Are S&W M&P 9 full size (Gen 1) & Shield Gen 1 good pistols?

[57Strat]

Howdy folks, New member here. I have a S&W M&P 9mm full size (Gen 1) and a Shield 9mm (Gen1). I see a lot of people posting how the Gen 2 models are far superior. I don't know much about these models. Is there anything I should be concerned about with my gen 1 guns? Are they unreliable or do they have any issues that were resolved with Gen 2?

 

[Byrd666]

Other than chitty triggers, all is good. I had an M&P c9 that I carried for a few years, until I went back to hammer fired. Sold it to a friend that carries it daily and has put another umpteen thousand rounds through it without issue.

 

[ZX9RCAM]

Howdy folks, New member here. I have a S&W M&P 9mm full size (Gen 1) and a Shield 9mm (Gen1). I see a lot of people posting how the Gen 2 models are far superior. I don't know much about these models. Is there anything I should be concerned about with my gen 1 guns? Are they unreliable or do they have any issues that were resolved with Gen 2?

Welcome to the Forum!

 

[Sam Colt]

The Shield mag release can rust and lock up from getting it sweaty.

 

[PinnedandRecessed]

On full size M2.0's, S&W extended the inner frame metal, upgraded the trigger, and gave it a much more aggressive stipple job with changeable backstraps. Newer Gen 2's have an even better trigger because S&W did away with the hinge and went with a dingus.

If you feel the need to upgrade the Shield, the obvious option is to go with the Plus. Better trigger and a lot more capacity with only a slight change in size. Your Gen 1 Shield holster will fit a M2.0 Plus Shield.

 

[MTA]

They are good if you are getting them cheap. There is no reason to pick a 1.0 over a 2.0 if you have the coin

 

[zackmars]

Triggers suck, but still useable

They auto forward, a feature i despise

Some 9mm's just suck accuracy wise. Can be fixed with aftermarket barrels

I had a pretty heavily modified gen 1

The apex trigger is real nice, however i recommend sticking with the stock safety plunger

I sold it awhile ago. I have a gen 2 that i like a lot more

However I'm probably going to sell this one too.

 

[57Strat]

Thanks for those details. What is "auto forward"?

 

[Whalercohasset]

That's when a Tactical Timmy slams the magazine home and the slide goes forward. It's not a problem for most folks.

 

[57Strat]

Both my Gen 1 guns have a little lever inside the magazine well that you have to pull down to disassemble the gun (the gun can't fire when the lever is pulled down). Did the gen 2 guns keep this stupid "safety" feature?

 

[jimbo]

Hello and welcome.

 

[Sasquatch]

Both my Gen 1 guns have a little lever inside the magazine well that you have to pull down to disassemble the gun (the gun can't fire when the lever is pulled down). Did the gen 2 guns keep this stupid "safety" feature?

You don't *have* to use the lever - what you're talking about is the sear disconnect - which allows for taking the gun down without pulling the trigger.

IF you don't want to use the lever, you can just pull the trigger like a Glock or other striker fired gun and it comes apart just fine.

As for gen 1 vs gen 2 - I've owned a number of both - and my preference would be the gen 1 because of the beavertail tang which makes the gun shoot flatter for me. The stiffer frame doesn't do a thing in that regard on the 2.0, I like the aggressive grip texture, but 10 minutes with a soldering iron fixes the slick grip on a gen 1 gun.

If you put an Apex trigger in it, its a night & day difference.

As for the shield - both the 1.0 and 2.0 are great guns. If you want an upgrade in that department, definitely get the Shield Plus 2.0 - since you get more boooolets with a very minimal increase in grip diameter.

I personally didn't like the newest trigger on the 2.0 line up. I thought i'd love it, but it caused the gun to shoot different for me - I consistently broke shots to the right with that setup, when my other guns didn't do it, nor did my old M&P's. The hinged trigger, while a relic from the Sigma, was a better shooting trigger for me. I wound up trading my last M&P - the 2.0 with the new trigger - for a Glock with an Apex trigger. A Glock with an Apex is even better than an M&P with an Apex from a trigger feel standpoint. You can tweak a Glock trigger more and get it "just right" a lot easier.

 

[RickLovesBacon]

I have a Full size gen 1 that gave failure to feed issues. Not all the time, but it's pretty annoying. I plan on replacing the barrel at some point to see if that is the problem. I have a gen 2 compact that I just love

 

[seeker_two]

Used to own a Gen 1 Compact. It shot well, and I liked the trigger better than the Glock. Sold it off because I wanted something else....

 

[zackmars]

Thanks for those details. What is "auto forward"?

When you insert the magazine, the slide goes forward.

Unless you do it extraordinarily gently, a 1.0 will auto forward every time.

That's when a Tactical Timmy slams the magazine home and the slide goes forward. It's not a problem for most folks.

Or they own an M&P 1.0 and it happens no matter how gentle you are. Crazy how that was one of the major changes when s&w released the 2.0

 

[angel71rs]

I have both gen 1s, both 100% reliable. Shield is stock, the full size I did the Burwell trigger job on it. I went a little more conservative on it than Burwell does, didn't want to push the limits, but it was a great improvement vs stock.

I got the Shield years after the full size, but it's trigger is better than I remember the stock full size being. A friend has the Shield 2.0 and it does have a better trigger, but not enough to motivate me to either work the trigger or get a 2.0. Accuracy is the same as mine.

Burwell link in case you want to take a crack at it:

S&W M&P Trigger Job

 

[TEXAS "All or nothing"]

I can't speak about the shields, but I have the 1.0 4.25" ported core and the 5" version complete slide version of the 4.25. It's the only 1.0 I own in 9mm or any other cartridge. The lever inside the magwell required it to be disengaged to remove the slide and as for "auto forward" I never experienced that in the gun I own. 2.0's I have are in 10mm (4" & 5.6"pc), 5.7x28 and (soon to arrive) a threaded barrel 5.31" 45acp. 5.6 has the factory flat-face trigger and the 4" has a Timney (which is great). 1.0 has been a good trigger and the gun has never had any fte/ftf. Both 2.0's in 10mm (as there isn't any 1.0 versions) are very good and reliable guns.

 

[Sasquatch]

I can't speak about the shields, but I have the 1.0 4.25" ported core and the 5" version complete slide version of the 4.25. It's the only 1.0 I own in 9mm or any other cartridge. The lever inside the magwell required it to be disengaged to remove the slide and as for "auto forward" I never experienced that in the gun I own. 2.0's I have are in 10mm (4" & 5.6"pc), 5.7x28 and (soon to arrive) a threaded barrel 5.31" 45acp. 5.6 has the factory flat-face trigger and the 4" has a Timney (which is great). 1.0 has been a good trigger and the gun has never had any fte/ftf. Both 2.0's in 10mm (as there isn't any 1.0 versions) are very good and reliable guns.

The 1.0, and the 2.0, can be disassembled without disengaging the sear disconnector in the magazine well - if you don't push that lever forward, you pull the trigger like you would on most other striker guns (Glock, XD, CZ, Walther) - the disconnector was there to satisfy the Safety Sallies who don't like pulling a trigger to dismantle a gun. Its an option, but its only one option.

If you like .45 ACP and get teh opportunitiy - the original .45 Compact M&P gen 1 was a sweet little gun. Same capacity as a full size or Commander 1911 (8+1) in a comfortable polymer package that'st he same size as the 2.0 Compact or a Glock 19. It was a far more pleasant gun to shoot, to me, than either of the Glock 30's (an OG gen 3 30, and a G30 SF model) I've owned.

 

[TEXAS "All or nothing"]

The 1.0, and the 2.0, can be disassembled without disengaging the sear disconnector in the magazine well - if you don't push that lever forward, you pull the trigger like you would on most other striker guns (Glock, XD, CZ, Walther) - the disconnector was there to satisfy the Safety Sallies who don't like pulling a trigger to dismantle a gun. Its an option, but its only one option.

If you like .45 ACP and get teh opportunitiy - the original .45 Compact M&P gen 1 was a sweet little gun. Same capacity as a full size or Commander 1911 (8+1) in a comfortable polymer package that'st he same size as the 2.0 Compact or a Glock 19. It was a far more pleasant gun to shoot, to me, than either of the Glock 30's (an OG gen 3 30, and a G30 SF model) I've owned.

try telling my 1.0 9mil that! The slide will NOT come off IF the disconnect ISN'T disengaged. I've had it for ~9 years and if will NOT disassemble any other way. 2.0 I don't need to for sure. Going thru some disassembly checks (what's not in the manual) I found this out.

lock slide back
turn the slide disengage
pull and hold the trigger back
then
slide will come off.

With these procedures, you're correct.

I don't care for compacts, although s&w doesn't label the 4" that way, but some other companies do.

 

[TEXAS "All or nothing"]

S&W does label the 9, 40 and 45 under compacts w/4" models, but not the 10, even though there is a 4" 10mm. Go figure?