Am I crazy for buying a Shield?

[mrmike7189]

anybody have a shield in 40S&W?

Just wondering how the Shield in 40S&W feels? everyone has reviewed the 9mm version, since i already have a 9mm Glock I am looking for a 40S&W to go with my 40S&W carbine rifle.


To me, the Shield is probably the mildest shooting Subcompact on the market. To me, it shoots as mild as my G26 and ALMOST as mild as my G19. My Shield is my EDC and sometimes, it's the only pistol I take to the range, for several Hundred round session. I consider the Shield an All-Day-Shooter and would have no qualms whatsoever taking it to a 4-Day intensive shooting class like Frontsight.

Just make sure you have plenty of mags to rotate through (at LEAST 6), so you don't slow down the class by needing to reload mags so often.

AND... Buy an UpLula mag loader! It will definitely help reload all those mags. [/QUOTE]

 

[Old TexMex]

Second on extra mags & the Uplula ^^

I'd think the restriction for pocket pistols at Frontside won't apply to the Shield (BG380 is listed, Shield isn't). It's a minimal for their program, and you're going to be subjected to a lot of reload exercise, but what's wrong with that?.... If the Shield is going to be your only and carry, you'd better be proficient with it and that's what Frontsight is for. It isn't a competition with the other students, it's a training program that deals with self defense. I say: good choice.

 

[RobzGuns]

Let me ask this of the folks here in this thread: Was a Shield anyone else's very first gun purchase?

No, I didn't think so.

LOL... Since many of us posting in this thread have been shooting for several Decades and the Shield's only been around for 4yrs...

But if you look at the various threads in this Sub-Forum, you'll see that there are indeed quite a few members for whom the Shield was their Very First handgun.

Personally, for a 1st pistol, I'd recommend a larger Compact (G19, XDMc, etc) or a FS (G17, XD, etc), but if circumstances dictated the need for it to be a Subcompact, the Shield is probably the ONLY Subcompact I'd recommend.

 

[Justin69]

I'm looking to pick up my first handgun in CA and after shooting the Shield, Glock 26, Glock 19, and SA XD I want to buy the Shield. After doing a lot of research, I have the following concerns:

.

You need to shoot a glock 43 too. It is the most similar to the shield (in my opinion) & then decide. Both are great cc weapons. Although I prefer the shield!

 

[paragain]

Carry my Shield everyday! No need to haul a hunk of steel around when just as much firepower is available in a compact lite package.

 

[TTSH]

LOL... Since many of us posting in this thread have been shooting for several Decades and the Shield's only been around for 4yrs...

But if you look at the various threads in this Sub-Forum, you'll see that there are indeed quite a few members for whom the Shield was their Very First handgun.

Personally, for a 1st pistol, I'd recommend a larger Compact (G19, XDMc, etc) or a FS (G17, XD, etc), but if circumstances dictated the need for it to be a Subcompact, the Shield is probably the ONLY Subcompact I'd recommend.

You figured out the "can't lose" feature of my challenge!

Nonetheless, I still think a Shield as a first and only gun for a noob is a bad idea. At least the 9mm is shootable. I think a .40 Shield for a noob's first/only gun would be crazy. But take into account my moonbat state of residence where the triggers on the Shields are, by law, very close to unusable (if not totally unusable) out of the box.

If a person really can't afford to get into a .22 LR plinker before laying down money for his/her personal defense weapon... then I think he or she should maybe consider choosing a different hobby.

Likewise, if a person is spending the tall green for professional-grade pistol training, I think spending a little additional money for a full-size gun is also appropriate.

But hey, what the Hell do I know? I'm a good 40 years behind the times. Today, anything goes... so what the heck? Why even ask?

 

[oldIrish]

I have the Shield40. I first bought a FS40, followed that up with an
M&P22. Ergonomics were the same, but considerably less expensive
to practice "muscle memory" drills. I ended up getting Pierce extensions
on the Shield magazines (really helped). The Shield is my EDC, but not
as enjoyable as the FS for a day at the range. My wife enjoys shooting
the 22M&P, can handle the FS40, but after 4 years years, still struggles
to rack the Shield.

 

[BigDog48]

Let me ask this of the folks here in this thread: Was a Shield anyone else's very first gun purchase?

No, I didn't think so.

Point well taken, but to be fair, I'd guess most people on the forum have been shooting since before the Shield was offered for sale. It was my 9th, and since then #10 is another M&P.

Having said that, if I were going to spend money (and time) at Gunsite, I'd take a more middle of the road (larger, higher capacity) pistol, like my Beretta 92 or my Glock 19, but that's because of the fact that I've been shooting them a long time for long periods at a time and know they work flawlessly, and are easy for me to shoot, and don't "gum up" after 500 or 700 rounds without cleaning. I haven't put my Shield through that test yet.

 

[PirateJim]

I'm looking to pick up my first handgun in CA and after shooting the Shield, Glock 26, Glock 19, and SA XD I want to buy the Shield. After doing a lot of research, I have the following concerns:

1. A lot of people say you are crazy to buy a subcompact as your first gun.

2. I'm going to Frontsight training in May and people say you are crazy to take a subcompact to a 4-day training course.

3. It seems a lot of people view the Shield as a great BUG or great gun for the ladies or a great gun for summer wear when printing is a major concern but not a great gun for a man and EDC.

Would love to hear your thoughts on the above points.

I'm favoring the Shield because of price, safety features, and how small and light it is. I want to have a gun that is comfortable to carry all day and is easy to conceal.

I know there's already quite a few answers and I haven't read them all, so this may be well plowed ground, but here's one take on it. And to put my opinion in perspective, I'm 62 and have shot handguns through much of my life. Learned on my father's old Colt Woodsman 22 when I was probably about 8-10. and I've had a concealed carry permit since the early 90's and tried a number of guns over that time.

I'll start with #3. Opinions of course vary, and there's people carrying Desert Eagles concealed I'm sure, but for an awful lot of people, including me, smaller and thinner have considerable virtue. Even with a good holster and belt a full size, high capacity pistol is a large and heavy lump on your hip. I carried a Glock 23 off and on for ten plus years, but it was off more than on. The Shield is my preferred every day carry (EDC) gun because it is a fantastic fusion of power and concealability. For a citizen (i.e. not law enforcement that has to run toward trouble) a Shield is a very very satisfactory "main" carry pistol.

For #1 - If for some reason I was forced to divest and could have only one gun, I'd keep the Shield. For a home defense gun, I prefer a full size service pistol like my Pro Series. But I'm afraid you've been listening to the same people that think you need that full size pistol stuck down your pants and bulging under the jacket you can't take off no matter how hot it is. I presume their reasoning is based largely on capacity. Sure, all things being equal, higher capacity is nice, but for years I slept with a Colt Python on my night stand and slept well. And when it comes to capacity for a carry gun, check the Concealed Carry sub forum nearby and you'll find a heck of a lot of folks that feel very comfortable with a 5 shot J-frame in their pocket.

For #2 - I guess there's some validity, mostly because you'll be busier than some others reloading and stuffing magazines. Get a Maglula!!! Popping for a few extra magazines might be worthwhile too.

Bottom line, if you are going to use the one gun for both carry and home defense the Shield is not an unwise choice. Only you can decide if it is the optimal choice. But it is a fine carry pistol and will get the job done at home too. It's certainly WAY better than what you've apparently had in the past.

Hope this helps, and good luck!

 

[PAFMAN3]

If you're crazy, all I can say is 'Welcome to the Asylum'!

White sleeveless coats optional

Love my Shield shoots great.

 

[bobknn]

Let me ask this of the folks here in this thread: Was a Shield anyone else's very first gun purchase?

No, I didn't think so.

A 9mm Shield was my first gun. I thoroughly enjoy shooting it and carry it daily. Since buying the Shield I've added an M&P 22compact, a Glock 17 and an HK VP9. I enjoy shooting all of them but only carry the Shield.

Hope this helps the OP make his decision.

The Shield was meant solely for concealed carry-I'm getting old and feel less safe and more of a target. I was surprised that I enjoyed shooting as much as I did. Thus the other guns followed.
The guns that followed the Shield came home at about 6 month intervals. It seems shooting can become addictive.

 

[lankox]

I really do appreciate all of the great feedback. This is a great site!!

 

[Orygun-fan]

Took my grandson(13) with me the first time shooting my Shield 9. He hadn't fired anything but a .22 handgun and that only once. He was afraid to shoot at first. After the first round he ate it up. He was able to shoot that thing deadly accurately within the first magazine load. I think the Shield is a pretty easy shooter.

 

[slowgun45]

just got shield in .40 ran 100 rds flawless it will be my edc and I like it

 

[V0OBWxZS16]

Nothing wrong with being a little crazy.

3. I have a Shield 9 and love to shoot it and believe it is a great daily carry gun. I have a .380 for when I want to pocket carry or carry a BUG.

1. A full-size pistol is easier to shoot and therefore easier to learn on. Smaller calibers (i.e. .22 LR) are also easier to shoot and learn with. However, the Shield is still close to reason. If you wanted a .357 Scandium J-frame or something for your first I'd call you nuts.

2. Front Sight's 4-Day Defensive Handgun is only 600 rounds. That's quite low. You should have no problems doing that with anything.

The course is quite expensive. Did you get your hands on one of their course coupons? If not take a course from a good local instructor instead.

If you do go don't forget your sunscreen and clothing layers and bring plenty of magazines. Be prepared for the membership pitch too.

 

[rwsmith]

Word gets around...

Part of the reason for that is that I've seen/heard multitudinous positive reports from many users and VERY few complaints. That and that they are making a DAO pistol with a good trigger. Word gets around that S&W is making a great gun and you can hardly miss by buying one.

 

[cptrick3]

I don't own a shield but I have a Performance Center 9mm on order. My concern would not be the gun but the # of rounds. For something like Frontsight I would want a double stack. My first gun was a S&W SD9VE. You can pick one up for less than $300.00 and I can think of no better "first gun".

 

[Boamac]

You figured out the "can't lose" feature of my challenge!

Nonetheless, I still think a Shield as a first and only gun for a noob is a bad idea. At least the 9mm is shootable. I think a .40 Shield for a noob's first/only gun would be crazy. But take into account my moonbat state of residence where the triggers on the Shields are, by law, very close to unusable (if not totally unusable) out of the box.

If a person really can't afford to get into a .22 LR plinker before laying down money for his/her personal defense weapon... then I think he or she should maybe consider choosing a different hobby.

Likewise, if a person is spending the tall green for professional-grade pistol training, I think spending a little additional money for a full-size gun is also appropriate.

But hey, what the Hell do I know? I'm a good 40 years behind the times. Today, anything goes... so what the heck? Why even ask?

Well i had shot frequently over the years, I had never purchased a hand gun personally or carried. I purchased the Shield 40 and love it. Things to note, if you have very large hands, you may not like it. Otherwise, I find that it was perfect for my situation. I have to conceal to carry and find it is perfect wearing dockers and a polo shirt.

Recoil wise, i've had no trouble, but I am around the 240 mark and at this time have put close to 500 rds through it. My wife has an SD40VE and it's much different shooting the shield. She hates the shield, but you couldn't pry the sd40ve out of her hands if you wanted to.

 

[rwsmith]

Semis as a whole....

Let me ask this of the folks here in this thread: Was a Shield anyone else's very first gun purchase?

No, I didn't think so.

Revolvers still had the field in 1980 when I got started. They didn't even have Sigmas. I could have gotten a 1st gen like model 39 or 59, single or double stack, respectively and both are alloy frame.

 

[swsig]

No it is not "crazy" to buy a subcompact for your first gun, as long as it is a high quality subcompact, and the Shield definitely qualifies. The question you need to consider is how you're going to use it. The Shield was designed for concealed carry. Since you're in CA, where concealed carry permits are difficult to obtain, there are probably better options if you're only going to use your gun for home defense. I have a Shield 9, and it's great, but my main home defense weapon is S&W's M&P 40c. It has a 10 round (CA legal) magazine, and it is very accurate and wonderfully reliable. I've had only one failure to eject in 5000 rounds. So it's something to consider if you end up buying for home defense only.

If you are fortunate enough to get a CA concealed carry permit, the Shield is an excellent choice for both carry and home defense. Modern self-defense rounds are very effective at stopping threats, so if you use the right ammo, and can put it on target (the Shield is impressively accurate for a short-barreled pistol), you'll do fine with the Shield. For a list of recommended SD ammo, look here:
https://pistol-forum.com/showthread.php?4337-Service-Caliber-Handgun-Duty-and-Self-Defense-Ammo

As to your question of whether the Shield is "manly" enough, note that the Shield carries just as many rounds as the manly 1911, and that a well-placed high quality 9mm or .40 cal SD round will be as effective as a well-placed .45 cal round.

Good luck with your purchase!