If this thing ends up taking off Smith and Wesson can kill it by making a 4 inch barrel shield.
If this thing ends up taking off Smith and Wesson can kill it by making a 4 inch barrel shield.
If I was Smith & Wesson I would be watching this thing with some interest, let it build up some momentum then release a long slide version of the shield and watch the tears flow...
Agree. I picked one up at the NRA show in April. Felt like holding a 2x4. Granted, the gent showing mentioned the model was an early prototype. But my P9 felt way better, and the only time it failed was after several thousands of rounds when the mag follower finally crapped out. Simple fix and back to work.
Why not build the 4" M&P Shield now and beat them to the punch? The Shield already has a huge share of the market with aftermarket sights,holsters and other accessories and holsters with open bottom would still work. They could get any additional market share before competing and have their more proven design and name going for them. It is similar to what I thought Glock aftermarket could do for the 43. I think Glock GMBH is slow to do new models but the aftermarket can faster.
I think the semi staggered Shield magazines are the way to go to keep a slim width and have maximum ammo capacity in the shortest grip length and still have a reasonable length. It also aids in reloads a little with an opening a little wider than the magazine at the feed lips over a pure flat sided magazine design.
ETA The Bersa BP9 CC is pretty close to a single stack 19 in size parameters and Honor Defense offers a 4"(3.9 or 3.88" IIRC) verson of the Honor Guard single stack 9mm with a modular design to boot. It has some less likeable features but it is an option in a small market segment.
Last edited by octagon; 09-04-2017 at 08:51 AM.
Same reason Glock let Smith create the market for slim 9mm pistols, introduced a .380...then the 43.
Is there a market for this thing?
Who is buying it?
Should they change course to add another model?
Let someone else take the risks...then ambush them.
Fortis Futuna Adiuvat But then again I'm a John Wick fan. Think of how many Shields were sold by being the first or first major maker in the market when concealed carry was exploding.
I bought stock in SWHC the week the Shield was announced. I knew it would be a huge money maker for them. Worked out very well.