S&W Performance Center Ported M&P 45 Shield

jkasprz · Dec 11, 2017

Was thinking about purchasing a S&W Performance Center Ported M&P SHIELD

BudsGunshop.com has the 45acp for $487 and the 9mm for $429

Here are links to the website:
9mm:
https://www.budsgunshop.com/catalog/product_info.php/products_id/10738

45acp:
https://www.budsgunshop.com/catalog/product_info.php/products_id/24014

What are your thoughts on either of these?

knastera · Dec 11, 2017

I just worked with a client that had the Performance Center ported Shield in 9mm. I was unimpressed. The improved sights were very nice, but having shot both the standard Shield and the Performance Center Shield, I didn't see an appreciable difference. Also, the gun needed significant work from an armorer to smooth out the action to the point where it would fire reliably without FTE. I was expecting that a performance center model would need little more than a cleaning and lube to be ready to shoot. I'm not sure how much of a reduction in muzzle rise you're going to get from the tiny ports of a very light gun. If I was making that purchase, I'd get a Glock 43 and put some decent fiber optic or tritium sights on it.

jkasprz · Dec 11, 2017

Thanks for your thoughts.

d33rhunt3r · Dec 11, 2017

I have a full sized 9mm Performance Center ported and it's a hell of a shooter. If you are considering a ported pistol for CCW, I would advise against it. In an emergency if you have to draw and fire quickly or up close, there's a risk of injuring yourself pretty severely from the port blast.

AJRB · Dec 11, 2017

I took a long look at the ported shield in 45 to be my ccw 45acp option.
After handling one I was unimpressed with the trigger and over all feel. It just felt cheap which I wasn't expecting from a pc model.
Ended up deciding on a Gen4 Glock 30.

AJRB · Dec 11, 2017

d33rhunt3r said:
I have a full sized 9mm Performance Center ported and it's a hell of a shooter. If you are considering a ported pistol for CCW, I would advise against it. In an emergency if you have to draw and fire quickly or up close, there's a risk of injuring yourself pretty severely from the port blast.

Have to disagree. No one is going to be injured severely by port concussion at close encounter distances.
It's not a blast from a revolver cylinder. No ccw pistols would be made with ported barrels if there was risk at close range from port blasts.
Many ported barrels are used in ccw guns like the shield and 586 L comp.
The flash ported barrels create can be frowned on, in that it could temporarily blind the shooter in night time scenarios.
The recoil mitigation is worth it for most, out weighing the low chance percentage of night time close encounters where port flash ever comes into play.

Stoveman · Dec 11, 2017

The Missus has a PC Shield that she carries and which I have shot quite a bit. I like it. Still not a huge fan of the trigger but it is better than the one in my full size M&P.

Haven't had an issue yet with FTE with a variety of range and SD ammo.

jkasprz · Dec 11, 2017

Great comments.
Thanks

RadialXX · Dec 11, 2017

I have a PC Shield 9mm. I like it, trigger is not the best(changing out soon), but shoots great. Have had no FTE either.

GolfR · Dec 11, 2017

I carry a 9mm PC shield. I shot the glock, XDS, and ended up with the shield. I also have a 290RS and I carry the shield. I didn’t like the fiber optic sights so I switched them out for white dot night sights. I kind of wish I would have put one of the green front sights on like the Sig X-rays.

The gun just works, is comfortable to shoot and easy to conceal. I like having the manual safety (personal preference) on a striker fired gun so it just has everything I was looking for. The trigger isn’t great but it’s on par with the glock and XDS and it does smooth out over time. I actually like the trigger more than the PC full size ported that I have. If the trigger isn’t to your liking, Apex makes some really nice drop in replacements.

I have run a little over 900 rounds with only one failure which was 100% ammo related. I was shooting reloads and the case had a “glock bulge” and jammed in the chamber.

The gun shoots dead on with standard velocity 147s. 115s and 124s shoot just a little low. I’ve found standard velocity 147 HST to shoot REALLY accurately and American Eagle 147 flat point to be a dead on match for a practice round. They chrono within 15 FPS of each other over a 10 round average. I can very consistently ring a 8 inch steel plate at 25 yards with either round.

I’m toying with the idea of adding a set of rubberized talon grips but honestly haven’t had any problems holding onto the gun. The 2.0 is out and has more aggressive stippling but I wouldn’t want it as the grip rubs against my back while sitting using my IWB holster.

One more thing for anyone with a shield...gunmagwarehouse.com has great prices right now on magazines, I just picked up a couple more.

AlBeight · Dec 11, 2017

jkasprz said:
Was thinking about purchasing a S&W Performance Center Ported M&P SHIELD

BudsGunshop.com has the 45acp for $487 and the 9mm for $429

Here are links to the website:
9mm:
https://www.budsgunshop.com/catalog/product_info.php/products_id/10738

45acp:
https://www.budsgunshop.com/catalog/product_info.php/products_id/24014

What are your thoughts on either of these?

Love mine, now that is. My 9mm PC Shield was stiff as all heck from the jump, you gotta clean and lube more than normal (IMHO) and shoot the heck out of it to loosen it up. Those PC springs mean business and they need some work. When I 1st got it I couldn’t release the slide with the slide release lever without using 2 hands and all my strength. Doing it 2x in a row was a rare feat. After about 200 rds it’s starting to work with me a little. Still difficult to use the slide release, but better. Still pretty much need to rack the slide back manually and let go, in lieu of the slide release. If this doesn’t clear up I’m sending it to someone, I mean it’s really tuf to operate. The lever is pretty small and (I think) recessed a bit too much. Maybe a larger or more tactile lever would fix this.

The trigger when firing the weapon is way better than you think since when you dry fire it first a few times it feels like a cheap toy trigger. First time I triggered with snap caps I wanted to take it back it felt cheap and breakable, felt like I could bend it with very little finger pressure. Really makes up for it when firing though, surprisingly it just shoots well under real fire. I still think I’m gonna change it out one day, afterall cheap is cheap. Better than I thought isn’t good enuf for me In the long run, but okay to slightly better than okay for now.

If carry ever comes to MD, this is already designated as my EDC gun. Hey, a guy can dream can’t he? Anyway, good luck with your Shield.

BTW - I JUST got my $75 S&W rebate tonight from my purchase in June!. :envy:

THier · Dec 12, 2017

I own both a 9mm and .45ACP performance center shield. I like them both, I carry the 45 because I prefer the big, slow, hard hitting 45 vs the 9mm. Wanna buy the 9mm?

jkasprz · Dec 12, 2017

THier said:
I own both a 9mm and .45ACP performance center shield. I like them both, I carry the 45 because I prefer the big, slow, hard hitting 45 vs the 9mm. Wanna buy the 9mm?

Possibly. PM me.

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