MG Arms She Devil – Not a devil to shoot!
Frances’ enormous grin spoke volumes, with her “I love this pistol!!” leaving nothing for the imagination. The smoke from the fired cartridges was yet to clear from my wife’s first try with Kerry and Carol O’Day’s newest addition to their MG Arms handgun line.
Reworked S&W Shield
Engineered for folks with smaller frames and thus weighing less, the so-called She Devil was a Smith & Wesson Shield that had gone through the stereotypical MG Arms skeletonization and other work leading to an overall reduction in weight. Speaking of weight, at 22.5 ounces empty and only four ounces heavier with the magazine filled with eight rounds and one in the chamber, the 9mm Luger She Devil felt feather light compared to my standard carry weapon, a Kimber Pro Carry II 1911 in .45 ACP (at 33.5 ounces fully-loaded). On the other hand, if my Kimber ever acts like some 1911s and misfeeds, I could beat the bad guys to death with it; not an option with the diminutive She Devil.
OK, enough joking around. How did the She Devil perform on the range? Or, to ask it another way, why did Frances love shooting this pistol? Multiple factors contributed to the pleasure of reviewing this pistol. The first relates to the weight. At 1 1/3rd pounds fully loaded, Frances and I found the pistol easy to hold at full-arm extension. Particularly important for those with smaller hands and arms and less upper torso mass for counterbalance, stably aiming the pistol for the time necessary to run through an entire magazine was a breeze. Frances found the recoil from the two loads provided by Hornady’s Marketing Communications Manager, Seth Swerczek, the 115-grain Critical Defense and 124-grain American Gunner, the latter of which is a +P cartridge, perfectly controllable.
Accurate and Dependable
The one negative aspect Frances found during the range workup was that the stippling on the grips, necessary for non-slippage during recoil, especially when hands are sweaty, rubbed a sore spot onto the webbing between thumb and forefinger. Addressing this is straightforward. When someone fires many rounds through the She Devil, as Frances did that day at the range, they should wear light shooting gloves. In a self-defense situation, the stippling would, of course, be an advantage.
One of the claims in the She Devil specifications sent to me by Kerry and Carol was: “Entire gun tuned & tightened for accuracy and dependability.” We found this to be an accurate statement. We had no misfeeds from the multiple boxes of both types of ammunition put through the pistol. In addition, the accuracy of the She Devil was excellent. Shown in the splash target photograph are Frances’ first three shots, a new gun in the hands of an infrequent shooter. This and smaller group sizes obtained throughout the session indicate a firearm compensating for human limitations. My groups – not shown – were close in diameter to those of Frances’. However, my wife is a much better hand gunner than I am, so her results were consistently better. I’ve come to terms with the fact that I should never challenge Frances to a gunfight involving pistols…
Another feature of the She Devil, nowadays common to many pistols, is its incorporation of Striker-fire rather than Hammer-fire. If you’re like me, you might need a refresher course in the difference between these two firing options. Comparing again my carry weapon, the Kimber 1911, versus the MG Arms She Devil, illustrates the difference. The 1911 is a Hammer-fired pistol, needing cocking, by the slide or by the shooter’s thumb before firing; the She Devil needs only the pull of the trigger. This feature means I either carry my 1911 loaded and cocked, with some barrier in between the hammer and firing pin stop plate, or un-cocked, and needing the extra time for this motion in a critical self-defense situation. I chose the former, using Galco Holsters’ MIAMI CLASSIC II SHOULDER SYSTEM with a leather strap between the hammer and stop plate (and a hard plastic stop preventing safety release). With the She Devil and its Striker Fire feature, there is no need to choose. The pistol cannot fire until the trigger pull. Speaking of trigger pull, the Custom trigger on the She Devil, set to a 4-pound pull, is incredibly smooth, aiding with accuracy and rapidity of fire.
Devils in the Details
The last feature of the She Devil I want to highlight (pun intended) are the Custom sights featuring a luminescent front view that jumps out at the shooter. This feature made reobtaining the sight picture and targeting after firing simple and fast. Frances and I found we were firing accurately and much more rapidly than with pistols (like my 1911) equipped with non-luminescent sights.
Reviewing the She Devil from MG Arms was an incredibly enjoyable and easy task. Its lightweight, smooth action and quality sights didn’t guarantee ease of handling or accuracy, but Frances and I experienced both. Likewise, some might consider the Cerakote finish and stippling and texturing of the metalwork as merely cosmetic, but we both found it appealing. After Frances turned to me with that big grin, I predicted a She Devil purchase soon. I wonder if she might let me use it occasionally as my carry weapon. It would be less physically challenging than carrying the heavy-framed 1911 I have now. Of course, as stated already, the She Devil will never be able to fulfill the role of a club.
Key Features: She Devil (Smith & Wesson Shield)
Cost: $2850.00
Caliber: 9mm
Barrel: 4-inch Match Grade Barrel
Slide: Lightened and Skeletonized
Frame: Stippled/textured frame
Trigger: Custom trigger set to 4 lbs.
Finish: Cerakote metal finish in choice of colors/patterns
Sights: Custom night sights
Extras: Striker Fire
Spare magazine
Note: The entire gun tuned & tightened for accuracy and dependability
Mike Arnold has been a life-long hunter. The Hunter’s Horn blew very early for him. From the age of five, Mike has spent months each year pursuing game animals – from quail and rabbits behind his parents’ house, to kudu and leopard in Africa, and Brocket deer in Mexico. Mike’s articles include feature pieces in Sports Afield, Hunter’s Horn, Safari Magazine, and African Hunting Gazette. Mike also produced two TEDx presentations on the topic of conservation-through-trophy-hunting. You can find links to many of his articles and his Blog here.
Mike is also a Professor and the Head of the Department of Genetics at the University of Georgia. He works in conservation biology and is the author of the 2022 book, BRINGING BACK THE LIONS: International Hunters, Local Tribespeople, and the Miraculous Rescue of a Doomed Ecosystem in Mozambique. Mike’s book is available for purchase at bringingbackthelions.com, Amazon and local bookstores.
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