M&P Shield 9mm or Kahr CW9 for carry

[HoWink]

I'm with those who say it's mostly personal preference. I bought a CW9 for my wife (she dry fired it several times at the store), but she just couldn't get comfortable with the trigger after we took it home and loaded it up - same with my three daughters, who have a habit of walking off with my favorite guns. I tried the CW9 myself, loved it, and it's now my EDC. I like that the sear releases with absolutely no stacking or warning, and the ergonomics are great. I consider the long trigger pull the equivalent of a safety. My wife is lusting after a Shield, but for now she's very happy with her Chief's Special C9.

Both are quality guns, in my opinion. Try both and buy the one you shoot best.

HoWink

 

[vegasgunhand]

I carried a P9 for many years and it served me well. I bought a Shield the third day they were released. I took them both to the range to see which one I liked better. They both shot well, but I started to lean toward the shield.

The next day I was sitting at my work bench and cleaning both pistols. As I wiped down my P9, I was shocked to find that both frame rails had begun to crack. The left side rail was less than a quarter of an inch from seperating from the frame. In the over five years I had that pistol, I had shot less than 500 rounds through it. I estimate I was one or two magazines away from having a catastrophic malfunction. I sent the P9 back to Kahr, and because it was out of warranty, I had to pay $250.00 to have the frame replaced.

During the time my Kahr was back at the factory, I shot a total of 680 rounds through my Shield. I did not have a single malfunction. The Shield is completely solid!

When I got my Kahr back, a friend of mine wanted it, and since I no longer had any confidence in the Kahr, it went to a new home. (And yes, I advised my friend of the frame problem, but he didn't care.)

IMHO as a firearms instructor for over thirty years, the Shield is the better of the two pistols, and is what I now carry on a daily basis!

 

[bxny10455]

I have the Shield9 & the CM9. I used to carry the CM9 until I took a 2 day course with it at front sight. I had all kinds of type 3 malfunctions during the course. The one issue most people have with the Kahr CM/PM is the mag doesn't drop free from the factory. My other issue was drawing the gun with a proper grip fast enough get good hits before the flip target turned away was a task. I don't have that problem with a FS gun or my friends Shield which I shot briefly during the course. From my experience if I shoot slow I would get no malfunctions but if I do control pairs my CM9 falls short. Needless to say I retired the CM9.

 

[alchemist]

This thread is a couple of years old but I was interested in the topic and it has to still be relevant. I own a CM9 and a shield and once owned a CW9. Let's first look at the specs. CM9 and shield have same barrel length. The shield is 1/4 pound heavier. The shield is a little over 1/2 longer. And the shield is a bit over 1/2" taller. They serve 2 entirely different roles. What you say? Absolutley. The CM9 is a superb pocket gun, the shield, not so because of its larger heavier everything. The shield is a better side hip carry gun. They are entirely different. Yea you can carry a shiled in your pocket but it's not as comfortable as the CM9. You can hip carry a CM9 but why not carry a pistol with a full size grip when the longer mag is used with the shield. The CM9 handles recoil so well i shoot it as well as the longer grip CW9. The trigger pull is long but smooth and for a pistol of it's size, it is the best. It is close to the lightest of all pocket carry 9mms, has the best trigger pull and handles recoil the best because ot he low bore axis to the grip. I had the keltecs before the CM9 and there is no comparison. They are no fun to shoot. When you go to the CW9 the shield is probably superior because of its short pull and reset. The you can add an apex trigger and there's no contest. However lets look now at the CW9 and the shield. Something no one mentions. Shield oal is 6", the CW9 about the same. Barrel length is 3.5" for the CW9, 3" for the shield, same as the "pocket carry" CM9. Long before the M&P's existed, professionals all over the world: police and security bought up Kahrs as backup and secondary guns. Why, because they were utterly reliable, had the best trigger pulls, and they were of the highest quality. These are guys who's lives depended on these guns. If you go to the Kahr forum, the kahrs edge out the shield. I carry both a shield for hip carry and a CM9 for pocket carry. I'd also rather have a 9mm in my pocket than a .380.