I just tried to order a Shield 40 from Midwest Guns in IL and the guy there said the 40 is slightly bigger in size than the 9mm. Is this true? I thought they were the same size. I really wanted the 9mm but can't get my hand on one and I'm tired of waiting. Does anyone think I will regret getting the 40 over the 9mm?
Thanks
Kiel

Opps! Wrong section how do I move or delete?

Not sure about the Shield, but the M&P 9C is the same size as the 40C. Ammo is a lot cheaper for the 9; other than that, I doubt you'll see much difference.

Also, S&W's site shows the same dimensions and weight for both the 40 and 9.

And yeah, it's the wrong location for the post. ;-)

Thanks for the link! That answers everything.

can't go wrong with the 40

So is it confirmed that the shield 9 and 40 are the same size dimensionally?

Yes, they are the same size.

__________________
Randy

Not only are they the same size, but if you buy the .40 you can convert it to 9mm with just a barrel and magazine. Wish I'd known that before I bought my 9mm, because it doesn't work the other way around.

Hmmm...what got me interested in the 40 is that it will shoot 9mm with a drop in (or semi drop in) barrel (but not vise versa).

Its not the size of either weapon that is the problem here.

Its just the width of the tangs at the barrel hood that are the concern. For some reason the .40 has a wider space here. Other then that, they are the exact same size. Externally, this means nothing at all.

After watching the youtube video on the Shield 40 body with a 9mm barrel conversion, i thought this was the way to go. Keep my 40ammo for carry and 9mm for practice all in one gun. I inquired with Smith and Wesson on the purchase of a barrel and this was their response on the barrel and results of doing the conversion.

Subject: M&P SHIELD 9MM BARRELS.
Dear Customer, I am not sure why we stopped selling barrels retail. I do know that the slight difference in barrel dimensions can damage the slide assembly after several hundred rounds.
If further assistance is required please reply accordingly.
Sincerely,
Michael DiFiore
Has anyone heard of this problem or had different results? Thanks for the time.

Simply put, they are covering their butt. Just in case anything were to ever happen. You couldnt say the manufacturer told u that it would work. Any BIG company would do this, just to avoid a possible lawsuit farther down the road.

S&W no longer sells the Shield barrels as replacement parts. They stopped doing this shortly after we let the cat out of the bag on the barrel swap. Finding a Shield barrel today is pretty much a dead end road. Unless of course u want to pay a premium for one.

PS: I have around 10k rounds through my 9mm barrel in my .40 slide. Not a single problem has come out of it.

Thank you for clarifying that, i was going to purchase the 9 but will buy the 40 and begin my quest for the 9 barrel. Also at the last gun show one of the local shops, SHOOT STRAIGHT had the Shield 9 at 449. and 429. for the 40. Searching around the lowest i have been able to find the 9mm was for 395.00, i didnt inquire about 40 but will now. Thanks again.

At the prices I saw the 9 barrel, I just got another Shield in 9mm.


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I'm sure u can ask anyone else around here who has done the 40 to 9 conversion. There hasnt been a single problem with any of them. If there was a problem, u would have already seen it posted. The only problem i personally ever had was attempting using 9mm with the 40 mag. Most of the time it worked but often I would get a FTF with the last round. A 9mm mag makes sure that this problem doesnt occur.

Great little guns and I wouldnt give mine up for anything else. I've had them all from the factory 9mm Shield, .40 Shield, .45 XDS and 9mm XDS. But I still own the Shield .40. Thats just how much i enjoy this little thing.

Thats why i bought 4 of the 9mm barrels when I first found them. I knew a few of my friends would want them sooner or later.

If S&W stop selling 9mm barrels for the Shield, I am guessing they stop selling the factory barrels cause you do the same swap for other models?

yes that's true

Yes, but the thing is that there are other companies who make a 9mm conversion barrel for the other models. There isnt another company yet that makes a Shield conversion barrel. So to the guys who have the other models, its not that big of a deal because they have another option.

With the Shield for the moment u have no other choice but to play the waiting game.

the ego on having a 40 over a 9 is bigger lol

Thats why i enjoy the S&W 500.

thats too baller status for me. kinda hard to one up that... im too much of a wussy to try to shoot it enough to enjoy it

1 time WILL be enough for me lol