I bit ago I wrote about a new addition to the safe. A M&P Shield.
This past Saturday I was able to take it to the range and put 50 rounds through the weapon. I actually had the opportunity to teach a co-workers 13 year old son on how to shoot. Had a great time and Sam learned a lot. His dad said he talked all the way home about it. For me, it was a great chance to teach, and teach a young mind the correct way to handle a loaded firearm. Being young he didn’t have all the preconceptions that some of us adults walk out onto the range with. Or baggage.
My biggest challenge was to just make sure he understood that he needed to be safe, not afraid of the firearms, and not worry about a 2 inch grouping. Sam got the safety portion downloaded into his brain quickly and the 6 inch grouping he did all by himself! We rounded out the morning with Sam shooting my AR, that got a big smile on his face!
Sam was still rough around the edges when he left but he will pick up more confidence if dad keeps taking him to shoot.
I told Sam not to worry about someone making fun of him if he doesn’t even hit the target, I also said I didn’t care if he hit the cardboard holding up the targets. I just wanted him to be safe, and if he was, no one could bust his balls for just being safe. In the end it’s the braggart that has a negligent discharge.
But back to the Shield, my co-worker shot a magazine (7 rounds) through the sidearm and said to me ” I’m glad I don’t have to target shoot with that thing, but it will do what it is designed to do.” Eloquently put. Originally I thought the trigger felt like it had gravel in the mechanism somewhere, but after 30 rounds or so through the barrel that has seemed to go away some. Not totally but for the most part it has. It was and is well lubed so that trigger feeling is from the factory. When the fine motor skills go away, a person will be hard pressed to even remember pulling the trigger let alone if it felt like it had gravelly feeling.
I have never shot a 40 cal before and with the small pistol and that size of ammunition it is a bit hard to hang onto with my meat hooks that I call hands. Overall I give it a 7.5 out of a 10.
It is so hard not to compare it to my M & P 9mm. It is not a apples to apples comparison. The Shield is for concealed carry, the full size 9 is not. So it will be a keeper and carried daily.
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