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not really sure if i have officially joined the micro 9 craze. I don't really believe the shield plus is a micro 9mm, but Smith and Wesson sells it as one so I guess it is. after going to the range with some coworkers I decided its time to change up my carry gun. I liked the p2000SK, but it is a chunky thing and there are more convenient carry options out there that do not sacrifice ammo capacity. went with the shield plus because after messing with the p365, hellcat and shield plus, the shield felt the best in my hand. also my agency issues M&P's so I already have experience with that line of pistols. after being briefly tempted by the 30 super carry capacity, I came back to my senses and purchased the 9mm.
what's included
you get two magazines with the shield plus, I'm a big fan of alwase including 2 magazines in the box. if you get the CA compliant one both magazines will be 10 rounders, if you get the other version they include a 10 round flush fit and 13 round extended mag. also included in the box is a useless cable lock, chamber flag, manual and a informational rubber band that makes sure you know about the flat trigger and 13 rounds.
the gun
to me, the shield plus is more like a Glock 26 that decided to stop being a fat girl, got on a diet and slimmed down. its a thin really sub compact I wouldn't call it a micro 9, and that's probably why it felt the best to me. I feel like S&W is just calling it a micro 9 to ride that bandwagon that sig created. the one I got is optics cut and came with a nice set of high viz night sights. the shooting experience is fine. it is a bit snappy, but that's to be expected with this size of gun. the stippling has a skateboard tape like texture and despite the snap the gun does not slide around in your hand. the guy two lanes down asked what I was shooting and made a comment about it being extra loud. fun enough to shoot, but probably not a fun gun to be around. I think the CA roster version has one of the ugliest LCI's on the market, allegedly it is not visible when looking down the sights. still, if i got that version of the shield I would be finding a way to disable that. one advantage the California version has is that there is no giant white message scrawled on the slide about how the gun can be fired without a magazine. if it weren't for that LCI the California slide would be way cleaner then the regular shield plus.
the magazines
10,13,15 rounders available. one thing I noticed is that the larger capacity mags are not base plate extensions the bodies are larger and built to hold either 13 or 15 rounds. my factory Glock 26 and LCP max 12 round mags are just 10 round bodies with a extended baseplate. the mags require break-in and loading the last round requires the use of a loading tool. a loading tool is not included so I got one that came with a Glock to work. even though the mags are stiff they did not cause any malfunctions while at the range. I was able to chamber a round then insert a fully loaded 13 rounder on the closed slide and empty the gun without experiencing a malfunction. extra mags cost $30 to $36 so they are not clock cheap, but they are not Sig expensive either.
random thing I like
the shield plus is not unnecessarily ambidextrous. before the "optics cut", every gun had to have ambi controls. oh how the guntubers would b**ch and moan in there videos when they were handling a pistol that did not feature fully ambidextrous everything. where's the ambi, this should be ambi, what if I need to charge my weapon but my dominant arm is injured all guns must be ambi bla bla blaa. gun manufactures catered to to this BS and started cludging on ambidextrous controls that take up space.
conclusion
shield plus is a awesome little gun, if you are looking for a new gun I highly recommend it, just not sure I would call it a micro 9
everything in the box
the three factory magazines available
factory night sights don't require an upgrade
what's included
you get two magazines with the shield plus, I'm a big fan of alwase including 2 magazines in the box. if you get the CA compliant one both magazines will be 10 rounders, if you get the other version they include a 10 round flush fit and 13 round extended mag. also included in the box is a useless cable lock, chamber flag, manual and a informational rubber band that makes sure you know about the flat trigger and 13 rounds.
the gun
to me, the shield plus is more like a Glock 26 that decided to stop being a fat girl, got on a diet and slimmed down. its a thin really sub compact I wouldn't call it a micro 9, and that's probably why it felt the best to me. I feel like S&W is just calling it a micro 9 to ride that bandwagon that sig created. the one I got is optics cut and came with a nice set of high viz night sights. the shooting experience is fine. it is a bit snappy, but that's to be expected with this size of gun. the stippling has a skateboard tape like texture and despite the snap the gun does not slide around in your hand. the guy two lanes down asked what I was shooting and made a comment about it being extra loud. fun enough to shoot, but probably not a fun gun to be around. I think the CA roster version has one of the ugliest LCI's on the market, allegedly it is not visible when looking down the sights. still, if i got that version of the shield I would be finding a way to disable that. one advantage the California version has is that there is no giant white message scrawled on the slide about how the gun can be fired without a magazine. if it weren't for that LCI the California slide would be way cleaner then the regular shield plus.
the magazines
10,13,15 rounders available. one thing I noticed is that the larger capacity mags are not base plate extensions the bodies are larger and built to hold either 13 or 15 rounds. my factory Glock 26 and LCP max 12 round mags are just 10 round bodies with a extended baseplate. the mags require break-in and loading the last round requires the use of a loading tool. a loading tool is not included so I got one that came with a Glock to work. even though the mags are stiff they did not cause any malfunctions while at the range. I was able to chamber a round then insert a fully loaded 13 rounder on the closed slide and empty the gun without experiencing a malfunction. extra mags cost $30 to $36 so they are not clock cheap, but they are not Sig expensive either.
random thing I like
the shield plus is not unnecessarily ambidextrous. before the "optics cut", every gun had to have ambi controls. oh how the guntubers would b**ch and moan in there videos when they were handling a pistol that did not feature fully ambidextrous everything. where's the ambi, this should be ambi, what if I need to charge my weapon but my dominant arm is injured all guns must be ambi bla bla blaa. gun manufactures catered to to this BS and started cludging on ambidextrous controls that take up space.
conclusion
shield plus is a awesome little gun, if you are looking for a new gun I highly recommend it, just not sure I would call it a micro 9
everything in the box
the three factory magazines available
factory night sights don't require an upgrade
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