Posted: 3/9/2017 12:18:03 AM EDT
| The Shield is one of the 2 options I've been going back and forth on to buy next. I see that they have a PC version with a ported barrel and fiber optic sights. It's not much more but I wanted to get opinions from those who have used the ported version on the range and in training. I'm mainly curious about close up shots, drawing and firing right from the holster. I apologise I don't the actual name for the drill. How does the porting effect you, if at all? |
| I've never shot mine in the pitch black of night but at lower light levels/dusk I've never noticed a problem. YMMV. Now I haven't done any drills where I'm shooting from retention or with my arm above the slide. But I would think in the heat of the moment I wouldn't notice anything else and after it's over if I survive I'd be fine with some burns from the port blast if it were to occur. Would I go with the PC version again, probably not but I won't get rid of it as it's never failed on me yet with 1000+ rounds through it. |
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I don't own one but had a chance to shoot a 9mm PC Shield.
First off, I REALLY don't like the ported barrel. I didn't shoot it at night so I don't know if they flash badly at night or not, but I REALLY hate the additional noise. I have a good set of regular ear muffs that I have used for years. I have shot rifles, pistols, shotguns and been around a couple of M2 machine guns at an MG shoot several years ago. These muffs have always worked very well. The ported Shield left my ears ringing, even through the muffs. I couldn't believe how much extra blast came out of the ports. I can only imagine how bad it would be without them if you actually had to use the gun, I know, a little hearing loss is better than death, but if it does this, it would make it harder for me to practice with it. Additionally, although I didn't shoot any +P defense ammo, the porting didn't feel like it did anything to me beyond a standard Shield which I do own. Myself, I didn't care for the fiber optic sights. I could take them or leave them. I shot the gun in somewhat overcast conditions and the sights just looked like colored dots. They didn't seem brighter than regular, painted colored dots at all. Not a big deal and I could live with them if everything else was good but I wouldn't pay extra for them. The gun was used so possibly the fiber elements were dull bit I wasn't impressed. They worked pretty well as regular sights, though, and were tall and easy to see. The trigger was amazing. Quite a bit lighter than my regular Shield and the reset was very distinct, both audible and tactile. I really liked the trigger. Not the best trigger I've ever encountered but one of the better poly framed triggers I have shot. I liked the trigger enough that if S&W would ever offer a PC Shield without the ported barrel, I would snap one up just for the trigger, even if it did have the fiber optic sights. Bub75 |
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Don't believe all the hype that the porting will blind you. It is no worse than a non ported gun. The pc is available with nite sights as well. Ive shot mine several times in low light and no issues at all! Having shot a ported Glock I agree, I don't believe it's much different than non-ported. HOWEVER if you look at some of the reviews on the PC Shield, the fiber optic sights which I know are easy to replace are apparently not doing well against body sweat. Several posts I have seen complain of rusting of the sight itself. I ended up getting a non PC model and put on Trijicon HD XR sights on mine and could not be happier. If I could have found the 45ACP in the PC version I probably would have bought one and swapped the sights. |
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I was just thinking today. All this bitching about the porting. What about revolvers? And that's in a way more inconvenient place. On the PC shield at least you won't blow your thumb off.  Oh absolutely, but I don't use a magnum revolver as a CCW. After firing one .357 "Deer Stopper" load from a ported 4" revolver at dusk, after my eyes had adjusted to the dark, I wasn't seeing much other than a big white blob for a good 20 seconds afterwards. 
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Huge fan of the shield, not a fan of ported firearms in general. Every gun I have ever fired with either a ported barrel or muzzle brake did reduce muzzle flip to varying degrees at the cost of greatly increasing noise back to the shooter.
For as small a gun as the shield is, IME it's a very controllable gun and porting is not necessary. |
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I don't own one but had a chance to shoot a 9mm PC Shield. Myself, I didn't care for the fiber optic sights. I could take them or leave them. I shot the gun in somewhat overcast conditions and the sights just looked like colored dots. They didn't seem brighter than regular, painted colored dots at all. Not a big deal and I could live with them if everything else was good but I wouldn't pay extra for them. The gun was used so possibly the fiber elements were dull bit I wasn't impressed. They worked pretty well as regular sights, though, and were tall and easy to see. The trigger was amazing. Quite a bit lighter than my regular Shield and the reset was very distinct, both audible and tactile. I really liked the trigger. Not the best trigger I've ever encountered but one of the better poly framed triggers I have shot. I liked the trigger enough that if S&W would ever offer a PC Shield without the ported barrel, I would snap one up just for the trigger, even if it did have the fiber optic sights. Bub75 |
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I considered upgrading to a PC shield when a local gun shop had them for a nice price. But I can get fiber optic sights for $40, if I really want them, which I don't. The trigger was amazing compared to the normal shield, but now that my sear and striker are worn in to each other, I get no sight jumps when the trigger breaks, and if I really want to, the revised sear from Apex is another $40, and I get the pleasure of having smithed it in myself. Bub75 |
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A single frame from a camera is not the same as what our eyes see or even how they work. Yes there will be a flame from a compensated or ported gun like the Glock 19C or the Shield PC. However, it will not blind you. I own plenty of ported and comped guns and even in low light you do not notice a difference in sight picture. They do not blind you. That is gun store nonsense that started God knows when and has since spread to the internet. Another popular myth about using ported or Comp guns for CCW is they will burn you in an up close encounter or if you have to shoot through your clothes. It is nonsense.
OP, the down side to ported and Comp guns is the noise really. They are a little louder. My wife's Glock 19C is noticeably louder than my Vickers Glock 19 when we are in an indoor range together. Beyond that you might get a little performance gain but not much. |
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Serious question, what is the velocity difference between a ported and non-ported Shield in each caliber? |
| I haven't experienced that. The earlier C model Glocks had a problem with the ports dirtying up the front sight pretty bad. At some point the ports were redesigned and the problem fixed. Or C model guns do not deposit anything on the top of the slide or the sights. |
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I strongly considered an APEX sear and parts, but I have a problem. Since I use this for backup/off duty for my PD job, I'm not allowed to put on aftermarket parts (aside from sights and grips, if applicable). I could probably get away with it since I am the firearms instructor and am responsible for checking out the personally owned guns, but it wouldn't be fair for me to do it and not allow everyone else to do it, so I don't. I shoot the standard Shield well enough and don't worry about it. If the Performance Center ever puts out a non-ported model (preferably with no safety), I'll probably get one just for the trigger. Bub75 |