Is this sound rational behind going with the Shield .40?

tjkober · May 17, 2012

Hi Folks, first post

I've been rolling around for 2 weeks about going with the Shield 9 mm vs. the Shield .40 and my LGS as a .40 in stock

so it's decision time.

I've never shot a .40 and hear all the warnings about the muzzle flip, slower follow up shots, less capacity (than 9mm) yet I have a 9mm and am still drawn to the all around versatility the .40 offers. It seems like a good compromise between velocity, penetration, capacity and cost when comparing the top 3 calibers.

So I want to give it a try but do have reservations (no ranges near me have rental pistols btw). Is it sound thinking for worst case scenario me hating the round and being able to buy a $100ish 9mm conversion barrel and a 9mm magazine and for $130 being able to change my mind?

Very few youtube .40 range videos up and I'm hoping for some first hand thoughts on the .40's snappiness and the potential conversion idea.

RussC · May 17, 2012

If you are ok paying $18 vs $10 for a box of Target ammo go for it.

I enjoy shooting so the 9mm makes more sense for me.

I can get 1/2 my pinkie on the flush magazine. It is a big deal shooting a 40 getting the pinkie on the grip. If you can get that pinkie finger on the grip and increase cost for ammo is a non issue go for it.

Russ

tjkober · May 17, 2012

RussC said:
If you are ok paying $18 vs $10 for a box of Target ammo go for it.

I enjoy shooting so the 9mm makes more sense for me.

I can get 1/2 my pinkie on the flush magazine. It is a big deal shooting a 40 getting the pinkie on the grip. If you can get that pinkie finger on the grip and increase cost for ammo is a non issue go for it.

Russ

Those are great points Russ. I do enjoy shooting, I'm a new shooter and understand that there is no substitute for range time with your carry weapon (taking my CCW soon) so ammo cost will be a big factor. The pinkie talk makes me think the .40 round is as much of a handful as I've heard.

rowabi · May 17, 2012

If you want the extra oompf of the .40, go for it...A little more expensive to practice with. Whatever you get, practice with it...A hit with a 9mm is better than a miss with a bazooka...just say'n...

Armed Babysitter · May 17, 2012

The .40 can be a handful depending on which weapon it is, however, I've never seen any micro or subcompact .40's that weren't an absolute handful.

You're a new shooter, 9mm is perfectly capable of filling self defense roles, and the savings in ammo cost will be substantial and will allow more range time and will be easier to master the fundamentals.

I'm not a beginner with handguns, and I have no shame in telling people that the 9mm is the perfect chambering for me and my needs. I did the .40 for a while, but didn't feel like the miniscule gain in balistics made up for the extra cost.

Good luck.

RussC · May 17, 2012

tjkober said:
Those are great points Russ. I do enjoy shooting, I'm a new shooter and understand that there is no substitute for range time with your carry weapon (taking my CCW soon) so ammo cost will be a big factor. The pinkie talk makes me think the .40 round is as much of a handful as I've heard.

tjkober:

Click on link below

I carry Speer Gold Dot 124 grain +p jhp short barrel.

The ballistics on modern 9mm ammo like Gold Dot 124 grain +P is not your grandma's ammo. It will more than take care of business. One thread I read reported 13 inches deep and 3 inch wide gashes in ballistic gel. 3 inches wide is a fire hose and we know how much liguid can travel through a 3 inch hose. This is a family friendly sight so I am not going to say anymore but I think we can all get the picture Gold Dot is a get the job done round.

Russ

Speer Gold Dot 9mm 124 Grain +P Denim and Gel Test - YouTube

tjkober · May 17, 2012

This information is exactly why I came here... my first reaction in hearing a .40 was available was to show the LGS the money

.

The reality is, the ammo price difference would impact the amount of range time I could utilize and the "handful" of a round obviously isn't ideal for a beginner.

It sounds like the wise move is to be patient and wait for a 9mm all things considered.

Tommato · May 17, 2012

9mm worked for me

I wreestled with which way to go too, but went with 9mm for the reasons others have stated. Prior to the Shield I was shooting 38/357 from a 6" Ruger GP-100, and had a lot of fun shooting powerful, blasty, and smoky 357 rounds. .40 cal costs about the same, more or less. 9mm costs quite a bit less and the savings in a year are substantial (I shoot 2x per week, normally).

I will likely carry either Speer Gold Dot 124 +P or Federal P9HST3 124 +P - and both are a lot of fun to shoot in the Shield.

Tommato

OldFencer · May 17, 2012

Gotta go with the majority on this one. While the .40 is attractive, I spend more time at the range because of the lost cost of the 9mm ammo. And the Speer Gold Dot 124 +P insures that range time won't be wasted if things go bad.

Pote · May 17, 2012

I can't stand 40. a caliber solution looking for a problem. couple that with the snappy torqued recoil and price per round and I will never go back to 40. for me, its a useless caliber when compared to the calibers I prefer. 45 and 9 and 357 fill the carry bill just fine. I'm not all that recoil sensitive, but I have no like for a gun that feels like its trying to twist itself out of my hand. YMMV as many love the round. going down to a compact 40 will only add to the cons I pointed out IMO.

tjkober · May 17, 2012

RussC said:
tjkober:

Click on link below

I carry Speer Gold Dot 124 grain +p jhp short barrel.

The ballistics on modern 9mm ammo like Gold Dot 124 grain +P is not your grandma's ammo. It will more than take care of business. One thread I read reported 13 inches deep and 3 inch wide gashes in ballistic gel. 3 inches wide is a fire hose and we know how much liguid can travel through a 3 inch hose. This is a family friendly sight so I am not going to say anymore but I think we can all get the picture Gold Dot is a get the job done round.

Russ

Speer Gold Dot 9mm 124 Grain +P Denim and Gel Test - YouTube

Wow thanks again Russ. My grandma uses 00 Buckshot btw

I think I have been underestimating the new 9mm ammo from the sound of it.

wheelgunguy · May 17, 2012

I believe it is sound rationale.But no more sound than the reasons for staying with the 9mm as your SD caliber.

My suggestion is stay with the 9mm because of your familiarity,cost of ammo,and lack of experience with a .40.I personally think it would be very hard to make a decision on a SD gun in a caliber I had never shot.

I know you said there is no place close to you that rents guns but if you find yourself with some time and a few extra bucks in your pocket maybe take a daytrip to somewhere that does.Go and shoot a few different calibers and a few different guns one day just for recreation.It's a blast to get to shoot guns you don't normally have the oppurtunity to.Be careful though the trip could get expensive if you find 1 or 3 you really like.

Of course get some practice in on your everyday guns also.

Tommato · May 17, 2012

wheelgunguy said:
I believe it is sound rationale.But no more sound than the reasons for staying with the 9mm as your SD caliber.

My suggestion is stay with the 9mm because of your familiarity,cost of ammo,and lack of experience with a .40.I personally think it would be very hard to make a decision on a SD gun in a caliber I had never shot.

I know you said there is no place close to you that rents guns but if you find yourself with some time and a few extra bucks in your pocket maybe take a daytrip to somewhere that does.Go and shoot a few different calibers and a few different guns one day just for recreation.It's a blast to get to shoot guns you don't normally have the oppurtunity to.Be careful though the trip could get expensive if you find 1 or 3 you really like.

Of course get some practice in on your everyday guns also.

+1 great advice, period. In my experience, new shooters almost never prefer a powerful round in a compact handgun. Invariably, they end up flinching and developing bad trigger habits. Much better to have a .22 and 9mm and develop very sound shooting abilities inexpensively before proceeding to 40, 45, 10mm, 357 Sig, etc.

Storm40 · May 17, 2012

I have been shooting a Ruger SP101 .357 for over 20 years. It is a two finger gun. I have a Taurus 740 slim and for all practical purposes it is the same dimensions as the Shield. I got my Shield in 9mm because I already had something that size in .40 S&W. It is quite manageable to shoot. It is humorous that those who put down the .40 also recommend +P or +P+ in 9mm. If I wanted my 9mm to behave like a .40 then I would get a .40. The only negative for the .40 is the cost of ammo but I spend only $4 more per box than 9mm. My lgs has 9mm for $10.99 and .40 for $14.99.

USAF385 · May 17, 2012

I'm a .40S&W guy. I got rid of my 9mms long ago. I just like the .40 a whole lot better... my own personal preference. I've stocked up on .40s.. both ammo and guns so anytime I'm in the market for a new semi auto, it's going to be a .40 (or .45, but that's neither here nor there).

I've never had an issue with the "snappiness" of the .40... I've always blamed the shooter for having weak wrists.

That being said, I would pick the 9mm if I were in your shoes. It sounds like that's what you really want, so I'd hold out to get what you really want. It would be the equivalent of me buying the 9mm when I really wanted the .40. I'd get it and be happy for a day... then I'd be mad at myself for getting something I didn't really want.. then I'd buy some ammo and shoot it for a while... then I'd see a .40 in the shop a month later and trade my 9mm in, losing a nice chunk of $$$.... I'd be thrilled with having the .40 and then annoyed when I realized I still had 200 rounds of 9mm laying around and no 9mm gun.........

Bikemobile · May 17, 2012

.40 cal is the #1 LE caliber in the US. A good balance of stopping power and capacity. I love it in a full size m&p. I also love my 9mm shield. Both shoot great and get back on target quickly. I train with double taps.

But.... The little shield .40 could be a handful. But so is a 1000cc streetbike. Or a corvette in a snowstorm. Practice, practice, practice.

I cant find any .40 shields around me so if you hate yours i'll buy it.

tjkober · May 17, 2012

Bikemobile said:
I cant find any .40 shields around me so if you hate yours i'll buy it.

I received an email shortly after I posted this that the gun had been sold moments before I asked them to hold if for me.

Part of my motivation with the .40 I didn't hit on was the SHTF situation where ammo becomes like gold (and very scarce) and the talk of all the .40 purchased by the DHS. Maybe I watched too many movies where the survivors happened upon a stash of stockpiled ammo. I thought having a 9mm and .40 would cover most bases.

In the end though, this will be my daily carry and I want to be confident and well practiced with it and the .40 sounds less than ideal for my current circumstances. I can see buying a full sized .40 down the road to satisfy my SHTF scenario.

You folks have an incredible amount of knowledge and I am very thankful for your time and feedback.

M_E_ · May 17, 2012

I am not a 40 fan for many reasons. I can tell you that it has no real performance advantages over GOOD 9mm ammo. If you have ONLY ball ammo, then it isn't enough. Use a 45 with ball. I carry 9mm Federal 147 HST or +P 147 HST. It out performs the 40 HST per the engineers at ATK.

ccpacker · May 17, 2012

Contrarily, why do most LEOs carry .40. Reviews report that the shield .40 recoil is very manageable. It all sounds like justification for your own decision, not real solid counsel.

Nooz · May 17, 2012

I started with 9mm for my defensive carry caliber, and switched to .40 a few years ago. I really like the .40 and don't have trouble shooting it. I have a .40 Shield now, replacing a Glock 27 I have passed on to my son. Start off with 9mm. It is a good defensive round as many have already mentioned. You can always go to a .40 later on if you decide you want to. I may have got the 9mm instead if it had been available

but I have no regrets with the .40. It is snappier, but manageable.

Another plus for .40, though, when the shelves were bare of most popular pistol calibers a few years ago, I found that .40 was the easiest to find, at least in my area.

Is this sound rational behind going with the Shield .40?

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