"Shield is a hands down winner for CCW" my colleague above hit the nail squarely on the head. Look, I am no Smith and Wesson fanboy. Prior to the Shield, my first and only Smith and Wesson was the 15-22, and I bought it because it was reported to be the best of the best .22LR AR-15s, not anything to do with S&W. I bought the Shield because of the reputation and features of CCW usage , and let me say, it is quite possibly the perfect CCW pistol... I mean, I love other brands, I like other things and styles, this is just perfect.
I and you and others would quite probably be happy with several other pistols for CCW; however, I'm extremely satisfied and happy with the Shield.