From TheFirearmBlog.com….
The micro-compact striker-fired pistol market just received its latest contender! Joining the ranks of Glock, SIG Sauer, and Springfield, the new Smith & Wesson M&P Shield Plus is the latest double-stack 9mm micro-compact pistol to put its name in the ring. Although Smith & Wesson is a little bit late to the game, I was more than excited when they sent me out one for testing and review as I have been impatiently anticipating the release of this pistol since the introduction of the M&P Shield 9EZ back in 2019. So is the M&P Shield Plus going to sink or swim in the waters of the micro-compact 9mm carry pistol arena? Let’s find out.
Introduced in 2002 and quickly adopted by myself as soon as I was able to gain my concealed carry license, the Smith & Wesson M&P Shield was an 8-round single-stack polymer pistol that was not only reliable and concealable but extremely inexpensive.
At the time, this was one of the biggest selling points for me after just exiting college. The pistol was nonetheless a huge success in the concealed carry pistol market which led to improvements over the years. I purchased mine on sale for about $200.
In 2017, Smith & Wesson introduced the Shield 2.0 which received a new grip texture and slide serrations and an improved trigger. Now in 2021, we finally have the 13+1 capacity Shield Plus. So what features does it bring to the table besides the increased magazine capacity and what exactly has changed about the pistol compared to its earlier iterations?
