A novice shooter practices with her carry pistol, M&P Shield. My impression of the Shield has been quite positive — it’s accurate, has a good trigger, low felt recoil and muzzle rise, well designed magazines. No malfunctions over about 400 rounds so far. Magazines do have to be seated quite firmly when full.
How does it compare, in size and handling, to the PF9?
“Magazines do have to be seated quite firmly when full.”
I’ve seen that before. I wonder how much of that problem is political, in that to comply to legal limits on round count, a magazine has to make it IMPOSSIBLE to stuff in an extra round.
Or it could be simply the space limitation. The Glock 20 mags take what I deem to be a stupid amount of pressure to seat when full, with the slide forward. I’ve taken to carrying spare mags downloaded by one for that reason.
If you have a lot of extra space (AK magazines come to mind – their hollow followers are quite tall) then the difference in follower pressure from full to empty is not nearly so great (note also that AKs are necessarily reloaded with the bolt forward). A leap of some kind in spring technology or design may be in order, so as to get more rounds in a small space without the usual, gigantic pressure difference.
Just to be very clear; what we’re talking about of course is the “tactical reload” (swapping a partially depleted mag for a full one). Otherwise the pistol is in slide-lock and the issue does not present itself. A casual range shooter might go several shooting sessions and never face it.
Or maybe I have it all wrong?
With some AR magazines it is practically mpossible to lock the full mag in place in America’s favorite rifle with the bolt forward. Never mind the spring; the follower bottoms out against the floorplate before the mag catch finds the latch hole.
Magazines do have to be seated quite firmly when full.
Same is true of my Glock 30.
The solution in handgun magazines is to add to the height of the magazine. In a concealed carry handgun this is a tradeoff between an extra bit of concealability and ease of tactical reloading.
In firearms everything is a compromise.