater and conservatism anymore. I still do miss Arizona and consider it my home. Even though I'm in North Carolina now it's just a stopover for me till I get back home again.
One thing I was going to mention about the magazines is that I also own a Taurus G3C and I have an LCP Max as well. Neither of those have magazine loading issues I can easily stuff them full and they go right into the pistol without any issue at all. I really think there's something kind of strange with the M&P mags. The 10 round seems to be better than the higher capacity ones. I also run the Pearce PG SP 13 magazine Grip extensions. Very nice for additional little finger support and doesn't impede the carry at all. If you've never looked into those they're a quality product.
@@carlmontney7916 Once AZ has been your home, it always will be. There’s nowhere else in the world like it. 👍
And yeah, no issues with the 10rd mags.
The angle of the follower catches when you have 12 rounds in. You need a traditional speed loader to push and pop through it. Do that a bunch of tines and it breaks in. I top off at 13 plus 1 with most ammo. Some ball is a hair to big to fit the 14 though
Interesting, thanks for your input
I absolutely agree about the trigger reset. The only reason why I am looking at picking up a Springfield Hellcat instead.
👍
I feel like he just got a bad M&P Shield Plus. Everyone else that's done a review on that gun, loves the trigger and never had a malfunction problem like he's having. which means that's a him problem. He has to call Smith & Wesson to deal with it. The only reason I didn't get the plus is because I have a Heavily modified Shield 2.0 so I decided to go with a Sig P365X but The latest version of it That way sig would have ironed out any bugs that they Previously had in the gun.
I just share whatever experience I have. Good or bad. You are free to use the info however you want. I’m curious how many reviewers actually tested topping off the 13 round mag. Might be worth going back through and looking. 🤷♂️
I had this problem with my shield plus as well. Also, take down lever coil inside the frame popped out, live ammo was stuck inside the chamber and had to whack the slide off the frame with a hammer in order to remove everything.
Interesting issue you had. Mine hasn't had this issue and I know I have went through that exact scenario. I'll have to test it again next time I train with it.
I train and carry mostly with the 13 round mags and have had 2 malfunctions, one was my fault riding the slide stop and the other was a magazine issue from a 15 round mag.
currently more than 1k rounds less than 2k rounds of mostly sellier and bellot 115 grain fmj( half the rounds), magtech 115 fmj (almost other half) and 124 grain federal hst (200 rounds).
@@volkskrieg8735 It’s certainly an issue that shouldn’t happen and while it doesn’t seem common… I’m definitely not the only one. Goes to show that you have to vet each individual pistol for reliability no matter the manufacturer.
@@NightwoodGuns u are completely correct on that point. Never trust something to be squared away simply because you trust the manufacturer.
Dang, I always thought this was the rock solid choice (never owned one). I’ve seen the 30 super carry optics ready model going for around $300.
Love your content as always man! Been watching gunsmith cats on my Plex cause of you.
Glad you enjoyed the vid 👍 I’m also glad you are checking out Gunsmith cats! 😎
Ive never topped off magazines for that very reason. The loaded mag puts pressure on the chambered round. Ive seen this from almost every brand especially when I worked in a gun range.
Edit: I think companies tout that plus one option because it sounds better but i download all my mags because ive seen issues thru all brands and types.
I always test for this and I’ve only ever seen it happen occasionally with brand new mags for micro guns. Usually irons out after cycling 2-3 times. Never had it last 500+ rounds before.
lol
I have the shield plus and the shield plus 4 in PC model. The 4 in model almost never cycles after the first shot when you top off with +1 with a 13 round mag. The 3 in model has shown some issues with this, but it is usually okay. I think this is more about the magazine not truly being 13 round capacity. They just shoved as much in as they could and forced 13 to be able to market against Sig. No problems with the 10 round mags. Also, the trigger reset is perfectly fine for CC.
Thanks for sharing your experience! I demand more from my carry guns so I prefer a shorter reset. But I do think the trigger reset is perfectly fine for its price point. 👍
Sorry I'm late to the review, That said I own the Shield Plus and is in my daily carry rotation. I have to agree with most of your criticisms but there are solutions to fix them ie the magazine issue. After a lot of research I found a simple follower mod that fixes the problem, although you would think S&W would fix it themselves especially since it's been an issue since day one. Still looking for a solution to the reset problem which can be annoying. Regardless, thanks for the honest review.
Thanks for your input 😎👍
Went from carrying my shield plus and Glock 19 to hellcat pro! Couldn’t be happier. Conceals like a sub compact but shoots like full size with all the features, we typically have to send our glocks out to get done & spend a ton of money. At least here in California. Aka Commiefornia. Running hellcat pro in T-Rex arms sidecar. Tlr 7 sub with the holosun eps carry MRS.
Very nice! Thats a great setup 🙌
I’ve seen the same issue with some friends p365. Adding +1 is a problem with a lot of guns. People never actually test this. Thanks for testing this
I have a S&W Shield 9mm and replaced the Henge Trigger with a Hyve Monarch Trigger (flat face). also With Hogue grip. A very real improvement. I also have a S&W 9mm Shield Plus.. With the new Trigger the Shield shoots as good as my Shield Plus. I also have Hogue Grip on my Shield Plus. I am keeping Both. I also replaced Barrels with 3 5/8 inch Threaded Barrels on both. Better lock up and a Great improvement. No malfunctions. Even after topping the Mag with 13 rounds. Anyway I only load my Shield Plus 12 and 1 and the extra mag with 12 rounds. 13th round is very to tight for my comfort. Could cause malfunction in the future, short stroke of the slide. I'm good with 12 rounds in the Mag.
Those sound like great upgrades 👍
@@NightwoodGuns Did you know all S&W M&P Handguns has metal in the frame covered by polymer? This is why the SD9 2.0 is Cheaper then the M&P 9mm 2.0. Also the SD9 2.0 has polymer Slide Bar and Slide lock. I have a SD9VE (paid $275.00) i upgraded with Stainless Steel Bar, Slide lock, and Apex Enhancement Trigger. I love the way it shoots now after the upgrades.
Got mine with 5 mags for $480 about a year ago. I agree with all of your "goods". My reset isn't as rough as yours and is very positive, but it's not mind-blowing. Still, no other micro gat has a better trigger in my experience, which is limited. It's almost as easy to shoot as a full sized handgun. I was very interested to hear about the no-top-off...that's an issue mine didn't have. I do have additional negative: their optics-ready version required me to mill off the recoil bosses to mount my Holosun. While I've had no reliability issues, I really hated to do that. I also still hate the loaded chamber indicator that smokes the dot, but that's a general m&p thing, not just the S+. Again, yes, shout-out to Bear Arms!
The MC9 had a better trigger… but… 😭
Great observations, there’s a lot to love about the Shield Plus 👍 Interesting about the optic cut. A few people in the comments have complained about it now.
@@NightwoodGuns yeah, I like the MC9 but my only experience with that one is in YT vids, and they have indicated they have had some somewhat significant issues.
@@fullm3taljacket Worst experience I’ve ever had with a micro carry pistol, that’s for sure 😂
I own 7 S&W firearms and Never fail or an issue over 36 years now. I’ll trust a Smith and Wesson over any other firearm ever! 1st 🥇 USA 🇺🇸 company with a Lifetime Warranty and Thee Very Best Customer Service Ever
My original shield has been bulletproof, through 4-5k rounds over the last 10 plus years. Just got a shield plus and sights seem off. Great groups just three inches left, consistently. Going to test the gun on a rest just to be 100% sure its not me, before I start messing with the sights. Old one is spot on, if I do my part. I ran it as it came soaked in oil and grease and it ran flawlessly, so far.
That's wild. I've got 10, 13, and 15 rounds mags, and they've all worked fine. Furthermore, the trigger on mine is phenomenal. The reset on mine is very audible and tactile. Not very long either.
Sounds like this one is a poor example then 😅
I’m sorry to hear that about yours I got mine 2 years ago and love to shoot. I’m not too sure how many rounds I’ve put through it but I have never had any issues with mine. Thankfully I got a good one
My performance center has 0 problems and i really put all my edc to the test
That’s good to hear! 👍
I'm still making my mind between the hellcat and Shield Plus. I'm not a big guy 5'10 - 165 lbs so I'm leaning towards the hellcat because of more concealable. However everyone says the Shield Plus is less snappy and more overall better gun. I was going through your channel but didn't see a hellcat review. would love to get your inside or peoples thoughts.
I would personally take the Shield Plus over the Hellcat. Nothing wrong with the Hellcat, it’s just a little snappier with recoil. The Shield Plus shoots very well. Just make sure whatever firearm you end up with, you personally test your individual pistol for reliability or QC issues. The industry has been rough recently. 👍
Except for the bottom rail, the Shield Plus Performance Center answers all the negatives. I've never had any issues with topping off the mags. Thanks for the review!
Glad you enjoyed the review. Might need to check out the performance center 👍
I bought one I think last year. Maybe 2022. No issues through maybe 200 rounds. Based on this review though I'd say, for people who must have a Shield Plus right now, it might be a better idea to find one used somewhere than to gamble on their current QC
Not a bad idea 👍
My first firearm I ever bought for myself was a Walther PPQ SC LE. I put about 1400 rounds through it with pretty much any ammo you could think of and never had a malfunction. I was super impressed. Snappy, yeah, but it's a subcompact. As a lefty, everything was exactly where I needed and I used to carry it with the 10 round mag and pinky extension and a 15 rounder as a backup.
I've since moved to DA/SA guns, but I'll never get rid of that PPQ.
Thanks for sharing! I also have a preference toward hammer fired guns these days. But I won’t turn my nose up at a good striker offering 👍
My first-gen Shield and Shield Plus have been super reliable and very pleasant. But I did put Apex sears in each of them to give amazing trigger pulls. However, since Wilson Combat introduced their P365 grip modules, I’ve become a Sig P365 fan. Those grips really help me lock in better than S&W’s frames. And this modularity is what sets Sig apart. But I would not be afraid to trust my life to a Shield whatsoever
First saw your review on the Canik Mete mc9 and really appreciate the honesty in the reviews. Been going back and forth between the Canik and the shield plus for my first ccw.
I’d go with the Shield Plus any day. S&W can and will fix my issue. Canik could never get my MC9 running…
I have the 4" ported pc model, produced 9/16/21. I experienced the problem you're having before. All I did was make sure the underside of the slide had some oil on it and haven't had any problems since. A topped off mag fits pretty tight, and it was just friction slowing the slide down. Also, maybe try some hotter ammo. The gun shoots fantastic. I was able to win it on an auction site for around $550 after paying the dealer fee, so I got a heck of a deal. I bought some 15 rd mags and have experienced some problems with them not locking back on the last round but bought some shield glock springs that are longer and that fixed them. I haven't had problems getting them fully loaded, but I use a mag lula. I really like the pistol. It's a joy to shoot.
Maybe I just got lucky, but I've put probably 1500 rounds through mine so far, and I've never had a malfunction. HOWEVER, my slide release was insanely stiff at first, and the 10rd mag it came with didn't lock slide to rear on an empty mag.
My Shield Plus Performance Center has never had a malfunction after about 1k rounds. My only complaints are you really have to slam a full mag in to get it to seat in the grip. And the slide stop is damn near impossible to release with a thumb when you have a full magazine in it.
I've been shooting since the late 80s (my dad was a gun dealer). For that reason I've seen many makes of guns fail, at one time or another...
Two things I've learned:
#1) No matter how "reliable" the reputation, every gun company (like cars) have an example that was "made on a Friday at 5pm."
Therefore...
#2) Buying a gun and not shooting it for reliability is like buying a car and not test driving it first. At that point, you deserve what you get, imo.
My shield plus in 30 super carry runs like a champ. Never had an issue with any of my S&W
I have an early release with none of these issues mentioned over 2k rounds and only a pin worked its way out. But regardless of my luck and lone issue, qc is huge especially for new owners/ chl folks.
Thanks for sharing your experience 👍
I was thoroughly impressed with the Shield Plus. I have fat hands and most little guns I can’t shoot well. This thing is great. The one I shoot is a relatives carry gun and we shoot it quite a bit. I don’t think trigger reset is a big deal on a defensive firearm. If you’ve never shot under a high stress situation. Your never even going to notice that when your trying to save your life.
The trigger is excellent and most people agree it’s the best in the subcompact world
I definitely love the grip 👍 The reset isn’t a big issue, but I wouldn’t turn my nose up at a shorter reset.
@@TheRancor53 I'd say the MC9, despite my issues with it, has a significantly better trigger than the Shield Plus
@@NightwoodGuns it’s subjective but most shooters agree that the Plus has one of the very best for subcompact.
@@TheRancor53 Do you have a source for a poll or something? 4 out of every 5 shooters agree that it has one of the very best triggers or something? 😅
Try the CSX if you think the trigger on the Shield Plus is bad. Once you use the CSX you'll love the Shield Plus.
I held one when it came out, I remember the trigger being super heavy 😅
Every gun has to be vetted and regularly used and tested for any changes you make ammo especially. ❤❤❤ Glock and Smith are my go to but there is not a gun in the world that does not need to be vetted after purchase. I absolutely love my MP Shield 40 gen 1 California model with hi viz sights. I run an NDZ pinky ext on my 6 round flush mag even with big hands I have a solid grip. My two spare mags have hyve Extensions giving me 8 round reloads. It's my go to for any occasion. It took me a couple of days practicing before I was really confident shooting the 40 out that tiny barrel. I love 40sw and I love that smith doesn't forget about us 40 Bois. Appreciate your honesty about your experience.
👍
My Shield Plus came with a manual safety that was virtually impossible to move, either up or down. After at least a couple thousand dry manipulations - taking both thumbs - it loosened up a tiny bit, but I found a larger thumb safety lever online which has totally compensated for the problem (though requiring a custom AIWB holster). But the gun's final inspection at the factory should have caught and resolved that problem: someone - either on the production line or their supervisor - just didn't care. Other than that, the gun has been flawless in operation.
Thanks for sharing your experience. I’ve heard from people who no longer work at a few of these manufacturers that they were forced to push through guns that failed QC to meet quotas. Doesn’t inspire confidence…
Brett,
you put 500 rds thru a single shield plus mag
You shoot a ported gun from rentention and destroy your arm with shrapnel
You give honest reviews good and bad without fear of gun companies hating you
All this and more, just so we the viewers can be best informed
Thank you
I appreciate the appreciation! 😂👍 And I’m glad you’ve been enjoying the channel!
Between you and me I think we have the worst luck when it comes to guns and gear we buy.
Or we actually run our stuff and have no strings attached to reviews 👀😅
My shield plus had a metal piece come up under the red dot. It ruined my optic plate, sent the whole gun back. They drilled a hole through the slide. It took me about 8 weeks to get it back.
I was not impressed but some of the problem was with the FFL. I wanted a new slide…. That was my last S&W.
Had a Shield Plus and pretty much agree with all of this. Of the micro 9’s is likely one of the best shooting but, for me, still not fun to shoot or train with. But they’re a compromise because it was great to carry. For now, a Glock 26 is hard to beat for carry AND ease of shooting.
Agreed 😎👍
Did you have the 13rd issue with a dpm system as well? Even though this issue shouldn't occur at all in the first place I wonder if a dpm would "hot fix" the issue. With my sample size of 1 I get a very authoritative return to battery and I wonder if that would be enough to overcome the issue with the topped off magazine. Thanks again for another honest upload and keep up the great work 👍
Good question! But no, it did not solve the issue. I definitely had the same thought, though 😅 Sounds like there are some mags with bad followers out there based on the comments and forums. Just a pretty bad showing that they’ve had nearly three years to sort it out and it’s still an issue 👀 As per the usual I went from an M&P fanboy to S&W hater overnight 🙄😂 If something good or bad happens, I share it with no allegiances 🤷♂️👍
Honest review. I got this gun. After 2nd range trip it seized up on disassembly and slide got completely stuck. One of the springs under the slide rail came lose and was unreachable. Had to ship it to S&W to fix. They sent it back after fixing and it’s been flawless since. But it was a catastrophic fail of a firearm that is unacceptable.
3500 rounds thru my plus and I've had maybe 3 malfunctions and it's was ammo related
That’s great to hear 👍
I felt the same way about the trigger reset but I kept hearing honest outlaw rave about the trigger and reset even though he’s usually a stickler on reset. I wonder if he just got lucky with his trigger or maybe the performance center trigger is better? Great video!
I’m glad you enjoyed the vid! Yeah, I feel like I’m being gaslit about the trigger reset 😂 It must just be inconsistent with Shield Pluses. I watched his vid and his reset looks much better than mine. Good to know I guess 👍
I have the full size M&P 2.0 with the new trigger and it’s amazing!
My M&P Shield has the Apex trigger and that’s the best trigger I’ve used!
My full size 2.0 trigger is great 👍 This one definitely could use an Apex.
My shield 2.0 plus is great and accurate EXCEPT when I put an optic on it. The optic wouldn’t zero but the same optic had no issues on a hellcat (holosun eps carry). The S&W shield optic cut is not level because it was cut at a slight angle. It just needs to be redone and done correctly. Currently can’t run any optic on the gun because the adjustment will bottom out before I can get a proper zero. None of my other guns have ever had this issue
Oh man… thanks for sharing your experience. That crazy! 😬
I had the og smith&wesson. It only had a jam once. After that, never had a jam. And now i have the smith&wesson performance center shield with fiber optic sights and rmr ready with ported barrel 4" model. And i love it! Never had a jam!
Polish the feeding ramp with dremel tool cotton bit with Green Jewlers Rouge lightly that should fix it. My HK VP9 needed it and never had a feeding issue ever again
I took my shield plus to the range and didn't have any malfunctions after running some hollowpoints through it (1 in chamber and full mags). As for the magazines not holding max ammo, you'll need to buy a mag loader until they're broken in. After that I'm loving my shield plus
Mine has no problems.
Well built tank of a firearm.
Decent trigger.
Mine came with night sights. Shoots to point of aim right from the box. Up to par with no mods necessary.
Quite happy with it.
The mag fix is easy, or call S&W and they will send you the updated spring/follower.
I had to sell mine because I got at least 6 failures to feed and this was after I sent it to smith and they said nothing was wrong with it
Yikes, I don’t like hearing that… 😬
Smith is so underrated, I think it’s overall the best striker manufacturer today
I love their bigger M&P offerings with some Apex and Floyd’s Custom love 👍
@@NightwoodGuns I carry Floyd’s +5 on my 10mm for edc, flawless reliability
Very nice! 😎