Walked into the local gun store today, and look what followed me home.
Yes, a Performance Center Shield Plus, complete with Crimson Trace microdot sight. I bought it because this gun is VERY difficult to find. So, I get to type a new gun review.
If you don’t want to read this entire post, just know this: Smith and Wesson hit a home run with this handgun. It may very well be the ultimate concealed carry handgun.
A size comparison between the Shield (bottom), the Shield Plus (middle), and the M&P9c (top) shows you that the Plus is the same length as the 9c, and the same height as the Shield. They are all roughly the same thickness. (picture edited to cover serial numbers. Also note that the cover is on the microdot in this picture)
The Shield plus comes with 2 magazines: A 13 round extended one, and a flush fitting 10 round magazine. Note that the Plus also has the flat face trigger, which is smooth and has a nice, crisp break. It is comparable to the Apex trigger that I installed on the 9c.
This particular model came with a ported barrel and slide:
The slide is also cut for the microdot sight (which the gunsmith at the LGS installed for me before I left the store) and comes with dual color fiber optic sights. (sorry camera on phone won’t focus on front, rear, and red dot at the same time.)
I took it to the range in the store, and got the red dot dialed in. Then I put a mag through the ten ring as quick as I could line up the red dot on the target. The fact that this small handgun is ported seemed to make the muzzle flip easier to control and get the sights back on target.
The standard Shield Plus was in the store for $550. They had another Performance Center Shield Plus in the store for $845, but that one didn’t have the ported slide, and this one was $925. That $925 included the handgun, 2 magazines, a cleaning kit, and all of the other little fiddly bits like Allen wrenches for adjusting the sight, mounting screws, the gun lock, etc.
The only negative thing that I have to say about this handgun is that the magazines are not compatible with any other M&P magazines, and extra magazines are impossible to find anywhere. The LGS didn’t have any, Gunmagwarehouse doesn’t have any, nor does Brownell’s. Even Smith and Wesson’s website doesn’t list any magazines for this handgun.
In fact, the list of places that DON’T have the magazines for this pistol is extensive. The two that come with the pistol are all you will have for the foreseeable future. I would advise against buying one of these until magazine availability improves, because with a possible standard capacity magazine ban on the horizon, you may be stuck with an expensive paperweight in the near future. Buying one at this time represents a risk.
3 Comments
D · May 5, 2021 at 5:29 pm
So…~$550 for the gun, and another $750 for ammo to get the thing sighted in. 😉
Divemedic · May 5, 2021 at 7:26 pm
LOL. Seems like it. However, my ammo stocks are pretty good so far. Thanks to cutting back, and the fact that I am still sitting on about 3,000 rounds of 9mm practice ammo, I can still do some shooting.
The only thing I am running low on is .380. My wife only shoots that or .22lr. I am down to my last 500 rounds of .380.
D · May 5, 2021 at 7:53 pm
If I’m under 8,000 rounds for any caliber, I consider it “low”.
I’m good on 223/556 and .45. I’m slightly under for 9mm and 6mm.
I’m probably under 1,000 for shotgun and 22lr.
I’m well under 1,000 rounds for 7mm, .380, 357, and 22 subsonic. 🙁
For the last year I keep saying “Damn–that’s way too expensive. I’ll buy when it comes down” only to follow that up 30 days later with “Damn–the price keeps going up….I should buy now before it gets even more expensive”.
It’s a horrible cycle to be in.
But thanks to Uncle Joe and his stimmy, I managed to pick up a few guns, 2 suppressors for my “gun trust” and a few bricks of 22 and 7mm. The 7mm was terrible. $90 for 20 rounds was the cheapest I could find locally.
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