M&P 9 Shield for CC AND Home Defense

A home invasion, if it is planned out, is grim situation and it may include multiple persons. It is good to carry something comfortable all the time while at home. Assailants using surprise are apt to come through the front door on some pretext. You may have no time to go to your night stand. I prefer both a good pocket gun and a high capacity go to war gun. I pocket carry the shield all the time. Many say this is not comfortable but you would be surprised how comfortable this can become if you make it a habit.
 
As a previous poster mentioned I too are a shotgun fan as home defense weapon mainly because if you ever discharged a gun indoors your ears will be ringing like crazy. I like to keep hearing when somebody comes uninvited in my house..the shotgun blast is not as bad as a pistols higher pitched noise. Don't get me wrong I have a Beretta 92fs in my nightstand but I'll be reaching for my Benelli Nova first.
As far as my Shield I won't hesitate using it as a CC but for HD it's ok but not as a primary.
 
A home invasion, if it is planned out, is grim situation and it may include multiple persons. It is good to carry something comfortable all the time while at home. Assailants using surprise are apt to come through the front door on some pretext. You may have no time to go to your night stand. I prefer both a good pocket gun and a high capacity go to war gun. I pocket carry the shield all the time. Many say this is not comfortable but you would be surprised how comfortable this can become if you make it a habit.

A very valid concept. I often pocket a J-frame while at home, especially when answering the door etc., but I would probably not be real comfortable with it(or a low capacity subcompact auto) being my sole home defense weapon at the current time as there is always a full size, high-capacity 9mm nearby.

From Michael Janich... Concealed Carry Tactics to Neutralize a Home Invasion
 
The important question is if YOU can shoot the Shield well enough for general purpose SD. Small size is not generally a requirement for Home Defense, but if you can shoot it well enough it small size doesn't rule it out.

If I'm comfortable with K Frames, Speed Sixes, and single stack autos for HD , I won't cast aspersions on a Shield if you can shoot it well.
 
I EDC my Shield 9 with Hornady Critical Defense and am adding a Bodyguard .380 as a BUG (with the same type of ammo) and pocket carry when I can't carry the shield.
If it came to a prolonged HI fight, hanging from the headboard id a Browning Hi Power with a total of 40 rounds available. 13+1 and 2 13 round spares. I will be cleaning up the Mossburg and keeping it nearby.
 
As a previous poster mentioned I too are a shotgun fan as home defense weapon mainly because if you ever discharged a gun indoors your ears will be ringing like crazy. I like to keep hearing when somebody comes uninvited in my house..the shotgun blast is not as bad as a pistols higher pitched noise. Don't get me wrong I have a Beretta 92fs in my nightstand but I'll be reaching for my Benelli Nova first.
As far as my Shield I won't hesitate using it as a CC but for HD it's ok but not as a primary.

What are you basing your opinion on regarding impact on hearing? If these charts FreeHearingTest.com - Gunfire Noise Levels are accurate, I'm not seeing much of a difference. A pistol would definitely be the most practical to suppress if someone was so inclined.

Costa on the suppressed handgun vs the shotgun for home defense...

[ame]https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=dtxxvHF_pTY[/ame]
 
Last edited:
Well, when I started looking for my 2nd pistol to buy (My first was a M&P .22FS for plinking with kids). I wanted something that would cover both CC and HD. I opted for the shield over the CC because it's the better CC AND it's not horrible for HD. I'm not seriously afraid of a planned home invasion where I live. A dope Fiend trying for a quick score is much more likely.

The Shield is on my side from when I put my pants on to when I take them off. I did have a 870 for back up, if needed, but my son moved out and took it with him so that'll probably be my next acquisition.

Are there any stats about how many, on average, rounds are involved in the standard home break-in?
 
Are there any stats about how many, on average, rounds are involved in the standard home break-in?

Unfortunately there is no national database keeping track of such things. I have seen a few individual studies conducted privately, but they sometimes contradict each other. Most likely, a subcompact autoloader or even a 5 shot j-frame would be substantial enough to solve the vast majority home defense problems, but there are exceptions and I sure would not want to be involved in one of the the statistically less probable scenarios and be woefully under armed.

https://tacticalprofessor.files.wordpress.com/2014/12/tac-5-year-w-tables.pdf
 
I started out with a Shield but I was never really comfortable with the capacity. So when I found out that the 9C was essentially the same footprint as a Shield with 50% greater capacity I decided to go with the C.

As somebody pointed out a 9 C is small enough to carry in your pocket while you're at home but with enough capacity to at least give you some ability to respond to a home invasion.

I also like the fact that in my case since I have a 9 full size I only have to buy the full size magazines and they will fit both guns.

All that said having fired a Shield my only issue with it is capacity and if that's not an issue for you I'd go with the Shield

The Glock 26 or 27 also fits the pocket surprisingly well. Slightly smaller than the 9c or 40c. I also like the combo you are suggesting.
 
What are you basing your opinion on regarding impact on hearing? If these charts FreeHearingTest.com - Gunfire Noise Levels are accurate, I'm not seeing much of a difference. A pistol would definitely be the most practical to suppress if someone was so inclined.

Costa on the suppressed handgun vs the shotgun for home defense...

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=dtxxvHF_pTY

I was lucky enough to do this indoors when my Off road friends and I stumbled on a abandoned cabin (its been used as target practice before us). I happen to have my Beretta 9mm and my shotgun since bird season started a few days earlier.
Anyways I fired off my shotgun inside and it was loud but didn't make my ears ring like it did with my Beretta 92FS (no suppressor).
I'm just stating my personal experience nothing more and I am not an expert or claiming to be one. But because of that experience I preferred shotgun over pistol as my main home defense if time permits otherwise I will grab whatever is closest to me :D
 
TeleGuy 53, I have the Shield and have it with me most of the time. I too have large hands but I practice with the Shield often and have found I've gotten use to the grip. It's always handy at home but I also have a 9mm M&P Pro 5" barrel which is insanely accurate. Of course with a 17 round clip it would be my first choice in a pistol for home self defense. My main weapon of choice for home is my M&P AR15 Sport which I also keep handy with several 30 round clips. Since my purchase of it I've quit looking for the perfect home self defense gun. But I think the Shield will work out for you and since I purchased it, I also quit buying any other CCWs. I've tried other CCWs but I never enjoyed shooting and practicing with them as much as I do the Shield and I like the Shield's capacity so it's hard to go wrong with it. Regards, Elliot45
 
Last edited:
I love my shield for a CC weapon only. I have better options for HD NIGHTSTAND gun: either my 45c + spare mag or my SIG226R + spare mag both have night sights as well. Not to mention home invaders will have to face Bella, my German shepherd mix and Capone, my rottie/boxer mix.
 
In your earlier thread someone pointed out that your question was functionally equivalent to "Which gun should I get first: CC or HD?"

Tom Givens reports that only 10% of his students involved in gunplay were in or near their home. Your pistol will have the same gunfighting capabilities inside the home as outside. The difference is in the size, weight, and concealment restraints. The bigger gun will get you more grip, more sight radius, more weight, and more capacity at the cost of more size and weight to carry and conceal.


I really like my M&P9 Shield. It is a great carry gun and a decent shooter. The 8-rounders do tend to hang up on my hand when changing magazines and I need to work on that - it's not ideal, but the partially ejected mag can be easily and quickly stripped out by the off hand.


My recommendation is to evaluate your options as a concealed carry pistol first and second and leave HD as a third level concern.
 
Keeping guns scattered..

In keeping guns scattered around the house a small pistol is great to hide in handy nooks. If I had any warning though, I'd go for more firepower. My full size 5943 is the primary home while several small guns work for carry, including the Shield.

I also keep my 686 loaded with very low end .357 rounds. Better than .38 +P and doesn't blast your ears out.

I just want SOMETHING.

If three bad guys break in each one gets two shots minimum no matter which gun is handy.

Having a spare mag with the low capacity guns alleviates that total helpless feeling of having an empty gun.
 
Last edited:
In your earlier thread someone pointed out that your question was functionally equivalent to "Which gun should I get first: CC or HD?"

Tom Givens reports that only 10% of his students involved in gunplay were in or near their home. Your pistol will have the same gunfighting capabilities inside the home as outside. The difference is in the size, weight, and concealment restraints. The bigger gun will get you more grip, more sight radius, more weight, and more capacity at the cost of more size and weight to carry and conceal.


I really like my M&P9 Shield. It is a great carry gun and a decent shooter. The 8-rounders do tend to hang up on my hand when changing magazines and I need to work on that - it's not ideal, but the partially ejected mag can be easily and quickly stripped out by the off hand.


My recommendation is to evaluate your options as a concealed carry pistol first and second and leave HD as a third level concern.
I just picked up my new MP 9mm fs. I looked at a MP 9mm compact so I could use the mag from the fs if I wanted to use it, but ultimately I ended up putting a 9mm shield with night sights and 3 mags that I got for $525 on layaway. It too good a deal to pass up.
f9b583a8873107086880b20b472c0b5c.jpg
 
My every day carry is a shield 40. I carry it with the 6 round mag and 1 in the chamber as well as a spare 7 round mag in the pocket. It's on my side or on the nightstand 24/7.....
 
I think the shield will be easier to conceal for me than my fs mp. I did look at the mp compact but just liked the slimmer shield as my edc. Still might get a iwb for my fs...will see how it feels. Who knows they might both be edc!
 
Last edited:
Shield. Enough?

A pure home defense gun has the advantage of not having to be small, flat and concealable. It can also have generous a magazine capacity if allowed by your local laws.

Unlike fictionalized TV and movie episodes, burglars or home invaders usually break and run upon armed resistance. This sort of calls into question the need for stretch magazines, meaning that you should not feel undergunned with a Shield in the nightstand.

There are some tactics that will help you. If you manage to get yourself between the intruders and their only perceived escape route, you just might end up in a protracted battle. In my opinion, the sooner they flee, the more likely the home owner is to survive the encounter.
 
Back
Top