Glock 43 vs Shield?

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Double Drops

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I currently have a Shield, which I purchased before the G43 came out. I shoot it really well and have been carrying it IWB. It's pretty comfortable but I feel like the shorter height of the G43 might make it a little easier to conceal.
Honestly, I prefer Glocks, and have always been intrigued with the G43. For those of you that have shot (or owned) both, which did you prefer and why?
Would you sell a Shield just to get a G43? Are they that much different?
 
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I owned both and sold the Glock. I just liked the shield better, but never had a single issue with the G43. Having CC for 35 years, I will tell you the very small size difference will hardly be noticeable, if at all.

However, if you want the Glock, get it. You can't have too many guns.



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I am a Glock fanboy, but I recognize that the Shield is a great firearm also. This comes down to personal preference, they are both fantastic pistols.

Double Drops don't kid yourself, if you had to post a thread on the subject you know what that means. You will soon become a Glock 43 owner, that's the way us firearms people are when a new pistol catches our attention. :D
 
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I just recently went though a similar choice- between all the single stack poly 9mms out there. My old LC9 just isn't working for me.

After handling a bunch of them, and shooting most of the ones that are out there I bought a new shield with Night sights.

300 rounds later and I am very impressed with the shield.
 
I own a Shield and just bought a G43. I would not sell a Shield to get a G43. My Shield has been excellent, 100% reliable with a nice trigger, and very accurate, and is more comfortable to shoot than the Glock. And for IWB carry, I don't see the Glock as providing much advantage.

I bought the G43 because I am always looking for a 9mm to pocket carry, and the smaller size of the G43 might work for me. The Shield is just a bit too big and heavy for the pocket. I greatly prefer pocket carry in Phoenix, especially in the summer. And the last time I rented the G43, it felt much more comfortable to shoot than the first time. Sold.

But don't trade the Shield to get the Glock. If anything, get both.
 
I have a Shield and love it also a G 42 that is great. I purchased a G 43 and was very disappointed with the handling of the pistol...one of those "just does not feel or shoot right for me" pistols. A friend traded me a Sig P238 and a dozen mags for it.
 
I shoot and carry a shield in 45.
My buddy has a G30S also in 45.
Cant stand the thing.
Grips to short
Terrible Glock trigger
Cant hit diddly with it.
My shield (to me) is more accurate more comfortable and easier to shoot.
Also cant stand Glock grip angle.
My 02 YMMV.


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Can you try the Glock before deciding? I like the Glock better than the Shield but a couple of my range buddies prefer the Shield to the Glock. Its personal preference but I will say that I don't think the higher price of the Glock over the Shield is worth it, this is why I haven't ditched my Kahr CM9 for the Glock.
 
Would you sell a Shield just to get a G43?
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Definitely not.

When I first bought my Shield, I was at the range getting comfortable with it and the guy at the next bench had a Glock 43. I let him shoot mine, and he let me try his. I shot the Shield much better. It's more controllable and just feels better in my hands. I did not like the G43 at all (though I didn't tell him that).
 
I'm a Glock fan and have a bunch of them. My EDC is a G21. I can get a Blue Label 43 for about the same price as a Shield so the money is a wash. When I carry light it's a Shield 9mm. Over 1,000 rounds it's been 100% reliable and has better ergos than the G43. To me it was a no brainier.
 
I carry the Shield and I wouldn't sell it to get a Glock.

If I were new to the sub compact pistol market I might consider the G43 but why pay $100 more for the Glock.

The Shield works great for me and just today I found them online for $299!
 
I have owned both. Including the safety and non-safety versions of the Shield. I currently own the G43. Here are some of my personal observations...

The Shield is a little bigger, a little heavier, and a little softer shooting with slightly better ergonomics in my hand.
The Glock is... likewise.... a little smaller, a little lighter, and a little snappier in recoil.

I would actually say that fit and finish on the Shield is better than the G43. I have the TALO edition of the G43, so it has the bright outlined, tritium front sight - similar to Trijicon HD... so sights are better on my G43, but Shield wins on stock versions.

Triggers are kind of a wash. Both have decent triggers for the type. I do find the serrated trigger on the G43 becomes a bit aggressive and annoying when dry firing a lot or longer range sessions, but it's not designed for that, so that's not a huge deal.

The odd thing I found was that despite being smaller, lighter, and less ergonomic in my hands, I simply shoot the G43 more accurately. I don't think this is a result of mechanical accuracy... just the performance in my own hand.

Both are great guns. I actually do thing the Shield is the "better" gun... but I'm happy with the G43.
 
When I had to choose, I went with the Glock 43. I shot it better, recoil seems less snappy, the trigger feels better, the slide is easier to rack, with better serrations, and it's smaller than the shield grip-wise, even with a +1 Taran Tactical baseplate to even up the capacity.

That said, if I already had the Shield, I don't think it's worth selling just to get the Glock. The Shield is a fine gun. The only way to really answer this question is to go try a 43 though, and see what you think.
 
When the 43 first come out I went with a fist full of cash to pick it up and shelve my big bulky shield. Once I put my mitts on one, I spent the money on a much beloved CZ75.

For me it felt worse than a g26 I used to own and that's saying a lot...I hated the feel of that thing with a passion compared to the 19/23 sized guns I'd shot.

I'd save my money and see if Smith comes out with a 2.0 Shield, or buy a new CZ.
 
I chose between these two recently. I was lucky enough to try both. For me it was the 43. It just felt better in my hand and I shot it better.But not by much.

I could have been happy with either one.Would I sell a Shield to get the Glock , probably not. As everyone is different your results may vary.
 
I've held the Shield, couldn't release the slide to save my life...get the Glock...and it's not even close as far as I'm concerned...get the Glock...

Laura
 
I cant speak for a regular Shield but I can for the Performance Center version. My wife wanted a new carry gun a few months ago and this is what she picked. I have to say with that ported barrel you can rapid fire it and stay on target easily. It virtually had no muzzle flip. Only down side is with the ported barrel it's LOUD. I'm seriously thinking of ditching my G27 for their .40cal version.
 
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