Smith Wesson Shield Plus Thumb Safety – Superb 9mm

Description

The Smith Wesson Shield Plus Thumb Safety is the Shield Plus fitted with a manual thumb safety, a 17.9 ounce micro-compact 9mm just 1.1 inches wide that ships with both a flush 10-round and an extended 13-round magazine.

Smith Wesson Shield Plus Thumb Safety Same Size, More Rounds

The original Shield made a slim single-stack 9mm that people would actually carry. The Shield Plus keeps the same external footprint, 1.1 inches wide and 4.6 inches tall, and fits a stack-and-a-half magazine inside it. That takes capacity from seven or eight rounds to ten flush or thirteen extended without making the pistol any harder to conceal.

At 17.9 ounces it is light enough to carry all day on a decent belt, and both magazines come in the box, so you get the flush ten-rounder for deep concealment and the thirteen-rounder for range work or winter carry.

The 18 degree grip angle is shared with the rest of the M&P line and gives a natural point of aim. Enhanced grip texture holds the pistol firmly in a wet hand while staying comfortable against skin during all-day carry, which is a harder balance than it sounds.

Trigger, Takedown and Finish

The flat-face trigger is the other significant change from the original Shield. A flat face gives your finger a consistent reference point, and the reset is both tactile and audible rather than the vague break the first-generation gun had. On a small pistol, where trigger control matters most, that is a real improvement.

Smith and Wesson patented takedown lever and sear deactivation system let you strip the pistol without pulling the trigger, which removes the most common cause of negligent discharges during cleaning.

The slide and barrel wear an Armornite finish, a hardened nitride treatment that resists the corrosion a carry gun sees from sweat and humidity far better than a conventional coating.

Carrying With a Thumb Safety

A manual safety only helps if disengaging it is automatic. If you came up on 1911s or Hi-Powers, sweeping it off is already part of your draw stroke and it will feel natural immediately. If every pistol you have carried has been a striker gun without one, plan on several hundred dry repetitions before you trust it under stress.

The upside is real for some carry methods. A pistol riding in a soft-sided bag, a coat pocket or an off-body carrier benefits from a mechanical safety in a way a rigid kydex holster does not, because the trigger guard is less reliably covered.

Whatever you decide, practise the way you carry. Alternating between a safety gun and a no-safety gun week to week is the one habit that reliably causes problems.

Specifications

• Manufacturer part number: 13246
• Caliber: 9mm Luger
• Capacity: 10+1 flush or 13+1 extended; both magazines included
• Frame size: micro-compact
• Safety: manual thumb safety
• Trigger: flat-face with tactile and audible reset
• Grip angle: 18 degrees
• Finish: Armornite corrosion resistant
• Disassembly: takedown lever and sear deactivation, no trigger pull required
• Weight: 17.9 oz
• Height: 4.6 in.
• Width: 1.1 in.
• UPC: 022188884920

Why Buyers Choose the Smith Wesson Shield Plus Thumb Safety

A manual thumb safety on a carry pistol is a matter of preference rather than a universal improvement, and having the option matters. Shooters from a 1911 background, and anyone who carries in a soft-sided bag or a pocket, often want one.

Thirteen rounds in a pistol 1.1 inches wide is a strong capacity-to-size ratio, and the footprint is what decides whether a gun conceals.

Both magazines ship in the box, so flush carry in summer and extended carry in winter are both covered without an extra purchase.

The flat trigger with a positive reset is a real improvement over the original Shield, and trigger control matters more on a small pistol than on any other kind.

Who Should Buy It

The Smith Wesson Shield Plus Thumb Safety suits carriers who specifically want a thumb safety, shooters coming from a 1911 or a Hi-Power where sweeping the safety is already part of the draw, and anyone moving up from a single-stack Shield. Budget dry-fire time until the safety comes off without thought.

Learn more from Smith and Wesson, or browse the rest of our firearms selection.

Every firearm we list ships to your chosen FFL and is transferred there after a background check.