There are many guns competing for the title as the “best” off-duty handgun for law enforcement. I’m going to talk about one in particular that is right up there with the best of them: the Smith & Wesson M&P Shield—one of the best concealable auto handguns in the industry.
The Shield’s strongest suit is not the fact that it is concealable; it is also very shootable. It has the accuracy, handling and design to be safely carried off-duty and has the same manual of arms as the full-sized model. With the improved M&P M2.0 models, the duty/off-duty combination just got better. The M&P 2.0 models have better ergonomics, including a little more steel chassis and a design that places the hand closer to the axis of the bore, allowing for quicker shot recovery and better hand fit.
My Shield is the most reliable and concealable gun I have in a caliber of confidence, which is .40 S&W. If any readers out there are considering the Shield, I recommend the 9mm. The dimensions and characteristics are the same, this cartridge just has a lot more things going for it these days.
My Shield is palm sized, yet carries 7+1. The 9mm extended magazine gives the off-duty officer 8+1 rounds in a frame slightly thinner than a Glock 43. I use a Sticky Holster MD-4 when I carry it in my pocket and a GunfightersINC Kenai (chest) holster for hiking and fishing. If you do have a .40 Shield and wish to convert it to 9mm, there are some aftermarket choices like the True Precision Inc. 40-9 Conversion barrel. Do not use a stock Shield 9mm barrel in a .40 Shield for conversion, as it goes beyond design parameters.
The Shield is awesome, but there are three areas that make it better: sights, trigger, and grip.
First
First I added the TRUGLO TFX PRO handgun sight set, MSRP $186. This was a simple installation using a sight pushing tool.
TRUGLO’s TFX PRO handgun sights are probably the brightest aiming tools for handgun, day or night. They use glow-in-the-dark Swiss Tritium, combined with fiber-optic elements. During the day, the fiber-optic element gathers ambient light and illuminates the dots. At night, a tritium vial behind the fiberoptics provides the illumination source. The trick is to make this combination robust enough by sealing the capsule and protecting it inside the structure of the CNC manufactured sights. TRUGLO took care of this for you.
The TFX PRO front sight is a little longer than conventional tritium sights and has an opening in the top to allow ambient light for daylight use. During the daytime, it’s easy to pick up the Focus Lock ring contrasting orange doughnut that surrounds the glowing dot. During some of the tests, most shooters found that front sight focus was quicker with the TFX PRO front sight.
At night, the brightness can’t be missed. I have a luminescent device that I place next to my handgun whenever I want to find it in a hurry in the dark. All right, I use it just about all the time. However, since I have installed TFX PRO sights, this product is no longer necessary. I can find my un-holstered Shield easily.
Officers who use the TFX PRO sights would be wise to employ a holster that completely covers front and rear sights. It’s nice to have them protected, but that’s not the reason— the brightness may take away a stealth advantage.
TRUGLO milled an aggressive rear sight edge on the front of the TFX PRO. This is for emergency one-handed racking of the slide. It’s sharp enough to hook into any belt. The TFX PRO is installed with a dovetail and secured with an Allen screw, so hammer away.
Second
The second addition for improvement is a trigger. Not just any trigger, but an Apex Action Enhancement Trigger & Duty/Carry Kit. If you purchase from the Thin Blue Line Series, it benefits C.O.P.S., a national non profit organization that recognizes that law enforcement officers are subjected to crisis and tragedy. With 52 chapters in the U.S., C.O.P.S. provides training to law enforcement agencies on appropriate response to officers and their families affected by line of duty trauma. C.O.P.S. uses local chapters which provide personal contact and support to law enforcement families, as well as providing retreats and programs for survivorship. They host the National Police Survivors’ Conference during National Police Week, too.
The Apex Thin Blue Line Series Trigger, besides being a tremendous upgrade to the Shield, is also a fundraiser for C.O.P.S. In fact, Apex Tactical Specialties presented a check for $15,000 during COPS Walk Southwest. As of this writing, the total contribution to C.O.P.S. from Apex Tactical Specialties is $30,000.
The Apex Action Enhancement Trigger & Duty/Carry Kit was designed to improve the feel of the Shield trigger pull for LEOs. This kit is a combination of the Apex Duty/Carry Kit for the M&P Shield (9/40 only) and the Apex Action Enhancement Trigger for the M&P Shield (9/40 only). The trigger has engineering quite different from many other products on the market. It provides a consistent standard, but stays within the parameters required for law enforcement approval.
The Apex Action Enhancement Trigger reduces pre- and over-travel by about 20 percent, which is very noticeable when firing controlled pairs.
The stock Shield trigger is not bad for a production gun, but the pivot action and the surfaces of sear give it a longer engagement than necessary for a clean trigger break. The Apex Action Enhancement Trigger & Duty/Carry Kit includes all of the parts to reduce the full and engagement and make the trigger feel a little crisper.
The entire kit, by the way, is only $159.95. It is something that a properly trained department armorer or gunsmith can install. The full installation took me less than an hour. The feel of my trigger after installation is very obvious, and trigger scale tests show it is completely consistent, and within any department safety values.
The Shield uses a single housing block for this sear assembly, which also holds the ejector. The trigger bar goes into the housing block. This block can be removed from the frame to quickly add the parts without fitting. Any installation of this kit will have the same results and a consistent trigger pull for any user.
Apex makes a Polymer Armorer Block designed to hold the handgun when performing assembly and disassembly operations. I strongly recommend this and the Apex Polymer Armorer Tray and Pin Punch. The Armorer Block will hold the gun steady while parts are inserted and the Armorers Tray will prevent parts from flying off the bench. It has a pretty strong magnet on the bottom for that purpose.
The Apex Ultimate Striker Block Kit consists of a striker block, spring, and a Talon Tactical Tool for holding the striker block parts in place when removing the rear sight. Installation of this kit (included in the full package) reduces the trigger pull.
The cleaner trigger break and smoother action is really evident on the range. I found that trigger contact is better, trigger break is better, and there is a reduced pull.
Third
The third modification is the addition of Talon Grips, MSRP $17.99. These are die cut grips customized for a particular handgun and are available in granulate or rubber textures. For a more permanent grip solution, try Mod1 Firearms, which is a little more expensive, but worth the cost.
The Shield is one of the most portable fight stoppers on the planet, and simple improvements can go a long way towards making it better.
Note: Randy Lee, a competitive shooter who applied his engineering knowledge to designing and manufacturing quality high performance parts, founded Apex Tactical Specialties. Their products really have the law enforcement officer in mind. Please do not ask for your LE discount for this trigger. Let this be an encouragement for us to get involved in nationalcops.org.
