CountGlockulla
Member
I picked up both of these over the last two weeks and thought I would take a pic and share a few thoughts for those trying to decide between the two.
As you can see they are both the same size, both are in 9mm, and both conceal the same. If you are trying to decide I think the determining factor will come down to ergonomics, sights, trigger, price, and availability.
I would also say up front that, in my not so humble opinion, either of these two guns kick the tar out of the other compact 9s on the market that are competing with it (Beretta Nano, Ruger LC9, Sig P290, Kahr, ect.)
Sights
Both sights are very usable out of the box. The XDs comes equipped with a red fiber optic insert on the front sight. Springfield provides an extra red and gree fiber optic rod and detailed instructions on how to change out the insert. The rear is a standard two-dot affair.
The Shield comes with very useable white 3-dot sights.
Both sight sets are metal.
I think that if you are inclined toward night sites on a carry gun it is a wash. If you want to use the standard sight set, switch to the green fiber optic on the XDs and call it good. The green FO rod on the XDs will stand out better in low light than the S&W white-dots.
Personally, I run 10-8 performance sights on all of my handguns. 10-8 offers a rear sight for the Shield which puts it in a win category for me.
Trigger Pull
Of the 5 M&P series pistols I have had the Shield has the best of of the trigger out of the box. The XDs trigger is better however. I know there will be at least one guy come along talking about how magical the trigger is on their Shield and that the XD they had sucked. Blah Blah, the majority of the time you will get a better trigger with the XDs between these two guns. Just dry-fire the Shield at the store to check if the trigger pull is acceptable to you. If not factor in the cost for an Apex kit.
Ergonomics
The XDs comes with an interchangeable backstrap. The Shield does not.
The XDs grip is more aggressively textured.
The XDs has a grip safety, and the Shield has a thumb safety. The Shield's thumb safety is unobtrusive enough that you would not need to use it, however, it would be difficult to disengage in a hurry without some serious practice. Some folks do not like a grip safety. It doesn’t bother me but it could be cause some concern from a reliability standpoint.
The XDs has a single slot picatinny rail. The Shield does not. This is worth the extra $100 if you also plan for this gun to do bedside duty.
The XDs seems to have a slightly higher bore-axis. Not enough to be concerned in my opinion.
As far as holding the gun in hand, personally I like the XDs grip texture, however, my wife prefers the Shield.
From an overall ergonomics standpoint, I would let the interchangeable backstrap and light rail make the decision for me.
Price
I paid $470 out-the-door for the Shield and just over $100 more for the XDs. Shields are harder to find generally.
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