Been busy, reloading bench made and a few changes in my inventory

Hey all, it's been a busy month since I last posted.  The reloading bench and the associated sundries have arrived.  The bench itself is made (and already a mess, LOL) and the 8ft bench has been returned.  I've already determined the 6ft bench with the backwall/pegboard isn't stable enough to keep the press as still as I'd like, so I'm coming up with a plan B.

I was planning on picking up an XD slim in .45ACP when it was released (which was originally slated for March), but plans have changed, it seems.  As I write this I have the new Smith and Wesson M&P Shield in 9mm sitting on the desk in front of me.  It's a slick little firearm and there's a ton of great touches put in place by the designers.

I haven't had the time to take it out to the range, yet, but I only just picked it up this very afternoon.  Once my buddy gets back from his 3-gun match in Austin, I'll take it out to his range and post up my thoughts on how it shoots.  I'll post up a quick open box review along with a smattering of pics to tide everyone over in short order.  Until then, here's a pic:

In other news, I've received my order from Palmetto State Armory and aside from a slight hiccup with my order (nothing critical) I'm pretty satisfied with the price, service and delivery time.  The order contained everything I needed to complete a stripped lower and turn it into a pistol AR15.  Also included was a 10.5" upper with a 1:7 twist barrel and some Magpul upgrades.  Again, a pic will serve as a much better example than my incessant rambling.  I'll just finish up with this - the AR's final destination will be a suppressed SBR for home defense.  Badguys beware!  LOL.