I'm a fan of 40S&W, in my FS40. Did not care for the cartridge in a subcompact though.

Traded it at Cabelas yesterday for +$149. Should have gotten the 9 from the start but lesson learned and I'm much happier now. +1 round and noticeably quicker follow up shots were the deciding factors.

Anyhow, now I have 3 spare 6-round Shield 40 mags that are paperweights :sigh: ...at least I didn't install my new Trijicon Bright & Tough night sights on the old gun! Definitely re-ordered the Talon rubberized grip though...

Congrats on the Shield 9mm. The 40 seems to have a love/hate following, so obviously not for everyone. My brother has a .40 and loves it.

Good Luck and good shooting.

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SFC, US Army, Retired

For the Compact, the key is to get a good grip. I have small hands and even I have problem with the grip slipping a bit on rapid fire consecutive shots... mainly with the no-extension mag. Only wish S&W would make the texture more aggressive, like on the PROs. Anyhow, I stuck pieces of skateboard tape to the front and rear of the grip - voila! - what a difference.

As for the recoil, I shoot back to back with the Stormlake 9mm conversion barrel in either of my 40FS and 40C. The difference is there, but nowhere significant enough to bother me.

My son in law has a Shield 40 - can't recall if it is full size of compact - would have to check - took him a few visits to the range to get himself to a point where he is consistently accurate. If you were looking to get rid of your paperweights I am sure there are plenty of people who would like to have them. Every gun show I have been to has had at least one vendor who buys and sells magazines.

I love my shield 40. Never find it hard to shoot. I've only shot one 9mm before and found that somewhat snappy, if that's possible lol. If u want to sell the mags let me know. I'd be interested! Thanks and Goodluck with the 9

I have small hands too and needed to add the Talon rubber grip to the Shield 40 to get a better handle on it. You absolutely need an NDZ or Pearce mag base plate with a 40 - not so much on the 9. In fact, I can shoot the Shield 9 a lot better with the flush baseplate without any pinky grip so that's great for me.

I really wanted to keep the Shield 40 and simply get a conversion barrel but since it's for CCW I didn't want to have any mods that might impact any probability of the firearm working as it's intended to. Besides, I already had some FTF issues early in its life so I was a little put off by it from the start.

I like the 40S&W round and one of my carry guns is the Ruger SR40c. However, my main carry gun is the S&W Shield 9mm. I have not fired the Shield in 40S&W. I have to say though, the Shield in 9mm is one sweet shooting gun. The recoil is extremely mannerly for a gun this small, and I can get back on target after each shot superlatively well with the Shield. The Shield in 9mm just seems to be "just right."

My $.015.

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Army veteran, NRA Life Member

Gotta be joking.

I've read a few posts with people saying that the 9mm shield's recoil really isn't that much less then the 40 shield. Of course, recoil is subject to the shooter.

At the end of the day, you need to find one that you are comfortable with. Sounds like your 40Shield got off with a bad start. No sense wearing something that rubs you the wrong way. I myself have traded in CCWs precisely because of that.

For me, the longer but slimmer grip of my 40Shield actually fits me better than the shorter but wider 40C. Out of the box, I actually prefer shooting the 40 Shield than the 40C. I've since added skateboard tape to the Shield, since it worked so well on the Compact.

But again... that's me. Everybody's perception is different.

My Shield 40 has been flawless, and I love it, so no trading for me. Glad you see that you're happy now though, and that's all that matters.

I have the Shield 40 with an extra 9mm barrel, so it is easy to compare the two different calibers. Using low powered target ammo, the 40 has slightly more felt recoil and snap, but to me only marginally more than the 9mm. It should as the 40 is the more powerful cartridge. I have also run some powerful SD ammo through both barrels, and again the 40 has just slightly more felt recoil than the 9mm. However the difference between standard pressure target ammo and high powered SD ammo is considerably more in both calibers, but still manageable for me. I always carry my Shield as a 40 S&W.

Bob

I do wish I could have gotten my hands on a 9mm barrel for the Shield 40. I really wanted to like 40 in the Shield - I believe in using the most powerful cartridge you can handle.

The Shield 9 did shoot only marginally better but that gave me way more confidence with follow-up shots plus an extra round.

I knew I didn't want two of the same gun which is why I traded.

I thought everyone KNEW the Shield 9MM is FAR superior to the .40SW version....

Was there ever any question?




nevermind ;-)

Superior? No! Better for recoil sensitive metrosexuals who are bad shots so they will definitely NEED that extra round? Maybe?

Too bad the extra mags you have aren't 7 rd I'd take um off your hands if they were. Sell the 6 rd mags I did with both the ones from my two 40 shields. I'm one of the love 40 guys all my semi auto hand guns are 40. 9mm is for girls. Oops wait my 120lb 5'6" wife carries and shoots a 40 shield I guess not all girls need small guns.

Apparently kannonvaggon does though

I also am a big fan of the .40 Shield. My 5'4" 115 lb wife also loves it (she was hooked after one range session with it) and now carries my (her) .40 Shield daily. Hence, I now have another .40 Shield on order, this one without the safety.

Me first lol

Somehow I just KNEW I'd get thrashed over that one ....



Those .40 guys are a tough crowd indeed!

Im with Rob on this one. I'll keep my Shield .40 with the factory 9mm barrel. Best of both worlds and twice as much ammo selection.

You can run 9mm rounds in the .40 magazine and use them in your 9mm. I spent the day shooting 200 rounds using both the 9mm mag and .40 mag loaded with 9mm rounds, not one issue or feed problems.

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Shield 40 * Shield 9mm

Well said, Sir, and I completely agree.

Give 'em a break, they're just insecure

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Don

Sorry if this is a bit off-topic.

I don't know how to explain this, but my new 9mm Shield's recoil and muzzle flip is less than I experience with my Beretta 92FS Type M9A1! One might think the opposite to be true!

I'm not complaining at all, and I'm not going to speculate as to why this seems to be the case... comments are welcome....

Cheers,

.40 is just so last year. Now, all the cool kids shoot 9mm.

I think you forgot to tell us that.

I'm not much of a pistol guy, I'm more comfortable with revolvers. But, I do have the Shield 9 and the Shield 40. I can't explain it (might be only in my mind) but I find the 40 to be a more pleasant gun to shoot. The 9 recoil seems snappier (to me that means sharper, quicker spike). I prefer to shoot my 44 mag, 357, or 38 K frame but I try to run some rounds through the auto loaders periodically. Not much good with them.

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Vet, gun owner, liberal

I think the difference between those liking the 9 or 40 is the shooters grip .. those that like the 40 or higher caliber pistols especially in compacts and sub compacts in those calibers have developed a superior hand grip over the time they have shot ! Hand grip I think is 50% of accuracy on follow up shots .. about any one can shoot the first round accurately but after feeling the recoil and the pistol jumps in your hand grip takes over on the following shots .

Those with poorer hand grip feel the sting of the recoil where someone with a good grip the sting is much less so shooting is more enjoyable !!

I own both a Shield 9 & shield 40. The 9 was intended to be my main EDC however I loved it so much that I went out & bought the 40. I use the 9mm shield for IDPA matches & I carry the shield 40. I'm a believer in the stopping power of the more modern high performance .40s&w cartridge. But in all honestly, carry what you can shoot well. be it 9mm or .40s&w, both shields will get the job done.

I too am a pistol guy, but my Model 19 or any 44 mag shoots with less felt recoil as my 9 shield. (To me)
I have a glock 23 that shoots & feels better to me than my GL 19s did. Maybe it is all in my head.

Hate to admit this because I am a 40 guy but yesterday at the range I shot my M&P40 then my son's Shield 9 and then my Shield 40. Maybe it was the order that I shot them in but, for the first time, the recoil on the Shield 40 was bothersome. I told my son that shooting the 9 felt like shooting the 40 with a shock absorber on it. I went to my LGS and talked it over with him. My Shield and $50 total will get me a new Shield 9. As much as I hate to admit that I made too much of a big deal about having a 40 Shield, the 9 just was a joy to shoot and I do want to shoot it often. I should probably also mention that my wrist has a bunch of plastic parts in it which gives me problems from time to time. I gave it a go but just like the way the 9 shoots better. The recoil on my FS40 was great so that one is a keeper!

Why i went with 9 and ammo 11 bucks a bo x

Tough crowd!

Hard to believe they took it back plus $50 and you got a new one in 9mm?

I gave my nine to my son. I love my 40. I stay with 165 grain bullets. Recoil is more a push instead of the nine snap.

I'm in that glorious of all situations where a local guy just opened a gun shop and is trying really hard to build up his inventory of used guns and get the word out about the deals he's making. He only wants to make a little bit on each gun since this is his part time gig so I'm wheeling and dealing as much as I can. I have guns he wants and he isn't trying to gaff me so it's a win-win right now.

I think it's important for a person to be happy with the caliber they choose. For me, the 40S&W doesn't seem much snappier than a 9mm once it's +P'ed up, and the 40 still hits harder. But I'm not married to the 40. If S&W would make a .45 Shield I'd own one tomorrow (or much more likely l, have it on back order).

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Jim - M&P Pro 40L/Shield 40

The only way I trade in a gun anymore is if it is a ***. I don't like taking a beating on a trade in. I have Shield 40 and I would also like 9mm, but I would rather have 2 shields or live with the one I have. If I have an unreliable gun (been there) I will get rid of it.

Like the 9 better than the 40..hear lot stories 40 going kaboom...cheaper to shoot..if you cant stop it with a nine something. wrong...seen a 22 short stop someone when Saturday night specials. Were popular

Excuse writting..keyboard screwed

Finally got the 9 out for an outing. As expected it ran like a top. No troubles with 100 rounds of Perfecta (yes, Perfecta). I shoot a lot more accurately with the 9 than I did with the 40 so I'm glad I made the trade. Still got a few hundred rounds to go to loosen things up a bit. I actually can load both mags without the Uplula which was surprising. My 40 mags were a bear!

Fixed it for ya . Enjoy the kool aid lol. I really like my new m&p 40 c. I have plenty of 9 mm

I bought .40 Shield about 2 years ago. I like it but firing 35 or more rounds during qualification I am looking forward to the last round. Usually am firing 180 grain cartridges. I think the lighter rounds 165 gr.and below would be better but they are not usually on the shelf at store.

I think you will like the Shield better in the 9mm . Plus theirs a lot of good 9 ammo now .

When I was younger and in better physical condition, I had no difficulty with recoil from any sidearm. In fact, I acquired a good size collection of .40 caliber pistols of various sizes and handled all of them easily. The Shield 40 in my collection was quite manageable realigning after recoil on target easily and quickly.

Recently, I had to divest myself of my .40 caliber pistols because of arthritis in my arms and shoulders. I simply could not handle the pain of the .40 caliber recoil.

I traded my Shield 40 for a Shield 9. I am able to handle its recoil without the slightest bit of pain. I am also able to put a session of 300 rounds downrange without experiencing fatigue.

I am so pleased with the Shield 9 that I traded for a second one. It now alternates with the first one as my EDC.

I do not feel underpowered going from .40 to 9mm. Today's 9mm ammo is far better than any size ammo available to me when I first started shooing in the late 1940's.

Then too, as so many other believe, reliability of a sidearm along with placement are the two most important factors stopping an attacker; not solely bullet caliber.

Attached Images

My Shield 9 2014.jpg (151.1 KB, 61 views)

I feel sorry for the women that have to share the insecurities of their men.