Smith & Wesson’s M&P pistol line is well-proven. The M&P (Military & Police) brand dates back to 1899, and the modern semi-auto pistols bearing that name are worthy successors to those early revolvers. The M&P Shield X is a slim “micro-compact” concealed carry pistol that upholds that proud tradition.
The M&P Shield X is based on the popular Shield micro-compact carry pistol but has a slightly longer barrel and a taller frame for greater magazine capacity and a firmer grip. It retains the original Shield’s slim profile for concealed carry. The Shield X also adds an accessory rail and is optic-ready.
I’ve been shooting an M&P Shield X for a couple of months now and have been very impressed. Smith & Wesson sent the gun for testing. I do not get to keep it, unfortunately. Let’s start with the specifications.
Smith & Wesson M&P Shield X Specifications
- Caliber: 9mm Luger
- Magazine Capacity: 13 or 15 rounds
- Barrel Length: 3.6 inches
- Overall Length: 6.87 inches
- Height: 4.9 inches
- Width: 0.9 inches
- Weight: 20.8 ounces (Unloaded)
- Striker Fired
- Optic Ready (Shield RMSc/K Footprint)
- Polymer Frame
- Stainless Steel Slide and Barrel
M&P Shield X Features
The Shield X isn’t fancy, but it has all the features I need. It’s a clean, simple, effective design, just as you want for a tool on which you might stake your life.
The slide manipulates easily, aided by the prominent front and rear serrations. An observation port allows a quick and definite way to check the chamber for a loaded round. The optic cut is compatible with the Shield RMSc/K footprint. A serrated, blacked-out rear sight frames the standard Ameriglo Trooper LumiGreen front sight nicely.
The polymer grip frame features the standard M&P stippling for a positive grip. I’ve never owned an M&P, but I’ve handled many and always liked their grip texture—very positive without being overly aggressive.
The cut under the slide is well-designed, giving the shooter a high, firm grip while protecting the hand’s webbing. Overall, the Shield X is very comfortable in the hand. A two-slot accessory rail lets you add a light or laser.
The trigger is very nice. It features a short take-up to a definite wall. The break is clean, averaging 3 lbs. 8.8 oz. on my Lyman trigger gauge. The reversible magazine release ejects the mags cleanly every time. The button is stippled just like the grip for positive purchase. Disassembly is easy using the familiar takedown lever. The Shield X is available with or without a thumb safety. Ours did not have one.
The only subpar control mechanism is the slide release. The design looks like it should work, with ample serrated surface area. But it didn’t. I was able to make it function a couple of times, only with the greatest effort. My two co-testers had the same experience.
Range Performance: Running the M&P Shield X
We all enjoyed the Shield X very much. When we test firearms, most of our samples go back in the box for return to the manufacturer when we’ve done our due diligence. But we kept returning to the Shield X. It was part of an eight-handgun group that we got in almost all at once. Of those eight, four were immediately packaged up when we were done. The Shield X was not one of them. We just wanted to shoot it some more.
The gun was very accurate. We did a lot of dueling tree work, with some guns being a better choice than others. We all did well with the M&P Shield X, and it was noticeably better than a couple of the others. We dropped the slide manually on reloads, which works just fine.
The gun feels good in the hand, facilitating an easy grip and natural sight picture. We added a Holosun 407K optic, which was just about perfect for this gun, though the luminescent Ameriglo front sight is nice too.
The S&W website touts their ClearSight Cut, which diverts gases away from the optic, helping to keep it clear. The optic did indeed stay clear, but I rarely have a problem with gases clouding my pistol optics, so I can’t really comment on that feature’s effectiveness compared to other guns.
The Shield X was 100 percent reliable through 300 rounds of testing, plus probably another 100 rounds of just shooting. We fired 115-grain Blazer Brass FMJ and 115-grain Federal American Eagle FMJ, generously provided by Ammo-to-Go.
Final Thoughts
Overall, the Smith & Wesson M&P Shield X performed very well indeed. It was accurate, reliable, comfortable, and fun to shoot. It was among our clear favorites when testing that group of eight handguns.
The only problem we had was the pretty much useless slide release tab. My two co-testers and I had the same experience, rendering it useless for that action in the real world. I did a quick online check and found that many other folks have the same problem.
Smith & Wesson emphasizes that this control is a “slide stop” as opposed to a “slide release.” I can see where that distinction could be made, and it may reflect a deliberate design choice. I have pistols that sometimes drop the slide on their own when reloading, and the Shield X did not do that.
The stiff “slide stop” isn’t a deal breaker for me since training can overcome it. Personally, I’m not married to either method of dropping the slide. I often mix the two during the same shooting session. So, I would not hesitate to run and carry the M&P Shield X.
Again, I’ve never owned an M&P pistol, but I’d be very happy indeed to own this one. I’ve always been a European snob when it comes to semi-auto handguns, with two prominent exceptions: the Colt 1911 and the Smith & Wesson M&P line. Despite not owning one, their reputation among people I trust puts those guns on a par with my favorite European manufacturers.
Now that I’ve written that line, I feel like I need to get myself an M&P pistol. The M&P Shield X seems a great place to start.
