home protection vs conceal carry

CherStew

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So I got the M&P Shield 9mm as use for conceal carry; but I have had two people tell me it's better for home protection and that I should get a .380 to carry. What is the group census on that?
 
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I would go bigger for home defense. The bigger the easier to control more ammo etc
 
I carry various firearms depending on weather and what I am wearing that day, and my mood. I carry everything from a Glock 43, to my FS M&P 9, Glock 21 Gen4, Bodyguard, Kimber 1911...the best firearm for carry/home defense is the one you're comfortable and proficient with. This of course is only my opinion. All of these could double as an HD weapon.
 
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I would disagree with your people. The Shield is designed specifically to be a carry gun, although it could serve as a home defense weapon. I doubt you'll find a consensus on the .380 versus 9mm. Each has its own place. Carry as much firepower as you feel you reasonably can. I'm guessing there's some people who might carry either, depending on the circumstance. .380s will generally be smaller, but pack less of a punch.
 
I carry the 380 in my front pocket. I carry the shield in a desantis mini holster on my belt. My shirt comes down over it but if it didn't open carry is allowed here.
 
So I got the M&P Shield 9mm as use for conceal carry; but I have had two people tell me it's better for home protection and that I should get a .380 to carry. What is the group census on that?

Your HD gun should be the one you shoot the best.

Since you're not carrying it, a full sized 1911 may be more desireable than a Commander.

Likewise, if all you have is a Shield, then it's your HD gun and your carry gun.

Nothing wrong with that.
 
The Shield is a carry gun. For home defense, you don't have to worry about what size the pistol is, so get a full size pistol. They're easier to shoot/control and easier to hit your mark due to a longer sight radius and longer barrel. They also hold twice as many rounds than the Shield. Carry your shield and be happy. It's a nice little gun.
 
They don't know what they are talkng about. The Shield is a great CC gun. A lot of experts aren't fond of the .380 caliber for personal defense.
 
Your carry gun should be one that you can conceal and handle easily and shoot accurately. If you can do those things with your Shield, there is no reason to use a weapon that fires the less powerful .380 round. As to home defense, since concealability is not an issue, I would choose the highest capacity, most reliable pistol that you can handle easily and shoot accurately. Try a bunch of 'em, 9mm, .40 caliber, or even .45 caliber at your friendly local gun range, and pick one that is best suited for you.

Good Luck!
 
Unless (1) you shoot the .380acp more accurately than the Shield 9mm and/or (2) you can't conceal the Shield 9mm as effectively as the .380acp -- the recommendation you received makes ABSOLUTELY no sense to me. For home defense, a short barrel pump or semi auto shotgun and/or short barrel semi auto rifle are FAR superior to a .380acp or 9mm handgun. Luckily, you're likely to get comments from shooters on this forum with decades of experience regarding this topic. I recommend you seriously consider their point of view in addition to the two people you mention in your post. Good luck.
 
So I got the M&P Shield 9mm as use for conceal carry; but I have had two people tell me it's better for home protection and that I should get a .380 to carry. What is the group census on that?

I admit I'm not too familiar with the Shield but looking at the specs I see no reason it (in 9 mm) couldn't satisfy both roles, as long as it satisfies two very important requirements: 1) it's comfortable to shoot and 2) it's comfortable to carry.
 
My take is that we don't know your age, sex, physical condition, history with guns, or the reasons given by these two people for their advice to you, or who they are and what they know about anything in the first place. Any consensus here would be that we don't have enough info to advise you confidently on what to carry beyond general advice. Whatever you do, become competent with any gun you use for defense anywhere. Then caliber will become less of an issue.
 
Our HD choice is based on the facts that my wife and I are comfortable with the same model, caliber, and operation of a particular double stack 9mm, which shall remain nameless (Glock 19.) My personal carry choice depends entirely on where I'm going, what I'll be wearing, and what I might expect to encounter. My choices are varied. Yours may be more simple. There's no reason one gun can't fulfill both HDand EDC roles, but you need to be proficient with the firearm, and that will take a lot of dedicated and motivated practice on your part. Good luck in making your choice.
 
Peoples idea of a concealed carry and a home defense firearms vary in some cases by a lot. I carry a Sig P228 9mm with 16 rounds and my home defense pistol is a Sig P226 with 19 rounds of 9mm. The larger size of the P226 makes it harder to carry concealed so that is why I have two different pistols for different uses.

I 've also been known to have an AR-15 close by when at home.
 
There is no "right" answer. Whatever your comfortable with using in either situation. Some are fine with a .22lr for both uses.

For me, the Shield is carry only. Home defense is a full size 9mm to get me to a 12ga.
 
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