Tricking Out Guns - Upgrading the Gen1 M&P Shield

One of my carry options has been the M&P Shield 9 with thumb safety for the last few years. While I've been thinking about making changes to the Shield, for the most part I've left it stock with the exception of Talon grips. That said, since I've been on a Tom Clancy, Jack Ryan series kick, I decided to make a few changes.

In the series, Jack Ryan's oldest son, Jack Jr., works for an off-the-books, private intelligence firm referred to as The Campus. Several of the operators of The Campus carry the M&P Shield for their more clandestine actions.

The changes I've made are the basic changes that I make to all my carry guns; tritium iron sights and a weapon light. In this case, I've foregone my usual TRUGLO TFX's for a set of Trijicon HD's with the yellow outline. The Streamlight TLR-6 will serve as the light. However, I have an additional change for kicks and giggles; a Lone Wolf Distributors AlphaWolf threaded barrel.You know, for wet work.

I'll be running the stock barrel most of the time but I am very interested to see how this all works with the DeadAir Wolf 9SD especially in the short config. This is going to be fun.

As for holsters, Gearcraft Holsters has an order for their IWB with all the goodies for my gun I can expect to be delivered in June or July.

And yes I am excited for the Amazon Jack Ryan series.

Update: I had recoil spring / guide rod failure in June. I went to swap out the threaded barrel and the assembly spontaneously self-dissembled. I was able to locate the 2 guide rod pieces and the springs  and manually reassemble the gun but it was a giant pain.I ordered 2 replacement spring assemblies.

#smithandwesson #mp #shield #9mm #lonewolfdistributors #threadedbarrel #trijicon night sights #streamlight #tlr6 #talongrips #sig V-Crown 124 gr #gunsofinstagram #thepewpewlife #concealedcarry #guns #pewpewlife

A post shared by Ian Kocher (@der.yetti) on May 27, 2018 at 5:59pm PDT

#007 really should upgrade. The #Walther #ppk is great but a single stack #9mm like the #smithandwesson #shield with a #lonewolfdistributors #threadedbarrel and a #streamlight #tlr6 is the business. I’d love to have a #PPSm2 with a threaded barrel. #deadairsilencers #2a #nfa #suppressor #freedom #pewpewlife #secondamendment #silencer #gunsofinstagram #thepewpewlife

A post shared by Ian Kocher (@der.yetti) on May 26, 2018 at 3:19pm PDT

#trickedoutgun #smithandwesson #mpshield #9m

A post shared by Ian Kocher (@der.yetti) on May 31, 2018 at 8:25am PDT

The importance of maintenance. Today my #shield recoil spring assembly spontaneously and rapidly disassembled itself while changing barrels. #mp9 #smithandwesson #gunsofinstagram #guns #ccw #pewpewlife #thepewpewlife

A post shared by Ian Kocher (@der.yetti) on Jun 22, 2018 at 4:34pm PDT

CZ 75 P-01 - 2 Years of Service

I've had the CZ P-01 for over 2 years now. It's been my primary carry gun for the most part during that time. I'm still going through holsters and made a few changes to the pistol and the way I carry it but it's continued to be fantastic. Some days I swap out for another pistol such as the P-10c or M&P9 Shield but I almost always end up going back to the P-01.

The pistol's current form is wearing a set of tritium fiber optic TruGlo TFX Pro iron sights and an Inforce APL-c. This seriously limits my selection of holsters to custom made deals but given that I spend half my year on night shift, it makes sense to have a white light to illuminate the dark corners of the world.

I've also switched my carry method to inside the waistband for day-to-day. The latest holster I'm using is the Gearcraft Holsters IWB made here in Georgia. It isn't the worst option but after several months of use, I've found issue with the canted clip mounting in combination with the belt clip design tends to leave the holster loose and on a few occasions, the holster came with the pistol on draw. It's a well made holster but I wish they had the option to change the cant. Update: It turn's out one of the holes is elongated to allow for adjusting cant. This are great holsters but I still wish they had a tuckable option for my setup.

I have no idea how many rounds I have through the gun. It's not a huge number but should be around 1,500 to 2,000 or more. I've shot just about everything FMJ wise that's immediately available and have had very few issues.

The only real complaints I have are my lack of skill with the double action trigger pull and the rubber coated base plate of the magazine has a sharp corner that pokes my fatty sides becoming painful after a while when carrying the spare magazine on the same side.

I need to spend more time with the pistol but CZ has solidified the P-01's position in my carry rotation as a primary, go-to option.

Gear Craft Industries IWB for the CZ P01 with Inforce APLc. #ccw #carrygun #thepewpewlife #cz #p01 #9mm #freedom #pewpewlife #gearcraft #gearcraftholsters #nsn #2a

A post shared by Ian Kocher (@der.yetti) on Jan 19, 2018 at 5:20am PST

My #EDC a #CZ #P01 #inforce #aplc #9mm #freedom #pewpew #2a #carrygun #gearcraftholsters #ford #mustang #thepewpewlife #gunsofinstagram #pewpewlife

A post shared by Ian Kocher (@der.yetti) on Jan 20, 2018 at 7:24am PST

SIG P365 - Quaint.

On Monday, SIG announced their latest entry into the concealed carry market; the SIG P365. Immediately, while laying in bed, I figured they named it to reflect some sort of carry gun you'd carry 365 days a year. Quaint marketing, SIG. That said, it doesn't appear to be all gimmicks.

It's basically targeting the single stack 9 market like the Shield and G43 but with a double-stack magazine giving it 10 rounds over the other two's single digit capacities.

This should turn out to be an interesting addition and I look forward to taking a look at one.

I guess the only real question is, does it take Glock mags?

Merry Christmas my fellow Humans or whatever.

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays, or if you don't care, have a nice weekend. This has been a crazy year for me but a good year, all in all. Don't forget to reflect on the positives that happened this year, folks.

Please be safe out there and enjoy your time if you can.

May your gun be with you always and your phone hold a good charge.