The Plan B for the S&W M&P Shield was designed to deal with a specific set of problems that arise from the sleeve on the extended magazine for both he 9mm and .40 S&W Shield.
The first problem that becomes apparent to people is that the sleeve on the extended magazine is intended to be held in place by friction alone. When it comes to casual range use, the part works just fine, however, the Shield isn’t intended to be used as a range gun. Instead, the M&P Shield is a concealed carry handgun. That means it needs to perform like a concealed carry handgun.
When the extended magazine is carried as a spare magazine as intended, the friction of the sleeve proves to be inadequate in keeping the sleeve where it belongs. This could be a problem and the sleeve could slide out of place during carry in a pocket or in a magazine pouch.
If the sleeve isn’t where it is supposed to be you may find that:
- The sleeve could interfere with a smooth reload.
- The sleeve could make gripping the magazine consistently during the reload difficult.
- The out of place sleeve provides two possible points where the flesh of the hand can be pinched while reloading.
This alleviates the issue of sleeve movement while the magazine is being carried inverted in a vertical magazine pouch, which is a common issue with the OEM magazine’s sleeve. Keeping the magazine extension sleeve where it belongs, in place, ensures a faster and less problematic reload and with no pinched skin on the heel of the hand when reloading the handgun.
The design of the Plan B for the S&W Shield utilizes a unique tongue and groove system that mates the base pad and the magazine extension sleeve. This tongue and groove system makes it impossible for the magazine extension sleeve just slide up on the magazine.
By eliminating the ability of the sleeve on the Shield’s extended magazine to move we have eliminated the the issues that come along with sleeve movement while the magazine is being carried inverted in a vertical magazine pouch or in a pocket.
The result is exactly what you would expect from a quality product intentionally designed for concealed carry:
Because the Plan B keeps the magazine extension sleeve where it belongs, in place, ensures a faster and less problematic reload and with a reduced chance of pinched skin on the heel of the hand when reloading the handgun. Most importantly, you have an increased confidence in the defensive handgun you trust your life to!