919-388-1991
At the 2012 NRA show, Smith & Wesson introduced the M&P Shield in 9mm and .40 S&W. The Shield is a subcompact single-stacked magazine variant of the M&P line. The pistol was an immediate success, selling out at gun stores all over the country in a matter of days. In 2012, the single stack sub-compact 9mm pistol was all the rage for many concealed carry permit holders.
Following the on the success of the very popular M&P full size and M&P compact models, the Shield has roughly the same silhouette as the M&P Compact but is considerably thinner at less than 1-inch in width. This smaller stature is very appealing to many people who carry a pistol for personal protection all day long. Many people were willing to make the magazine capacity trade off (12 rounds in the M&P Compact vs 8 in the Shield) in exchange for a thinner profile and less weight. The new pistol also featured an improved trigger with a positive reset, a feature many feel is lacking from the original M&P models.
The Shield was a huge success for Smith and Wesson, selling as fast as they could be produced and shipped to dealers. It was not uncommon to see waiting lists at gun shops for the pistol. Even four years later, supply can sometimes still be tight a various times cementing the popularity of this little pistol in the CCW rotation of many.
Due to its popularity, the Shield enjoys a large selection of aftermarket accessories. It is not difficult to find night sights, fiber optic sights, lasers, new fire control components, and holsters to help you accessories your personal M&P Shield to your own likes and needs.
The Shield was first introduced in 9mm and .40 S&W, and included a manual thumb safety (as seen in the picture above). Soon after the introduction, models without the safety were introduced as well. Holster fit is not affected by the presence or absence of the manual safety.
Here a couple of the more common questions that we’ve seen regarding holsters for the M&P Shield models:
No, it does not. The M&P Compact is a double stack pistol and is wider than the Shield, so they can not fit in the same holster. (We get this question a lot, as people believe the Shield and the M&P Compact are the same pistol, they are NOT.)
To be honest, there really is not a "best M&P Shield holster" because best is all based on one's opinion. Ask 10 M&P shield owners what the "best" holster is, and you'll most likely get 10 different answers. Rather that ask the what's the best holster question, we always suggest that you ask yourself the following questions when choosing a holster:
Once you've starting thinking about and answering those question, then choose the best holster for your specific needs.
First any of the holster models listed below are made in a version to fit the M&P Shield in a 9mm or .40 caliber, so any OWB holster listed below would potentially meet your needs. Our top selling M&P Shield OWB holster models are as follows:
Yes, as MTR Custom Leather offers M&P Shield holster models to fit the Shield with many of the popular lights and lasers attached. For more information on M&P Shield holster models with a Crimson Trace Laserguard laser (red or green) attached visit this page. If you are shopping for an M&P Shield with a LaserMax CenterFire laser attached, please visit this page. Please feel free to call us (919.388.1991) to discuss your particular needs.
Given its small size, the Shield lends itself well to both inside the waistband (IWB) and outside the waistband (OWB) carry. The choice is up to the individual’s preferences, physical needs, and experience. Some of our most popular options are the MTR Adversary Clip-on IWB, the MTR Belt Slide, the Don Hume JIT, and the Don Hume H715MWC.
MTR Custom does offer M and P Shield holster models to fit the Performance Center Ported Shield models.
First we would need to know the caliber of your M&P Shield as the 9/40 models fit into one series of holsters while the larger .45 caliber versions fit into a different series of holsters. Typically when customers ask about "concealed carry holsters", they are usually asking about IWB models, so for the sake of answering this question, we'll assume you mean an IWB holster. Rather than repeat some of what we've already mentioned on this page, we'd ask you to check out the Shield IWB question below as we list our top selling IWB holsters for the M&P shield series.
Unfortunately, it won't. The M&P Shield in 45 ACP is slightly larger and wider than the 9/40 version so it won't fit in a holster made for the standard Shield. The 45 caliber version requires it's own fit and holster for that Shield model can be seen here: S&W M&P Shield 45 Holsters.
No, the thumb safety on the Shields is fairly small and rides very close to the frame. As such, Shield models with a thumb safety fit into a holster made for for the non-safety versions just fine.
Our top selling M&P Shield IWB holster models are these (in no particular order):
The 9mm version of the Shield has been a more popular seller than the .40 caliber version, which is probably one of the reasons that you see more holsters marketed to fit the 9mm version. In truth, the M&P Shield in 9mm and .40 caliber are nearly the exact same size, so most holster makers put the .40 caliber version of the Shield into the same holster made for the 9mm version. That's why you tend to see holsters listed as fitting the "S&W M&P Shield 9/40", with the 9/40 meaning both the 9mm version and the .40 caliber version. So, to answer your question, any of the holsters listed below are available in a version to fit the S&W M&P Shield in .40 caliber.
Be glad to. Try as we might, we simply cannot take pictures of every holster made for every handgun and then display them all on a page. It just isn't feasible. So we use sample pictures to give you an idea of what each holster looks like. All the images of holsters shown below are sample pics of each holster, and may or may not be an actual picture of that specific holster model in a version to fit a S&W M&P Shield. However, each of the holster models shown below comes in a version designed specifically to fit the M&P shield in either 9mm or .40 caliber. If you have an interest in actual seeing pics of a specific holster in a specific color made to fit the Shield, contact us, and we'll be glad to see if we can help.
Any of the holster models displayed below are available in a version to fit the M&P Shield in 9mm or .40 caliber.