Too Far, Too Fast?

[dlcra]

Within the last twelve months I have purchased an M&P40c and a Remington 870 (tactical) shotgun. M&P is a bit cumbersome as a carry pistol so I am considering either replacing the compact, with a Shield, or adding the Shield to my arsenal(?)
Which would you recommend, replacing or adding? I have been told by some PA State Police that the 870 is the prime home defense weapon. So I feel like I should hang on to it.
Just so you have all of the pertinent info...my wife does not "like" the compact and she has no desire to carry.
Thanks!

 

[OKFC05]

Which would you recommend, replacing or adding?

Seriously, do you really expect any of us S&W fans on this site to say, "No, no, not another S&W! You have to sell one before you buy another!"

 

[dlcra]

Thanks OKFC05

What would you recommend I use the compact for assuming I replace it with a Shield as my carry gun?

 

[Kanewpadle]

The M&P compact is one of my favorite guns. Since I have no problem concealing one year round, I would not buy a Shield. Besides the 40S&W in sub compact guns sucks!

The M&P compact really isn't that heavy or bulky. It's a great balance between size and firepower. I would keep it but only you can decide.

 

[forrestinmathews]

Are you a new gun owner? If so maybe you should take a class on carrying. I carry an M&P fullsize 9 a lot and find that it's easy to carry. Cumbersome is not a word I'd use to describe the M&P. I'd use it to describe the 625 5" as a carry gun with 8 spare moonclips, which fits quite well under a hoodie or winter coat I might add. I have always thought back to the days when folks could only carry what they could get. It makes it a lot easier to pack whatever I have at the time.

 

[Rick_A]

Carry as much gun as you're willing to take with you. It's that simple.

 

[SMMAssociates]

dlcra:

The Remington 870 is indeed a good choice as a home defense weapon. Keep it handy ....

The M&P40C is a little chubby compared to a lot of single-stack .40's, but is roughly the same thickness as your average 1911 (in .45ACP). I don't find shooting either the 40C or 40FS particularly difficult, but I'm a 1911 guy, so as long as the gun isn't trying to hurt me, the extra "kick" from the .40 isn't a problem. (An M&P9C is a lot more fun to shoot, but I'm one of those guys who's happier with a ".4x" .)

(I have a 9C - bought it for my daughter. Long story....)

SOME compacts have narrow grip frames and (worse for me) narrow triggers. I can live with the former, but a .40 is a little wicked. My pudgy fingers tend to wrap around narrow triggers, which causes a painful pinch with each shot. The Walther PPS (which isn't bad otherwise) in .40 was too uncomfortable to shoot. KelTec's P3AT is similarly uncomfortable in .380, but all but the larger ones are uncomfortable anyway for me. I can use a PPK/S comfortably enough, but it's nearly as big as the 40C (or 9C) so there's no gain there. (A PF9 is actually a better choice, but is a KelTec, which just doesn't make me feel too good. I spent a lot of time getting my P3AT behaving at all.... The M&P's all have wide triggers that don't pinch me....

I wouldn't recommend a Shield in .40S&W without spending some time on the range with one, first. While you don't have to make a career out of firing the thing on the range, you do need to shoot it enough to be comfortable with it, and that may be a little too much for some people. The 9mm version, though, ought to be very pleasant.

What to do with the .40C? Depends on where you live, perceived needs, etc. Superb nightstand or glovebox gun, for example, but some states get stupid about that in the vehicle, and kids around the house & such may make the nightstand an issue, although it's small enough to secure fairly well. IAC, don't ditch the 40C until you're sure about the other one.

Carrying? I wear a 40C or 40FS around the house. While I use (as anybody should) a good holster, both are light enough that any old belt seems to work adequately. "Outside", it's a small 1911 in another very good holster and a barrel-hoop of a belt. I can carry (and have carried) a full sized 1911 "outside" from time to time, or swapped gear to carry the 40FS. On vacation, the 40C comes with me....

There are two rules: Don't do the "gun of the month club", which means that anything you carry either works the same as your most commonly carried gun, or has fewer buttons & such. IOW, a thumb safety on the 1911's v.s. none on the M&P's. It's a lot safer to not find a control than to forget that it's there, or remember that it's backwards.

Second rule: Don't carry a gun you can't afford to lose. I call this an "airline travel gun", in that I've got only money invested in it, and wouldn't mind an insurance check (hopefully at the end of a flight) for it if somebody manages to give it wings. Or, should I have to use it, getting it back in any condition that I'd like may be difficult or impossible.

Regards,

 

[blujax01]

Here's the thing... I was taught I needed to "dress around the gun", that is to say, proper holster, proper belt, pants and shirt fitted to account for the extra bulk.

There seems to be a new idea that the gun should fit whatever I choose to wear, which for me is counter-intuitive.

For me, the extra 5/8" thickness of the M&P compact is a small price to pay for the difference in gun construction as well as the additional ammunition capacity.

What sort of rig are you using to carry the pistol? What feels cumbersome about it?

 

[MichiganScott]

I carry a 9C that I owned for a couple of years before the Shield came out. There just does not seem to me to be a significant enough reduction of either size or weight with the Shield for me to lose the additional capacity of the 9C.

Then again, I carry a 642 in a pocket holster during the summer with a speed strip reload and never feel under-gunned either. Your situation may be different.

 

[Muffduster]

...Besides the 40S&W in sub compact guns sucks!...

How do you figure? I love my Shield .40 and shoot quite well with it. I love the .40 round and have 3 handguns chambered for it.

Do you have weak wrists and have trouble with anything over 9mm?

 

[Tex1001]

To paraphrase Clint Smith:
Carrying a gun should be comforting, not (Necessarily) comfortable.
Also, You can't be too rich, too thin, or too overgunned.
_______________________
Boxers or briefs? At my age, Depends.

 

[Kanewpadle]

How do you figure? I love my Shield .40 and shoot quite well with it. I love the .40 round and have 3 handguns chambered for it.

Do you have weak wrists and have trouble with anything over 9mm?

It's been a long known fact that the 40 in sub compacts can be more than a hand full. If you like it then stick with it.

 

[B3500]

Carrying a doublestack concealed comes at the cost of a little more width and a few ounces. Carry a single stack comes at a cost of carrying a lesser number of rounds. It is all about trade offs. If I had a good way to do it, I would rather carry a rifle, so again this is another trade off we have to make.

I carry a 9c and don't have any trouble with wearing it all day. I will soon be carrying a Glock 30S once I get some more rounds downrange which is a touch wider. This is my preference to use 45acp (10+1) over 9mm (12+1) and the loaded weight is the same between the two pieces as shown on my scale.

What it takes to do this is first a proper gun belt, next a decent holster and third the desire to want to carry that combination. Yes you will need to get pants a size bigger in the waist if you carry iwb like I do.

Once you have all those things, your body will adjust to it pretty quickly unless you have some kind of physical limitation that prevents it.

If you decide to get another gun, that is fine, too. I know I have gone around in circles from revolvers, singlestacks and ended up back with doublestacks after I found it really did not take much more from me to conceal them with the right set up.

Good luck with whatever you end up doing.

 

[forrestinmathews]

The valid points here are:
•.40 is perceived as a bit too much recoil by some of those that like to shoot their pocket pistols often.
•The capacity loss is noticeable enough for some not to pursue it.
Carrying a gun is always a compromise. Comfort for comfort, size for accuracy, weight for capacity, capacity for caliber.
•Shield magazines are not slim and low profile. M&P compact magazines aren't either. You can reload to fullsize magazines in the compact once the fun begins. Try that with a Shield.

The following is my opinion derived from ten years of carrying a concealed handgun:

The perfect carry gun has been invented already. The five shot snubbie, 1911 government/fullsize steel framed DA/SA pistol, Polymer framed fullsize or compact have you covered in all weather and manner of dress. Nothing new is going to help you actually carry the gun. You must figure that out for yourself.

Chasing trends only keeps your familiarity low and your tendency to chase the trend high. You will only end up a piss poor shooter with a new fangled trendtastic gun instead of an expert with a snubnose that can hit a man at fifty meters every time. Ask me how I know....

I like to carry at a minimum fifteen rounds/2 speedloaders for the J frame/revolver or at least two mags for a semi auto. If it's less than a .45/10mm I won't be carrying a single stack. I think it's not a good idea to limit yourself with both cartridge and capacity. One or the other; never both.

 

[timn8er]

I really don't see how one person can make the statement that "the perfect carry gun has already been invented" unless they qualify that statement with "in my opinion". You can't decide whats perfect for someone else any more than they can decide whats perfect for you. I carry a Shield in 40, not because its the latest or greatest, or "trendtastic", but because it works for me. Depending on outside temperature I'll either pocket carry or use a belt slide holster, with an extra magazine in a pouch on my belt. Perfect is an individual choice;if only one gun was perfect for CC, then only one gun would be on the market.

 

[forrestinmathews]

I really don't see how one person can make the statement that "the perfect carry gun has already been invented" unless they qualify that statement with "in my opinion".

Put yer reedin glassis awn!


"The following is my opinion derived from ten years of carrying a concealed handgun:

The perfect carry gun has been invented already. The five shot snubbie, 1911 government/fullsize steel framed DA/SA pistol, Polymer framed fullsize or compact have you covered in all weather and manner of dress. Nothing new is going to help you actually carry the gun. You must figure that out for yourself. "

This was a qualified expression of my opinion that the OP is just going to be chasing his tail selling one compact .40 for another. I find too often that folks don't stick with any one platform long enough to know their true abilities and limitations with the weapon. There will always be a new gimmick or rotating trend to sell equipment. One week they're selling the itty bitty polymers, the next week it's ultra reliable snubbie or 8 shot revolvers, and finally it comes around to the capacity and shootability of a full size gun. You can take on the world with one or two guns that you can shoot well. The perfect carry gun has already been made. The majority of people refuse to accept this and continue on the search for the latest and greatest instead of just shooting the gun they have to best ability. Everybody wants the firepower of a battle rifle made concealable in running shorts. It's time to make sacrifices of comfort for self defense, instead of sacrificing defensive capability for comfort.

 

[timn8er]

My apologies! You'd think that by one in the afternoon(when I posted)I would be fully aware of what I was reading & typing. Apparently not. I stand infected!

 

[forrestinmathews]

No worries. I took my own advice and reread your post. I respect the fact that you choose to carry the Shield all year round and aren't following trend. What made you choose it over the 40c or full size? Does the printing really vary so much? I notice you avoid IWB carriage so that likely limits you a bit on size.

 

[Wee Hooker]

I carry a 9C that I owned for a couple of years before the Shield came out. There just does not seem to me to be a significant enough reduction of either size or weight with the Shield for me to loose the additional capacity of the 9C.

Then again, I carry a 642 in a pocket holster during the summer with a speed strip reload and never feel under-gunned either. Your situation may be different.

Same here. The shield isn't realy shorter in either direction, just thinner. In my case I didn't like (OK HATED) the thinness of the shields grip I was unable to shoot it nearly as well as the ergonomically superior M&Pc. Consequently, I sold the shield in less than two weeks of buying it.
If I want to holster carry anything smaller and lighter than my M&Pc, I go with a J frame (360PD). If I'm going to pocket carry, I opt for the BG 380. oddly enough, I shoot the BG380 better than the shield too.

 

[timn8er]

Forrestinmathews

I tried like hell to like IWB, but with my, uh, build it just wasn't going to work. I wanted a Shield in late 2011, & if you wanted one then you know how easy they were to find. I tried a 40c & loved it, so I went with that, figuring If I ever did score a Shield I would do a comparo & sell the loser. I found a Shield early this year & at a great price from Bud's. So, I went to the range with both, carried both, & my decision? To keep both. The Shield(in 40, natch)wasn't a lot of fun at the range, the small grip making it a little hard(for me)to get a good feel for it. But, it carries like a dream. Just disappears under cover garments & is light as a feather. The 40c is big fun at the range, & with a full size magazine & an X-Grip extension sleeve makes a great nightstand gun. I don't think I'll worry about the Shield grip in a bad situation, & I've added a Pachmyer slip on grip that makes it feel a lot better. I've yet to take it to the range to see how it feels. I can pocket carry either one with the regular magazine, the Shield a LOT easier than the 40c. A Don Hume JIT belt slide with a regular belt works fine for OWB. I see each pistol as filling separate niches, & I'm glad I don't have to limit myself to one or the other!