I have a new SW 45c and a new Shield.  I was expecting terrible trigger pulls but I put Chip McCormick Trigger grease on all the parts that rub and after 200+ dry fires and a hundred rounds both of the guns have what I think is a nice trigger pull.  I'm very experienced and I plan to use both of these fine guns at a Tom Givens advanced instructor course.  After I fired today I asked a close friend who is a S&W believer and he was surprised at how much better my triggers are compared to his when he got them a couple of years ago.

I have no idea for sure, but in my experience they are better. I've had a M&P 45 for several years with several thousand rounds on it. It's been great but the trigger isn't so great. I just got a Sheild, and the trigger on it is already better than the 45. Maybe just be a difference in those two particular guns too?

I don't know about the standard guns but I got to play with one of the ported pro core whatever it is and the trigger is substantially better and has a trigger stop built in to remove the over travel.

I just picked up a Shield in 9mm earlier today and on mine the trigger is not so great.  I will shoot it at the range a bit and then order the Apex kit.

       Edit.  Great trigger reset though.  

I purchased my M&P-9 in 2011 (don't know if that is "new" or "old"). Personally, I never thought the M&P stock trigger was all that bad. Certainly not bad enough to spend another $100+ for an "upgrade".

It is not a target trigger or a trigger I would want to introduce to new shooters BUT it is a good combat trigger. It has a fair bit of take-up so the gun doesn't go bang the moment you touch the trigger. The pull is heavy enough that it is safe to carry in condition one and takes a deliberate and conscious effort to fire (important under stress) but much less than a DA revolver and with minimal stacking. My only real complaint is the lack of a positive indication of reset leading to false resets during rapid fire drills. However, if I shoot it regularly, I seem to "know" when the trigger resets. It is only if I put the gun down for a few months and start shooting my Glock again do I realize how much I miss the positive trigger reset.

I have an M&P9 bought around '11 that I did not like at all and found the Apex FSS cured what ailed this weapon.

I have recently traded for a Shield .40 that was "as new" so I imagine it would have been made between '12 and '14.

The trigger was absolutely dreadful on the shield. The way the two-stage break responded reminded me of playing with a nose that was recently broken, you would feel a sudden shift and a "pop" of what felt broken beneath the weight of the finger. The M&P made 2 range trips in factory condition and would have only made 1 had Amazon not botched my Apex order, made days after the trade.

I added the Apex Monday evening and haven't had the chance to fire it. ANYTHING is a dramatic improvement over the factory trigger, but I was not as in love with the Apex Shield Kit as I was the M&P FSS. the trigger is oriented as far forward as the stock trigger, calling for a looooong and slightly heavier than expected trigger pull, however this trigger pull is smooth and uniform with no "breaking" into the second stage that gave you the impression that something broke on the trigger as you squeezed it. The place where the Apex shines is at reset where the trigger pull is smooth, short and lighter. I am tempted to put a lighter trigger return spring in to cut the pull weight, but will probably leave it as, unless/until my motivation to replace > the aggravation of poking around through Shield guts.