Bought Shield, Good Buy?

[cloudy]

The last few months I have been looking into getting a CCW and I had been shopping around, mostly unsure of what I wanted. I ended up finding an M&P Shield .40 used for 350$ and picked it up for about 380 when tax was figured in. Getting a 9MM was what I was in ultimately in the market for, but I couldn't pass up that good of a deal on a Shield, especially in the area I live. The gun came with a Fobus PPS paddle holster, 3 magazines, with 2 being the 7 rounders, a front fiber optic sight and a Pachmeyer grip. Being that I am a new shooter and this is my first handgun, I was wondering if I made a good purchase, or if this was a mistake. I have noticed a few questionable spots on the gun which is why I am uploading pics to get some feedback and advice from more experienced shooters. Just would like to know if there is any cause for concern. Not sure if I should look at selling the 40 and getting something else more beginner friendly. Thanks for any and all help for a new shooter



http://s4.postimg.org/su41itcxp/IMG_0844.jpg
http://s15.postimg.org/hil1qege3/IMG_0850.jpg
http://s2.postimg.org/qroyv0vyx/IMG_0818.jpg

 

[M&Pmeister]

Felt recoil is just that - felt - and it varies from shooter to shooter. You can find 100 people telling you .40 is fine, and turn around and find 100 others who say .40 is too snappy. No telling how you might take to it.

Yours look like it was dumped by a PO that was bothered by it, without shooting it a lot. Go shoot and feel for yourself. It's used, so another few 100 rds won't hurt if you do decide to get rid of it.

 

[Wishoot]

Not a bad deal at all. Not mind-blowing, but not bad either.

I'm one of those that doesn't care for .40 especially in smaller packages like the Shield, but as mentioned above, some love it.

Shoot is a bunch. Shoot it some more. Then decided if this is the right gun in .40 for you.

 

[RobzGuns]

Welcome to the Forum!
You did pretty good! Some are finding the Shield New for around $350, but that would have only included One 6 round mag and One 7 round mag.
Extra mags are going from $25-$35 depending on where you buy and the Fobus holster goes for about $20-$30.
Depending on the brand of the FO sight, that could have cost anywhere from $65 to $100. Pretty good there.
With the FO sight, grip, extra mag and holster, you did well.

As for trading... Find a 9mm to shoot and see if you really prefer that to the .40. If it doesn't feel noticeably better, keep the .40.

 

[cloudy]

Thanks for the help guys. I was worried at first that the slide had rust, but is that just holster wear? Also was unsure of the marks on the inside of the slide, because I was reading through the forums and someone said that having those lines on the gun wasn't all that normal. Not sure what that area is called, so I apologize. Thanks again

 

[ScrapmasterFlex]

Financial-wise, a deal is good if you feel it's good. W/o blatantly getting ripped off, as long as you're happy it's a good deal. You got some extras that make it a good deal IMHO.

As far as the Shield itself as a good deal, dude, all I can say is that I LOVE my Shield. It's 1mo. old and I am SUPER HAPPY that I bought it.

I was *pretty sure* I was making the right decision when I bought it , but I had no experience w/ M&Ps nor really subcompacts so it was a bit of a leap of faith- I am SO HAPPY I bought this rather than a myriad of other guns... I love it, and it has been with my just about every single day all day since i bought it. The feeling of having a 9mm, 7+1 + 8 rds security "blanket" of polymer & steel makes me feel much better in the world we live in.

(And of course if S ever HTF I have bigger and other things, but until then, this is perfect for day to day life.)

 

[dgyver]

The inside of your slide looks better than mine (9mm) with only a few hundred rounds. The center marking is from the jacket of the bullet rubbing.

Don't be too picky about the outside finish on a carry gun. They will get scuffs and scratches, no matter how careful you are. Any holstered gun will get rub marks. Sucks but that is way it is.

Shoot it and enjoy it!

 

[M&Pmeister]

Inside the slide looks perfectly normal. The marks on top of the slide look like "hangar rash"... probably got bumped when taken in or out of the safe. Holster wear marks are typically around the muzzle and at protruding corners, like the one just below those marks.

 

[hoc9sw]

The marks on the inside of the slide are consistent with what I see on my 9mm. Primarily the slide dragging across the next round in the mag, and slide rail wear. Wait till you get to 2k rounds, it will get more pronounced.

They are to be expected.

As to the deal, just the extra mag adds $30. Sounds like you did ok on price if everything functions correctly.

 

[mustangman]

Welcome and congrats on your new Shield setup. I love my .40, and hope you enjoy yours as well. As far as recoil, it is what it is, and I don't have a problem with it.

 

[ScrapmasterFlex]

Yup I was going to say about the extra mag, I ordered an extra 8rd 9mm mag today and the best best price I could get was 32 even.. the 7 rd was cheaper but not what I wanted. Ashamed though because if they were $15-20 rather than 32 id buy quite a few more, as would many im sure.

 

[gunny4053]

Welcome to the forum and congrats on your Shield. You did very well, and the Shield doesn't show any sign of anything abnormal. Take it out and shoot it.

Good Luck and good shooting.

 

[1hatchet]

cloudy, you did good, real good, be happy.

1hatchet

 

[epj]

You did ok price wise. I'll probably get flamed for this, but the Shield is not a great gun for a beginner. It is a good gun for what you bought it for, ie concealed carry. It is neither a target pistol nor a range gun. Neither is a J frame revolver. There is no small, easily concealed pistol that is any better for a beginning shooter. Don't panic when you read this. If your budget allows, I suggest you buy a .22 target pistol such as a Ruger, Browning, or S&W and learn to shoot it. Shoot the Shield some too, but concentrate on learning sight picture and trigger control. Not sure how good the M&P .22 is, but since the controls are similar, it could be a good choice. Invest a bit in some instruction, unless you have someone who is an accomplished handgun shooter who can guide you. I see folks here who brag about a 6" group at 5 yards. When you can do that at 50 yards, I'll be impressed. The Shield is a very good carry gun. Don't think I'm dicing your choice. I'm not. Just don't want to see you try to learn to shoot with it. It could be done, but it would likely take many thousand dollars worth of ammo.

 

[Arney]

Had my Shield for about a year. Its also in .40 & no issues beyond being what it is...... .40!

Very accurate at 7 yards within my capabilities of 3 inch groupings at best.

Just started carry with it and love it as opposed to my XDsc in .40 rig

 

[rwsmith]

Just...........

Just get good with it before you depend on it. If you decide it's not for you, you can always trade it in for a 9mm. Other than that, some cosmetic issues in a used gun for actual SD don't bother me one bit. It's not how it looks, but how it works.

 

[Bishop99]

U got a decent deal. The scratches under the slide is normal. Firing the gun and cycling the slide will do that because of friction against other metal. Go shoot it. If its not to your liking u can always use it to fund the 9mm version. Good cc gun either way.

 

[M&Pmeister]

You did ok price wise. I'll probably get flamed for this, but the Shield is not a great gun for a beginner. It is a good gun for what you bought it for, ie concealed carry. It is neither a target pistol nor a range gun. Neither is a J frame revolver. There is no small, easily concealed pistol that is any better for a beginning shooter. Don't panic when you read this. If your budget allows, I suggest you buy a .22 target pistol such as a Ruger, Browning, or S&W and learn to shoot it. Shoot the Shield some too, but concentrate on learning sight picture and trigger control. Not sure how good the M&P .22 is, but since the controls are similar, it could be a good choice. Invest a bit in some instruction, unless you have someone who is an accomplished handgun shooter who can guide you. I see folks here who brag about a 6" group at 5 yards. When you can do that at 50 yards, I'll be impressed. The Shield is a very good carry gun. Don't think I'm dicing your choice. I'm not. Just don't want to see you try to learn to shoot with it. It could be done, but it would likely take many thousand dollars worth of ammo.

Have to agree. I still bring my Buckmark just about every time I go to the range. Warming up with 100rds of 22LR cost less than $5. Plus it's fun.

A good .22 shoots very accurately and, without the pronounced recoil, will expose your firearm control mistakes much more readily than a high power pistol. This makes it a great learning tool. I just started taking my son to the range and now he wants to jump on 9mm as soon as we get there. I make him stay with the .22 and practice firearm control. Every 10-20 shots, we pull the target back to analyze what he did right or wrong. Alternate between 2 targets to practice sight picture acquisition. So on and so forth.

 

[JAREDSHS]

Cloudy, you have a sweet rig there. You have an excellent carry gun there with about a hundred dollars worth of extras thrown in. You can adapt to the forty with a little range time. I would just keep it for carry purposes and maybe you will find a Shield nine to go with it.You are ahead of the game financialy, so don't lose the edge by getting rid of it. Just take a deep breath and keep moving forward. You are doing fine.

 

[Justinsan]

I believe that you made a good purchase. Shoot it, a lot.