Shield m&p 9mm vs .40 question?

Backpain · Mar 9, 2016

Now I know this subject has been talked to death, however I am new to these guns. I am going for my ccp. My father bought a shield m&p .40, but due to arthritis he has issues pulling back the slide. So this is the gun I am going to aquire for everyday. I hear mixed reviews on this gun vs the 9mm version. As to everything practice and knowing your fire arm is important next to safety. Really is this a good gun to own or
is the 9mm better.

Big Stick · Mar 9, 2016

I have shot both, and own a .40. The .40 is a bit snappier as far as recoil, but I have had no issues with FTF, FTE. Its not a gun I would want to shoot all day, but I have no issue firing 100+ through at least monthly to stay proficient with it. Nothing irks me more that to see guys get a small carry piece, but never practice with it, because it has too much recoil..... If you don't have a lot of experience with firearms, especially smaller autos, you may want to get the 9mm instead. It will be a bit more comfortable for you to shoot enough to stay proficient and gain confidence in your ability to use it if needed. Should you reach that point, you can always step up to the larger .40....

Backpain · Mar 9, 2016

Thank you for your input, I do have some experience with hand guns, however most of my life has been around rifles and shotguns. My father in law has a variant of this model, I can't remember the brand but in a 9mm. And that gun fired very well with me hitting the target each shot, not dead center but inside the circle. The 9mm really didn't snap that bad, however never firing a .40 I was just a little concerned about how snappy it really is.

robertrwalsh · Mar 9, 2016

The .40 will definitely be a little whippier than the 9mm. maybe not objectionable, but definitely noticeable.

MyDads38 · Mar 9, 2016

I own both, a Shield in 9mm and 40 S&W. I shoot them both very well and both are very accurate for me out to 10 yards. I carry the 9mm daily, and as soon as I find a SD load for the 40, I'll put that into rotation as well. I have several years training/experience with handguns, so I don't find the Shield 40 uncomfortable or hard to control/manage. You may want to try the 40 before you buy it, to see if you like it. The 9mm will be slightly easier to shoot and ammo will be cheaper as well. Best of luck on your decision.

Magload · Mar 9, 2016

I owned and carried a 40 for a year and put around 20 rounds through it a week. Shot it good to 10 yards but never enjoyed shooting it. It was hard to rack the slide the first 6 months but I got so I could rack it with my thumb and index finger and I am 69 years old and have arthritis in my hands and right shoulder so the snappy recoil was a pain. Sold it and got a 9 last month and love it. Rapid fire is a lot easier and at 7 yards I can keep 5 rounds in a 4" circle as fast as I can shoot. The 40 wouldn't do that for me. I am thinking in SD 2 or 3 good quick shots will be better then 1 good shot.

Backpain · Mar 9, 2016

Thank you all for your input, the .40 will be a gift is why I asked. I do enjoy shooting a 9mm think I will ask my old man about taking it to the range and running some rounds to get a feel.

Backpain · Mar 9, 2016

I guess my last question is, what about all this I have seen about changing the barrel and clip and doing a 9mm convert on the .40. How safe is that really going to be?

markmiela · Mar 9, 2016

Shield m&p 9mm vs .40 question?

I bought the Shield 9 as my first gun. I have put 650 rounds through it and have to say while I still need work on trigger control and resisting the urge to flinch on the shot I really do enjoy shooting it. The recoil on the 9 is manageable and not all that snappy.

Magload · Mar 9, 2016

For a SD gun shooting 10 yards or less the trigger is fine. You are not going to find a barrel to convert a 40 to a 9 at least for now so don't worry about it. I have the Pierce grip extensions on my mags and like them as with my hands the pinky finger has a place to be comfortable. Don

Targets Guy · Mar 9, 2016

I like my 9mm. Never have fired the .40.

Joe7 · Mar 9, 2016

I am also new to CC. A friend of mine has the .40 cal Shield and was kind enough to let me go through about 150 rounds. I wanted to try it out as I was considering the Shield as my first CCW. When I was through testing it out I had NO QUESTION that I would be comfortable with the .40 cal Shield as an edc.
I did end up ordering a 9mm Shield just due to the lower cost of ammunition.
I am sure if you practice with it even once in a while it will be great for the task at hand. Being a gift, I wouldn't bother swapping it out, but thats just me.

mustangman · Mar 9, 2016

I've been carrying my Shield 40 for a little over 2 years now, and it has been reliable since day one. Since its a SD gun and not a range gun, and I don't have anything in 9mm to compare it to, the recoil is what it is, and is not uncomfortable for my usage.
Just my experience, so to each his own, that's what's nice about having choices.
Good luck.

ca survivor · Mar 9, 2016

the Shield in .40 is not bad at all, now the Walther PPS in .40 is a different matter

NCW Ray · Mar 9, 2016

Backpain said:
I guess my last question is, what about all this I have seen about changing the barrel and clip and doing a 9mm convert on the .40. How safe is that really going to be?

There have been a few that have put in a 9mm barrel in their 40 Shield's and haven't had any issues but...good luck on finding a 9mm barrel, they're scarcer than hens teeth! Last year I saw 2 different Shield 9mm barrels go for over $250 each on Ebay...for that price you might as well buy a whole 9mm Shield!

MG-70 · Mar 9, 2016

Here are my two cents. I did a little research before picking up a no thumb safety 9 Shield, and a found quite a few posts from people who had fired the gun in .40 S&W and not liked it due to recoil, including those who had actually bought the .40S&W version and sold it due to this discomfort.

It's tough to judge people's experience level and sensitivity to recoil over the Net, but I know for a fact that I prefer shooting, for example, a Glock 19 over a Glock 23, and I own or have owned multiple samples of each.

The 9X19 kills them just as dead, ammo's cheaper, ammo's smaller and therefore magazine capacity is increased, and on shooting, it recoils less. To me, the decision was a no brainer; really.

I haven't read one single complaint about recoil on a 9 Shield; ever.

Even if the pistol was a gift, you can always sell it and buy what you really want. The gifter should be that much more understanding in your desire to swap the gift, if he gave it to you because it recoiled excessively for him.

Magload · Mar 9, 2016

Don't get me wrong I can well handle the recoil of the 40 but I shoot my EDC gun a lot. I go to a indoor range almost everyday and plan on shooting my 40 CORE or 9 Pro or maybe one of my 1911 45 ACPs so when I finish I do some practice with EDC and did not really enjoy shooting the gun. I love shooting my 357 mag.

Shoot what you like and if it is EDC shoot it a lot. The gun needs to feel like part of you.

instymp · Mar 9, 2016

I had 2 glock 19s, sold them & bought a 23 that I still have & love.
I never felt too much difference at all between the 9 & 40.
I have the Shield in 9, never shot the Shield 40 but am assuming the difference would be close.

Mal Cap · Mar 9, 2016

The FBI has recently reverted to 9mm pistols. They haven't decided on which company yet. One reason is recoil and another is that 9mm ammo is no very versatile for carry. "Nine is fine." I have a 9 Shield and it serves the purpose. Smith came out with a Performance Center 9 Shield, which is ported, has fiber optic sights and a worked trigger. I would've like that one since it would be less "snappy" but I still like my Shield. I may just add to my EDC rotation with an XDS 45 Mod. 2 but my "jury" is out so far.

Jakpro · Mar 10, 2016

I have both a 9mm and 40S&W shield.

The felt recoil is about the same using 165gr 40S&W loads and 9mm 124gr +P loads--to me. The regular 124gr is a bit less snappy.

The felt recoil is less on the Shield 40 than on my Glock 23 gen 3--at least to me.

Shield m&p 9mm vs .40 question?

Member

Member

Member

SWCA Member

Member

US Veteran

Member

Member

Member

US Veteran

US Veteran

Member

Member

Member

Member

Member

US Veteran

Member

Member

Member

Similar threads