Heading to the range I put the Shield through its paces. Delivering accurate fire at 25 yards is easy to do with the Shield—it is comfortable, has effective sights and points naturally. However, because the pistol is designed for personal protection, an appropriate engagement distance of 7 yards was selected for accuracy evaluation. Three brands of defense ammunition were chosen and five consecutive, five-round groups were fired from a bench rest for accuracy. A complete results table is included, but all the ammunition performed admirably and average group sizes varied by only 0.10 inches. Hornady Critical Defense posted the best average at 1.55 inches, but Remington HD had the smallest group; exactly 1 inch. During testing I encountered no stoppages or failures. In fact, I fired more than 400 rounds from the pistol used in evaluation and witnessed close to 4,000 rounds being fired from other Shields. All told there were no more than five or six stoppages, all of them ammunition induced.

The S&W M&P Shield is exactly what I’d expect from a company that understands that it must embrace tradition, but not at the expense of innovation. By holding on to what works, fixing the things that don’t and keeping a finger on the pulse of expanding and changing consumer demand, S&W has produced a handgun purpose-built to not only be carried and concealed by armed citizens, but also to stand up to the rigors and challenges of law enforcement use.

Manufacturer: Smith & Wesson; (800) 331-0852; www.smith-wesson.com
Action Type: semi-automatic, striker-fired center-fire pistol
Caliber: 9 mm Luger (tested), .40 S&W
Frame: molded Zytel polymer
Slide: stainless steel with black Melonite finish
Magazine: detachable box; six- or seven-round capacity
Barrel Length: 3.1"
Weight: 19 ozs.
Overall Length: 6.1"
Width: 0.98"
Accessories: cardboard box, seven- or eight-round magazine with extended grip, lock, owner’s manual
Suggested Retail Price: $449