I have been playing around with this idea of whether the M&P Shield 2.0 would be enough to carry me through the long years all by itself. This will likely agitate many people who like to have several guns to select from for self-defense, but this is just a topic that has crept up on my mind in the recent political climate. If I had to get rid of all but one of my guns, would the M&P Shield 2.0 suffice? WHY JUST ONE? Many people reading this will think the idea of owning just one gun is insane with how many options there are and how none of them seem to do EVERYTHING we need it to do, such as universal role fulfillment. However, there are actually a lot of people who literally just get ONE pistol or shotgun, and that is it. They may or may not research their decision, but regardless they end up filling out their respective 4470 for that one gun. Perhaps it is law based, as in some countries, or just a general disinterest in exploring the gun varieties. Perhaps it is just someone narrowing down their collection after retiring so they can make a major life change like living the next five to ten years on the road in an RV. I can think of a million reasons why you would possibly only have one gun, and this article is looking at what it would look like if the M&P Shield 2.0 was that ONE GUN. HUNTING & WILDERNESS SURVIVAL Depending on your location and situation, a gun might be the best or only way that you are going to effectively secure food and maintain wildlife security. Here in Alaska, it is pretty much required if you expect to have a CHANCE at surviving in the wild. In hunting, the Shield is mediocre in that it can secure you a meal if you can get close to a varmint, but it fails in defense if you are attacked by anything bigger than what you are hunting. Ammo choices aside, the 9mm would need to be placed in a precise spot if you truly have to use it to defend yourself against large animals. This means you will have to really understand anatomy and the ballistics (terminal) that your gun offers against a pissed off and charging bear, moose, etc. PERSONAL PROTECTION The Shield was built to be the ultimate concealed carry firearm worthy of being used for personal defense. However, knowing what we do about how the human body works, you cannot guarantee that your shots will have an immediate effect on the threat. The most effective way to incapacitate a threat is exsanguination or destruction/damage to nervous system and support junctions. The M&P Shield in 9mm and .40 caliber are fully CAPABLE of conducting these tasks, but it really is on the shooter to be able to perform and place those shots where they must go. The problem with the Shield in this role is the mediocre and minimalistic capacity. I’m not saying that you are going to need 200 rounds of 9mm or .40 caliber to take someone down from close range, but what about multiple attackers? There are plenty of examples in recent history where a mob has chased people through the streets and required them to fire at several people and several times. If you live near a major city, or even a somewhat sizable town, you could find yourself being a target. How about if people are breaking into your home in a group of 3 or more? I think the Shield is a bit anemic in capacity in order to deal with some of these less common, but still likely, scenarios. LONGEVITY The M&P Shield was built to last, just as the other M&P line of pistols. This pistol can take a surprising amount of neglect and abuse when compared to it's peers in the industry. Kudos to S&W for designing such a little tank of a gun. The only caveat to that is you will want to keep parts on hand such as recoil springs, magazine springs, extractor & spring, and even a spare striker. If you are actually committed to practicing with this pistol, you will need to have spare parts on hand for when, not if, certain components wear out. Some things like the magazine and recoil springs will wear faster than the other parts, but it is good to have parts on hand. OUTFITTING As far as holsters and accessories, the Shield ranks pretty high up there on the list for things available on the market. There are TLR6 lights, aftermarket magazines, parts/modifications, decorations, light bearing holsters, you name it. There should not be any shortage of market support for this pistol. Not as much support as another gun manufacturer out there, but pretty close since the Shield has touched a lot of hearts in the gun community in the last decade of it’s existence. MASTERING THE GUN The biggest selling feature about the Shield, even to this day with the 2.0, is that it is a small pistol that is as easy on the shooter as a full-sized gun. It is not the smallest gun in 9mm on the market, but it is the smallest one out there that barely allows a full grip. I am not going to lie and say that the felt recoil on this pistol is THE SAME as that from a full-sized pistol either, but in comparison with other options, it has pretty low recoil. Basically, if you fog glass and actually know what a grip is, the recoil is barely going to knock the gun off target once it finishes it’s cycle of operation. I picked the 2.0 version of the Shield because I appreciate the improved grip and find the trigger to at least be consistent gun to gun. The older generation grip was slick, but fine until you started sweating. The trigger on the original generation left much to be desired in the sense that the characteristics of one trigger was not indicative of how the trigger on another Shield was going to be. I am not into light triggers, or even striker-fired triggers in general, but I like how consistent this trigger is gun to gun. Even if it was a 7 pound trigger, as long as it is consistent gun to gun, I would be okay with it. My Shield trigger breaks at just about 5 pounds after having practiced a lot with it. I will just say that I don’t give credit to triggers for the shooters’ performance anymore than I would credit the gas pedal on a vehicle for how someone drives. You are in control and shooting is all about micromanaging your body to manipulate this simple machine into doing what you want it to do. CONCLUSION If I had to choose only one gun to be on my person and in my home, I don’t think the Shield would be my first pick. Would it result in a terrible death if you had no other choice? probably not. But I have had enough experience with a wide variety of guns to know that I would not want to just have a single stack 9mm available to keep me fed and protected. This pistol does great for year-long concealed carry, but there are still others out there that could be a bit of a better option. This is just my two cents, of course.
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