In 2012 Smith & Wesson created and cornered the slim line 9mm market with the original Shield. This was followed by the Shield Plus a pistol with a higher capacity magazine. There are other types of concealed carry 9mm handguns with good handling and respectable magazine capacity. The Shield arguably remains a leader in the field. Shot placement and marksmanship are most important but a reserve of ammunition is good to have. There is a move toward handguns that chase after the divine angle and ideal size for concealed carry along with higher magazine capacity. The Shield X, SIG P365 TACOPS, and Kel Tec P 15 are examples. These handguns are lightweight and concealable but with a longer sight radius and larger grip are easier to shoot well. The new Shield X is a logical development and a very well balanced handgun.
Author shooting the Shield X with Riton Optic Red Dot
It is interesting that the Shield X comes on the heels of the newly introduced Smith & Wesson Bodyguard 2.0 .380 ACP pistol. The Bodyguard offers excellent ergonomics for a handgun of its size. The Shield X is a real improvement over the Shield Plus. It is important to note that the Shield X isn’t a dark horse compared to the larger Military & Police 9mm handguns. The Shield X is as reliable as the full size service grade handguns. The pistol is a polymer frame striker fired handgun. The slide is stainless steel finished in a hard black coating. I own several S&W handguns with this Armornite coating. This finish has proven to be resistant to the elements and wear from constant practice in drawing the handgun. The Shield Plus maintained the slide of the original Shield while a grip re-design resulted in a magazine capacity of 13 rounds. The trigger is the new 2.0 trigger a great improvement over the previous design. The Shield X is a pistol with a longer slide and taller grip frame. The original Shield’s 3.1 inch barrel is now a 3.6 inch barrel in this version. The Shield X’s longer grip frame accommodates either a 13 round flush fit magazine or an extended 15 round magazine. The difference in the grip frame compared to the Shield Plus is subtle. It isn’t simply a longer frame. The re-design also places the hand a bit higher on the grip. This results in less muzzle flip and a lower bore axis. With the hand higher in relation to the bore line the pistol has less leverage for the muzzle to rise. A narrow grip such as say the Glock 43 or Glock 48 results in recoil energy directed on a narrow point compared to larger guns. This is also true of the S&W Shield. The new Shield X with its aggressive balance of adhesion and abrasion and higher hold is more comfortable to fire. It isn’t as comfortable to fire as a Military & Police 9mm it cannot be but it as nice shooting a pistol as possible in a handgun in this size and weight class. Reliability has never been an issue with the Shield and this pistol is more of the same. The recoil spring weight is proper for this size pistol.
Shield X Breakdown
Take down is simpler than many polymer frame handguns. Unload the pistol- then check again. Remove the magazine. Lock the slide to the rear, rotate the takedown lever, and run the slide forward off of the frame. Pull out the recoil rod assembly and then the barrel. The pistol is easily maintained. The extractor is robust and the firing mechanism well proven. The pistol now features a light rail large enough to mount my favorite Streamlight TRL8 light/laser combination. The sights are well suited to personal defense. The rear sight is a simple notch while the front sight is a self luminous iron sight with a Tritium dot in the front post. The slide serrations are aggressive in the familiar fish scale pattern. The slide is cut for a direct mount RMSc footprint. I ordered my pistol with a manual safety. There are three versions of the Shield X- without a safety, with a safety, and the 10 round version for those living in a people’s republic. I mean no insult to the citizen locked into an unfortunate geography by that. For most of our history my family and direct ancestors lived under the Crown. Thank God for America! Even the places where socialism has a hold. Smith & Wesson’s recent move to Tennessee represents a move by many businesses to a free state, and it is a welcome move. Back to firearms mechanics- I have saved one of the best features for last. The trigger action breaks at a clean crisp 4.5 pounds. This is a controllable trigger action with a clean break and rapid reset.
Excellent think profile with pinky extension magazine
I divided the test program into two parts- first, without an optic, and second, with an optic. The test fire went smoothly without a single failure to feed chamber fire or eject. I used the Black Hills Ammunition 115 grain FMJ for most of the firing drills. This is a clean burning and reliable loading. For speed drills I drew from a Crossbreed belt slide, a well made mix of Kydex and leather backing. The Shield X gets on target quickly and handles well. The short sight radius makes for excellent speed at typical defense ranges of 5 to 10 yards. I ran through 200 cartridges during the initial evaluation. The Shield X features low recoil for this size handgun. Smith & Wesson engineered the spring rates correctly. The overall feel is that of firing a larger handgun. Results are simply excellent for this size handgun. I set up on a solid benchrest and fired the pistol for accuracy at 15 yards. Here are my results. Groups are five shots.
Black Hills Ammunition 124 grain JHP 1.9 in.
Black Hills Ammunition 100 grain Honey Badger 2.0 in.
For the next phase I mounted a Riton 3 Tactix MPRD 3. This is a solid buy in the three hundred dollar range. This is a direct mount on the Shield X with the RMSc footprint. (A model for the RMR is also available.) The Riton red dot sight weighs only .96 ounce. With the correct supplied screws I used the Real Avid Smart Torq wrench to tighten the screws properly. The lower battery compartment is sealed a good feature for those concerned with the durability of bottom loading battery compartments. The sight features three reticle options, a good touch in such a compact sight. You may have a dot, a circle, or a dot in a circle. You may program in your dot choice. The Riton offers a wide range of adjustments for such a compact sight. There is a sensor that turns the Riton sight off after inactivity and there is also shake awake technology. There are ten brightness level settings. Button adjustment is simple enough. This sight also features a useful backup sight in the unlikely event of battery failure.
Red Dot Optic View using the Riton 3 Tactic MPRD
I have been immersed in training with the red dot sight for over a year. Moving quickly on man sized targets the Smith & Wesson Shield/Riton combination proved fast and accurate considerably bettering my results with iron sights. Absolute accuracy firing off the bench was just slightly better as expected. The Smith & Wesson Shield X gets a clean bill of health. This is a reliable handgun and a pistol that offers excellent handling. The Shield Plus is still available and offers a smaller footprint. For those who are able to conceal the Shield X is a better shooter.
To locate a dealer near you visit www.lipseys.com/dealerfinder