Shield 9mm vs .40 for women

[Smitty357]

I know women who shoot a .45 better than most grown men shoot a 9mm. Now that's now saying much. Except the fact that some women train proficiently with what they carry. And some men just carry a 9mm because they heard the .40 was snappy. I guess experience with a weapon out weighs hear say.

With that being said. My .40 shield shoots both .40 and 9mm. Oddly I not only shoot my .40 better. But i even shoot it better converted as a 9mm than what I do an actual factory 9mm shield. But once again, I train proficiently with MY weapon. So maybe that's why I shoot it better than I do just some other weapon.

 

[Mister X]

I say don't give up so quickly in the snub. The Ruger LCR may not be the ideal range/target gun, but it is one heck of a personal defense weapon. In real life, civilian self-defense happens at close distances. You will not/should not be shooting at anyone from 25 yards. 7 yards is pretty much the realistic maximum. At greater distances, you should be moving away/retreating not shooting. One thing else to consider I've seen(especially with woman) using lightweight semi-auto's is that they will commonly limp-wrist them causing a malfunction if they have a less than perfect firing grip or firing them one handed esp. with movement(likely in an actual self-defense scenario). This can often be overcome with training if they are willing to put in the time doing reality-based training, but a snub still has several self-defense advantages irregardless. If your set on the shield though, 9mm all the way. WILSON DEFENSE JOURNAL: The real ladies gun by Massad Ayoob

 

[Bionica]

I'm in California, so there are more restrictions and regulations to say the least. I also just read that S&W and Ruger are going to quit selling in here in CA in August because of regulations passed in 2007 that are now being implemented.

 

[kozmic]

First, welcome to the forum.

My wife carries a 9mm Shield. She is fine with the recoil and likes the external safety. She has gotten quite proficient with it from 7 feet to 25' and occasionally out to 50'. Her issue (even after many hundreds of rounds) is racking the slide. It's quite hard on the Shield. She has learned to use her body for leverage and not just her off hand.

She is NOT a fan of .40 cal. She (and I) both prefer shooting .45acp over .40cal. because of felt recoil.

In general, the Shield is a fine and reliable self defense gun. It carries very well and there are many accessories, holsters available. I think it is certainly among the best carry guns available. For my wife and I, 9mm is the only way to go.


As many have suggested, take your time and "try before you buy". Also, do a search here. This topic and related Shield threads are plentiful.

Good luck.

 

[uechikid]

I'm in California, so there are more restrictions and regulations to say the least. I also just read that S&W and Ruger are going to quit selling in here in CA in August because of regulations passed in 2007 that are now being implemented.

Both the 9 and the 40 Shields are listed on the roster as having an expiration date of 01/01/2016. So unless S&W has stated that they won't sell them here after August, they're good to go through the end of the year.


http://certguns.doj.ca.gov/

 

[AGoyette]

My first carry gun was a Styer 40 S&W handgun. Similar to a Glock.. I can honestly say as a woman, I dislike the 40 S&W caliber. My two daughters dislike it too. We are all proficient in the caliber, we just do not like the snappiness of it. I would rather shoot my husbands 1911 45acp (which I do every week when we compete) than a 40. I ended up trading my Styer M40-A1 for my M&P 9c and I never looked back. I have shot other guns chambered in 40 (all larger than the Shield, some polymer and 1911 style guns) and I can honestly say 40 is still not my favorite caliber. Just too snappy, no matter which platform you are shooting it out of. I have zero desire to shoot one out of a Shield!