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Smith & Wesson’s Ported Power Pair

By Will Dabbs, MD

Uncommon C.O.R.E Smith & Wesson’s M&P9 Ported

Horace Smith and Daniel Wesson joined forces in 1852 to produce the lever-action Volcanic rifle, itself designed around Walter Hunt’s Rocket Ball cartridge. In 1856 Smith and Wesson allied themselves with Rollin White, the father of the bored-through cylinder, and started churning out handguns. Now after 1.5 centuries S&W’s penchant for designing superb pistols has reached critical mass with the M&P9 Ported C.O.R.E. (Competition Optics Ready Equipment), arguably the world’s best tool for launching 9mm rounds downrange. This pistol redefines the state of the art.

The heart of the C.O.R.E. is the S&W M&P (Military & Police) sporting a robust polymer frame, blackened stainless slide, striker-fired action, (which proved to be monotonously reliable), and a bewildering array of automatic onboard safety systems. The M&P also delivers a 1911-style grip-to-frame angle nicely suited to corn-fed American gunmen who cut their teeth on Mr. Browning’s centenarian 1911.

Using the standard M&P as a foundation, the Ported C.O.R.E. incorporates a pair of dorsal slots in the barrel corresponding with vents in the slide to counteract muzzle flip. The slide is cut to accept six different miniaturized electronic sighting options. An array of mounting plates to accommodate all this variegated glass comes with the gun. As miniaturized electronics can now facilitate glowing optical sights small enough to mount on a handgun’s slide without adversely affecting function or markedly increasing bulk, the C.O.R.E. embraces the concept.

The trigger on the M&P9 C.O.R.E. has an adjustable over-travel stop, allowing
you to fine tune where the trigger stops. Photos: Joseph R. Novelozo

The fixed steel sights are elevated to allow them to remain visible within the optical field of an electronic sight or facilitate serious use with a sound suppressor in place. The tricked-out piece I bought also includes a threaded barrel that readily interchanges with the ported version. An adjustable over-travel stop allows the shooter to fine tune the trigger’s personality. The trigger incorporates a pivoting safety component in its tip that leaves the weapon inert until you are ready to fire.

The GEMTECH GM9 G-core suppressor is a monocore design wherein the heart of the can is cut from a solid bar of 7075 aluminum. The GM9 includes an onboard L.I.D. (Linear Inertial Decoupler) to ensure reliable service with the can in place. The simple threaded tube is the mystical part necessitating all the waiting, fingerprinting and transfer taxes. The GM9 is compact enough so as not to hinder tactical movement yet calms the racket down sufficiently to allow effective communication if employed indoors.

Heavy 147-grain rounds are naturally subsonic and make for friendlier suppressor food. Most everybody produces them but Winchester’s Train & Defend line makes for a great combo. Train versions are relatively inexpensive FMJ ball rounds ballistically identical to the Defend hollowpoint versions. Pack the Defend sort for social use and burn the Train versions on the range.

The M&P9 Ported C.O.R.E. is the thoroughbred of modern polymer 9mm pistols. With the ported tube in place muzzle flip is noticeably tamer and follow-on shots much faster than is the case with a comparable unvented gun. I’ve got long fingers so the large palm swell grip puts the end of my index finger at just the right spot on the trigger for ballistic synergy. My stubby-mitted comrades are readily accommodated with the two included smaller grip options. The tight adjustable striker-fired trigger makes for snappy double taps. The enhanced palm swell inserts sport the perfect combination of aggressive stippling and comfortable rubber for firm purchase without undue abrasion.

Swap out the ported barrel for the threaded tube and screw on the can and I defy you not to hum the James Bond theme absentmindedly while you are busy ringing steel. I’m old and ugly, and running the tricked out C.O.R.E. made me feel young, suave, and dangerous again.

The resulting package is lightweight, fun to run, and cool looking to boot. We burned through scads of bullets both with the suppressor and without and the S&W M&P9 C.O.R.E. never hiccupped. As a suppressor host, the C.O.R.E. makes for arguably the perfect covert package. The extra weight is comfortable without becoming burdensome.

With the ported barrel in place the gun runs fast and shoots straight. The slots cut in the top of the frame accommodate the effective barrel porting system when installed and make the gun look like something out of the latest Star Wars movie. Magazines hold 17 rounds and drop away cleanly for delightfully smooth magazine changes.

Here is a typical pair of 5-shot 20-yard groups fired from a rest.
The headshots are through the ported barrel while the chest group
was printed with the GEMTECH GM9 suppressor installed. There is
minimal point of impact shift and the guns runs like a champ both
with the can and without.

With the ported barrel installed the S&W C.O.R.E. handily
tames muzzle flip. Lightweight and imminently controllable
with a simply splendid striker-fired trigger, the C.O.R.E.
is a fun gun to run.

Grand Scheme

There are indeed literally countless ways to throw 9mm rounds downrange these days. Old steel guns can be alluring and their most modern mass-produced plastic counterparts can be cheap. However, if you are looking for a versatile and effective family of guns offering models that will be all things to all shooters while still fitting into a single compact box then look no further than the S&W M&P9 C.O.R.E.

Stripped down and sporting iron sights, the C.O.R.E. runs smoother and better than your stock service pistol. A proper IWB (Inside the Waistband) holster will pack the gun effectively and covertly beneath an untucked shirt. With a nice bit of electrified glass installed the platform competes with the newest customized race guns. Hang a can on the muzzle and you are set to infiltrate behind enemy lines to rescue a lonely Swedish supermodel. If you found you wanted to distill your handgun collection down to a single versatile utility pistol, this would be it.

Smith & Wesson is a household name in the American shooting world for a reason. The build undeniably great guns and the new C.O.R.E. is the very pinnacle of their tactical offerings. Several companies now offer versions of their flagship handguns configured to take optical sights and a can. The S&W C.O.R.E. is lighter than most and utterly effective while remaining the least expensive of the lot. With two barrels and a can the gun really does offer everything the discriminating gunman might need, all in a single racy package.

GEMTECH, P.O. Box 140618,
Boise, ID 83714, (208) 939-7222
//gunsmagazine.com/company/gemtech/

Let US Count The Ways

How many ways could there be to throw 9mm bullets downrange? Herr Luger’s eponymous pistol didn’t fare too badly back in 1902 when Deutsche Waffen und Munitionsfabriken (DWM) started producing the zippy little rounds in the first place. However, in the intervening century the field of options has grown mighty broad.

John Moses Browning’s P35 Hi-Power made a splash. The single action trigger is Old World awesome and the 13-round magazine offered a truly heady capacity for its day. The P35 was cut from big blocks of ordnance steel yet still managed to pull off a lithe, almost sensual vibe. The Walther P38 marked the transition between martial object d’art and industrial engine of war, offering such revolutionary features as a double action/single action trigger, a hammer-drop safety, and a loaded chamber indicator. Then a certain eccentric Austrian had the idea to build a gun out of plastic and the word GLOCK became as deeply entrenched within the English lexicon as is Microsoft or Coke.

Nowadays everybody makes guns out of polymer and the challenge is not being the first anymore. The quest is to be the best. The S&W M&P C.O.R.E. is certainly in the running to win, place or show.

The SHIELD (left) is shorter and more compact than its big brother M&P9
and does not have a rail underneath. Both share many other features such
as porting, and the ported barrel is installed on the M&P9 here.
Photo: Joseph R. Novelozo

The full-size M&P9 (above, left gun) has a much higher front and rear sight
for use with the included suppressor-ready threaded, unported barrel.
The rear sight of the M&P9 is also much higher to match the front,
and is of the 3-dot variety.

The SHIELD (above, right) comes with Hi-Viz sights from the factory.
The SHIELD has contrasting red Hi-Viz rear sight. The sights are very
clear in almost any level of light. Photos: Joseph R. Novelozo.

New Carry King

Performance Center Shield

By John Connor

On December 1, 2015, shortly after I received test samples of their new Performance Center ported SHIELD pistols, Smith & Wesson issued a surprising press release: They had just shipped their 1 millionth SHIELD. Think about that for a moment. One million SHIELDs. Not “planned,” “ordered,” or “in the pipeline,” but shipped. I know Smith & Wesson serves a global market, but let’s put that in context with the United States. Our current population is about 320 million people. That would be one SHIELD for every 320 Americans. And this little pistol has only been on the market since mid-2012. Surprised now?

The sheer numbers may be surprising but the SHIELD’s popularity is not. I received one from the first wave of production and reviewed it in the March 2013 issue. In that evaluation I called it “The Goldilocks Gun,” because it’s not too small, not too large, but just right. In my XXL hands, if it were any smaller or lighter, it would likely be difficult to point and control, and recoil might be decidedly unpleasant. If any larger and heavier, it wouldn’t carry so comfortably or conceal so easily.

Since then I’ve also found the dimensions and ergonomics provide an excellent fit for an unusually wide range of hand sizes and finger lengths. It really is an exceptionally “people-pleasing” pistol in all its size-and-shape aspects, as well as in reliability, accuracy and ease of maintenance. That doesn’t happen by accident, or result from a clutch of nervous executives bleating “We need a new subcompact pistol design! Make one! Get it to market, yesterday!” No, it’s the result of thoughtful design and execution.

A few more observations: Especially considering their numbers and relative newness, in the online forums there is a notable absence of user complaints or even casual criticism. Also, I just searched two big national gun broker sites for used SHIELD pistols for sale. One site had 13 listed, the other had none. What does all this tell me?
Overwhelmingly, SHIELD owners are quietly, perhaps a little smugly, satisfied—and they’re holding on to them. I’m one of those people.

So much has been written about the SHIELD and its mechanically similar siblings in the M&P pistol family—including, by me—I won’t go into all the mech-and-tech specs. Let’s talk about what’s new and different.

The SHIELD trigger is more conventional, but has been improved and is
smoother in this current version. Both triggers pivot prior to start the
pull to release the trigger block feature. Photos: Joseph R. Novelozo

Easily seen, the two most visible changes are the Hi-Viz fiber-optic “LitePipe” sights and the two rows of oblong slots in the slide. In any condition brighter than pitch darkness, those fiber optic sights are a fine improvement. As soon as I had paid Smith & Wesson for my original test SHIELD, I installed a set of Hi-Viz green LitePipe sights on it. Smith & Wesson opted for red pipes in the rear sight and bright green in the front—an excellent choice for both speed and precision.

The oblong slide slots number three per side, set at 2 and 10 o’clock. The forward pair of slots are functioning gas exhaust ports. Peep down through them and you’ll see they align with a pair of smaller oblong slots in the barrel, also positioned at 2 and 10 o’clock about a 1/2-inch behind the muzzle. Their seemingly diminutive size and placement reflect the evolution of gas port technology.

Not so long ago gas ports were either big holes drilled in the tops of slides and barrels, or lateral trenches looking like they were cut with a fat hacksaw. Both spewed huge gouts of hot gasses and vision-killing flames in low light. Time, study and science showed smaller ports at V-angles were far more efficient at damping muzzle flip, and much kinder to the shooter’s night vision.

Looking closely it seems the textured areas of the frame are a little more pronounced, still enhancing your grip without being so aggressive as to abrade skin or fabric. But for me, the best improvements are inside the ported SHIELD. The data short-sheet I first received said simply “enhanced trigger.” That was an understatement. Both the standard trigger sear and striker plunger are replaced with Performance Center parts, plus, I suspect, complemented by some gentle kiss-and-tickle work by Smith’s best gunsmiths to produce a significantly improved trigger pull and a faster, more certain re-set.

Examining my standard SHIELD and the Performance Center ported model fieldstripped side by side, the only difference I could see was in their striker plungers. The visible end of mine is rather sharp and squared, where the Performance Center part is radiused around the circumference and nicely polished. But oh, what a difference in the hand! Trigger pull weight is about 7 pounds, length of pull and re-set are consistent between the two, but the ported SHIELD’s pull is significantly smoother, the break cleaner and the re-set far more crisp, tactile and even audible.

Winchester Defend and Hornady Critical Duty ammo both performed superbly.
Shown are rapid fire 9-shot groups from seven yards.

Cousin MacKenzie gladly assisted with test shooting. Look close and
you’ll see those bright HI-VIZ fiber optic sights.

The Performance Center’s goals were to reduce felt recoil while delivering improved muzzle control, speed and accuracy—and they did it. For me, the proof was on the targets and the timer.

Shooting 2-handed and rested, 5-round groups at 10 yards were roughly consistent between my standard SHIELD and the new ported model. Where they differed, the ported SHIELD’s groups were only tenths of an inch smaller on average; probably the product of a cleaner trigger break. The real improvements appear when you simulate defensive shooting, emptying their 7+1 and 8+1 magazines rapidly cadenced about one shot per second and the ported SHIELD really shone when doing so 1-handed. With the ported SHIELD I also shaved a full second or more on elapsed times.

For example, 2-handed at 7 yards firing 9 shots in just under 10 seconds, one group measured 1.625 inches high by 1.875 inches wide using Hornady Critical Duty 135-grain FlexLock. A similar drill using 147-grain Winchester Defend JHP’s left 7 out of 9 rounds touching, measuring 1.625 inches high by 0.75 inch wide. Two fliers opened that group up to 2.125 inches high by 2.375 inches wide. Overall, 1-handed rapid-fire groups with the ported SHIELD were about 25 to 30 percent smaller than groups shot with my standard SHIELD—and a shade faster. Is that pudding proof enough?

Reliability can be summed up thusly: I had one failure to feed fully into battery from the first magazine load—period. In all-angles all-holds testing I fired 200 rounds of 147-grain Winchester Train (a perfect match for their Defend loads). Those and the Hornady Critical Duty ammo shot straight and functioned flawlessly.

It wasn’t long after the first ported full-size M&P pistols appeared that users began demanding ported SHIELDs too. Smith & Wesson has delivered them and more. There are now 16 variants of the SHIELD to choose from, and this Performance Center Ported SHIELD certainly earns a top slot in that lineup. All that’s left is for you to try one!

M&P9 C.O.R.E. and SHIELD

Maker: Smith & Wesson, 2100 Roosevelt Avenue
Springfield, MA 01104, (800) 331-0852,
//gunsmagazine.com/company/smith-wesson/

Gun:	M&P9 Ported C.O.R.E.	M&P9 SHIELD Ported
Action Type:	Striker-fired semi-auto	Striker-fired semi-auto
Caliber:	9mm	9mm
Capacity:	17+1	8+1, 7+1
Barrel Length:	4.25 inches	3.1 inches
Overall Length:	7.5 inches	6.1 inches
Weight:	23.5 ounces	19 ounces
Finish (Slide):	Black	Black
Sights:	Fixed 3-dot	Fixed Hi-Viz fiber optic
Grips:	Polymer, 3 interchangeable palm swells	Polymer
Price:	$895	$519