bedbugbilly
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- Joined
- Nov 10, 2010
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- 154
I'm an older "coot" of 62 - always been a "revolver guy". I own one semi-auto - a SR9 that I've had for 8 + years and when I purchased it, it took a lot for me to buy a "plastic gun". But - it's been great.
Normally, I CCW a Smith Model 36 J frame. Lately, I've been wanting "a little more" so I have been looking, reading, asking a lot of questions (some on here) in regards to a single stock 9mm - in particular a Shield. Yesterday, I went to the LGS where I usually buy things and talked with one of the salesmen that I've purchased a few revolvers from over the years. He's very knowledgeable as far as handguns, shoots IDPA, reloads, etc. and I trust his judgement.
I went with an "open mind" and was determined not to look at "price tags". (I don't equate quality with price.) I told him I was looking for a 9mm semi-auto single stack and my criteria was:
1. History of reliability
2. Not necessarily a "pocket gun" but a smaller one that would carry easily - I carry on the belt
3. Something that shoots well "out of the box" and has a decent "stock trigger" - I don't like to do mods but rather "learn" a pistol and how it shoots - let's face it, every handgun is different
4.One that would feel good, has good balance and point well - I have smaller hands - not large "hams"
5. Ease of break-down and cleaning
He thought for a minute, went over to one of their display cases and pulled out three semi-autos and brought them back and laid them on the rug on the counter. They were:
1. Kimber Solo
2. Springfield XDs
3. S & W Shield
His statement was that all were very good and that they had no real complaints on any of them. So, I proceed to take a look. Bear in mind that these are my "personal likes and dislikes" and others may not agree. . . . that's what makes us all "individuals".
1 Kimber Solo - I know Kimber has an excellent reputation. It struck me that it was a bit smaller than the other two - definitely could be a "pocket gun". I picked it up, made sure it was clear and tried the trigger - very nice. Quality was excellent. But, it did not feel good at all in my hands. Grip was too short, I didn't feel that it had had good balance in my hand - definitely could be concealed well though.
2. Springfield XDs - Decent feel in my hands. Very nice trigger. This has a grip safety though and I really don't care for that. I prefer a manual safety - a personal thing. Pointed well and had good balance. A nice handgun that "could" work if I got used to the grip safety - I was keeping an "open mind". Excellent quality.
3. Shield - I loved it from the start. I had never held one before - only seen the photos. I liked the feel of the grip, the balance and how it pointed. Trigger was good - I thought the XDs was a tad nicer as far as trigger pull but the Shield was decent. Pointed well and it just sort of "melted" in my hands.
I then went through the whole process again and when done, I had the strongest feeling for the Shield. It just felt "right".
The salesman then asked if I had ever considered a Glock. No . . I hadn't. I know that you either "like" a Glock or "don't like a Glock". I had never handled one and for some unknown reason, I had a tendency to be "anti Glock" . . don't ask me why as I really don't know. I have watched others shoot them and in their hands, they seemed to be very accurate. Perhaps my "dislike" was based on hearing they were like gripping a 2 X 4 or some didn't like the gripe angle? Not really fair to judge based on "hearsay".
He said they had a Glock 43 in the back that was waiting for the buyer to come pick it up. He went back and brought it out. I knew before he opened the box that "I was going to hate it". How wrong I was! I was very impressed with the Glock 43. Gripped well, pointed well, good balance and a nice trigger. Setting it next to the Shield, there is not a whole lot of difference size wise.
Now, I reload and primarily only shoot "cast". The subject of cast out of a Glock barrel was discussed. I know . . a lot of folks do but, Glock does not recommend it. The salesman told me that as far as he knew, replacement barrels with traditional rifling aren't available yet for it. I was drawn to the Glock - much more than I thought I ever would be, but two things held me back on deciding on the 43. First was the rifling and shooting cast out of it and second was the unknown "delivery time". He stated that they were still sometimes hard to get - in fact they had a waiting list.
If all I shot was commercial jacketed rounds, it would have been a hard decision to make on which way to go - Shield or Glock - at least for me. But, I was not "greatly disappointed" as I liked the Shield very much so the transaction was done and the 9mm Shield came home with me. I have a number of S & W revolvers - most older vintage wheel guns. This Shield is my first S & W semi. To say that I am impressed with it would be an understatement. It has a good quality look to it and if it shoots half as good as it looks and feels, I will be a very happy camper. Size wise it will work well for my needs and the trigger seems to be decent on it. It racks stiffly but I know that will loosen up after a while. Price wise, it was the cheapest of the four different ones that I looked at but I was willing to pay more if a different brand felt better. Again, ignoring price, I feel that it has more to offer for what I was looking for than the higher priced Kimber and XDs. I think the Shield is a great value. No pistol is ever "perfect" but it meets all of my criteria that I was looking for and I'm sure it will become one of my favorite shooters as well as carry piece.
The one thing I learned form this was to keep an "open mind". Yes, I had been leaning towards the Shield based on what I was reading and hearing - but actually handling it I found it surpassed my expectations. If the other makes had offered equal or more, I would have considered them. For my needs and wants, they didn't - doesn't make then bad choices for others.
Glock? Well . . . I learned something there as well. Don't "pre judge". At some point, I will probably try one out as I was impressed. . . . perhaps a larger size model just for "range play"? But then a larger M & P might be in the running for that as well!
For now, I'm very happy with my decision on the Shield. I can't get some shooting time until this weekend but hope to be able to put at least a couple of hundred rounds through it and get her loosened up. A new experience and I look forward to learning how it shoots and spending time practicing with it to get my accuracy sufficient for SD ranges.
Thanks to all who took the time to answer my questions on here and share their thoughts - it's greatly appreciated!
Normally, I CCW a Smith Model 36 J frame. Lately, I've been wanting "a little more" so I have been looking, reading, asking a lot of questions (some on here) in regards to a single stock 9mm - in particular a Shield. Yesterday, I went to the LGS where I usually buy things and talked with one of the salesmen that I've purchased a few revolvers from over the years. He's very knowledgeable as far as handguns, shoots IDPA, reloads, etc. and I trust his judgement.
I went with an "open mind" and was determined not to look at "price tags". (I don't equate quality with price.) I told him I was looking for a 9mm semi-auto single stack and my criteria was:
1. History of reliability
2. Not necessarily a "pocket gun" but a smaller one that would carry easily - I carry on the belt
3. Something that shoots well "out of the box" and has a decent "stock trigger" - I don't like to do mods but rather "learn" a pistol and how it shoots - let's face it, every handgun is different
4.One that would feel good, has good balance and point well - I have smaller hands - not large "hams"
5. Ease of break-down and cleaning
He thought for a minute, went over to one of their display cases and pulled out three semi-autos and brought them back and laid them on the rug on the counter. They were:
1. Kimber Solo
2. Springfield XDs
3. S & W Shield
His statement was that all were very good and that they had no real complaints on any of them. So, I proceed to take a look. Bear in mind that these are my "personal likes and dislikes" and others may not agree. . . . that's what makes us all "individuals".
1 Kimber Solo - I know Kimber has an excellent reputation. It struck me that it was a bit smaller than the other two - definitely could be a "pocket gun". I picked it up, made sure it was clear and tried the trigger - very nice. Quality was excellent. But, it did not feel good at all in my hands. Grip was too short, I didn't feel that it had had good balance in my hand - definitely could be concealed well though.
2. Springfield XDs - Decent feel in my hands. Very nice trigger. This has a grip safety though and I really don't care for that. I prefer a manual safety - a personal thing. Pointed well and had good balance. A nice handgun that "could" work if I got used to the grip safety - I was keeping an "open mind". Excellent quality.
3. Shield - I loved it from the start. I had never held one before - only seen the photos. I liked the feel of the grip, the balance and how it pointed. Trigger was good - I thought the XDs was a tad nicer as far as trigger pull but the Shield was decent. Pointed well and it just sort of "melted" in my hands.
I then went through the whole process again and when done, I had the strongest feeling for the Shield. It just felt "right".
The salesman then asked if I had ever considered a Glock. No . . I hadn't. I know that you either "like" a Glock or "don't like a Glock". I had never handled one and for some unknown reason, I had a tendency to be "anti Glock" . . don't ask me why as I really don't know. I have watched others shoot them and in their hands, they seemed to be very accurate. Perhaps my "dislike" was based on hearing they were like gripping a 2 X 4 or some didn't like the gripe angle? Not really fair to judge based on "hearsay".
He said they had a Glock 43 in the back that was waiting for the buyer to come pick it up. He went back and brought it out. I knew before he opened the box that "I was going to hate it". How wrong I was! I was very impressed with the Glock 43. Gripped well, pointed well, good balance and a nice trigger. Setting it next to the Shield, there is not a whole lot of difference size wise.
Now, I reload and primarily only shoot "cast". The subject of cast out of a Glock barrel was discussed. I know . . a lot of folks do but, Glock does not recommend it. The salesman told me that as far as he knew, replacement barrels with traditional rifling aren't available yet for it. I was drawn to the Glock - much more than I thought I ever would be, but two things held me back on deciding on the 43. First was the rifling and shooting cast out of it and second was the unknown "delivery time". He stated that they were still sometimes hard to get - in fact they had a waiting list.
If all I shot was commercial jacketed rounds, it would have been a hard decision to make on which way to go - Shield or Glock - at least for me. But, I was not "greatly disappointed" as I liked the Shield very much so the transaction was done and the 9mm Shield came home with me. I have a number of S & W revolvers - most older vintage wheel guns. This Shield is my first S & W semi. To say that I am impressed with it would be an understatement. It has a good quality look to it and if it shoots half as good as it looks and feels, I will be a very happy camper. Size wise it will work well for my needs and the trigger seems to be decent on it. It racks stiffly but I know that will loosen up after a while. Price wise, it was the cheapest of the four different ones that I looked at but I was willing to pay more if a different brand felt better. Again, ignoring price, I feel that it has more to offer for what I was looking for than the higher priced Kimber and XDs. I think the Shield is a great value. No pistol is ever "perfect" but it meets all of my criteria that I was looking for and I'm sure it will become one of my favorite shooters as well as carry piece.
The one thing I learned form this was to keep an "open mind". Yes, I had been leaning towards the Shield based on what I was reading and hearing - but actually handling it I found it surpassed my expectations. If the other makes had offered equal or more, I would have considered them. For my needs and wants, they didn't - doesn't make then bad choices for others.
Glock? Well . . . I learned something there as well. Don't "pre judge". At some point, I will probably try one out as I was impressed. . . . perhaps a larger size model just for "range play"? But then a larger M & P might be in the running for that as well!
For now, I'm very happy with my decision on the Shield. I can't get some shooting time until this weekend but hope to be able to put at least a couple of hundred rounds through it and get her loosened up. A new experience and I look forward to learning how it shoots and spending time practicing with it to get my accuracy sufficient for SD ranges.
Thanks to all who took the time to answer my questions on here and share their thoughts - it's greatly appreciated!
