The Smith & Wesson M&P Shield 9mm is one of my absolute favorite carry guns, it’s small, light weight, and thin!
Unfortunately, the aspects that make this gun great as a carry piece also make it more difficult to handle!
NDZ Shield Extended Magazine Grip
This product is designed to extend the grip of the Shield without making it overly huge and bulky. Note that it does not extend the capacity of the magazine.
It seems to be made of some sort of light weight aluminum, but you can expect to be adding a slight weight increase to your gun. (I didn’t weigh it before adding it to my magazine, but it feels about the same as 1 – 2 rounds of 9mm.)
Comparison to Stock Shield Magazine
Here is a comparison to the size difference between the stock lip (small 7 round magazine) and the NDZ performance magazine grip.
Here is a look at the two magazine grips side by side. My hands are fairly small, but even with the small magazine lip, half my pinky is falling off the gun.
This isn’t usually a problem for target shooting, but it makes it more difficult to grab the gun quickly from my holster and it makes followup shots more difficult because there isn’t any leverage at the bottom of my hand.
How to Install
1. Unload the Mag
If you carry daily, most likely your magazine and gun are always loaded. Time to unload it.
2. Use a Tool to Push the Magazine Button
Push your magazine bottom off and be careful that the plastic piece beneath the magazine bottom doesn’t fly off.
3. Place the parts back in
The thin end of the spring goes in first. Then place the plastic button back on the way it came out, and lastly slide the new NDZ lip on.
You might need to use the tool to fully push in the button before putting it back on.
Draw Speed Increase?
The M&P Shield is a very smooth, “dehorned” gun; it doesn’t have a hammer or any jagged edges to catch on a T-shirt at the point of draw.
Some might say that adding a grip like this to the shield defeats the purpose of a smooth gun and could give the possibility of a shirt getting caught.
In a two handed draw situation (one hand lifts the shirt, the other hand draws and presents the firearm) you will see that I don’t have any problem.
The metal clip on my holster poses more of a threat to getting stuck on my shirt than anything else on the gun, in my opinion.
In a one handed draw situation (drawing from the hip), I also did not experience any issues with the shirt getting caught.
Is it Possible to Catch on Your Shirt?
If I pull my shirt at a very specific angle, holding it at two points, then it is possible to catch the shirt on my gun.
But this needs to be pulled at a very specific and awkward angle to happen. Is it a possibility in a firefight? Yes.
But this could also happen without the magazine extension as well. If you pull the shirt at the right angle you can catch it on the belt clip of the holster.
The added finger length gives my fingers something to hook onto when there is nothing else to hook onto.
The increased benefit of grabbing the gun properly is a huge improvement to the stock shield magazine which leaves very little forgiveness if you grab the gun improperly.
I feel that the probability of grabbing the gun improperly is a higher risk than your shirt getting caught, but it also depends on what kind of shirts you wear when carrying, where you carry on your body, and how often you practice your draw skills.
It is a Massive Improvement
Overall the NDZ Performance Magazine Lip is a huge improvement to the ergonomics of the Smith & Wesson Shield.
It is perfect for carry and quick draw applications and I also think the grip is a lot more comfortable and forgiving on the snappy recoil of a tiny pistol.
Try it for yourself, buy it here!Â
