Slide Racking Effort on Shield 2.0 9mm vs M&P Compact with 4.0" Barrel

[Crash]

How does the slide-racking effort of the S&W M&P Shield M2.0 in 9mm compare with that of the M&P 2.0 9mm Compact with 4.0" barrel?

Thanks for any input,

Crash

[oljames3]

How does the slide-racking effort of the S&W M&P Shield M2.0 in 9mm compare with that of the M&P 2.0 9mm Compact with 4.0" barrel?

Thanks for any input,

Crash

My brother, recovering from multiple myeloma and still doing chemo, carries the M&P9 M2.0 Shield and my 88 year old father carries the M&P9 M2.0 Compact 4". They can each manipulate the slide of their pistol. I have cleaned each of these pistols and don't recall noticing any great difference in slide manipulation. Your mileage will vary.

[Crash]

How does the slide-racking effort of the S&W M&P Shield M2.0 in 9mm compare with that of the M&P 2.0 9mm Compact with 4.0" barrel?

Thanks for any input,

Crash

My brother, recovering from multiple myeloma and still doing chemo, carries the M&P9 M2.0 Shield and my 88 year old father carries the M&P9 M2.0 Compact 4". They can each manipulate the slide of their pistol. I have cleaned each of these pistols and don't recall noticing any great difference in slide manipulation. Your mileage will vary.

oljames3,

Thanks for the info. I'm going to try to get to my local gun dealer tomorrow (weather permitting--we've had some really bad weather in Central Texas lately) and check out both of them for myself. I'm not quite as old as your Dad (I'm 78) but that doesn't mean my hands are as strong as his. That being said, it's still good to hear that a gent in my age range doesn't have any trouble with the S&W Compact.

Crash

[bobby]

If you have issues on those 2 9's, see if they have the EZ in 9mm or in 380. Both are great pistols and the 380 is sweet
Also look at the Glock 48. just get the S15 mags. the 48 is a bit easy than the shield.

[Crash]

If you have issues on those 2 9's, see if they have the EZ in 9mm or in 380. Both are great pistols and the 380 is sweet
Also look at the Glock 48. just get the S15 mags. the 48 is a bit easy than the shield.

bobby,

I've had the .380 EZ and I have the 9mm EZ right now. The problem is that I have small hands and short thumbs and when I try to disengage the thumb safety, it pulls my palm up off the grip safety. If I practice (dry-fire, of course) slowly, it's no problem--I make sure to reacquire my grip, thus disengaging the grip safety. However, if I try to speed things up, about half the time I won't get the grip safety disengaged. Perhaps if I practiced enough, I could do this properly all the time. However, in a self-defense situation, with all the stress involved, I'm not sure that I could do it right. Thus, I'm looking for a pistol with a thumb safety but no grip safety--and a fairly small grip
Thanks for your input.
Crash

[Crash]

If you have issues on those 2 9's, see if they have the EZ in 9mm or in 380. Both are great pistols and the 380 is sweet
Also look at the Glock 48. just get the S15 mags. the 48 is a bit easy than the shield.

bobby,

Before I forget (which I obviously already did....), I've had suggested to me that I tape down the grip safety. This sounds like a good idea, but in the aftermath of a self-defense shooting, if the police or a lawyer found that I'd disabled one of the safety mechanisms I think they might use that as grounds to claim that I wasn't using the gun safely.

Crash

[bobby]

at the top of the grip safety glue a square of leather there to help with depressing the grip safety. kind of like the bump on the newer 1911's

[oljames3]

How does the slide-racking effort of the S&W M&P Shield M2.0 in 9mm compare with that of the M&P 2.0 9mm Compact with 4.0" barrel?

Thanks for any input,

Crash

My brother, recovering from multiple myeloma and still doing chemo, carries the M&P9 M2.0 Shield and my 88 year old father carries the M&P9 M2.0 Compact 4". They can each manipulate the slide of their pistol. I have cleaned each of these pistols and don't recall noticing any great difference in slide manipulation. Your mileage will vary.

oljames3,

Thanks for the info. I'm going to try to get to my local gun dealer tomorrow (weather permitting--we've had some really bad weather in Central Texas lately) and check out both of them for myself. I'm not quite as old as your Dad (I'm 78) but that doesn't mean my hands are as strong as his. That being said, it's still good to hear that a gent in my age range doesn't have any trouble with the S&W Compact.

Crash

I live in Elgin. Several new pecan limbs in the yard this morning. I'm 68 and have no issues with my M&P9 M2.0 5". The real test, of course is when you try for yourself. Shady Oaks, in Cedar Park, has a great rental deal. $20 and shoot, one at a time, any gun they have for rent. Using their ammo, of course, but it is reasonably priced. https://www.shadyoaksgunrange.com/firearm-rentals/

External safeties on a handgun may be a personal preference thing. For me and mine, we don't use them. I had an external lever on my 5" because that was the only way it was offered. I've removed it and installed the S&W frame plugs used on all of the double stack M&Ps now. You do you. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YOcbXvTZs1w

[Crash]

How does the slide-racking effort of the S&W M&P Shield M2.0 in 9mm compare with that of the M&P 2.0 9mm Compact with 4.0" barrel?

Thanks for any input,

Crash

My brother, recovering from multiple myeloma and still doing chemo, carries the M&P9 M2.0 Shield and my 88 year old father carries the M&P9 M2.0 Compact 4". They can each manipulate the slide of their pistol. I have cleaned each of these pistols and don't recall noticing any great difference in slide manipulation. Your mileage will vary.

oljames3,

Thanks for the info. I'm going to try to get to my local gun dealer tomorrow (weather permitting--we've had some really bad weather in Central Texas lately) and check out both of them for myself. I'm not quite as old as your Dad (I'm 78) but that doesn't mean my hands are as strong as his. That being said, it's still good to hear that a gent in my age range doesn't have any trouble with the S&W Compact.

Crash

I live in Elgin. Several new pecan limbs in the yard this morning. I'm 68 and have no issues with my M&P9 M2.0 5". The real test, of course is when you try for yourself. Shady Oaks, in Cedar Park, has a great rental deal. $20 and shoot, one at a time, any gun they have for rent. Using their ammo, of course, but it is reasonably priced. https://www.shadyoaksgunrange.com/firearm-rentals/

External safeties on a handgun may be a personal preference thing. For me and mine, we don't use them. I had an external lever on my 5" because that was the only way it was offered. I've removed it and installed the S&W frame plugs used on all of the double stack M&Ps now. You do you. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YOcbXvTZs1w

How does the slide-racking effort of the S&W M&P Shield M2.0 in 9mm compare with that of the M&P 2.0 9mm Compact with 4.0" barrel?

Thanks for any input,

Crash

My brother, recovering from multiple myeloma and still doing chemo, carries the M&P9 M2.0 Shield and my 88 year old father carries the M&P9 M2.0 Compact 4". They can each manipulate the slide of their pistol. I have cleaned each of these pistols and don't recall noticing any great difference in slide manipulation. Your mileage will vary.

oljames3,

Thanks for the info. I'm going to try to get to my local gun dealer tomorrow (weather permitting--we've had some really bad weather in Central Texas lately) and check out both of them for myself. I'm not quite as old as your Dad (I'm 78) but that doesn't mean my hands are as strong as his. That being said, it's still good to hear that a gent in my age range doesn't have any trouble with the S&W Compact.

Crash

I live in Elgin. Several new pecan limbs in the yard this morning. I'm 68 and have no issues with my M&P9 M2.0 5". The real test, of course is when you try for yourself. Shady Oaks, in Cedar Park, has a great rental deal. $20 and shoot, one at a time, any gun they have for rent. Using their ammo, of course, but it is reasonably priced. https://www.shadyoaksgunrange.com/firearm-rentals/

External safeties on a handgun may be a personal preference thing. For me and mine, we don't use them. I had an external lever on my 5" because that was the only way it was offered. I've removed it and installed the S&W frame plugs used on all of the double stack M&Ps now. You do you. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YOcbXvTZs1w

bobby,

I live in Fredericksburg and we've had some severe thunderstorms coming down from the northwest the last couple of evenings that, luckily, kind of slid by on our south side but did quite a bit of damage not too many miles away. All we got was a lot of rain and wind.

As far as the thumb safeties go, I kind of feel that I need one because I carry AIWB and, in a stressful situation, I'm concerned that I would fire the gun and do some damage to parts that I would like to keep in good shape. I know that you're supposed to keep your finger off the trigger until you're ready to fire, but in a life-or-death situation all that training might go out the window.

Thanks for the suggestion about putting a piece of leather on the grip safety. I'll give that a try. We have a gun dealer about 30 minutes away from me in Comfort, so if he has a M&P 2.0 Compact, I'll give it a try there.

Thanks again,

By the way, I believe you were in the Army, right? Thank your for your service.

Crash

[Grayling813]

As far as the thumb safeties go, I kind of feel that I need one because I carry AIWB and, in a stressful situation, I'm concerned that I would fire the gun and do some damage to parts that I would like to keep in good shape. I know that you're supposed to keep your finger off the trigger until you're ready to fire, but in a life-or-death situation all that training might go out the window.

I have both Shield 2.0 and Compact 2.0, no difference really between the two.

As far as AIWB, the only pistol I'll put in that position is my Shield Performance Center model that has a safety. Those possible affected parts and I have become quite attached over the last 60 years!