Glock 43 or Shield 9mm!!!

[dben002]

I can't quite figure it out, either. I've watched a number of YouTube videos lately on G43 vs. Shield and many self-identifed Glock fans (hickok45, Zigner, sootch00, MrGunsNGear, etc) conclude that there just isn't much difference in these two guns, except for the Glock's -1 capacity count and +$100 price.

I agree, and my opinion is like ***holes, everybody's got one.
But for me the 43 brings nothing new to the ss party and some would say it brings less than others. Many will purchase just because they want one and that's fine. It has nothing to offer for me that I already don't have more of..If I carry a glock it will be the 26. It conceals as well as the 43. Even if it didn't I quit caring about a little printing here and there a long time ago. But for those who think the 43 is for them I say enjoy and good shooting....If you run into me I will have the Shield or the 26....for me they are both "perfection"...

 

[PirateJim]

There was a time when I wanted a small single stack Glock. I've been on the verge of buying a G36, but never pulled the trigger because it wasn't that much smaller than the G23 I already had and found difficult to conceal. I thought the G42 was too big for a .380 but in reading about it I found a lot of very positive comments about the Shield which I wound up buying.

The new G43 is no doubt a fine gun, but there's no way I would swap my 40 S&W Shield for a 9mm G43. Next year maybe Glock will finally come out with a single stack 40, but by then I will have another year of training with the Shield.

I'll be sticking with Smith & Wesson for the foreseeable future.

 

[rfreyta]

I have a Glock G19 that I love. Wanted to go smaller for summer carry about a year ago. At that time I may have bought the G43 had it been out. After trying several different guns I settled on the Shield 9mm. I couldn't be happier with it and I will never get the G43. It's too late to market and way overpriced. By the time the price gets reasonable another year will have gone by.

 

[FreedomRocks]

When it comes to a 9mm, smaller is not always better. For me the Shield coming in at a couple of ounces heavier than the G43 is the perfect single stack 9. The G43 I think would be a bit more snappy. Even Hickok45, the Glock lover he is during his review of the G43 said his trigger finger was beginning to hurt a bit.

 

[rimshaker]

As an instructor, I recommend you choose one or the other. Which ever you like or are more proficient with is fine. Both are extremely well built and reliable. I choose the S&W for one main reason....18 degree grip angle. Seems funny that almost every popular pistol on the market has this angle. To me, Glock is wrong. But switching from one to the other is propably going to effect you muscle-memory skills, especially during a stressful situation. Just some food for thought. . . .

A proper pistol grip form works with both grip angles just the same. Focus on the front sight and the results are the same. Consequently, Glock's higher grip angle naturally tones down the felt recoil and muzzle rise since you are pointing the muzzle slightly more downward. But to say Glock is "wrong" is absurd.... just look at their presence in the marketplace.

 

[hokiefyd]

I like the mechanics of the Luger/Glock grip angle. Indeed, your hands and wrists are pointed further forward, which should work to better counteract the recoil reaction of the gun. From a biomechanical standpoint, I think it's a superior design.

What keeps me, personally, from embracing it is it's not my natural press-out angle. I can acquire that front sight in a slow press/stationary target scenario, but in a dynamic situation where I may not even have both hands on my pistol to defend myself, I have to use what I can naturally press out.

Training will eventually overcome that, but I would need a whole lot more training than I can afford to create that physical muscle memory. I can (and have) trained to become proficient with the firearms I do have, but I haven't had to create the muscle memory necessary to change my wrist angle during a press out. That would require more training than I have time or resources to dedicate to it, and I acknowledge that up front. I don't think Glock's grip angle is "wrong". But it's wrong for me.

If my natural press-out, eyes closed, put me on-target with a Glock, then I'd own Glocks instead of Smiths.

 

[bulldogman]

I had a chance to handle a G43 yesterday, for lack of a better description, it was like holding a banana, if you squeezed hard enough it felt like it wanted slide up and out your hand.

 

[PirateJim]

I don't think there is any "right" or "wrong" when it comes to grip angles. However, I tend to agree with hokiefyd that Glock's grip angle doesn't point "naturally" for me.

This could be because I shot 1911s for years before there even was a M&P and I still own two, one of which I shoot regularly. I also shoot my High Standard Victor quite a lot which was designed to match the 1911 grip angle. Shooting those regularly always kept my Glocks feeling a bit "wrong" to my hand, and is no doubt a big part of what makes the M&P feel "right" to me.

Dang, re-reading that almost makes me think I ought to go ahead and swap that last Glock off. Hmmm... Maybe after the "shiny new toy" wears off my Pro a bit more.