Trends in the firearms industry come and go. Recently, the number of ported and compensated pistols has begun to rise. Ported barrels and compensators help vent gasses upward to counteract the felt effects of recoil and muzzle rise. This helps you shoot faster and more accurately.
SIG Sauer, Springfield, and S&W all offer a ported or compensated version of their popular carry pistols. Glock has even reintroduced its compensated “C” line in the 17 and 19 models. One example that performs well is the Smith and Wesson M&P Shield Plus PC with the ported barrel.
Features
The Shield Plus is very reminiscent of the original Shield pistol, but it incorporates a number of improvements. There are both 3-inch and 4-inch variants. A flat face trigger replaces the old hinge design that many complained about. The trigger pull is a crisp and clean 4.5–5 pounds and the short reset is tactile and audible.
The big “Plus” to the new Shield is the improved magazine design and resulting capacity. 10+1 rounds with the flush-fit mag, and 13+1 with the slightly extended magazine. That’s a great reserve of ammunition for a pistol this size. The grip stippling on the Shield Plus works well at providing good traction while shooting, but does not abrade the skin during carry. The fish scale slide serrations look attractive, but could provide more traction. Although, this did not impede my ability to operate the pistol.
The pistol appears well built, with thick slide rails and a sturdy polymer frame. Some plastic fantastics feel cheap; this is not one of those. The slide cycles on the frame smoothly, and all of the moving parts move and operate free of grit.
The Performance Center version features fiber-optic sights and (the subject of this article), a ported barrel. There is also a manual thumb safety on this version. This is not my preference, but it is stiff in operation and can be ignored. Unfortunately, S&W does not offer an optic-ready version of the Shield Plus with the 3-inch ported barrel. A huge miss if you ask me.
This is the variant that makes the most sense to me. It retains its compact design while providing you with barrel porting. The 4-inch Shield Plus is a fine firearm, but it’s a larger, heavier pistol. However, I will say that the extra inch of barrel would hide away easily inside the waistband. I just prefer to have the option of pocket carry.
Shooting
The Performance Center Shield shoots like a much larger handgun. By that, I mean it produces very little recoil due to the barrel porting. In a gun this size, the porting makes a noticeable difference because of the lighter weight of the pistol.
I didn’t like the red/green fiber-optic sights. I found them to be distracting while shooting. I would have preferred a standard set of night sights or a front fiber-optic and blacked-out rear. Additionally, I don’t believe fiber-optics are the best sighting setup to go with on a ported pistol, as the light tubes tend to be fragile and can crack and fall out with harder use. So far, they have held up. Only time will tell the story of longevity. I may change to night sights, based on personal preference, but this is not a necessary upgrade.
One critique ported/compensated pistols often face, is that the vented gasses and flames will blur your vision and can even blind you if you’re shooting at night or in low light. I won’t say this is impossible, but I think the likelihood is overblown.
Size
The overall size of the Shield Plus feels like the perfect balance between small enough for easy carry and large enough to shoot well. It’s a bit larger than single-stack options such as the Glock 43, and smaller than traditional subcompacts such as the Glock 26. The grip is long enough to fit all your fingers, but not so excessive as to print.
The thin design carries well in the waistband, and the thinner slide results in a lighter weight. This is a hard comparison to make on paper, but one you definitely feel in hand. A 0.1 inch on each side may not seem like much, but it can completely change the feel of the pistol. Thinner handguns are always going to carry easier; they will be more comfortable and print less than thicker counterparts.
Conclusion
When it comes to concealed carry, I like small guns. They don’t have to fit in the palm of my hand or anything, but most days I’m not going to carry a full-size or compact firearm. Fortunately, the ported version of the Shield Plus shoots just as well as a full-size pistol and carries nearly as much ammo too. I feel comfortably well armed with this offering from Smith and Wesson.
What do you think of ported barrels and compensators? How do you like the ported S&W Shield Performance Center? Let us know in the comment section.