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There are many guns competing for the title as the "best" off-duty handgun for law enforcement. I'm going to talk about one in particular that is right up there with the best of them: the Smith & Wesson M&P Shield-one of the best concealable auto handguns in the industry.
The Shield's strongest suit is not the fact that it is concealable; it is also very shootable. It has the accuracy, handling and design to be safely carried off-duty and has the same manual of arms as the full-sized model. With the improved M&P M2.0 models, the duty/ off-duty combination just got better. The M&P 2.0 models have better ergonomics, including a little more steel chassis and a design that places the hand closer to the axis of the bore, allowing for quicker shot recovery and better hand fit.
My Shield is the most reliable and concealable gun I have in a caliber of confidence, which is .40 S&W. If any readers out there are considering the Shield, I recommend the 9mm. The dimensions and characteristics are the same, this cartridge just has a lot more things going for it these days.
My Shield is palm sized, yet carries 7+1. The 9mm extended magazine gives the offduty officer 8+1 rounds in a frame slightly thinner than a Glock 43. I use a Sticky Holster MD-4 when I carry it in my pocket and a GunfightersINC Kenai (chest) holster for hiking and fishing. If you do have a .40 Shield and wish to convert it to 9mm, there are some aftermarket choices like the True Precision Inc. 40-9 Conversion barrel. Do not use a stock Shield 9mm barrel in a .40 Shield for conversion, as it goes beyond design parameters.
The Shield is awesome, but there are three areas that make it better: sights, trigger, and grip.
First
First I added the TRUGLO TFX PRO handgun sight set, MSRP $186. This was a simple installation using a sight pushing tool.
TRUGLO's TFX PRO handgun sights are probably the brightest aiming tools...