Hi all, just joined, so thanks in advance for your help.

Have read and searched through lots of posts but not finding exactly what I needed, thus this post.

Have a Shield 9, pretty OK with it, not great but good weapon and carry it often. Used to be a J frame revolver guy until I figured out I could not hit the side of a barn in DA with my 637 and needed to rethink things. Was going to buy the Shield 40 until I tested it. Not pleased at all, cancelled the purchase.

Shot a compact 40 and loved it. Much better than my Glock 27, and thinking of buying it . But only the compact, not the Shield or full size.

Questions:

1. overall experience? OK, wish you had bought something else?
2. I saw where you can change out barrels and mags and use the frame for 3 other calibers. Does that really work or is it fantasy / dont risk your life stuff?

Thanks!

I have the .40c, amd it's a great pistol. I have made the statement that it's what the Glock should have been all along. No,issues ith any aspect of shooting the pistol, and I have changed calibers in mine with no issues. Just replace the .40 barrel with a stock 9mm, and you're good to go with a 9mm mag.switch to .357 SIG, you can use the same mag as the .40, and of course the full size mags will fit.

Go for it, you won't regret it.

Welcome to the group!
A few months ago started looking for a conceal carry pistol for my wife. We tested several makes, Glock, Springfield, Taurus, Beretta, etc.... She finally fell in love with the M&P 9c. After I shot it a few times, I decided I wanted one to for my CCW too.
Have put several hundred rounds thru each pistol and not one single problem. The 9c has been flawless every time.
Find a range where you can rent pistols and have some fun. Well worth the money to test any pistol.

Hello
This is my first post, so if I started in the wrong spot, please forgive. I have a M&P 9c and am considering Crimson Trace laser grips for it. Being a left hander and using thumbs high and forward grip, I am concerned about blocking the emitter. Any lefties out there who have addressed this issue?
thanks
oldshooter36

I bought a M&P 9C 8 months ago and carry it off duty all the time. Very easy gun to conceal in the Apex position with a good holster and belt. I thought about the 40C also because I could carry it at work 40 cal or bigger at my department, but not a 40 fan.

I also thought about the 40 because you can change barrels and shoot other calibers. For some reason I went 9mm and glad I did. 13 rounds of 9mm in a gun you can conceal easy is not a bad thing...

Tony P.

I have the 9c and 40c, love them both. I purchased the 9c first, it is stock as stock can be with the exception of XS Big Dot sights. I had some gun funds sitting around bought a 40c from a forum member and love that as well. 40c is stock as best I can tell, both pistols are easy shooting, as for the barrel swap, haven't done it thought about getting the barrels for a 9c (already have the magazines) and 357c just to have.

I have a 9c, not a .40, and I love it. It is so smooth now (a few thousand trigger pulls later) and a great shooter!

thanks for the info. Recommendations on which barrel to buy? There are several brands out there but most of what I have read doesn't include S&W barrels, rather aftermarket ones.

I am not left handed but I do train shooting ambidextrously. There is a real possibility that you will block the beam. Can't say definitively, of course, as every hand/gun combination is different, but my forward thumb indexes on the frame and would be in the beam when shooting lefty.
If your thumbs are forward but off the gun, you may be fine.

I'd still recommend the laser guard setup if for no other reason than because it is available in green laser. Other reason would be the laser grip confines you to one size of grip which may or may not be the best fit for you.

As far as the barrel goes, you can get a factory S&W barrel from Midway for about 80 bucks. That's the one to go with, IMHO.

I have the M&P 45 Comact I love it!, But I also love my M&P .40 Performance Center Shield (with I carry all the time), and I also love my new M&P 9mm Performance Center Shield ( which I bought myself for my B-day present last Friday) shot the 9mm this morning it is great not as much kick as the .40 PC Shield. Guess I love all of them!

If the 9mm Shield has less kick than the 40sw Shield, which one will you be carrying now?

The M&P platform is a service weapon, it is not a target pistol.. With that if you get a factory barrel with the expectation that you are going to put rounds on target and not necessarily punch out the X you should be happy. Just my opinion.

Yes. Use the sight! Practice using the sights not the gizmos. They can fail when you least expect.
As another poster said, it's a service pistol not a target pistol. The two are built for different reasons. Shoot your gun first before you start swapping parts.

Thank you for the feedback. I grip with both thumbs forward on the gun as close to the slide as possible without riding it. I'll check out your alternative suggestion. I suppose I could "bite the bullet", go to Big Dot sights for these old and tired eyes and keep on practicing.

I agree 100%. I have nearly 6000 trouble-free rounds through my 40c, and it is a great pistol. When the Shield 9mm I bought to be my carry pistol developed "issues", I started to carry my 40c as a temporary replacement. My Shield is all sorted out now, but you know what? I still carry my 40c. It was a simple decision: Which is better, ten .40s or eight 9s? Well, duh, that was an easy one for me. I shoot the 40c better than the Shield, and while concealability is better with the Shield, the 40c conceals pretty well, too.

Bottom line: Get the 40c. You'll love it!

__________________
What, me worry?

love my 40c, picked it up about 3wks ago, only put 290 rounds through it so far, but I'm in love with it

get one of these instead and you won't block it.

Love my 40c and if I do my part I get 10 round groups under 2-3 inches at 10 yards ..

Don't be afraid to try all 3 of the back straps before deciding which one allows you to shoot your best .. I have smaller hands but shoot best with the large back strap .. I like the added width if them ..

I, too, have a 40C and like it very much. It's going on two and a half years old now and it has not had a single issue.

I'm a righty and have the Crimson Trace Laser Grips so I can't address the left-handed issue, but it works perfectly well with my right-handed aiming and shooting, very reliable and accurate.

After all the shooting I've done with it, I may still change out to an APEX trigger upgrade; I've never really been happy with the stock trigger.

sorry, was referring to which barrel to get for other calibers, not the standard 40 barrel. appreciate all the input and advice

The S&W barrels in other calibers will fit, and are a lot cheaper than aftermarket.

S&W will no longer sell barrels, so they are backordered everywhere and will not be available.
Scott

Edit: there are a few longer 9mm someplaces, but I haven't found any 9mm compacts.