Shield on the Rocks

[Nopetrol]

I looked at the title of this thread for the last couple of days, then this morning Neil Diamond's 'Love on the Rocks' jumped into my head reading it. So of course, over coffee I sat here and change the lyrics in my head.....

Shield on the rocks,
Single stack surprise,
Load me a mag
And I'll let the rounds fly...

I know, geeking out. But if just one of you gets it stuck in your head for a little while, I'm satisfied for today.

[MARINE DIVISION TWO]

I've never REALLY carried OWB, so I wasn't sure where to start looking.
I needed something "affordable" and while I prefer leather, I was mostly narrowing it down by minimal weight/thickness, and price.

A few brands were suggested to me and without going into the pros and cons of each one I looked at, I ultimately decided on the Bravo concealment BCA OWB Kydex holster. As luck would have it, they were offering a free mag pouch with any holster and the day I decided to order happened to be the last day of the offer! It was $49.99 shipped (all items ship free) for the holster and mag pouch.
"FREE SHIPPING • LIFETIME WARRANTY • 30 DAY MONEY BACK SATISFACTION GUARANTEE"
Company link
Holster link

They offer pancake style belt loop attachments as an option which are said to help draw the holster in even closer to your body.
I did not opt for those - I figured I'd see how it goes with the standard belt loops first.

This holster has some adjustment options as well - by moving the belt loops, you can adjust the cant, or raise it to ride higher.

25 second adjustment demo:


It took a while to get it due to the holiday rush and the free mag pouch offer, but I think it was worth the wait.
The two pieces each came in a black "Ziplock" bag with a note of thanks for the order and a request for input so they can make improvements as needed.

I'm not a Kydex expert, but the holster looks nice - clean lines and even screws/rivets. The edges where the two pieces of Kydex meet are "solid" and smooth - polished the whole way around for a very nicely finished holster. The details of the Shield are molded in - front and back, and the handgun snaps in with an audible "clunk", and removes smoothly with a firm pull, and without a fight.
I put it on wearing jeans and using a simple web belt since I have yet to order an actual gun belt. The holster holds the gun nice and close and more solidly than I would have expected with such a flexible, thin belt. I was able to draw and reholster a dozen times without "searching" as I reholstered. So far so good!

May be comfortable but rminds me of a ping pong paddle ! Excess plastic in my opinion !

[arjohnson]

Bought one for my wife, nice gun and shoots well. For me it's the G43, I get to shoot them side by side and prefer the 43 for a few reasons but wouldn't feel at a disadvantage if I had a shield in my pocket.

[Emptymag]

May be comfortable but rminds me of a ping pong paddle ! Excess plastic in my opinion !

I would prefer less material along the bottom, but it has to be there to allow for adjustments.

I'd prefer the look of leather too, but whatever...

[Cville]

I've been debating on getting a Shield or a G43. Possibly a Ruger LC9s as well. I don't like the looks of the Ruger, but I want something small, preferably for IWB. At $199 the Shield would have been a no brainer.

[KCJones]

I've been debating on getting a Shield or a G43. Possibly a Ruger LC9s as well. I don't like the looks of the Ruger, but I want something small, preferably for IWB. At $199 the Shield would have been a no brainer.

I had, and got rid of, an LC9S. Mostly subjective - it just didn't feel right in my hand and I didn't shoot it well, so YMMV on that. More objectively the way you take it down for cleaning (you need a pin to push through a small hole to push out the retaining pin) is a pain. It also stovepiped on me a few times when it wasn't really good and clean (by no means filthy: I'm talking like 3rd trip to the range after cleaning) and I shoot new, good-quality brass-case ammo. That was the death-knell for it.

Can't comment on g43, never even shot one.

My wife has the shield, and I like it enough it's my main contender in my own search for a new small IWB pistol.

[internet troll]

I had, and got rid of, an LC9S. Mostly subjective - it just didn't feel right in my hand and I didn't shoot it well, so YMMV on that. More objectively the way you take it down for cleaning (you need a pin to push through a small hole to push out the retaining pin) is a pain. It also stovepiped on me a few times when it wasn't really good and clean (by no means filthy: I'm talking like 3rd trip to the range after cleaning) and I shoot new, good-quality brass-case ammo. That was the death-knell for it.

Can't comment on g43, never even shot one.

My wife has the shield, and I like it enough it's my main contender in my own search for a new small IWB pistol.

Funny how guns work for some and not others. I had a 9mm Springfield xds that I just was not able to shoot well. I don’t know why. I traded it to my brother because he shot well with it and liked it.

My lc9s has been my main carry gun for a couple of years. I shoot it well and it feels very comfortable to me with no problems. But others have shot it but not liked it the way I do.

[ArmyVet]

The Shield is a best buy right now - there have been some extremely low prices on those pistols recently. Not my preference but they seem to work well.

[Berncly]

My girlfriend likes the shield 9 now that the sales are over :P
I would be interested to know if anyone sees a decent sale.
Preferably with no safety.

[ExFlyinguy]

The Shield has always been the better buy. The LC9s only comes with 1 mag. That being said I prefer shooting the LC9s more. I just like the stock trigger better. They both feel good in hand to me.