The Shield niche

**FJW** · April 10th, 2017, 04:16 PM

Originally Posted by cigarmanpa

I've head a shield for years now, has the thumb safety built into the slide that I never use, no way to grab that thing in high stress situations. It's a great small gun, you can carry it in your back pocket. It's accurate, reliable and the trigger doesn't suck too much, but it's not the best. I have ~500 rounds through it both wwb and pdx hollow points and it's eaten every round reliably. It's a great gun for NPE carry, the draw backs are that of any single stack gun. The round count. 9 rounds doesn't give me the same warm fuzzy feeling that 16 do, that's why I retired it to the coffee table for the wife to use as an HD gun and I only carry it when I'm super worried about printing...which isn't often. Most of the time I'm carrying my g4 g19.

i would suggest that you do use it..... but not because its a dangerous loose cannon without it. Its just that there is always the possibility it could be switched on by mistake. If you always presume its off you could be in for a surprise if you try shoot with the notion that its off...just because it was off the last time you looked at it. So i say if you have it, use it. And make it part of your drill to flick it off every time you draw.... even if its already off.... if you get my drift. Ive trained myself to automatically flick my thumb over it several times sharply during the draw, no questions asked. Just adrenalize and do it.

Shield's safety may be small, but i find it snags your skin very well and gets dragged with a downstroke very easily.

**Hodgie** · April 10th, 2017, 04:26 PM

Originally Posted by FJW

i would suggest that you do use it..... but not because its a dangerous loose cannon without it. Its just that there is always the possibility it could be switched on by mistake. If you always presume its off you could be in for a surprise if you try shoot with the notion that its off...just because it was off the last time you looked at it. So i say if you have it, use it. And make it part of your drill to flick it off every time you draw.... even if its already off.... if you get my drift. Ive trained myself to automatically flick my thumb over it several times sharply during the draw, no questions asked. Just adrenalize and do it.

Shield's safety may be small, but i find it snags your skin very well and gets dragged with a downstroke very easily.

My Shield has the Safty as well due to it being a pre NS model. While my wife does use it now I never did and with too many draws from IWB and OWB to count it's never even remotely snagged or moved once on my example pistol. That being said if it's going to ever happen it will when you don't want it too.

**FJW** · April 10th, 2017, 04:28 PM

Originally Posted by Hodgie

I've been on the hunt for a Sig 320 RX compact as well. Impossible to find but when I do and if it works out the G26 is a goner and maybe the 43.

I like Sigs infinitely more than Glocks. A lot of great diversity among the Sigs too. I was thinking about replacing my Hi-Power with one for the position of "top dog" combat pistol. But it simply wouldnt replace my Shield for EDC though. I do occasionally carry larger guns, but moving around and drawing from weird positions is just easier with the Shield.

**FJW** · April 10th, 2017, 04:31 PM

Originally Posted by Hodgie

That being said if it's going to ever happen it will when you don't want it too.

Exactly. Too true. And when I said it snags I just meant it's easy to flick DOWN. The traction grooves are skewed that way, a real plus.

Edit: It DID happen to me once, within a week or two after I started carrying it. However, I was trying tempt fate and test things a little by bending and stretching in a more exaggerated fashion. One time it did click off somehow, but never did again with normal activity. I've been carrying my Shield over 2 years now. As part of my daily routine, I check the safety whenever it's convenient: Rounding a corner, using a bathroom, sitting at a table, after a short run......anything that might apply. You can never be too aware of your gun, as long as it's not an issue of physical discomfort.

**KCJones** · April 10th, 2017, 05:51 PM

My wife has a Shield and it's a fine gun.

I carry a Ruger LC9s for summer EDC primarily because its extended mag lets me get all my fingers on. I also like having 10 shots. For cool weather EDC with more "coverage" available, I carry my H&K VP9.

By comparison, the Shield's 'extended' mag still doesn't really let me 'four finger' it... Or technically it does, but the pinky is on a little 'tab' that comes out which isn't the same. And IIRC it's still only 7 or 8 shots. So for me as a larger, larger-hands guy, it's simply not 'big enough'.

**RockIsland** · April 10th, 2017, 06:12 PM

Originally Posted by FJW

I like Sigs infinitely more than Glocks. A lot of great diversity among the Sigs too. I was thinking about replacing my Hi-Power with one for the position of "top dog" combat pistol. But it simply wouldnt replace my Shield for EDC though. I do occasionally carry larger guns, but moving around and drawing from weird positions is just easier with the Shield.

P290 9mm

**FJW** · April 10th, 2017, 06:30 PM

Originally Posted by RockIsland

P290 9mm

Looks very well made alright but I dont think I like the grip. I can tell it wouldnt feel right to me. The dimensions and angles just don't grab me. It might be great for someone else. I dont have huge hands but they are a little big... or long, anyway. To be honest, the Shield grip was slightly small for me (circumferance), but i could live with it, with the gun's other perks to offset that. I went and bought a Pachmayr slip-on rubber grip sleeve. It made just enough difference for me to really be comfortable. I'll post a pic of my Shield in a little while.

**FJW** · April 10th, 2017, 07:15 PM

My Shield with belt clip and Pachmayr slip-on.
KIMG0755.jpg

**cigarmanpa** · April 10th, 2017, 07:58 PM

Originally Posted by RockIsland

P290 9mm

does the 290 have the same trigger as the rs? if so pass.

**FJW** · April 10th, 2017, 08:48 PM

Personally, I think the 938 is almost Sig's best contender against the Shield, however it almost bumps down into the next niche as a pocket gun. If it wasn't twice the price of the Shield I might have one. But I also think the Shield is a more dynamic design and more built for action, and that is the dealmaker. The 938 may actually be more concealable but the Shield is more "rough & tumble" and the loss of 2 rounds in the 938 is the dealbreaker. I'd rather have the combat edge than than the concealed edge of the niche which this thread is about. And the Shield has that. That's not to say that if I found a 938 for good price I wouldnt buy one and carry it sometimes. The Shield is just more practical for me, and perhaps more practical for the niche itself. That's why I called it the Shield niche. I think Shield just about the most well-rounded 9mm CC gun. As I said before, I used to carry a KelTec P11 which actually takes 2+1 more than the Shield, but the QA is spotty on them and I don't like the trigger. The ability to use 20Rd S&W magazine and higher is impressive....but accuracy and reliability compared to a Shield SUCKS! So I made my choice. P11 also has a belt clip, something which influences how I look at both guns. I originally bought the P11 so I could share mags with my S&W59. It wasnt as good a platform as it aspires to be, alhough it has merit. I'm till happy I abandoned it in favor of the Shield and I haven't looked back. My Hi-Power is now the next step up for me, although I've thought of replacing that niche too with a full sized CZ or maybe a full sized M&P. When dealing with full sized guns I lose all interest in polymers. It's not a priority then at all...

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