Smith & Wesson Performance Center M&P40 Shield M2.0 40 S&W 11796

I first bought one of these online from another retailer almost a year ago. I liked it so much that I decided to get a second one. I was lucky to find one at Gunprime because this particular model is becoming hard to get. Gunprime’s order processing and shipping was very fast, in fact, the fastest I have ever experienced from an online firearms dealer.

What do I like so much about it? First, it is .40 S&W, which I consider the best caliber for a semiautomatic defensive pistol. Second, its 4” barrel - compared with a standard Shield’s 3” barrel - gives a better sight radius, helps a little with controllability, and squeezes a bit more performance out of the round. .40 S&W was originally designed to be fired from a 4” barrel, and this pistol provides that. Third, despite the 4” barrel, it can still be pocket carried, my preferred method, although it is also still very appropriate for OWB under a jacket which I sometimes do. Fourth, the provided fiber optic sights work very well for me, and are visible even in relatively low lighting conditions, though not in darkness. They still function in most environments. Fifth, out of my “We The People” brand pocket holster, its clean design allows for very smooth and quick presentation, better than any of my other handguns that I have pocket carried. Sixth and finally, its overall ergonomics are such that it handles the .40 S&W cartridge well, despite the reputed heavy recoil of the round. It is pleasant and enjoyable for me to shoot, which means I won’t be making excuses to avoid range time; quite the opposite! The trigger is also pretty good for a striker-fired handgun. In addition, I have found it to be very reliable right out of the box, although I naturally gave it a pre-use inspection and cleaning/lube before I took it to the range (something you should always do with any new firearm).

It only has two and depending on the shooter, possibly three downsides.

One, the supplied magazines are very stiff and virtually impossible to fully load by hand. For this firearm, you must have some sort of “helper” device to load the magazines (I use the Hilljak Quickie Loader). Two, the slide stop is exactly that, only meant to hold the slide open on the last shot. It is not meant to be used as a slide release, and trying to use it that way is stiff and awkward. So with this gun you always have to chamber a round by tugging or racking the slide. And three, this gun has no manual safety, plus it has a “cocked at rest” striker-fired mechanism. So if you keep it loaded with a round in the chamber, it is effectively in “Condition Zero”, cocked and UNlocked. The internal safety mechanism makes it drop safe, but carrying a gun in this condition may be unnerving for some people, so it must be borne in mind just what sort of gun this is, and if you are considering getting one, if you’re going to feel comfortable with that arrangement.

It is a little large for pocket carry and it does print somewhat, but I usually don’t care about that. If I need a discreet carry for non-permissive environments, I’ve got a pocket .380 or a .38 snubby for that. Otherwise, this Smith & Wesson Shield works very well as my favorite EDC, providing a superb balance of power, shootability, and concealability. I highly recommend this firearm for anyone looking for a versatile and capable all-around carry gun.

The PC is accurate out of the box,smooth easy trigger,slim for ccw.