Is this a good starter pistol??? As of last week I am a new concealed permit holder in the great state of New York. Just purchased the sheild in 9mm. After doing some research I chose the model with no safety. (Seems the salesman at the counter was trying to pursuade me to the safety model) maybe knowing of my in experience? Any thoughts or tips for the new guy? This will be IWB conceal carry.
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First Handgun -MP Shield 9mm - No Safety
- Thread starter Realtor17
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Nope. Not a good starter pistol, but you'll have to make do
The Shield has a bit of a learning curve. Just knuckle down, buy ammo, get through it, and shoot the hellouttait. It will take 3-500 rounds to get it good and broke-in.
Clean lube, and assemble. Load the mags and leave em loaded to loosen up the springs.
Check out Hicock45 video on it for good tips. Also his vid on "Grip"
When you think the sights are off? I will assure you that its you. Accept help and seek help if necessary.
Im a "safety" guy....its a personal preference.
All good. Enjoy. Oh...and welcome to the fray!
The Shield has a bit of a learning curve. Just knuckle down, buy ammo, get through it, and shoot the hellouttait. It will take 3-500 rounds to get it good and broke-in.
Clean lube, and assemble. Load the mags and leave em loaded to loosen up the springs.
Check out Hicock45 video on it for good tips. Also his vid on "Grip"
When you think the sights are off? I will assure you that its you. Accept help and seek help if necessary.
Im a "safety" guy....its a personal preference.
All good. Enjoy. Oh...and welcome to the fray!
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Starter pistols shoot blanks...
Get someone who knows how semi-autos work to show you how to load and shoot it.
Don't put your thumb behind the slide when firing.
Buy lots of ammo and practice.
Learn how to field strip and clean.
Buy more ammo and practice more.
Get someone who knows how semi-autos work to show you how to load and shoot it.
Don't put your thumb behind the slide when firing.
Buy lots of ammo and practice.
Learn how to field strip and clean.
Buy more ammo and practice more.
garddogg56
Member
Yes Realtor I feel it is a great first pistol
I taught three of my kids on a no safety Shield ,with proper trigger finger control and knowledge of self defence no safety is one less thing to worry about with proper holsters and such.You will enjoy your Shield
I taught three of my kids on a no safety Shield ,with proper trigger finger control and knowledge of self defence no safety is one less thing to worry about with proper holsters and such.You will enjoy your Shield
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Thanks everyone. I'll be out running some rounds through it Monday. I picked up an alien gear cloak tuck 3.0 for holster.
Yea Big 16 month wait to get licensed and it's only getting longer now. Thank God I'm in western NY and not NYC where a permit is near impossible.
Yea Big 16 month wait to get licensed and it's only getting longer now. Thank God I'm in western NY and not NYC where a permit is near impossible.
ScaryWoody
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Where about's in NY? My wife is from Skaneatles. Good choice for a Holster. Clean, lube and shoot. Check out Magguts magazine springs to squeeze extra rounds in. Take a concealed carry class if you can. Practice drawing and do lots of dry fire.
Almost forgot, get a good gun belt it makes a huge difference in carry. Join the NRA if you haven't already. We don't want our States turning into New York state.
Almost forgot, get a good gun belt it makes a huge difference in carry. Join the NRA if you haven't already. We don't want our States turning into New York state.
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Wear it around the house alot UNLOADED ALL MAGS UNLOADED before you think about going out with it. Get training then practice your draw alot. Start slow until you build your muscle memory. Lots of good books and DVD's out there - NOT YOUTUBE.
AZHTfreak
Member
Presssssssss the trigger slowly (say it to yourself as your doing it). BANG. Hold the pressed trigger back, then release slowly until you feel the reset click. Pressssssssss, BANG. Repeat. Don't pull, yank, slap or jerk the trigger. You want to surprise yourself with the BANG. DO NOT anticipate the recoil, literally just let the BANG happen. At home, drop the mag & clear, then dry fire, short rack, dry fire, short rack - repeat 1000x while you're watching sociofascist DeBlabio drone on&on&on. It's all about muscle memory... Then, get the eff outta NY and move to AZ, constitutional carry baby, last bastion of a Representative Republic, excepting McCain of course...
See this thread for SD ammo Best personal defense Ammo for shield 9mm? I prefer Federal's HST offerings 10 outta 10 in a 3" barrel.
+1 on the Alien Gear IWB and OWB holsters. +1 on the MagLula...
See this thread for SD ammo Best personal defense Ammo for shield 9mm? I prefer Federal's HST offerings 10 outta 10 in a 3" barrel.
+1 on the Alien Gear IWB and OWB holsters. +1 on the MagLula...
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bigwheelzip
Absent Comrade
A Maglula Uplula magazine loader helps with loading duty.
The mag release button is metal and prone to rust. Release it and apply a coating of your slide lube to it, or it could rust and seize.
The mag release button is metal and prone to rust. Release it and apply a coating of your slide lube to it, or it could rust and seize.
A small pistol like the Shield is not ideal for a beginner as smaller pistols are much more challenging to shoot well than are larger pistols. However, it's what you have, so buy plenty of ammo and practice a lot. Once you can shoot the Shield well a larger pistol will be a piece of cake.
I like Alien Gear holsters myself, so I think you made a good choice there. I have three of them at present.
Buy some well respected hollow points for carry purposes. Something like Gold Dots, HST, or Hornady Critical Defense. Buy extra and shoot a few magazines through the Shield after it's been broken in to make certain that they function in your pistol. Defensive rounds aren't cheap to shoot, but you HAVE to know they will function for you if you ever need them.
I like Alien Gear holsters myself, so I think you made a good choice there. I have three of them at present.
Buy some well respected hollow points for carry purposes. Something like Gold Dots, HST, or Hornady Critical Defense. Buy extra and shoot a few magazines through the Shield after it's been broken in to make certain that they function in your pistol. Defensive rounds aren't cheap to shoot, but you HAVE to know they will function for you if you ever need them.
Tinhack
Member
I wouldn't exactly call the Shield 9 a small pistol. I guess it depends on your size in general but coming from a .25 and 380, the 9mm is HUGE by comparison--Especially for concealment. I've had to change my style of casual dress.
I'm a safety person myself but it's off during carry. I've heard some of the early versions had a soft safety and it was easy to accidently set it without knowing. I have not experienced that as the new versions are quite stiff and take some effort to set and release.
I'm a safety person myself but it's off during carry. I've heard some of the early versions had a soft safety and it was easy to accidently set it without knowing. I have not experienced that as the new versions are quite stiff and take some effort to set and release.
My shield will eat any ammo I feed it. For my SD rounds I use Sig Saure V-crown 124 gr. For practice I use whatever I can get on sale.Like everyone said, practice, clean it, and more practice. I also have a AG holster and its nice. Plus I have a N28 and a Ramora. They are all excellent holsters, just practice drawing from what ever holster you have. I also put Talon grips and Tru-Glow fiber optic sights on mine. Plus you can get 10 round magazines from Promag. I got 2 of them on eBay for $20.00 each. They work great.
I'm left handed, for the most part I only use the safeties in
guns that I can put an ambidextrous safety on (1911's and
browning hipowers).
This means the SIGs, S&W's, Beretta's and various military
surplus guns never have their safeties used.
I just keep my finger out of the trigger guard.
The only thing I can add to this thread is:
1. Buy some snap caps and practice cycling the gun with them.
2. Get about 5 more magazines (8 rounders if you can) and load
them. Then about once a week for a couple months pop the
rounds out and reload. This will remove a lot of stiffness in
them. And you'll have them on hand should the clowns in
Albany get another wild hair to restrict ownership some more.
3. While Smith still has the rebate going on check out one of
the peddlers and buy another Shield just like what you've got.
In a few years you'll still be happy you bought it when you did.
Examples right now of real good deals are:
S&W M&P Shield 9mm Magazine, 8rd Capacity ‒ 19936
Smith & Wesson M&P SHIELD 9mm ‒ 180021
I hope this is useful. By the way, welcome aboard.
guns that I can put an ambidextrous safety on (1911's and
browning hipowers).
This means the SIGs, S&W's, Beretta's and various military
surplus guns never have their safeties used.
I just keep my finger out of the trigger guard.
The only thing I can add to this thread is:
1. Buy some snap caps and practice cycling the gun with them.
2. Get about 5 more magazines (8 rounders if you can) and load
them. Then about once a week for a couple months pop the
rounds out and reload. This will remove a lot of stiffness in
them. And you'll have them on hand should the clowns in
Albany get another wild hair to restrict ownership some more.
3. While Smith still has the rebate going on check out one of
the peddlers and buy another Shield just like what you've got.
In a few years you'll still be happy you bought it when you did.
Examples right now of real good deals are:
S&W M&P Shield 9mm Magazine, 8rd Capacity ‒ 19936
Smith & Wesson M&P SHIELD 9mm ‒ 180021
I hope this is useful. By the way, welcome aboard.
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Just picked up some Hornady Critical Defence and some bulk Winchester 9mm for the range (it was on sale) is one mag sufficient to test the hornady? I've heard it feeds just like fmj 115gr .. would rather avoid blowing it all down range at almost a buck a bullet lol
jyork08854
Member
I got my first gun a year ago; full size M&P. Great range gun but a little big for concealed carry. Bought my Shield 9mm 6 months ago to carry. Shoot a couple hundred rounds twice a month. The full size is easier to learn with but after practice, practice, practice the Shield is feeling pretty good. Carry every day now.
I suppose it's DAO?
If it's DAO the safety is keeping your finger off the trigger until you are ready to shoot and have a holster that can't catch the trigger while pulling the gun.
I find the Shield very comfortable to shoot. You don't have to shoot all hot FMJ ammo for practice until you get to where you want try is it with ammo you will be carrying. People say to practice with what you carry, but a hundred rounds of defense ammo gets pretty pricey.
I roll my own (reload) and make loads that simulate defense ammo with CHEAP bullets.
The right description for the Shield is a compact pistol.
If it's DAO the safety is keeping your finger off the trigger until you are ready to shoot and have a holster that can't catch the trigger while pulling the gun.
I find the Shield very comfortable to shoot. You don't have to shoot all hot FMJ ammo for practice until you get to where you want try is it with ammo you will be carrying. People say to practice with what you carry, but a hundred rounds of defense ammo gets pretty pricey.
I roll my own (reload) and make loads that simulate defense ammo with CHEAP bullets.
The right description for the Shield is a compact pistol.
Made it to the range for an hour today - Put 150+ rounds through FMJ with zero issues.. however with the Hornady Critical Defense the slide would not lock back after last shot. It happened on both mags I ran through it . The guy at the range suggested I get something a little heavier 124g + said it might not be kicking hard enough to lock back? Any suggestions? The other ammo again no issue so I don't believe it was operator error
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