On the other side of the coin, we have the Smith & Wesson Performance Center (PC) M&P9 Shield M2.0 with a ported 4-inch barrel. Standard Shields typically come with 3.1-inch barrels, but with the barrel being the easiest part of a pistol to conceal, Smith & Wesson increased the length and kept the short frame of the original. This particular PC Shield also comes with a miniature reflex sight mounted to the slide, adding some height to the overall package.
Apart from the optic, other key differences in the PC Shield (compared to standard models) include red/green fiber-optic sights, a tuned trigger and a ported barrel and slide to assist with recoil management. The PC Shield is also available without porting. The rest of the standard M2.0 features are present, including the Armornite slide finish and the excellent traction with the upgraded grip texturing.
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Because of timing issues, we each received separate samples of this pistol. Terrill’s gun had a gritty trigger take-up, and the break was a little heavier than with his personal PC Shield, though the problem smoothed out a bit over time. The pre-travel on my sample was buttery smooth, and the break was probably the best of any M&P pistol I’ve ever tried, averaging just 3.06 pounds on my digital scale.
The PC Shield came with a seven-round magazine as well as an eight-rounder with an extended baseplate. Terrill observed that his magazines were difficult to load fully, and he was disappointed that the magazine release is not reversible for lefties.
Once we got going, both of us shot the Shield very well. This was no doubt helped by the supplied reflex sight, which made judging the Shield against the rest of the pistols a little tricky. The optic was a definite advantage, though it adds to the price. We expressed mixed feelings about the fiber-optic sights. They’re great for daytime but useless at night, and when they’re used in conjunction with the optic, the brightness of the red fiber-optic pipes overpowered the red dot and tended to confuse proper alignment.
I was lukewarm on the original Shields, but with the M2.0 updates, Smith & Wesson has turned me into a die-hard fan. The PC version is just that much better. With its compact form, the porting significantly reduced muzzle flip compared to my personal Shield M2.0, and in my opinion, the upgrade is well worth the cost.
