I went to my local range to rent both the shield in 40 caliber and XDS and shot them side-by-side. I found the shield in 40 to have substantially more felt recoil then the XDS. I also got a nasty trigger pinch from the shield within about 25 rounds. It made the remaining 25 rounds very unpleasant to shoot. I personally Found the XDS much more shooter friendly with a more natural point of name, better feeling trigger and crisper reset. I can see the appeal of the shield do the size and ergonomics, but decided it wasn't for me. It functioned flawlessly though. I went home with an XDS and I'm very pleased with it. I'm curious to see how the shield in nine would compare in shoot ability . I figured I would post this response for other folks in the same dilemma. Please make note I really like Smith pistols and own a few myself. This is not a manufacturers bias.
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