Last weekend I had the opportunity to shoot several different handguns. Three that I shot extensively, ie at least 50 rounds each, were the 3914NL, shield 9 and XDs9.
The guns:
The 3914NL is a used well carried piece I bought off Gunbroker. New springs installed by me. It looks like toast due to neglect by the previous owner, but it is a bet your life reliable tack driver. 1.5" groups at the 10 yard line during unsupported slow fire. Great trigger. Liked the 147 grain Ranger JHP best. Shot the Federal 115 grain range fodder well too. Largest group was 3 inches shot by my G/F using some cheap UMC 147 grain flatnose she found. My favorite from the three models listed.
Fast shooting drills were a breeze due to the excellent trigger, good sights - which after 22 years still had their white dots intact - and the inherent accuracy of this example. Double taps on a 6 inch diameter circle at 15 yards yeilded all A hits. Great pistol.
The shield was a brand new gun. Not subject to the recall according to the range owner. It was a range rental and I was the 4th person to shoot it. It had a spongy trigger, but was a short pull. It felt shorter than the last one I shot. In fact, I inadvertantly triggered a second shot each time I shot it for the first two mags. My G/F did the same thing. I don't consider that a plus. The mags being new were hard to load. My G/F could only get 6 rounds in each. As I loaded the extended mag, the cheap vinyl "adapter" surrounding the base of the mag kept riding up. I was afraid I'd tear it. Cheap design IMO.
The shield jammed twice (FTE) in the 50 rounds we shot it. The first time my G/F was shooting it. She got a stovepipe on round 4 in the short mag. Tap Tilt rack and she fired the remaining rounds. The second time I was shooting it I got an unusual jam that was difficult to clear. The expended casing flipped around and didn't eject. The case head of the expended casing was half in the tube and jammed under the barrel hood. The next round up, round 5, was slightly forward in the mag. The mag would not drop free and racking it didn't kick the expended casing free as the slide wouldn't fully travel aft. I wound up holding down the mag release and ripping the mag out of the frame. The 5th round went flying free. It took me more than a minute to clear it. I was using the extended mag at the time.
"How'd you like to have to stop and do that if it was for all the marbles?" my G/F inquired. Out of the mouths of hot babes.
The shield shot consistantly high and to the right with all the different rounds we were using. The white dot was already gone from the front sight. Pathetic QA/QC. My G/F is right handed. I'm left handed. It shot high right for both of us. Best group I was able to shoot with it was 2.5" at 10 yards using Federal 115 grain range fodder. Best my G/f shot was 3" at the same distance. She complained about both the trigger being short and spongy and the hinge/break in the middle of the trigger. She said it didn't feel good and iritated her finger. I didn't notice that while firing it.
I think the shield is better than a sharp stick, but not by much. S&W should address the FTE issue. And put a nice trigger on it. And sights that keep their white dots in. For $419 there are MANY superior guns I'd purchase before I wasted my money on the shield. Oh, BTW, of the three models being tried, only the shield would not go back into battery by itself after being pressed out of battery deliberately.
For all the talk of the shield being the "modern day 3913!!" I was surprised at how lousy it was. I'm not seeing the correlation. The only thing the shield and a 39XX series pistol have in common is the caliber and famous trademark.
The XDs 9 was a new range rental as well. The owner had had it for a few weeks and didn't know how many people had shot it other than to say; "Lots of folks have been shooting that one. It is very popular and Springfield has a winner there!". I'll be the judge of that......Sparky.
The trigger pull was smooth but a little bit long. Slight stacking before the break. The grip texturing was VERY aggresive just like the XDs 45 I'd shot previously. In fact the two guns are identical in size. The XDs 9 did not malfunction with any of the ammunition used. It was EXTREMELY dirty too. Evidently not cleaned or lubed since it had arrived. We only had one mag to shoot it with. A short base plate version.
I vertically strung my rounds with the XDs 9. Best group I shot was 2.5" at 10 yards. More of an oval vertically oriented pattern than a group. I was tired and this was the last gun we shot so it may have been me. My G/F shot it like a laser. On one 3 inch Shoot-N-Cee target she shot a 1" group at 10 yards with three round going almost through the same hole. She liked the grip, trigger and size of the gun. The speed drills were no problem for her and she kept the mjority of her rounds in the six inch circle while shooting very quickly. All in all not a bad single stack 9mm IMO. G/F rated it number 2 out of 3.
She still confiscated my 3914NL pronouncing it superior to the other two guns. It was the one she shot best and she has a lot of time behind the 39XX series guns over the years.
So, take it for what its worth. This is one mans evaluation worth exactly what you paid for it.
Now I have to find a 3913 Ladysmith for her birthday or Christmas. No good deed goes unpunished. Regards 18DAI
The guns:
The 3914NL is a used well carried piece I bought off Gunbroker. New springs installed by me. It looks like toast due to neglect by the previous owner, but it is a bet your life reliable tack driver. 1.5" groups at the 10 yard line during unsupported slow fire. Great trigger. Liked the 147 grain Ranger JHP best. Shot the Federal 115 grain range fodder well too. Largest group was 3 inches shot by my G/F using some cheap UMC 147 grain flatnose she found. My favorite from the three models listed.
Fast shooting drills were a breeze due to the excellent trigger, good sights - which after 22 years still had their white dots intact - and the inherent accuracy of this example. Double taps on a 6 inch diameter circle at 15 yards yeilded all A hits. Great pistol.
The shield was a brand new gun. Not subject to the recall according to the range owner. It was a range rental and I was the 4th person to shoot it. It had a spongy trigger, but was a short pull. It felt shorter than the last one I shot. In fact, I inadvertantly triggered a second shot each time I shot it for the first two mags. My G/F did the same thing. I don't consider that a plus. The mags being new were hard to load. My G/F could only get 6 rounds in each. As I loaded the extended mag, the cheap vinyl "adapter" surrounding the base of the mag kept riding up. I was afraid I'd tear it. Cheap design IMO.
The shield jammed twice (FTE) in the 50 rounds we shot it. The first time my G/F was shooting it. She got a stovepipe on round 4 in the short mag. Tap Tilt rack and she fired the remaining rounds. The second time I was shooting it I got an unusual jam that was difficult to clear. The expended casing flipped around and didn't eject. The case head of the expended casing was half in the tube and jammed under the barrel hood. The next round up, round 5, was slightly forward in the mag. The mag would not drop free and racking it didn't kick the expended casing free as the slide wouldn't fully travel aft. I wound up holding down the mag release and ripping the mag out of the frame. The 5th round went flying free. It took me more than a minute to clear it. I was using the extended mag at the time.
"How'd you like to have to stop and do that if it was for all the marbles?" my G/F inquired. Out of the mouths of hot babes.
The shield shot consistantly high and to the right with all the different rounds we were using. The white dot was already gone from the front sight. Pathetic QA/QC. My G/F is right handed. I'm left handed. It shot high right for both of us. Best group I was able to shoot with it was 2.5" at 10 yards using Federal 115 grain range fodder. Best my G/f shot was 3" at the same distance. She complained about both the trigger being short and spongy and the hinge/break in the middle of the trigger. She said it didn't feel good and iritated her finger. I didn't notice that while firing it.
I think the shield is better than a sharp stick, but not by much. S&W should address the FTE issue. And put a nice trigger on it. And sights that keep their white dots in. For $419 there are MANY superior guns I'd purchase before I wasted my money on the shield. Oh, BTW, of the three models being tried, only the shield would not go back into battery by itself after being pressed out of battery deliberately.
For all the talk of the shield being the "modern day 3913!!" I was surprised at how lousy it was. I'm not seeing the correlation. The only thing the shield and a 39XX series pistol have in common is the caliber and famous trademark.
The XDs 9 was a new range rental as well. The owner had had it for a few weeks and didn't know how many people had shot it other than to say; "Lots of folks have been shooting that one. It is very popular and Springfield has a winner there!". I'll be the judge of that......Sparky.
The trigger pull was smooth but a little bit long. Slight stacking before the break. The grip texturing was VERY aggresive just like the XDs 45 I'd shot previously. In fact the two guns are identical in size. The XDs 9 did not malfunction with any of the ammunition used. It was EXTREMELY dirty too. Evidently not cleaned or lubed since it had arrived. We only had one mag to shoot it with. A short base plate version.
I vertically strung my rounds with the XDs 9. Best group I shot was 2.5" at 10 yards. More of an oval vertically oriented pattern than a group. I was tired and this was the last gun we shot so it may have been me. My G/F shot it like a laser. On one 3 inch Shoot-N-Cee target she shot a 1" group at 10 yards with three round going almost through the same hole. She liked the grip, trigger and size of the gun. The speed drills were no problem for her and she kept the mjority of her rounds in the six inch circle while shooting very quickly. All in all not a bad single stack 9mm IMO. G/F rated it number 2 out of 3.
She still confiscated my 3914NL pronouncing it superior to the other two guns. It was the one she shot best and she has a lot of time behind the 39XX series guns over the years.
So, take it for what its worth. This is one mans evaluation worth exactly what you paid for it.
Now I have to find a 3913 Ladysmith for her birthday or Christmas. No good deed goes unpunished. Regards 18DAI
