The Shield niche

**pacpiper** · April 11th, 2017, 08:39 AM

just installed Talon grips on my Shield 9mm but have yet to take it to the range yet. Kinda wish I bought the rubber since it feels like the granulated grips will act like a cheese grater. We shall see.

**FJW** · April 11th, 2017, 08:45 AM

Originally Posted by pacpiper

just installed Talon grips on my Shield 9mm but have yet to take it to the range yet. Kinda wish I bought the rubber since it feels like the granulated grips will act like a cheese grater. We shall see.

That was my impression of the talon, but they do look nice. Maybe with talons AND rubber over them.... then the grip will be even better. My real motivation for buying the rubber grip, believe it or not, was not so much to improve the handling as to give a little extra anchoring in my waistline when I carry with the belt clip. But it does inadvertently improve the handling too.

As long as I dont have to make serious sructural or mechanical changes to a gun, I have no qualms about tailoring it in various ways to fit my needs. I actually like doing that.

Case and point: When I put a quadrail on my AK (which I kind regret a little in some ways) I filed some sharp corners which were key in making it more comfortable to hold. But it doesnt make it look shabby in the least.

**cigarmanpa** · April 11th, 2017, 08:50 AM

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.

from what I understand there's two kinds of safety on the shield. One is a traditional one that extends from the gun and there's one that's simply a notch in the slide that you have to slide up and down. I have the latter and I can assure you there's no way to accidentally hit it

**FJW** · April 11th, 2017, 08:54 AM

Originally Posted by cigarmanpa

from what I understand there's two kinds of safety on the shield. One is a traditional one that extends from the gun and there's one that's simply a notch in the slide that you have to slide up and down. I have the latter and I can assure you there's no way to accidentally hit it

Havent seen that.
can you post a photo?

**cigarmanpa** · April 11th, 2017, 09:20 AM

Originally Posted by FJW

Havent seen that.
can you post a photo?

it's actually just below the slide. Let me see if I can upload a pic

**laen3145** · April 11th, 2017, 07:48 PM

Originally Posted by FJW

In this thread I'll be using the Shield as kind of an exalted ambassador of a particular pistol niche, the polymer single-stack compact 9mm concealed carry pistol which handles like a full sized pistol. THis thread is aimed at people who have somewhat settled on S&W's Shield as their main carry piece, although I'm also interested in hearing from people who regard the Shield as an important contestant in a particular niche, and may have spent some time carring one even if they moved on to carry a different gun most of the time. I carried a number of compact pistols before settling very firmly on the Shield. There are several others which could fill the same role: For me, namely the XDs and Bersa's BP9cc

In my case, settling on the Shield for EDC wasn't because of any reviews so much. I just held one a few times and it seemed like a no-brainer. I probably checked the reviews a couple times just to see what the biggest complaint and virtues were, but I knew I wanted a Shield badly since the first time I saw one. When I bought my Shield, the KelTec P11 was my EDC/CC gun, to give an idea of what I was stepping "up" from. I also carried a Bersa Thunder .45 for awhile....but I know that's a slightly different niche because of the weight and the cartridge.

What I want to know here is, if you CC the Shield for EDC (or one of it's closest cousins like the XDs) what is your BUG. And if you think you need more firepower than the Shield niche can provide in a more dramatic or serious self-defense scenario, what then do you step up to. This is how I'm seeking to define the "Shield niche": By what lies just outside of it for some people. If your Shield suddenly was lost or broken but you needed to go to the bank or a restaurant, or coat pocket carry, or head to the corner store with shorts on... what would you grab INSTEAD? If you thought you might be dealing with multiple attackers or superior firepower and a Shield type gun wasn't quite enough, what would you grab then? I'm mostly curious to hear from people who already (like me) feel that a Shield or similar gun provides exactly what you need 90% of the time.

I think the key to the popularity of the Shield and it's close competitors is that it finally addressed a niche which had been danced around for some time before a few manufacturers finally got it right. What does the Shield really sit between on the shelf? Based on situational considerations, What is the next step up for you, and what is the next step down....and why?

In my case I grab a Makarov when the Shield isnt handy. And if I anticipate more danger than my Shield can provide for, then I either step up to my Hi-Power for capacity or a .357for power.

Please, tell me in 10,000,000 words or less what was the point of this posting. Do you EDC or not EDC, but what do you EDC?

**Seabee CO** · April 11th, 2017, 11:25 PM

Don't know why but I never jumped on to the single stack polymer 9 band wagon. Can't knock the Shield, nice pistol but I prefer my SIG P225 for my single stack nine carry gun.

**Pilot321** · April 12th, 2017, 07:11 AM

Originally Posted by Seabee CO

Don't know why but I never jumped on to the single stack polymer 9 band wagon. Can't knock the Shield, nice pistol but I prefer my SIG P225 for my single stack nine carry gun.

My primary carry gun is a CZ-75D PCR, 9MM, but I prefer something a bit smaller in the summer months. I have been carrying .380, Beretta 85FS, or Polish P-83, 9x18. Both single stack, so pretty slim. However, I've been considering a smaller, lighter single stack 9MM like a Shield, XDs, or PPS, but I just haven't been able to "pull the trigger", as I prefer the all metal guns even is a smaller caliber.

**FJW** · April 12th, 2017, 11:07 AM

Originally Posted by laen3145

Please, tell me in 10,000,000 words or less what was the point of this posting. Do you EDC or not EDC, but what do you EDC?

Sorry sir, but the first line of the second paragraph clearly states that I settled on Shield for EDC. If you have ADD issues, it may be more of a problem for you than it is for me...so far. Please take care of it on your end.

Everyone else seems to be addressing the point of the OP quite well. So maybe a more flippant and less contemplative thread may better suit your special needs.

Edit: Actually it's stated quite well in the FIRST paragraph.

**PocketProtector** · April 12th, 2017, 12:09 PM

Been chasing the EDC Unicorn for 40+ years and the Shield is as close to perfection as I've found.....Conceal-ability, reliability, shootability, in a serious caliber, and with Magguts, good capacity, the Shield has it all. My Unicorn.