M&P SHIELD choice

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JO JO

JO JO

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anyone shoot both the shield 9 and 40 how big is the recoil difference in this
small gun ?
I shoot mostly a G23 but am thinking of picking up a thinner / small one for an
everyday carry I shoot the 40 just fine but have not fired it an small thin gun
like the shield
 
I had both, wound up keeping the 9mm and selling the .40. I have a G23 as well, and thought the .40 Shield was noticeably livelier than the G23, or 9mm Shield. That said, it wasn't a huge difference, I just found the 9mm shield a little easier to shoot well and decided that 9mm was probably the right chambering for a light single stack for me.
 
I put a couple mags through a .40 about a year ago and just recently bought a 9mm so I can't make a very direct comparison but I do remember the .40 being snappy. Not uncomfortable but a decent amount of muzzle flip. With the 9mm I can dump a mag quickly at self defense range and keep a group the size of my palm.
I have mostly 9mm's so sticking with common ammo was my main goal but I do like how controllable it is compared to the .40 as well.
 
Same here with a bit more felt recoil and a lot more muzzle flip with the .40 over the 9mm. in the same model gun.
 
I have shot both many times and find the 9mm will recover for a second shot much faster than the .40.

Personally, I see the .40 as a fading caliber and I am positive you will see major changes in LE armament in the upcoming year.
 
thanks guys its tough to pick a subcompact thin EDC so many out there
I have looked at the Shield,G43,XDs9, the thing is I like them all so any hands
on opinions help a lot please keep them coming in and I am looking of edc suggestion not this caliber is better or fading out I am over that one :D
want to keep price at 400 / 450 range and so many of these will be on sell
for the Holiday season
Thanks all and happy thanksgiving !!
 
Buy the 9. As others have said less recoil will let you recover faster. I don't have a Shield 9 but I have a 40 C and am thinking of trading it for a 9 C because it will allow a faster recovery between shots. I am not sensitive to recoil but reality says get a 9.
 
Just to be clear, I think that the .40 S&W is an excellent, near ideal self defense cartridge in full sized pistols. From my experience with both shields, however, I think the 9mm is a better fit for compact, thin, carry pistols.
 
I think the 9mm is a great fit for a subcompact single stack. I'm thinking the .40 might beat up a small pistol if you shot it a lot. Having said that, my carry is a Glock 27, that I also shoot it in IDPA BUG division. Put me down as a fan of the .40, just not in pocket guns.
str1
 
Well, I've taken advantage of my mil-discount and originally picked up the Shield in .40 as a dedicated trail gun. It excels in that role as it provides enough grip area to control even with the more stout loads. I liked the .40 so much I decided to pick up a 9mm Shield as it is a little more controllable doing drills. The difference really isn't much and shooting side-by-side, it's a little more noticeable but still not significant.

Still, I wouldn't want to go though a couple hundred rounds with the .40 Shield whereas with the 9mm, it's less pounding. These are actually very good sub-compacts for range use...both calibers. I shoot my 9mm more, but I'll continue to train and carry the .40 Shield in my HPG Kit Bag when backpacking.

ROCK6
 
Zerodefect said:
XDS in .45 is one of my favorite single stacks. Hopefully Glock comes out with one.
Click to expand...

They did, about 15 years ago or so, the Glock 36.


I prefer 9mm in smaller guns for greater control. Really I prefer 9mm overall though, .40 seems to offer no appreciable difference and adds recoil and cost.
 
I found my Shield .40 to be unpleasant to shoot and it twisted around in my hand due to the small grip. Sold it and kept the 9mm.
 
I have not shot the 9mm in the Shield, I did buy a .40 in the Shield and love it. I think it snaps less than my duty XD. My better half wanted the .40.

I own an XDs 9mm and I love it too. I put that Talon grip on it as those XDs grips are pretty aggressive.

I don't think you can go wrong on either. 9mm is cheaper to shoot. I reload and have a pretty good supply of bullets for all my guns.

Aaron
 
Still going back and forth on the two shields they are even on sell this week $325 I do have
Lots or 40 ammo on hand as I shoot my G23 once a week most of the time , 80% of my semi Auto handgun experience has been with the 40 just never with the thin sub compacts
 
I've owned/carried/shot a 9mm Shield for about 3? years now, and have zero regerts. I have shot the 9mm & .40 cal Shields side-by-side, and I absolutely can tell a big difference. Especially with one-handed shooting. Call me a pansy, but I say F-word .40 caliber, especially in this gun...

The .40 offers less magazine capacity, much harsh-er recoil, and far slower follow-up shots. X10 when shooting one-handed...

Consider having a small child who you frequently have to carry, (I do...) and/or the possibility of carrying something - grocery bags, or whatever... Anyway, the possibility is there that you might not have both hands to put on the gun - and if/when that's the case - give me the more mild-recoiling, choice, every time...

Get the Shield in 9mm. There is no advantage to the Shield in .40 cal...
 
I have a 9mm for practice and a .40S&W. The 9mm has paid for itself in practice ammo cost savings. For the 2 or 3 mags I'd be carrying I find the difference negligible. When I shoot them side by side I notice the one less shot more than the recoil difference.

I bought a S&W 9mm barrel and some 9mm mags for my M&P40c and have a nice dual caliber setup. I've heard this can be done with the Shield 40 as well (my 9mm barrel fits my 40 fine, but I've not actually shot this configuration) and I don't know about the availability of Shield replacement barrels -- my 9c barrel was like $65 from Brownell's or Midway (I forget which).
 
wally said:
I have a 9mm for practice and a .40S&W. The 9mm has paid for itself in practice ammo cost savings. For the 2 or 3 mags I'd be carrying I find the difference negligible. When I shoot them side by side I notice the one less shot more than the recoil difference.

I bought a S&W 9mm barrel and some 9mm mags for my M&P40c and have a nice dual caliber setup. I've heard this can be done with the Shield 40 as well (my 9mm barrel fits my 40 fine, but I've not actually shot this configuration) and I don't know about the availability of Shield replacement barrels -- my 9c barrel was like $65 from Brownell's or Midway (I forget which).
Click to expand...
Did you buy a 9C conversion barrel or just a std 9C replacement barrel? I checked with Brownells and they said I needed to buy the conversion barrel and the standard barrel wouldn't function properly. The conversion barrel is more expensive than a normal replacement. I too want to be able to use my 40C in 9.
 
Last edited:
I just fired 50 rounds (180gr American Eagle) through a rented .40 and managed to keep the majority of the rounds in the head and chest at about 20 feet. It was a bit snappy but definitely manageable, I liked it. I didn't shoot the 9.

I think I did pretty good and with some practice I could do much better, I haven't been shooting in about 6 months. I need to get to the range more often.

I had been shopping for a CZ 2075 RAMI and rented the M&P on a whim, it was second on my list. I don't think for the dough you can beat it, I am on my way to another LGS to buy it this afternoon.

Note to self... keep some stuff in the car. After lane fee, 100 round box of only ammo they had, eyes, ears, and target, a 1/2 hour on the range cost me $72. But at least I know I can shoot it.
 
well i bought the shield 9 today , went with the 9 so my wife and kid can get
comfortable with it as well , I figured if I got the 40 they would not want to shoot it and want this to be family friendly :D
 
Good call. I carry an issued 40 every day at work, but a shield 9 off duty. That extra round, fast follow up shots, and dead nuts reliability have me sold on the 9 for a baby pistola. Be sure and research what rounds will expand out of the 3" barrel, a lot won't. Federal 124g HST does well and is what I carry.
 
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