Shield .40
 

My .40 Shield broke a recoil spring in the first 500 rounds or so and I've noticed the mag release button rusting from IWB carry where the button touches skin.

Smith and Wesson promptly sent me a replacement spring and offered a replacement magazine release button. I've considered painting the button to see if it prevents the rust, but in the meantime have just been cleaning and putting FrogLube on it every couple weeks.

It absolutely hated Hornady Critical Duty ammo. FTF almost every other try.

Went with the Apex FSS.....
 

Installed it yesterday and like it much better than the DCAEK. Right at 4.5lb and super short reset. Still trying to decide what sights to with, but not in a rush.

sights depend on what's your intended use. If you search the posting here, you'll see QP advising blackening the rear dots, leaving only the front dot. You'll find your acquisition much faster once you're pushing against timer. No time for brain to decide which dot/line is which.

Likewise, I use this one:
http://www.amazon.com/Truglo-Tfo-Han...rds=truglo+tfo
Green front dot is brighter than the yellow. So green = go, green = go, front sight-front sight-squeeze is all that went through the mind in splint second.
As you could see from the review, there are some cons to it. I personally don't like the smooth/curved front, which made it hard to rack the slide on the sights on belt/boot and I had to put skateboard tape to aid the process. OTOH, the length of the rear sight make a very small margin of error when seeing that symmetrical empty space to the left and right of the front sight. As a result, I've never found it easier to "ping" silhouette at 100m

There's also the mindset of thin front sight, FWIW for those who care what Gabe Suarez advises:
http://www.warriortalknews.com/2010/...-shooting.html
"The mission was this - Top of the Front Sight must be held level with the top of the Rear Sight, and the shooter must see an equal amount of light visible on either side of the Front Sight. Fiber optics, or pronounced dots made it exceedingly difficult to determine the exact top of the front sight"

It makes sense: The trade-off between acquisition vs. precision

YMMV

As others have mentioned, have a look at Scott Warren's WTS sights, plain rear, Trijicon front.
http://www.warrentactical.com/products.htm

Might check with Scott for direct LEO/mil pricing. Otherwise MLE (linked off Scott's page) has them: http://mle-shootingsports.com/Warren...40fb4e02269939

Also at CPWSA, Brownell's, others, etc.

JimP, did you go for a plain WTS rear with your FO front?

Yup, the rear is plain but is also u-shaped rather than the standard square cut. The "u" helps the eye align the fiber optic more quickly (in my -and others- opinion). As a defensive pistol, my intent is not to get the utmost precision but to quickly acquire the target and obtain trigger break at full presentation. Let your eyes naturally do the work for you rather than trying to stack various mechanisms on top of each other.

Looks like the Warrens win....
 

Looks like they are the best option for my intended use (This is not going to be a competition target pistol). Thanks again to all who gave input.

Mike

Trigger update....
 

I'm still a big fan of the 1911 trigger (Even just average ones) and the Apex FSS trigger kit does get about as close as you can to one. On my custom 1911's, I have either a 3.5 or 4lb pull. The FSS came with two trigger return springs, one that had just about a 4.3 and the other claimed over 5 (I didn't bother with the heavier pull so I can't confirm exactly how much over 5 it was).

I wanted a lighter pull and almost bought the competition spring set just for the trigger return spring, but decided to call Apex and see what they thought. I was surprised when they told me the factory return spring is almost identical to the competition spring and to put that back in and see how I like it. Long story short, I love it. After putting the original return spring back along with the FSS trigger set, I now have a trigger with almost no pretravel, a super short reset and a absolutely consistent 3.5lb pull. I wouldn't want this setup as a LEO.....it is a bit light, but it is perfect for civilian use because if I ever have the need to point my weapon at another person, I am going to be sending rounds their way without hesitation.

Mike

ok, I'm a believer of that U-shape now.
Tried another competitors pistol in a recent match. Stock G17 warren rear and sevigny front. My best ever run ever was 3.63. This may still be slow to you master shooters, but I dropped to 2.81 seconds and stayed under 3. Since my presentation averages 1.3s for the distance, that leaves 1.5 seconds for 6 shots at 6 plates at 11 yards. I was amazed myself and offered to buy the pistol from that guy right on the spot :D He refused.

Also became a believer of the G26. Thanks to keltec pf9 and ruger lcp, I got it in my head that 9mm subcompact = hand cannon. Well, another competitor lent me his gen 4 stock G26 and I did the same plates in 3.82 seconds. Guess I found my next purchase over the MP shiled, bereta nano, sig 938 etc :cool:

Surprising. That would irk me no end, 'til I found out why and fixed it. Or got another sidearm.

I know another outstanding shooter other than JimP who loves the M&P, but I took mine back a few days after purchase. Just couldn't get in the groove with it.

(Probably a mental problem. I started shooting back in the days when you either shot a 1911 or a BHP...or a S&W revolver.)

Dusty, I think its the more angled shape of the Hornady bullets or the plastic/rubber filling in the hollow point cavity, because it seems to like some other hollow points ok. I use Remington Gold Sabres and Winchester PDX1 for carry.

I polished the feed ramp a little but it didn't do any good. I've had a couple failures to eject (due to not cleaning after each range trip I'm guessing). I've also recently had a couple FTFs while shooting Blazer steel cased FMJ.

Seriously starting to think about getting a Springfield XDS in .45 or a XD subcompact for CCW. My other Springfields don't have issues like the Shield.

Some of the problems could be me as I'm no gun expert and need to take some training classes. I just try to pay attention to the advice given here over the years.

I'm not being sarcastic or uppity when I say this: That particular gun I would never bank my life on.

Concur with the XD. Glock, FN, Ruger...anything that works out to be as consistent as possible when you pull the trigger.

Agreed. Just ordered a new holster for one of my more reliable guns. I just really wanted this one to work as I really like the size and feel. Thanks for the input.

OK, I contacted the LEO section of S & W and my local S & W dealer and was told that S & W doesn't give discounts to LEO individuals. Only departments. What is this "discount"?

I have both an M&P full frame in 9mm as well as an M&P Shield in 9mm and they're both fantastic. The full size is at home, the Shield is my daily carry. While the single stack is certainly a compromise of capacity/accuracy(at range) for size/concealability, it is still a very viable option for most scenarios I can forsee myself encountering on a daily basis. I've put approximately 1,300 rounds of mixed ammo types through the Shield with not one FTF or any other malfunctions of any kind. I even refused to clean or oil the pistol through the first 600 rounds (mostly cheap, dirty cartridges) to see if I could force a malfunction, and ultimately failed to do so (I was not carrying the pistol at time of the test). It will continue to be my primary carry pistol until such a time as it proves itself incapable of performing its duties when called upon. I live in Florida, where hot and humid are the norm. Also, I am not a large man, so the thinner profile of the Shield is perfect for carry here in all seasons, though I can get by with the full framed M&P on some "winter" days.

The full size M&P is my primary home defense option, and sits readily available for immediate use in my home. I have owned this pistol longer than I have owned the Shield and have put approximately 5,000 rounds of mixed quality ammo through it. I have not had one malfunction.

Both pistols have been through several pistol training courses with me and both have performed superbly without a single hiccup through dust, dirt, gravel, sweat and even a little bit of blood (tip: superglue is a great field alternative for stitches).

I run the full sized M&P stock (though that may change in the future). I have installed several APEX Tactical internals in the Shield, as well as XS Big Dot sights. The XS Big Dots have greatly improved the effectiveness of shots taken with a flash sight picture. At longer ranges they can be cumbersome.

I do not own many firearms. The ones I do own, however, I would trust with the lives of my family. The M&Ps are a mainstay.