New CCW: LCR or Shield

Which one do you want?

I prefer .38+p in a snub.
Personally I'd go, Shield. These slim sub-compact nines carry like a dream. Some, like the Shield, shoot good too.

So get one now and get the other down the road. They're both quality guns, and are fairly inexpensive as far as quality guns go. I'd go with the LCR first, just because I don't own a revolver yet. I'd like to pick up a J-Frame for myself someday, but there are several other priorities first... someday is gonna be a few years, I think.

FWIW, my brother has an LCR and loves it; it's his BUG when he's on duty. And I've never heard a single negative comment about the Shield. They're both solid, you can't go wrong.

The way things have been lately? I'd get whichever I could find, first.

Edit: the trigger on the LCR is amazing!

I had a LC9 for about 9 months til I could find a Shield.
"To me" the LC9 packed better IWB due to the more tapered bbl/shroud.
The trigger was not near as nice as the Shield but it's two totally different trigger systems. The LC9 trigger is a DAO system but not hard to master.
The Shield is also a great choice and shoots more like a full sized striker fired handgun. You could probably shoot it a little faster/more accurately than the LC9.

In short: LC9 has a slight edge in IWB comfort/concealment but the Shield is easier to shoot well.
It's a trade off, I will probably pick up another LC9 at some point and keep my Shield. (Shield comes with 2 magazines, the LC9 one BTW)



....sorry didn't read OP as well as I should have. Disregard unless you're considering the LC9 or Shield.....

If it's "which one first", then I say Shield. Has more pros and less cons than the LCR.

Shield

LeontheProfessional said:

What cons does the LCR have?

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Unless you're very well-practiced with a revolver, it will definitely be slower to reload than the Shield. That's a biggy.

What cons does the LCR have?

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Slower to reload, thicker, heavier, and .38/.357 is more expensive than 9.

Nothing bad about the LCR, and no design flaws... just the usual "auto vs. revolver" points.

I own the KLCR, and if I did not already have a pocket auto when I bought it, I would not have bought it. I love the KLCR, but if I could only have one it would be the shield.

Apples and oranges.

I want both. Thats the problem.

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maybe you answered it yourself

But me personally, I'd get the Shield and stick with the SP101 for revolver carry.
just my .02

I bought both but not at the same time.

LCR first, followed by the Shield.

Both are very good guns and, IMO, as good as they get in their category.

I'm a revolver guys so I would go with the revolver but I like the Shield and your choices.

If I were to carry a semi-auto it would probably be the Shield, if I could find one available somewhere. I do own a Kel-Tec P-32 for those times you need something very small but the shield is very interesting!

I too have an SP101 and got the KLCR for lighter, more compact carry and like it very much, enough so that my SP may be getting traded off. Mine wears CT grips and is the ultimate compact carry gun IMHO. Other guns maybe smaller but I've never tried one that was very "shootable", at least with any degree of comfort & accuracy. I also have the LCR22 w/ CT grips as a companion/practice piece, really like it and the combo of the two and find I can shoot them very well. The trigger on the KLCR is INCREDIBLE, and the LCR 22, while not nearly as good is very acceptable and getting better.

Massad Ayoob also makes the argument for compact revolvers for deep carry and I think he makes some good points and I certainly respect his opinion.

I've never shot or even held a Shield so I can't speak to that weapon, but the LCR's get two BIG thumbs up from me.

I actually have and carry both.

The LCR is better as the occasional drop-in-your-pocket gun because the overall weight is less and it sits in a pocket better (since the weight is concentrated more forward, whereas a loaded semiauto's weight is more rearward).

The Shield is better for virtually every other situation, and is both more powerful and easier to shoot (though the LCR is IMHO the best of the J-frame equivalents both in recoil management and trigger pull).

Curious what the LCR offers over the 442/642 (I've had a 442 for 20 years or so)? I find the LCR butt ugly although that's not a consideration for a CCW.

If I didn't have a PM9 though I'd get a Shield. I carry the PM9 over the 442 but have transitioned to an LCP recently in a pocket holster.

The LCR has a better trigger factory trigger (in my experience) and I think it weighs less than the 642/442.

The trigger can be a subjective thing, but I find a majority of people agree that the LCR has the best out of the box trigger for a J frame sized revolver out there. My wife hates revolvers but had to have an LCR when she saw one as she described it "proportional". So the looks thing is subjective too.

I like the trigger in my 442 but I can understand that many people don't (from what I've read).