Shield 9mm for SD and CCW? or Glock 43 - Newbie and 1st Gun

[Bonephish]

-I'm a smaller build guy and wear normal to slim fitting clothes, especially in summer so concealability is #1
-I get that the Glock is more expensive, budget is not as important in my choice since I can afford either even if I need to do some upgrades..

Glocks are ugly and Shields need an Apex trigger to shoot straight, or a lot of range time. Buy a Sig P938 because it's smaller, more concealable, needs no upgrades. And it's not plastic. Shoot one before you buy a carry pistol.

I have the Shield 9mm the .45 and a M&P 9C. I mostly carry my Sig P938 - IWB or in my pocket. I don't want to own a Glock.

 

[Joe7]

Glocks are ugly and Shields need an Apex trigger to shoot straight, or a lot of range time. Buy a Sig P938 because it's smaller, more concealable, needs no upgrades. And it's not plastic. Shoot one before you buy a carry pistol.

I have the Shield 9mm the .45 and a M&P 9C. I mostly carry my Sig P938 - IWB or in my pocket. I don't want to own a Glock.

Lots of valid points being made in the whole thread.
I have a Shield 9mm and a Sig P238. I like both. I can carry both well. I shoot the P238 better so far however.
So my suggestion as well, would be to try the P938 at least.
I'm comfortable with the .380 round as SD since I shoot it so well however. Like most people say it's for 0-7 yards or so. Honestly I wouldn't want to be hit by any of them!
I hate to complicate matters but you should give the Sigs a try anyway.

 

[exdetsgt]

I have no trouble concealing my Shield 9 in a wright leather works predator OWB holster. I just make sure whatever I'm wearing as an upper garment comes down far enough. I'm skinny (5'9", 150 lbs) and IWB holsters aren't comfortable.



I

 

[Speedo2]

Some minor issues with my Shield9: sensitive mag release button sometimes releases its magazine at inappropriate times, also its front sight paint dot fell out. No such issues with my M&P9c or 9FC-pro, or the couple of Glocks that I own. Although the Shield is a comfortable and accurate shooter within the confines of its intended function, it is not my EDC. For that I've gone to a Glock 42 or 26; mostly the G26 (depending upon attire). I think that you get what you pay for. -S2

 

[JohnRoc65]

Surprised no one has mentioned the Ruger LC9S pro. It's just as small as the Glock 43 and shoots better than the stock Shield or Glock due to it's fantastic out of the box trigger.
They can also be had for 350-400 dollars.

 

[alwslate]

I'm always surprised at the responses when I read threads on questions
like this although by now I shouldn't be. The fact that many buyers
make their decision on which gun has the smoothest trigger in their
opinion or holds one more round or some other highly subjective opinion
about handling leaves me shaking my head in wonder. If you're buying
the one thing that you are counting on to save you from oblivion if your
life is on the line then rugged reliability trumps all other features. The
tough simple Glock has been proven the world over to be extremely
reliable and durable. The Shield? Read about the legion of problems
owners have complained about in many threads here. The best choice
if your life is at stake is obvious, buy the Glock 43.

 

[photoman]

The best choice
if your life is at stake is obvious, buy the Glock 43.

I've been a Glock owner/shooter/fan since '98 and I can honestly say that Glocks have their fair share of troubles. Frankly, I don't trust any of them. That's why I practice failure drills and often carry two guns.

 

[kramden]

I've had my pistol permit for a few years now and am just finally researching to buy my first handgun. I've read tons of articles and opinions and I've narrowed my search down to either a S&W Shield 9mm, or a Glock 43. I'm hoping to get some feedback on what may be best for my situation and scenario.

I'm guessing this has been asked LOTS, so i'm including a lot of specifics about "me" so you can all chime in and give opinions on what may be right for me personally.

I shot both the S&W Shield 9mm and the Glock 43 last week, about 25+/- rounds out of each. I'm planning on going back to shoot them both again so any tips for me to consider while holding and shooting both will be helpful.

I'll share some info on me to help give guidance:
-I'm a smaller build guy and wear normal to slim fitting clothes, especially in summer so concealability is #1
-I'm totally new to shooting, I've shot many guns over the years but never enough to be comfortable with one so I don't totally know what to be looking for in terms of how it shoots, feels, etc.
-From shooting both guns, I leaned towards the Glock based on how it felt in my hand, but I was decently accurate with both guns considering I haven't shot much before, and was able to pull off some decent groupings at around 5-10-15 yards
-I totally get the whole 6+1 Glock capacity vs 7+1/8+1 with the Shield, but I'm not totally against 6+1, any gun and bullets is better than none. I like the idea of more though, but I'd rather have the right gun in my hand with less bullets than more bullets with the wrong gun if that makes sense.
-I know the Glock's have crappy sights, and the Shield sights are better from many people's perspective. I had no problem shooting with the Glock's sights, and would consider maybe upgrading them.
-I get that the Glock is more expensive, budget is not as important in my choice since I can afford either even if I need to do some upgrades.
-Carrying a gun to me is very foreign. My dad never carried (Although he owned), not many of my friends carried (But more and more are every day now). So my thoughts are that something small is better than nothing at all, which would normally be the case. I considered a .380 first, but the 2 guns i'm comparing here seem reasonably small enough to conceal so they are what i'm considering with a 9mm having better stopping power, etc.
-Seems like both guns have their pro's and con's, but either is a great choice from so many happy people on both sides of the fence.

Since concealability is #1 for me with this gun, the Glock felt slightly smaller and I liked the way it shot, so i'm slightly in favor of the Glock, but from reading reviews and all, I've come to really like the Shield 9MM so i'm trying to figure out if the Shield is a better choice. I also don't feel like I shot either gun enough to get a true sense of which was better.

I'd consider buying both, but I want to buy gun #2 and #3 for other purposes (Home Defense Handgun/Shotgun/Etc) so I don't want overlap, at least not this early in my gun venture.

How to choose?
Is the best way to decide to rent both guns and send a bunch of bullets down range and let the gun in my hand make the final decision? Any specific things to consider while i'm going through those motions? I know some say to be aware of things like:
-How the gun feels in your hand, natural, vs un-nattural
-Recoil and getting back on target
-How accurate shots are considering all things

Seems like both of these guns are winners in many ways. All tips on helping me get over the hump and deciding will be appreciated.

They are both excellent choices. Kind of a horse a piece. I bought both of them. I like the 43 for CC as its abit smaller. But I like the feel of the Shield in my hand better than the 43. If I had to pick one I think I'd pick the Shield. My wife also liked the Shield better than the 43 so she got one as well.

 

[LD-Ordie]

I was at this same crossroad some time back, and ended up with the Shield. I personally thought they were both fine weapons, I felt comfortable with both, and was equally accurate, so really made the choice for the cost. I also did not care for either trigger, but that is such an easy fix, I choose not to include it in my decision. So I also carry a G27 for extra fire power and bought the 9mm conversion for cheap range plinking. My wife carries a G42 and loves it. I also find it to be a fine shooting hand gun like all Glocks. More choices! So now I'm thinking about adding a Sig P238, just because l can. So all I can suggest, they're all fine choices, run as many rounds as you can through all of them, then also realize, it's OK to have more than one

 

[Squaregrouper]

My 2 cents...
Fondle multiple pistols and highly consider the one that aims like you're pointing your finger. Make sure your FFL is OK with it before trying this... Take a pistol in your hand, look at an object, close your eyes and point it at said object. When you open your eyes, how close are you to where you thought you were?
God forbid you need to use your pistol in a SD situation. You want to be able to draw, point and shoot in an instant. For me, the point of aim trophy goes to full size M&P's and H&K USP's. This is the reason I don't own any Glocks. They're great guns, but the grip angle doesn't work for my hands.