Palm-Size Power: Smith & Wesson M&P Shield

Smith & Wesson’s new M&P9 Shield now joins the growing crop of palm-size, slim-and-trim single-stack 9mms that have been appearing on the handgun market at a rapid rate over the past two years. It is the lightest and smallest 9mm personal-defense auto S&W has yet offered: only six inches long, 4½ inches high, less than an inch thick and weighing just 19 ounces. Based on the duty-proven full-size S&W M&P design, it will undoubtedly take a prominent place in the concealed carry world.

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Moreover, the new Shield is also available chambered in .40 S&W. Same size, same weight, same design, same price (MSRP $449). The only difference between the M&P9 Shield and the M&P40 Shield, in fact, is that the magazines for the M&P40 Shield hold one less round than the M&P9 Shield magazines. The M&P9 Shield comes with one semi-staggered flat-base seven-round magazine and one extended-base eight-round mag; the M&P40 Shield comes with one six-rounder and one seven-round magazine.