I'm with OP on this one. I bought a .40 in another make back in the early 90s and never really enjoyed shooting it. I sold it after a few years.

Years later, I shot .40 in an M&P and was shocked how mild it felt compared to what I remembered. I ended up diving back into .40 S&W as a result. I bought an M2.0 compact in .40 and it's awesome. Then started reloading .40. Then picked up a Shield in .40 for $199 which I couldn't pass up. I thought the Shield might be a bit rough but it's very manageable and a fair amount of firepower in a small package.

I know .40 is kind of out of favor now but I think a Shield Plus in .40 S&W would be interesting.