Enhanced M2.0
So, I was keen to check out one of these Performance Center-enhanced versions of the Shield when the opportunity came up. My son loaned me his first generation 9mm Shield for this evaluation so I could point out the enhancements on the M2.0 and the Performance Center additions.
The first thing you notice when you pick up any M2.0 Shield is the grip texture. All the original M&P semi-automatics have a very comfortable, lightly stippled grip. But if someone tries to twist the gun out of your hand, you’d be hard-pressed to hold on to it. The M2.0 models, whether they are Performance Center or standard, have a grip texture that feels a little like medium-grade sandpaper. Wet or dry, you can hold on to this one.
Although the inner workings of the frame, the trigger, magazine and magazine release appear to be identical, the same components in the Performance Center model have been tuned. You’ll notice the difference in the trigger performance. More on this in a bit.
The Ported Shield is available in the same three chamberings as the original Shield. Each caliber is available with either tritium night sights or HIVIZ sights. For reasons I’m sure make sense to the S&W marketing team, both 9mm and .40 models have manual thumb safeties while the .45 ACP model does not. I got the 9mm with HIVIZ sights. The single front sight is green and the two in back are red.
On all Shields the frame is polymer with an embedded stainless-steel chassis system, allowing for steel-on-steel contact between the slide and frame. The slide is stainless steel with a matte-black finish. Total weight of the gun is 18.3 oz.
Included in the package are a flush fit 7-round magazine and an 8-round extended one, which adds an extended finger groove. With the 8-round mag in the gun, the grip is still slightly shorter than the rounded butt 1911 Commander I usually carry. Also included is a very nicely packaged and branded Performance Center cleaning kit with brushes and jags for all handgun calibers.
I dug around to see what holsters I might have to fit the Shield and found a Blackhawk pocket holster that slipped into my jeans pocket, wasn’t visibly noticeable and wasn’t uncomfortable at all. It’s easy to understand why the Shield is so popular as a carry gun. It makes carrying easy, and you’ve got up to nine rounds of whatever defensive ammo is your favorite in an easy-to-carry package.
So, what about the neatest feature on the PC Shield — the porting? The purpose of porting a barrel is to reduce muzzle rise and perhaps gain some reduction in recoil by venting gasses upward through slots cut into the barrel. The downside to porting a barrel is the possibility of blinding muzzle flash in the dark.
The Performance Center engineers decided two ports on the barrel in the 10 and 2 o’clock positions would produce the desired effect. They mate up with three corresponding slots atop each upper corner of the forward part of the slide.
