Some people think micro carry guns like the Glock 43 and M&P Shield are pointless when they can carry a Glock 17 or M&P9 with absolute ease under their Magellan fishing shirts and cargo pants. However, when your go-to attire is an overpriced rag & bone T-shirt and RRL jeans, you beg for guns like the G43 and Shield.
In the right hands, Smith and Wesson’s M&P Shield 9mm is a top contender for the standard in compact 9mm for everyday carry. For most, simply shooting the Shield is going to result in carrying the Shield. When Smith & Wesson released the Shield in 9mm and .40SW in 2012, they were filling a gap few of us knew existed. Of all the factors that contributed to it’s success, it is most likely a combination of the size of that market gap was there, and the fact this gun carved out it’s own niche.
The market for guns is growing faster than the national debt. Paradoxically, the guns themselves are shrinking. Powerful handguns are getting smaller, easier to carry and less expensive. The Smith & Wesson M&P9 Shield continues this trend. It’s a pistol trimmed down to a size often reserved for weaker cartridges like the .380, but it maintains many of the ruffles and flourishes of its larger siblings in the M&P series. That’s all well and good, except that there are hidden costs that can outweigh the benefits of proliferating pistol shrinkage . . .