what about the .40

[gdc123]

hi all, i keep hearing about the shield in 9, 9 this and 9 that. . but does any one have anything to say about the shield .40 . i have one and i think its a great ccw and shoots great for me.
just wondering.

thanks

 

[Holmes375]

No flies on the Shield 40, an excellent cartridge in an excellent pistol.

I'd wager the 9mm versions of the Shield outnumber the 40 cal versions by a substantial margin. Simply a matter of the popularity scale of the cartridges. And I don't think the popularity disparity has anything to do with the efficacy of either cartridge. They both work just fine when applied properly to the task at hand.

And the 45 ACP version will be joining the fray soon and it will take over the buzz on the fora.

Enjoy that 40

 

[OldGoat]

Had a .40 FS and a .40 9c. Sold them both...ammo too expensive; no perceived advantage over 9mm.

 

[dhchief28]

I guess it comes down to if you want it for protection or plinking

 

[DocB]

There's nothing wrong with the 40 caliber except we didn't need it back in the early 1990's. When it first came out I remember thinking what idiot came up with that. In retrospect, you do get a bigger bullet with better diameter and better stopping power. I got a Glock sub compact a few years back (my first 40) despite my disdain for the cartridge. Something about the bigger bore diameter. I just feel better carrying it when compared to a 9 mm. Sure enough, I killed a deer with it two years ago. . .a four point buck. . .and it worked beautifully. No, I didn't go hunting with the little Glock. The deer was injured on the back of my property. Broken leg. Clean kill. I have a lot more respect for the 40 now.

 

[RGVshooter]

I own both a Shield 9 & Shield 40 and I've practiced with both at the range & also in IDPA matches.... Both are very reliable and accurate however I scored better with the 9mm over the .40 because with the .40 you need a little bit more recovery time to get a quick second shot on target in a tactical situation due to the snappier recoil. After owning the Shield 40 for over a year, I sold it on cosignment at my LGS. Like I said, both 9 & 40 shield's are ultra reliable firearms that will get the job done, however for me I choose to keep the 9mm because I can get on target quicker with much faster follow up shot's, which as my EDC, is very important.

 

[okiegtrider]

Happy .40 Shield owner here. If I didn't have a fairly steady supply of .40 ammunition, I'd have gone with the 9. I do agree it takes a little more time for a follow up shot than with a 9. No regrets here.

 

[Ballistic147]

After a lot of thought and research I ended up with the 9mm Shield. Don't get me wrong, I'm a fan of the 40S&W and own the 40c and the 40FS but my decision came down to that one extra round with the 9mm. My concern was in a true SD situation that one extra round could make the difference. Either way, I'm sure I would have been happy with the 40'Shield but I do like the 9mm version.

 

[triaxle]

40 is good but is a hot one from a small gun I would think it beats on it harder also . I went with the 9mm

 

[EdJG]

After researching the bullet ballistics I saw no clear advantage of the 40 over the 9. So given the advantages of the 9 (extra round, easier followup. lower cost) I went that route.

There's nothing wrong with either choice - just pick your preference.

 

[retiredbadge8091]

Either gun shoots well. In the 1980's the .45 ACP was king of the jungle, then came the Wondernines in the 1990's. The search for more performance then saw the development of the 10MM and finally the .40 S&W. In all that time there has been the back and forth between preformance and managibility. I shoot a .40 S&W Shield mainly because my department moved to the .40 and my department issued service weapon being a .40 meant it only made sense that my personally owned back-up should be a .40 as well. That meant carrying a GLOCK 22 and a 27. Having those two guns led to me purchasing the Shield in .40 S&W. That and the fact that when I purchased my Shield the 9's were as scarce as hens teeth. Pick your poison and practice with it using the best preforming ammunition you can afford. The debate about "the best self defense round" is never ending, I have been following it for nearly half a century.

 

[McE]

It'll work.
Unless you need that extra round or that faster followup.
Everyone is free to make their own choices, even if they're not great ones.
Well, everyone except females with idiot macho male counterparts that pick the guns for the female without any input. But that's another topic.

 

[Rastoff]

Everyone talks about faster follow-up. If you have the proper technique, the .40S&W is every bit as fast as the 9mm or .45ACP rounds.

The problem I have is catastrophic failures. When it happens, and that is rare, it seems to happen most with .40S&W using 180 grain bullets.

I have 3 guns chambered in .40S&W and have not ever had a problem. Still, I shoot .45ACP or 9mm a lot more.

 

[NCW Ray]

I like the .40 and haven't owned a 9mm since the .40 came out in the early 90's. Have shot it in HK P7M10, Sig P-229 and now M&P full size, compact and Shield and have never looked back.

It is my opinion size does matter. Example: We'd set up a course of fire using pepper popper targets. We had one person shooting 9mm and the rest were .40's. .40's were knocking the target down with one shot, the 9mm had to almost drive it down with multiple shots or a shot that was right at the top edge of the target. Would that be the case in a life or death situation, I don't know, but that has always stuck with me.

I've been buying my ammo through Freedom Munitions for .23 cents a round for NEW ammo. I just checked their website and their 9mm is also .23 cents a round, however their prices do fluctuate as I have seen their 9mm sell for $20 less a thousand at times. Cost hasn't been a issue for me.

 

[McE]

I used to recommended Freedom Munitions but after a lot of bad ammo I had to send back and prices not really being competitive anymore l, I'd pass.

I also know .223 has trouble with poppers, too, so....

 

[Arik]

Everyone talks about faster follow-up. If you have the proper technique, the .40S&W is every bit as fast as the 9mm or .45ACP rounds.

The problem I have is catastrophic failures. When it happens, and that is rare, it seems to happen most with .40S&W using 180 grain bullets.

I have 3 guns chambered in .40S&W and have not ever had a problem. Still, I shoot .45ACP or 9mm a lot more.

I agree. For the most part I don't find the 40 anymore snappier then the 9 +P and when shot side by side in the same brand of gun (G22 vs G21) I find the 45 has more recoil then the 40

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[Luke Duke]

My 23 Glock shoots those 180s great. Its a hammer up close. Id chose a .40 over a 9mm any day . The .40 dents my heavy steel swinger deep, hit it with a 9mm and doesn't even scuff it, even with ball ammo. Scuffs the paint off real good.

 

[Smitty357]

I'm still enjoying my Shield .40 and the factory 9mm barrel. After all these years, not a single problem. By far the best of both worlds.

 

[PirateJim]

I have a .40 Shield and love it so much I bought a 5" .40 Pro Series and put the same Trijicon HD sights on it for my house gun. I know some people don't feel the .40 is any more effective than a 9mm, and the 9mm is indeed fairly effective, but I can read ballistic tables. I'll take a half second delay getting off my second shot for the enhanced probability of not really needing it.

 

[amcline82]

I really enjoy my shield 40. It's my edc. I also have a Glock in 40 so that's why I went with the shield in 40. Sure less compaicty but bigger round.

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