New member new .40shield owner

[mike_c]

Hello all, brand new here and brand new to firearms. Please forgive me if I'm not posting this in the right area. I'm from Massachusetts and I just picked up a 40 shield yesterday. I also bought some Hornaday civil defense carry rounds. I'm looking to get some range ammo but I'm unsure which to get. I was just at Wal-Mart and I saw 250 rounds of 40 s&w for 92 bucks. Think it was Remington but cant quite remember now (big yellow box.) Then there was some Winchester 200 rounds for like 55 bucks. Big price difference and I was wondering what the difference was and which to go with. Any help would be great and thanks to all in advance. I'm sure I will have many more questions too. I'm a green bean!
Mike

 

[Jaysq]

Welcome from North Carolina and another Shield owner

 

[MCorps0311]

Howdy from KY. 40203.Congrats on becoming a 40 shield owner!

 

[DocB]

I'd go with the Winchester. It's generally regarded as a little better. As much as I love the 9mm, if I was ever in a situation where I was going to have to use a handgun, I would put my 40 caliber in my pocket. Just something about a round with .40 bullet diameter compared to one with .357.

 

[3five7]

Welcome to the forum and congratulatons on the 40 Shield. For the range get the less expensive Winchester they should be good. I have shot quite a bit of Winchester White box with no problems.

 

[Joe7]

I got my Shield 9mm a couple weeks ago. I used 200 rounds of the Winchester white box my first trip out with no problems. 55 bucks for 200 is a decent price too. Here the 200 round pack in .40 is $70.
Make sure you field strip it and lube it up before you head to the range.

 

[mike_c]

Thanks everyone for the replies. Cant wait to get to the range and try it out. I'll go with the Winchester. Just wanted to make sure no one had problems with them.

 

[PAFMAN3]

Welcome from Illinois and welcome to the Shield club

 

[mustangman]

Congrats on the new Shield .40, and welcome from La Grange.

 

[mike_c]

So after poking around here for a bit it seems like most folks are more partial to the shield 9 than the 40. I realize the 9mm ammo is cheaper but is there really that much difference between the two? I have little to no shooting experience so its not like I will have any point of reference to compare it to. I haven't loaded anything into it yet but dry trigger pull and slide racking seems fairly easy. I can't imagine that being much different from the 9mm. The Hornaday critical defense carry rounds are I purchased are 165 gr FTX. Not exactly sure what all that means but will that be crazy recoil? I was pretty confident yesterday but now all this is making me wonder if I made the right decision.

 

[CSB]

There is no doubt that the 40 has a greater kick. Having fired both a fair amount (and owning the 9), my personal opinion is that the 40 is challenging to take to the range and launch off 100+ rounds. The thing is, recoil is a very personal thing, and you might feel differently than I. It could be important in that, as a newbie, you'd be best to fire as often, and as many rounds, as you can afford. You mentioned defense ammunition, so I assume you're going to carry this gun. Well, you're bringing some serious firepower to bear, and that's a good thing. Many people swear by their 40s, so you're in good company.

At this point, if you haven't already, I would very much recommend that you become a student of ammunition (including its history) in general, and of the major calibers (including revolver ammo). The 40S&W has a very interesting history behind it, as do the other major calibers like 9mm, .38 Special, .357, .45, .380, etc. It really helps clarify why these calibers exist, and what it means for you.

I would just have fun with the thing! Try the 9 when you have a chance. If you're like most people on this forum, this won't be your last firearm. Enjoy.

Sent from my SM-N900V using Tapatalk

 

[ockgator]

Popped off over 150 through my Shield 40 first time out, Pleasant to shoot for me. Remember recoil is subjective, Some tiny women can tame a .454 Casull while some manly men can barely handle a .380 ACP

 

[mike_c]

Thanks for the great advice! I really appreciate it.

Mike

 

[carbuff]

It has been my experience with both the Shield 9 and Shield 40, both require a decent break-in period of at least 200 rounds before racking is easier and the pistol's components mesh smoothly with each other.

Regarding ammunition, I have found it best to use FMJ ammunition exclusively during the break-in period. I do so because FMJ feeds better in a new pistol than hollow points. Besides, FMJ rounds are cheaper.

I would stick with name brands U.S. manufactured ammo (American Eagle, Remington, Winchester, etc). And, under no circumstance would I use remanufactured ammunition in either my Shield 9 or 40.

After the break-in period, try a number of different brands, types and weights of hollow point defense ammunition to determine the one that works most reliably and smoothest of the lot.

Defense ammunition is expensive. Nevertheless, if you intend to trust your life to your Shield and its ammo, it had better shoot each time when the trigger is squeezed. Only finding the ammo that works best in your pistol before it is needed to confront an attacker can you be confident in your packing.

You will find that many are fans of certain brands. Today's ammunition is really very good. Most all of the name brands are similar if not comparable to the others. My thinking is that I want the defense ammo that works best in my gun and the one with which I am most accurate. Cost should not be the determining factor in your choice of defense ammo.

For range practice in which I shot many boxes of .40 ammunition, I wore a glove. Otherwise, the constant sharp recoil of the .40 was simply too much for my hands. Today, I cannot shoot a .40 without pain even with a glove. The sharp recoil pierces my arthritic shoulders and renders me unable to properly handle the gun. This problem is not present when I practice and shoot my Shield 9.

I wish you luck and safe shooting. You have a great pistol. Treat it well and maintain it properly and it should bring you years of protection and enjoyment.

 

[Joe7]

I've used both the Shield 9mm and .40
I would be happy with either one. In the end I ended up buying the 9mm for 2 reasons:
1 - cheaper to practice when going through 100s of rounds
2 - 1 extra round with whichever magazine you choose

I would not worry just like the others said. Get a ton of practice ammo and break it in. Clean and lube. Repeat. Then go through some SD ammo and find one you like.

 

[cp2146]

In the first place, welcome to the club. Here you will find a wealth of information on all things Smith & Wesson, gained mostly from the practical experience of the many forum participants. Keep in mind, there are no dumb questions. Everyone was new to handguns at some point. We're all here to help each other.

In response to your question, I have put nearly 1000 rounds through my .40 Shield since I bought it new in January of 2016. I have used mostly Winchester White Box (WWB) FMJ 165 grain for range work and out of all those, have only gotten one defective round. It had a chunk of brass missing from the top of the casing, causing it not to load properly. I guess it just got by quality control at the factory somehow. All in all, though, I have been very satisfied with this particular ammo. For defensive carry, I use Winchester PDX1 Defender JHP 165 grain. It got very good reviews in range testing. Second choice would be Hornady Critical Defense JHP 165 grain. It tested well, also. Bottom line, though, as others have said, it is strictly personal choice. But do try different brands to find the one that is right for you.

Again, welcome to our merry band. Don't be a stranger.