Should I Get an M&P Shield .40?

Roger S&W

Roger S&W

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I have a 9mm and very happy with it. It shoots so well, managing recoil, makes me wonder what the .40 shoots like.
What's your opinion? Experience?
Is it controllable with the flush magazine? That's the one I'd use to CCW with. Muzzle flip bad? Get back on target quickly?
 
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I found the recoil and muzzle flip of the .40 considerably stouter than the 9mm. Much easier to stay on target for follow up shots with the 9. But then I have pretty limited experience with handgun calibers larger than 9mm. People who own several .40 cals say the Shield's recoil is lighter than other larger, heavier .40's. I really WANTED to like the .40 Shield, because I was really in the market for a .40, but after renting the M&P compact .40 and the Shield in 9 and .40, I decided on the Shield 9mm. Any ranges near you that rent guns? It can get expensive, but it's cheaper than buying the wrong gun.
 
I've shot both and bought the 9mm. While the .40 is by no means unmanageable, the 9 is a lot more pleasant to shoot and quicker back on target. I just really don't care for that much for the .40 cartridge in general, much less in a small gun.
 
I have not shot a 9mm shield but own 40 shield and I like made it my summer time CC. But I also own 40c and full size 40 so shooting a 40 is normal to me. Not sure this helps you much but just my 2cents
 
The one advantage I see with a 40 vs 9 mm is availability of ammo.

Hopefully in time we will see Walmart shelves full of the popular calibers at affordable prices.

Russ
 
My wife's 9mm Shield is definitely easier to shoot than my 40 Shield. I've been shooting the 40 a lot more and have noticed that I'm getting more accurate and getting used to the extra recoil with each shooting trip.:cool:
 
Get the .40 youll be glad you did. My 5'8" 120 lb wife shoots it no problem.
I never even considered it in a 9
 
Well if you need an excuse to buy another pistol, do it! Buy as many as you can and mags and ammo. But if you're happy with the 9, buy a larger frame/higher capacity 9 and have commonality of caliber. With today's bullet construction there is nothing wrong with a 9. I would not have said that 10-20 years ago. Or if you have a good selection of firearms buy lots of ammo and mags and train hard.
 
With decent ammo I doubt if you'd see a big difference in a real life self defense situation. I believe the overwhelming majority of us would probably not notice recoil of any firearm if we were faced with having to shoot an attacker. We'd have so much adrenaline flowing that we probably couldn't say for sure how many shots fired.

9MM 40, 45ACP, 38spl, 357 all will put a bad guy on the ground with well placed shots and all will miss a bad guy.

The question comes to what do you feel more comfortable shooting a lot in practice.

I believe it's far more important for good shot placement than caliber and the way to get good shot placement is lots of rounds downrange from the firearm.

I own the 9mm Shield and find it very easy to shoot and very easy to shoot well.
I also own and carry a J-Frame in 357. I find the 38+P easy to shoot, the 357 less so.
I sometimes also carry a Commander size 1911 in 45acp which is also a joy to shoot.

Jeff
 
I think the .40 Shield is very controllable, even with the smaller magazine. That said, I'm considering finding a second one in 9mm for ammunition availability reasons.
 
epj said:
Any comparison of a Shield and a Ruger LC9 is a bit flawed. The Ruger weighs a WHOLE lot less than the Shield.
Click to expand...

Plus the LC9 trigger sucks. Terribly long and nonexistent reset. I owned one for two weeks and sold it and bought a Shield 9.

Getting a little personal here. I was a police officer for 27 years and was involved in a shooting. We had a warrant on a guy I knew and when we found him he pulled out a pistol and pointed it at me. I don't remember drawing and my shots sounded like muffled balloons popping. Recoil, sounds, time were all distorted. So don't worry about felt recoil or noise. Worry about perfecting the draw and training to hit a small target consistently in under three seconds from the holster. That's why you should have a shot timer.

Now as an old retired, but alive, guy I have mostly parked my beloved .45's as far as concealed carry goes. As mentioned earlier modern bullet design is phenomenal. We have 9's that are expanding to .45 caliber. Yes, the .45's are expanding to close to .60 caliber, but recoil delays getting back on target and magazine capacity is diminished. There is a lot to be said about a 17 round mag with good quality low recoiling 9mm ammo as apposed to an 8 round mag full of heavier recoiling .45s. Please note I'm not speaking of felt recoil. I'm talking about Newton's laws here. Actual physical recoil and getting back on target quicker for follow up shots.

My 2 cents worth.
 
With any handgun, regardless of caliber, it comes down to bullet placement. If you don't get good hits in a vital area, you won't stop an attacker. NO handgun caliber is going to make up for a poorly placed shot.

That being said, it comes down to which caliber in the Shield do you shoot the best. I would advise you to go to a range that has rental pistols, and try both guns before you purchase one. Which ever caliber allows you to get good hits and quick follow up shots, then thats the pistol you should carry. The one you are the most comfortable with, is the one you need to rely your life on.

I can manage the Shield in .40 well, but I am more accurate and faster follow shots with the 9mm, so that's the Shield I carry.
 
If cost is a concern, there is no reason to carry a .40 in place of a 9mm. The 9mm will do the job. However, owning another gun is always the right thing to do in my mind.

I have not shot the Shield, but I did own a Glock 27. That is the sub compact in .40S&W and is comparable to the Shield except the Glock is a little larger. I don't find the .40 to be as sharp a recoiling gun as some say. Yes, it's more than a 9mm, but not bad. Actually, shoot 165 grain .40 is not much more than shooting 147 grain 9mm to me.
 
I've been a Glock guy for years. I always thought the Glock 23 had a lot of muzzle flip. Then I read the M&P was designed for the .40 caliber. It really handles it well. Whereas the Glock was designed around the 9mm.
I decided to take the M&P plunge in 2011 with the M&P40c.
Wow! Everything said was true! Immediately ordered a full sized M&P40.
In June 2012, I figured the Shield would be best in 9mm due to it's size and thinness. I quickly realized what an amazing shooter it is mitigating the majority of recoil.
Finally decided to get one in .40! Placed the order!
I know modern day self defense 9mm is no joke but the extra bullet size, muzzle energy, kinetic power, etc. of the .40 caliber is compelling to me.
A lot of big strong muscular hocked up bad guys out there. God forbid.
 
Thanks Captain Skippy for your response. I like my Sig Sauer P-938 for EDC. It's awesome for when I need better concealment in spring-fall. But lately I have been carrying my full-size M&P 9mm and like the fact that 17+1 rounds are better than 7+1 as you mentioned. And, with my new IWB holster, the larger size gun provides quicker drawing and getting more shots on target faster.

I have also been considering a .40 Shield for some time. And now that they are in stock at my LGSs, I've changed my mind. Can't imagine why a 9mm will do any less that a .40 with all the benefits of the new 9mm cartridges available. Getting back on target fast is a big plus. Just would like to see stock back on the shelves for the 9mm. There's plenty of .40 cal now, but 9mm is hard to come by at least for the practice rounds.
 
My ole lady shoots her .40 better than she shoots the 9mm.

Forgive her, maybe she has more experience with the BIG ones. :)
 
Last edited:
J There's plenty of .40 cal now said:
I was running way low on 9mm right after I bought my Shield, but having bought over 1000 rds in the last 2 weeks, I'm not that pessimistic about it.
Click to expand...
 
Luckily some of us are fortunate enough to have both calibers in one weapon.

So finding ammo is a little easier. And if u run out of one caliber, just start using the other caliber.
 
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