Glock 43 or Shield 9mm!!!

[shart1971]

Well, I have a M&P Shield 9mm with the manual safety. I have the Apex Carry kit, Apex Trigger, polished the insides of the contact points, and I had it costumed stippled. This is my range gun not my CCW. Well, I waited for the Glock 43 to come out. Went to the range this weekend to look and shoot a 43. The range master had one and I looked at it and he let me shot it as well. After 25 rounds down range I went to the gun shop next door to the range. I priced the 43, $575.99 plus tax. They had 2 left. Compering the G43 and the Shield 9mm. I made a decision to purchase a new CCW firearm.

I purchased a S&W Shield 9mm with out the manual safety. Price 350.00 plus tax = 375.25 OTD.

The new shield I am leaving stock but will put new sights and a set of Talon grips on her.

Don't get me wrong the G43 shot very well but the Shield it was priced better for me. Now I can send my other shield slide off to be milled and re-coated for custom.....

 

[N4KVE]

Don't forget the Shield has been out for a few years. When the Shield was brand new, it sold for the same price as the Glock 43 now costs. So if you wait a while, the Glock will drop to the price the Shield now costs, as soon as supply catches up with demand, & the "must be the first on my block to get one" syndrome wears off. GARY

 

[walkin' trails]

The prices on the 43s are going to remain high for a while, and we have yet to see if there are any bugs to work out. I handled one last week, and liked the size. The owner said he'd only put 20 rounds down range and thought it had aneradic ejection pattern. He hadn't lubed it before hitting the range so we dont know how much that contributed to the problem. I have only fired one Shield in 40, but found it pleasant to shoot for such a small gun. If the 43 will handle a steady diet of +P and +P+, I will eventually get one.

 

[ammodave]

I have a Shield 9mm that I'm pleased with but I will buy a G43 when the price stabilizes. I expect I will probably keep both.

 

[Rob5r]

As an instructor, I recommend you choose one or the other. Which ever you like or are more proficient with is fine. Both are extremely well built and reliable. I choose the S&W for one main reason....18 degree grip angle. Seems funny that almost every popular pistol on the market has this angle. To me, Glock is wrong. But switching from one to the other is propably going to effect you muscle-memory skills, especially during a stressful situation. Just some food for thought. . . .

 

[RobzGuns]

I priced the 43, $575.99 plus tax. They had 2 left. Compering the G43 and the Shield 9mm.

Ouch!!! I hope that dealer buys you dinner and takes you dancing before slamming you with that price!
If you scan back just Two years through the Shield threads, you'll actually find people who paid over $600 for theirs, simply because they were so hard to find. A few dealers have told me that they're planning on pricing the G43 (once they get some, that is) at under $400.

Don't get me wrong the G43 shot very well but the Shield it was priced better for me. Now I can send my other shield slide off to be milled and re-coated for custom.....

Looks like you were simply in the mood to buy SOMETHING and only chose the second Shield, even though you didn't NEED it, due to convenience of price, when you could have saved your money, put your original Shield back to factory stock (except for the stippling) and carried it. [shrug]

 

[Watchdog]

I purchased a S&W Shield 9mm with out the manual safety...The new shield I am leaving stock but will put new sights and a set of Talon grips on her.

So then you're not really leaving it stock, are you?

 

[Pierre330]

Your weekend sounds a lot like mine. Range time - 43 vs. Shield - come home with Shield! You scored a better price on it than i did though!

Well, I have a M&P Shield 9mm with the manual safety. I have the Apex Carry kit, Apex Trigger, polished the insides of the contact points, and I had it costumed stippled. This is my range gun not my CCW. Well, I waited for the Glock 43 to come out. Went to the range this weekend to look and shoot a 43. The range master had one and I looked at it and he let me shot it as well. After 25 rounds down range I went to the gun shop next door to the range. I priced the 43, $575.99 plus tax. They had 2 left. Compering the G43 and the Shield 9mm. I made a decision to purchase a new CCW firearm.

I purchased a S&W Shield 9mm with out the manual safety. Price 350.00 plus tax = 375.25 OTD.

The new shield I am leaving stock but will put new sights and a set of Talon grips on her.

Don't get me wrong the G43 shot very well but the Shield it was priced better for me. Now I can send my other shield slide off to be milled and re-coated for custom.....

 

[MSG Glenn]

That G43 sure is expensive! I got my 40C for a final price of $349 new & a used full size 40 for $300 & each came with 3 mags.

I'm not sure if the G43 is made in Austria or in the US but I know for a fact that my S&Ws are made in Massachusetts, USA. That's the deal breaker for me.

My next firearm will be either a Shield or a 45C but am favoring the 45C. I can dream, can't I but I'd REALLY like to have both.

 

[mustangman]

Even when prices stabilize, the G43 will probably still be about $80 or more higher. I may be a little biased, but I don't feel that I'd be getting any better of a pistol. I've got a Shield that I've been carrying for over year that's been flawless, and have no desire for another subcompact, so I'll pass no matter the price.

 

[dben002]

The 43 may fill a niche but I haven't figured out where yet.

Before carrying a 43 with low capacity I would recarry my G-26 which has been demoted to beside table drawer duty. I love my Shield 9mm with the 8 round mags. Conceals fantastic at appendix carry.

 

[instymp]

Even if Glocks are made in GA, it isn't an American company, S&W is. Like toyotas (Japan) & Ford.
Thats why I got the Shield in 9. Have a G23 & love it & had other glocks, but trying to stay a loyal citizen Love the shield.

 

[kbm6893]

More expensive, heavier, wider, holds less rounds, and brand new so expect some teething issues as the Glock 42 had. I don't see one benefit to the 43 over a Shield. Although I think the Ruger LC9-S is the pinnacle of single stack 9MM for me. I owned a Shield and it was almost perfect, but the safety wasn't as easy to manipulate as the Ruger, and I like the mag disconnect too. It's also a bit lighter and thinner than the Shield.

But in a contest between the 43 and the Shield, the Shield wins hands down. Of course, Glock is counting on the rabid "perfection" loyalty their product gets. I think if Gaston took a dump in a box that people would buy it.

 

[N4KVE]

Even if Glocks are made in GA, it isn't an American company, S&W is. Like toyotas (Japan) & Ford.
Thats why I got the Shield in 9. Have a G23 & love it & had other glocks, but trying to stay a loyal citizen Love the shield.

From 87-01 S&W was owned by a British firm that also made toilets. Back then, S&W was being bought & sold as often as they came out with new gun models. But now, a company called Saf-T-Hammer, in Arizona owns them. GARY

 

[PROnSHIELD]

I think if Gaston took a dump in a box that people would buy it.

Only if it comes in single stack please...

 

[dben002]

More expensive, heavier, wider, holds less rounds, and brand new so expect some teething issues as the Glock 42 had. I don't see one benefit to the 43 over a Shield. Although I think the Ruger LC9-S is the pinnacle of single stack 9MM for me. I owned a Shield and it was almost perfect, but the safety wasn't as easy to manipulate as the Ruger, and I like the mag disconnect too. It's also a bit lighter and thinner than the Shield.

But in a contest between the 43 and the Shield, the Shield wins hands down. Of course, Glock is counting on the rabid "perfection" loyalty their product gets. I think if Gaston took a dump in a box that people would buy it.

It's funny in a way, on the Glock Talk Forum this same subject is taking place in a number of threads, and I got crucified over there for pointing out all the advantages of the Shield....but that's to be expected I guess and I am a Glock owner G26 which to me is a much better option than the 43........

 

[Watchdog]

Before carrying a 43 with low capacity I would recarry my G-26...

Exactly. The G26 Gen4 is only .15 longer than the G43 and only .16 wider than the G43. And it holds 10 rounds...11 if you put one in the chamber. I carry my G26 on a regular basis.

The G43 may end up being a niche pistol, but right now there's no niche for it in my little collection of shooters. I just don't see the point of it.

 

[bobsbbq]

I looked at both and for me the shield met all my buying criteria and price is factored in as well. If they were the same price it would have been a tougher choice but I think the shield feels better in my hand.

 

[hokiefyd]

The 43 may fill a niche but I haven't figured out where yet.

I can't quite figure it out, either. I've watched a number of YouTube videos lately on G43 vs. Shield and many self-identifed Glock fans (hickok45, Zigner, sootch00, MrGunsNGear, etc) conclude that there just isn't much difference in these two guns, except for the Glock's -1 capacity count and +$100 price.

 

[Kaedan]

After getting a grip on both on my days off (I've shot the shield previously) I will admit that the G43 feels so much better in my hand. I'll take the 1 fewer round.

It felt better in my hand than my P938, and it has the same capacity. I'm sensing a transition when the funds allow it.