I've got Glocks and I've got M&P's, and in the market to buy a still smaller carry (than my 9C). Anybody here actually own both or made a shooting and carry comparison? Of course I'm leaning toward the Shield 9 (daughter just bought one and loves it), but the Glock is interesting. Wondering if it has a better trigger. Thanks

I have a Shield 9 and a Glock 42. The Shield is a great gun but just a bit on the large side for pocket carry. I can do it but not in all pants. The Glock in a Sticky holster is easy to carry even in jeans. Both guns shoot great and are very similar. Of course the .380 is a little softer shooting. For me the accuracy is the same and neither one has had any issues. Very little difference in the triggers. I have not measured it but the Glock feels a bit lighter. Both are equally smooth.

Noir is slightly biased towards the Glock but this is a pretty balanced review

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Retired Career Security Guard

https://youtu.be/EdYH2M7CJN4

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MSP - Retired

I have both a Glock 43 and a Shield 9mm.

I bought the Shield because I was tired of waiting on Glock and then a month later along comes the 43. I am glad it happened that way because I really like the Shield a great deal.

The Shield is a little bit heavier but I find it easier to shoot. To be honest I have not shot the 43 as much as the Shield. That is due to the fact that I really like the Shield and don't find the need to change. I took the Shield to qualify the first time and easily had a 50 out of 50 from 3 yards out to 25 yards. All the hits were quality hits!

I took the 43 out after having put 100 or so rounds through it and struggled a little at the 25 and ended up with a 46 out of 50. But like I said I had not shot it nowhere near as much as the Shield and those numbers should go up with more time and some more practice.

The one thing I like about the 43 is that it has fed everything I put into it since picking it up. The reliability was 100% from the very beginning. The Shield had a few (maybe 3 or 4) fail to feed/extract issues in the first 250 rounds or so. Since then not a hiccup with FMJ or hollow point ammo.

The 43 does seem to conceal better if using a pocket but I truly don't know that I would use the 43 as a pocket gun. I guess it would depend on your body shape and how big your pockets are. Outside of that I don't believe there is much of a difference in the concealment area. Using IWB or OWB would not be a noticeable difference with either.

Hope this helps a little.

I own a shield and a g42 and a friend of mine has a 43, I have had more opportunity to shoot the 43 than my shield so far. That being said, I have shot 300 rounds through the shield, about the same number through the 43 and close to a thousand through the g42. I had to put a ghost connector on the 42 to make the trigger the way I like it (cost $23) it is not perfect. I do get the occassional ftf on the g42 but by dropping the brands that cause it; it is now perfect. The 43 is failure free out of the box but needs the connector as well. I have not yet really figured out the best sight picture with the shield not the proper trigger handling either. the result is it is not yet shooting where I want it to . I have been told, to fix the trigger should be changed out to an Apex (at a cost of about $150) so this is an issue with me. I like the weight of the S&W better and the fact that it digests any round I put in a is a real plus. If I had it to do over again, I would have bought the g43 but they are as scarce as hens teeth in the Pacific NW. I hope to get much better with the shield over time.

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I have the shield, glock 42, and glock 43 and have shot them a bunch over 500 rounds each. I first got the shield and liked it so much I let my wife shoot it, big mistake. She sold her glock 19 and now carries the shield. We have had no problems at all with it and it shoots great. Than I bought the 42, one of the first, worst mistake I ever made. I had every problem you could imagine with it so it went back to glock. came back and flawless. it also shoots excellent and fast to target. Now comes the 43, I have around 500 rounds through it without a hitch. shoots everything you feed it and comes back for more. I carry both the 42 and 43 just depends on how I want to carry. the 42 is excellent pocket gun 43 is a little bigger but still works in the pocket. I was going to pick up another shield instead of the 43 just due to price. I got blue label pricing on my glock 43 but the price was still almost $75 more than the shield. I love my glocks but for the money the shield cant be beat. It is bigger and heavier than the 43 and I have a limitation when carrying so I needed a smaller gun for comfort. you cant go wrong with either

Glock 43 vs. Smith & Wesson M&P Shield Comparison (HD) - YouTube

Twice I bought a 43 and both times ended up going back to the Shield. IMHO, the Shield has a better trigger, a better overall feel in the hand, and the grip angle (18 degree like the 1911) makes for increased accuracy over the 43.

Hope this helps!

Thanks guys for the help. Made up my mind. Now just have to wait for a shield to show up at my local gun shop. Great forum here (people actually help each other).

Just make sure the slide goes all the way back on whichever pistol they give you from their inventory. In other words, inspect it before you pay for it. You wouldn't want to get home to discover you got one with a defective RSA.

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Has this been a common problem?

If you are willing to pay retail, Cabelas (at least near us) seems to always have shields (not so much with the performance center version).

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Regards from THE Old Fart

I have both the 9mm Shield with Apex Duty Trigger and another 9mm Shield with Stock trigger and a Glock 43. Personally I do not like the G43 because it has been sent back to Glock 2x for feeding issues. It will feed FMJ but will not feed Critical Defense. Both my Shields shoot way better and can feed anything I feed it. The extra 7th round also makes a huge difference and I like the 8 round mag it comes with. The Glock is OK for a backup gun but would not trust it.

I couldn't agree with you more. My G43 will not feed reliably the Critical Defense and has been sent to Glock 2x. They finally told me they have an updated magazine with a different follower. As for accuracy it is nowhere near as good as my Shield. I even have talon tape which makes it a bit better but not much.

Wouldn't that be the first thing you did, pinch the rear of the slide and or do a press check all the way back after removing the magazine? And after your Chicken little critique of me, dahhh!

Two totally different things.

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MSP - Retired

What will be your primary carry method? If you want something to pocket carry, or in an ankle holster, forget either and seriously look at something like a Sig 938. The Sig is the right size for either of the above w/o much effort.

If you are looking for a 9mm with a single stack mag that will primarily be carried in an IWB holster, then the Shield, Glock, OR Walther PPS would work well. I don't own the glock, mostly because my shield all tricked out with an Apex kit and night sights cost less than the glock.

Recently picked up a PPS 9mm that was on sale ($359) to play with. The only modifications to date were a set of night sights and talon grips. After doing some research, was able to polish the correct surfaces and the trigger pull is actually pretty good and on par with my apexed Shield. Mags are a little pricey and sparse, compared to the shield. Haven't taken it to the range yet, but don't expect any real negatives..

What holster is that in the video? And thanks for the fine work in filming.

Mark

Really glad I chose Shields over the Glocks.

Bought the shield and couldn't be happier. Almost feels like I'm holding my 9C, which I love.