My wife wants a new carry gun.

[prariedog3]

My wife is looking for a new concealed carry gun. She currently carries a Taurus PT111 9mm and likes it but fell in love with the S&W Shield 9mm. Before I buy her one next weekend I would like your input on problems or cons you have had with yours and also the super excellent pros. The only thing that didn't look the best to me was the 2 piece style trigger. Everything else felt great. I have always carried Glocks because of my duty weapon and backup and another backup but I enjoy shooting hers and my .44 revolver.

[dajogejr]

Very, very open ended question. I don't like the fit/feel of the Shield, neither does my GF. We both have MP Compacts.
However, fit and feel is 100% personal choice.
I'm a SW fan, but wouldn't limit myself only to the MP lineup.
The Springfield XDM and XDS are also very nice pistols...

My advice, fit, feel and rent at a range....

[whitestang]

Do what I did and go to a range that rents firearms. I tried the Shield in 9mm and a 9c. Due to my hand size the 9c was the best of the two for me. I do not have a CCw permit yet so I've carried it at the range and in my home,but it has been an easy carry for me.

[PHolster]

I have one in 9mm and love it. It fit my hand perfectly, much better than the Glock 26 I also was considering. It is more comfortable IWB for me than the 26 as well since it is slimmer. The Glock has a shorter grip so that can help printing but it just didn't feel good in my hand.

I shoot the Shield very well and it has been completely reliable. I have had no issues. I carry it every day and shoot it often. It has at least 1500 rounds though it so far. It eats everything I feed it. I had a few FTE in the first few hundred rounds but that was with Tulammo and I could also attribute some of it to operator error. I was working on my grip, trying to see just how firmly the gun needed to be held, and believe I limp wristed it a bit. It now eats even cheap ammo like Tuammo. It has has no feed problems since the one time.

I am very happy with my purchase.

[AGoyette]

I would agree with the post that says to shoot before you buy. A gun that feels great in the hand, might feel horrible when you shoot it. By the same token, you might fall in love with a different gun when you shoot it, even though it might not feel as good holding it.

Personally I went with a 9c as my carry gun. I like the extra rounds and it fits my hand nicely and shoots wonderfully. It shoots even better after I put Apex parts in (the DCAEK kit and the polymer trigger). My first carry gun was a FS Steyr 40 S&W. I found it to be just a tad too big. I wanted something a little bit smaller. Plus I had issues with that gun that the gunsmith could not fix. I wanted something a little bit smaller. I went to a gun show hoping to trade the Steyr for something else. I had a list of acceptable guns. On that list were the Glock 26, XDS, and the 9c. I ended up trading it for the 9c and I have not looked back. If you end up with a Shield, I would strongly suggest to stay with 9mm (as you said your wife wanted) and stay away from the 40. Too many threads on the 40 Shield having issues for my taste. A few on the 9, but not many at all.

Good luck!

[Vartarg]

My wife tried several small pistols....she was visiting our daughter in Lexington, and was able to go to Bud's Gun Shop....and preferred the M&P 9C. As said before, best for your bride to actually go hands-on with the Shield and others....

Let us know how it works out....

[RobzGuns]

To paraphrase what the others have written... Try Before You Buy. You'll save a lot of money in the long run. My Wife went through4 different Brand/Model pistols before learning this lesson and settling on the G26 (even over my Shield).

I've shot just about every Compact and Subcompact out there and will not buy a pistol I haven't tried first (rent, borrow, ask someone at the range who owns one if I can try it, etc).

As mentioned, many feel great to 'fondle' at the counter, but do NOT feel very nice to shoot... ie: the PF9, LC9, DB9, etc..

I just got to try the new XD-S 4" and while it feels nicer to shoot that the 'regular' XD-S, to me, the Shield still feels better to shoot (personal preference).
In the Compact arena, I prefer the G26 and XDMc over the M&Pc. Again... Personal Preference... I liked the Fit/Feel/Grouping and trigger of the G26 (with the Pearce Pinky Extension) and XDMc better.

While I don't mind adding a $10 pinky Extension to make it feel better, I'm not into needing to add $75-$150 trigger kits to make a trigger acceptable.

[AVG]

My wife went thru ten guns in the last two years before she found the right one. Being over 70 years old she had to find one that she could pull back the slide, her finger reach to be able to reset the trigger, three dot sights, fit in her bag and handle the recoil. The only one is the Sig P238.

[Watchdog]

All the responses to the OP's post talk about this pistol or that pistol.

What's wrong with a revolver? A gun made of steel and wood. Five or six shots. A 3-inch barrel Model 36 from the seventies would seem ideal to me. Or even a 66.

It practically fits in the palm of your hand. No safety to disengage, no slide to rack back. And you can shoot Plus Ps in them, though I would not feed one a regular diet of the stuff. I just keep mine loaded with low recoil Federal 110-grain Hydra-Shok JHPs.

Of course a lot of purists don't like 110-grain bullets in a .38 Special, and they especially seem to not like this load, but you can always fill up with 158-grain loads.

[PHolster]

Whatever gun she gets, it has to be her choice. It is very difficult to choose a carry gun for someone else. My wifle loves shooting my Taurus Model 85 and I offered to get her a S&W J-Frame to carry, she doesn't want one, she wants an auto. She has trouble racking the slide on the Shield. We have looked at many of the smaller .380s and she has difficulty with them as well, plus they aren't as much fun to shoot on a regular basis and she loves to shoot. She handled a lock 42 in a shop a while back and her face lit up. She has no problem racking the slide on it. They didn't have one in stock other than the one they were using as a demo, so we waited and looked around. When we went to the range last week, they just got two in that day in the shop, we put one on layaway since it was late and we wanted to shoot. We are going to pick it up in a few days. She is very excited.

The 42 isn't much smaller than the Shield, but loaded it is lighter. The point is though, it is her gun and her choice.

[prariedog3]

Thanks all for the comments. She has shot revolvers but wants to stay with a semi. I think I will take her to the range nearby that rents and let her try the 3 she liked and see what she goes with. I know feel in the hand is one of the first prerequisites for me.

[prariedog3]

After shooting the XD compact, M&P compact and the shield her decision was made without my input. She got the shield. As I watched her shoot, her best target group and best control came from the shield.

[RobzGuns]

That's the way to do it!
Congrats on the new purchase.

[MSG Glenn]

Yep. Let her try out as many as she can. We can give you advice about Shields, compacts or some other manufacturer's handguns all day but each person is different & will have a different gun that fits the best. Reliability is another factor to consider because regardless if the gun fits well with enough shooting most will fit eventually. I'd rather have a pistol that I can trust my life to but isn't the most comfortable than one that fits like a glove but doesn't function each & every time.

[Protected One]

Originally Posted by prariedog3

After shooting the XD compact, M&P compact and the shield her decision was made without my input. She got the shield. As I watched her shoot, her best target group and best control came from the shield.

And I'm sure she'll be quite happy with it as well.
The Shield 9mm replaced my Glock23 for EDC, and I have no regrets about the decision. The two-piece trigger should be a "non-issue".