The slide runs fast and the muzzle stays on target with the Performance Center Ported Shield 9mm.

In our first contact with the upgraded Shield by the Performance Center, I was surprised by the snappiness of the slide. It seemed to be running faster though total pistol weight – according to factory figures – is the same. Well, that can't be. I didn't remove the Crimson Trace Laser Guard to the Shield in stock – a gun used for articles here before. It has the Ameriglo CAP sights, the Laser Guard and an Apex trigger. I did remove the slide from each gun and weighed the PC slide and barrel (no recoil spring) against the slide and barrel from the standard Shield. The regular slide/barrel weighed in at 9.6 ounces against the new gun's 7.2 ounces. The PC upper weighs 25% less – thus accounting for the felt slide speed. That said, the recoil spring units seemed to be the same – visually and by running the slide on each gun. I wanted to shoot the guns side-by-side to compare them. I selected a "5-rounds, 5-yards-from ready" drill and used Birchwood-Casey B-27 type repair centers. These use ISU scoring rings. I used Hornady 147 grain JHP ammo for both guns. With the Performance Center Ported Shield, I started late – it was my first shots fired cold – and got five hits in 2.27 seconds according to the Pocket Pro timer. The standard gun put five hits out there in 2.23 seconds. Was it the Apex trigger, the Spaulding sights that gave me the better time? The difference was well within my 'margin of error' – meaning the time element was a wash. The result on target tells the tale. Four-hundredths of a second faster gave me two hits in the 'X' ring and three scattered hits in the '10' ring.

Both guns were nearly identical in terms of "add-ons", as the Performance Center gun was enhanced by the Crimson Trace "Carry 9" package-- the LG-489 Laser Guard with the Blade-Tech IWB Holster.

The PC gun? While imperceptibly slower, there were three hits in the 'X,' one in the '10' almost in the 'x' and another in the center of the '10.' The cluster was much tighter and, subjectively, it felt smoother. Using Remington-UMC 115 grain bulk-pack FMJ ammo, I did more five- and six-shot strings with both guns. The PC Ported was perceptibly smoother and gave tighter results. What about the Crimson Trace LG-489 on the standard Shield – didn't it make a difference? Well, no. I got the Crimson Trace "Carry 9" package – the LG-489 Laser Guard with the Blade-Tech IWB Holster – for the Performance Center Ported Shield. That way the guns were practically the same. I moved back to check my accuracy at distance with the new gun. I was unimpressed as I was pushing rounds low and, uncharacteristically, to the right. I'm not sure if it was my eyes dealing with the fiber optic sights or trigger control. I'm splitting the difference as the hits were more-or-less consistent in their deflection from center. At 20 yards, I was still going low and right but staying inside the '8' and '9' rings. At fifteen yards and in, all hits were easily inside the '9' ring and better. From ready, the time for six good hits with the S&W custom hovered around two seconds, with hits inside the '10' ring and some bleeding out into the '9.' The gun was very controllable. For the small premium over the cost of the standard Shield, the Performance Center Shield is a large improvement. Some folks will hate the ports – unlike other ported autos, these ports are small and I noticed no flash in daylight. Some will not be in love with the Hi-Viz fiber optic sights. I like the green rear and orange front differentiation but prefer black on the back with a tritium vial up front. Sights are an easy fix. I'm a fan of the M&P line and I'm a fan of the Shield in particular. The new version is a definite product improvement. -- Rich Grassi