Shield compared to the LC9?

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ammodave

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I felt the need for a subcompact 9mm so I bought a Ruger LC9. After several range sessions I decided it really wasn't my cup of tea and I gifted it to my son. I didn't mind the size or the recoil but I hated the trigger. Now I'm thinking a Shield might cure my itch. Anyone here with first hand experience with both the Shield and the LC9?
 
I had the Ruger LC9, had no problems with it, just a couple things that I did not like about it.
1st did not care for the loaded chamber indicator.
2nd did not like the mag safety
3rd the long trigger pull was irritating.

I know have a Shield fits my hand better and the trigger is literally amazing. Crisp short.
All the Ruger safeties are not there either. Love the shield, but like the BG380 even better.
 
I have had both, and my wife still has her LC9 (she won't shoot it, though, because it is the TALO Gold edition, and she says it is too pretty to shoot! :rolleyes:)

I didn't care for several things about the LC9:

1) the trigger
2) the LCI
3) the biggest thing for me was that it was too hard to detail strip the slide; I like to take out the striker/firing pin on my pistols and clean out the channel, which is easy to do on M&Ps, Glocks, and even some Rugers (like the SR9/9c.) I don't want to be knocking out pins, which you don't have to do on the Shield.

The Shield fits better in my hand, holds one more round (with the 8 round mag), and is just a better looking pistol, IMO.

So, I bought my wife and I both a Shield in 9mm, so we can share magazines, and since she won't shoot (or sell) her LC9, she needed a small pistol for her own use.
 
I own both and did a video comparing the triggers, which is the biggest difference. My LC9 is totally modified. Modified the trigger pull (half as long as stock and the break point moved forward), removed the mag safety, reduced trigger pull weight, smoothed out pull and trigger stacking, added an overtravel stop, etc. The stock LC9 was a good carry gun, but I made it a great carry gun with the modifications. Remember the Shield just came to the market 9mm end of March, 40S&W begining of May). I would never have purchased the LC9 if the Shields were available. I have a Shield 40 and have already installed an Apex Trigger Kit, making a great trigger into an excellent trigger. The link goes to the YouTube video player. Shows best if you choose full screen at the bottom right of the player. Compares Shield trigger to the LC9 trigger.

http://youtu.be/f7k9UOb-y44

Video showing Apex install, before and after: http://youtu.be/A1EG-caVBXQ



Bob
 
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If a person has to do ALL those modifications to an LC9 to make it a better weapon, might just as well buy the Shield and have the right package, right away. By the time you do all those mods, you'll have spent more money than buying the Shield.


T.L.R.
 
Thanks for all the comments by those who have actually shot both pistols. Bob's video is very enlightening; I recommend it to all prospective Shield owners. Now to find a Shield at a reasonable price....
 
I bought an LC9 soon after they came out, and when Wisconsin's concealed carry law passed, I carried it often. Then the Shield came out, and being a Smith & Wesson fan, I bought two in 9mm, and it became my regular carry. The trigger pull is much better than the LC9, although the LC9 felt a little better in my hand. It came down to which I shot better, and the Shield had it all over the LC9. I sold the LC9 and am now working on getting a Shield in .40, too...
 
I bought an LC9 last year and really liked it. After finding a deal on a Rohrbaugh, I sold the LC9 to a friend of mine. He has shot it a lot and really likes it.

When the Shield first came out, I bought one at full price. What a great gun. I actually sold the Rohrbaugh shortly I bought the 9mm Shield since I finally found a compact 9mm that really works, is accurate, and dependable.

The LC9 seems to be a good gun but I, like others on this thread, did not like the loaded chamber indicator or magazine disconnect. The safety was OK with me since I have also learned to like it on the Shield. The LC9 trigger was something you can get used to, but the Shield trigger is just about perfect.

I feel that the S&W Shield is probably the best compact 9mm on the market. Some of the lighter 9mms may be OK to carry but are really a bear to shoot.

Trooper Joe
 
Have both, and though I hate the trigger on the LC9 at the range, and would never have the, LCI, or mag safety on any other gun. I don't seem to mind them on a carry gun. In fact in practicing emergency draw and fire drills the long trigger disappears. And I've come to appreciate a safety on a carry gun, especially one that locks the slide. This prevents the out of battery condition that the shields sometimes suffer from.

The only downer with the shield is that is slightly larger than the LC9, especially when measuring from the top of the slide to the bottom of the trigger guard. This makes it not near as pocket friendly as the LC9.
 
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