Some guns were born for concealed carry, and the Smith & Wesson M&P 9 Shield lineup earns its place as a daily carry gun every day of the week for a lot of shooters. The Shield is a simple and reliable gun, which gained it recognition alongside other carry classics of the polymer-framed variety. 

When the first models rolled onto the scene in 2012, the small single-stack Shield offered an impressive size for daily carry. At just under an inch wide, it concealed well and quickly became one of the most popular concealed carry guns on the market. 

The fact that the gun came in larger variants fit for duty uses didn’t hurt, but what really made the Shield shine was concealability. Even with a single-stack magazine that boasted only a standard, non-extended capacity of 7+1 rounds, the Shield was incredibly popular for daily carry. Smith & Wesson claims to have manufactured and shipped more than 3 million of the guns, and that was back in 2019. 

As a self-defense tool, the platform was simple, ergonomic, reliable, and affordable. But the single-stack magazine limited the gun in the face of the new wave of micro 9mm pistols like the Sig Sauer P365 and the Springfield Hellcat. Enter the M&P 9 Shield Plus with an enhanced 10+1 standard capacity, improved flat-faced trigger, and more grip texture all wrapped inside a gun that could be a near clone for the original Shield in size and function. 

The Shield was already a workhorse gun with a stellar record in our books. The Shield Plus just brought the old warhorse into the next generation of concealed carry guns that demand both performance and higher levels of capacity. It’s a welcome addition that warrants serious consideration from anyone whose already a fan of the S&W Shield.