HandgunsConcealed CarryM&P Shield Plus: Micro Compact With Enhanced Capacity

M&P Shield Plus: Micro Compact With Enhanced Capacity

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Don't let the small package fool you, the M&P Shield Plus has plenty of firepower on tap.

When it comes to concealed carry pistols, the Smith & Wesson M&P Shield has fostered a fairly dedicated following. No surprise. The striker-fired, polymer-frame handgun is among the most reliable, concealed and affordable options to come down the pike. That ticks off a lot of boxes.

Now, it’s set to get even better. Smith & Wesson recently introduced the newest addition to the line—the M&P Shield Plus. As its name suggests, the 9mm offers a bit more than previous iterations, in particular enhanced capacity in a micro-compact package. And, boy howdy, does it offer quite a bit of firepower for its class of handgun, feeding off a 13-round magazine.

Shield Plus

As to its size, the Shield Plus comes in at a very manageable 6.1-inches in length, 1.1-inches in width and 20-ounces in weight, which should prove conducive with deep carry, even in light garb. The 3.1-inch barreled gun also boasts several features that make it quite shootable, including a flat-faced trigger with a tactile and audible reset, enhanced grip texturing for a positive handle and high visibility three-dot sights.

Wait, aren’t all guns going optic-ready nowadays? Quite right and so is the Shield Plus, but Smith & Wesson offers this model through its well-regarded Performance center. Available with a Crimson Trace model with optics cuts, though the gunmaker does not specify the compatibility of the slide cut. There are some clues, given the PC Shield Plus is available with a 4 MOA Crimson Trace micro red-dot, though the particular model goes unnamed.

Smith & Wesson offers options with and without a manual safety on its standard and PC models.
As for price, the stand Shield Plus runs $553 and the Performance Center option with red-dot $896.

M&P 9 SHIELD PLUS Specs
Caliber: 9mm Luger
Capacity: 10+1, 13+1
Length: 6.1″
Front Sight: White Dot
Rear Sight: White 2-Dot
Action: Striker Fire
Grip: Polymer
Barrel Material: Stainless Steel with Armornite® Finish
Slide Material: Stainless Steel with Armornite® Finish
Frame Material: Polymer
Slide Finish: Matte Black
Frame Finish: Matte Black
Barrel Length: 3.1” (7.9 cm)
Weight: 20.2 oz.

Performance Center M&P 9 SHIELD PLUS Specs
Caliber: 9mm Luger
Capacity: 13+1
Optics: Red/Green Dot
Length 7″
Front Sight: Fiber Optic Green
Rear Sight: Fiber Optic Red
Action: Striker Fire
Grip: Polymer
Barrel Material: Stainless Steel with Armornite® Finish
Slide Material: Stainless Steel with Armornite® Finish
Frame Material: Polymer
Slide Finish: Matte Black
Frame Finish: Matte Black
Barrel Length: 4″ (10.2 cm)
Weight: 22.6 oz.

For more information on the Shield Plus, please visit smith-wesson.com.


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Elwood Shelton
Elwood Shelton
Elwood Shelton is the Digital Editor for Gun Digest. He lives in Colorado and has provided coverage on a vast spectrum of topics for GD for more than a decade. Before that, he was an award-winning sports and outdoors reporter for a number of newspapers across the Rocky Mountains. His experience has consisted of covering the spread of chronic wasting disease into the Western Slope of Colorado to the state’s ranching for wildlife programs. His passion for shooting began at a young age, fostered on pheasant hunts with his father. Since then, he has become an accomplished handloader, long-range shooter and avid hunter—particularly mule deer and any low-down, dirty varmint that comes into his crosshairs. He is a regular contributor to Gun Digest Magazine and has contributed to various books on guns and shooting, most recently Lever-Actions: A Tribute to the All-American Rifle.

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