Law Shield members should know that Smith & Wesson Corp. is now offering its M&P Shield pistol, in both 9mm and .40 S&W, with a factory-ported barrel and slide through the Performance Center.
In the case of these new pistols, many Law Shield members prefer to carry small, thin-framed handguns like the Shield, which as a class are harder to control and shoot accurately because of their light weight.
Smith & Wesson touts the new porting feature as a way to improve muzzle control, speed, and accuracy. Law Shield-associated instructors and training facilities and ranges would point out that there are trade-offs to consider — porting causes increased above-the-muzzle flash and more noise.
The Performance Center M&P Shield comes standard with a 3.1-inch factory-ported barrel. The new barrel has three ports cut across the top of the stainless-steel slide, which reduce muzzle flip and improve the ability to remain on target after firing. The new M&P Shield pistols have been further updated with fiber-optic sights and an enhanced trigger.
The new M&P Shield is also engineered with a Performance Center sear for a quick trigger reset and a Performance Center striker plunger for an enhanced trigger pull.
The Performance Center M&P Shield is shipped with both extended and flat magazines, allowing consumers to customize the length of the grip. The 9mm M&P Shield offers an 8+1 (extended magazine) or 7+1 (flat magazine) capacity, while the .40 S&W M&P Shield capacities are 7+1 or 6+1, respectively.
Both the 9mm and .40 S&W M&P Shield carry an MSRP of $490 and are backed by Smith & Wesson’s Lifetime Service policy.
As always, Law Shield doesn’t endorse products, but we do want to let members know about products or services of potential interest.
The post Smith & Wesson Introduces New M&P Shield Ported Models appeared first on U.S. & Texas LawShield.