The Performance Center is Smith & Wesson’s "racing team" where skilled craftsmen tune-up and modify the production guns manufactured by the Springfield-based company. Normally these are limited editions with improvements that are not only aesthetic but also and above all operational. In the case of the Ported M&P 40 Shield, the main difference with respect to the standard model is a compensation system featuring a ported barrel and slide. When firing part of the gases is deflected upward through these cuts, counteracting muzzle flip.
Smith & Wesson Performance Center Ported M&P40 Shield: technical features
Since the Ported M&P 40 Shield is in .40 Smith & Wesson, a definitely "nervous" caliber in lightweight pistols, this will no doubt be appreciated especially by those who train regularly and intensively with their service guns.
The Ported M&P 40 Shield is a semi-automatic striker-fired pistol, with a polymer frame and a stainless steel barrel and slide. Barrel is 3.1 in / 7.9 cm long. The single-stack magazine holds 6 + 1 or 7 + 1 cartridges in .40 Smith & Wesson caliber.
The pistol features an automatic safety on the trigger and a thumb safety on the frame. Trigger is enhanced by the Performance Center to guarantee a reduced pull and a smoother travel.
Other features of the brand new Ported S&W M&P 40 Shield
The take-down lever patented by Smith & Wesson allows for disassembling the gun without having to first press the trigger, eliminating one of the biggest risks associated with striker-fired pistols. It must be said that practically all the producers of striker-fired guns have aligned themselves with this technological trend. With a weight of about 500 grams it is certainly a compact and wieldy gun, easy to conceal. The HI-VIZ sights on the Ported M&P 40 Shield feature red fiber optic inserts for the back sight and green for the front sight.
The finish of the pistol is a matte black coating called Armornite. The Ported M&P 40 Shield is shipped with a standard magazine and an extended magazine holding one extra round. Although it is a Performance Center product, in the USA the Ported M&P 40 Shield gun is sold at a reasonable price 539 USD with a case and cleaning kit. Let's see if it will find the way to Europe.
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