Kahr CM40 vs S&W Shield .40

H

HistoryJunky

New member
I have been looking into getting a subcompact .40 to complement my M&P .40 FS.

I should be getting my CCW permit in the mail in 2 months or so. I have a good bet and holster for my M&P, and can conceal it pretty well.

I am looking to get a smaller gun to either pocket carry or carry when I can't conceal the M&P FS.

I have narrowed my choices down to the Shield or the CM40. I'm pretty stuck on the caliber because it's what I already have. And I reload, so ammo sharing being cheap is more important to me.

Does anyone have one or both of these guns? Pros? Cons? Are either one of them feasible for Pocket carry?
 
I have a CM9, same size as the CM40 and it will pocket carry much better than the Shield, I wouldn't actually consider pocket carrying the Shield. Other than that, take your pick. Both good guns, my best advice I can come up with is hit a range that rents firearms and give them a go.
 
I wish I had that option. I'm pretty much in a dead zone for ranges. The only ones we have around here are mostly members only.

If I remember right the closest range that has rental guns is probably an hour and a half away. If I'm lucky I can at least find one of the two physically to check out.
 
Oh I see. Ok, well just from my experience, the Shield has a good trigger with a positive reset. The Kahr has a very long, but extremely smooth trigger pull ( remember, this is the CM9 not the .40, I haven't shot the .40), the Kahr has no reset to speak of, the trigger needs to be fully forward in order to fire. I am assuming this trigger is by design due to its deep concealment duties. Both are accurate for what they are, with the Shield being a bit more so which I attribute to it being a bigger pistol. I love the stainless steel slide of the Khar vs. the Shields slide. The Shield does a great job of managing the .40's recoil, I can't answer to the CM40 but assume they did a good job of recoil management based on how pleasant my CM9's recoil is. I am not a fan of the Kahr's magazine and it gets hung up on the mag release when loaded, at least mine does.
In a nutshell, I like my Kahr and do not regret my desicion to pick it up, the main reason I picked it up was to compliment my Glock26 and M&P9c for a bit deeper concealment option and for me, it fit the bill better than the other single stack pocket 9mm's out there, wait, with the exception of my Sig P938, she is just to pretty to carry...:D
 
Thanks for the advice. I am leaning towards the shield because it has the same trigger system as my M&P FS but I think if I went that route I might have to throw pocket carry out the window.

In your area, what is the price difference between the two?
 
I am able to buy through Law Enforcement/Military sales so the Kahr runs around $350 and the Shield around $320. Looking on-line at BudsGunShop the Shield is $365 and the Kahr is $322. I have purchased a few guns through Buds and it was a very painless process if on-line sales is something you would entertain. You might want to go to Slickguns and they pretty much list the best deals going online.
Believe it or not I actually picked up my Kahr on sale for $349 at Cabela's of all places. Just have to shop around a bit.

I am in Colorado by the way.
 
Thanks for the comparison. I'm in Hellinois. I don't think I have ever seen anything at Gander around here that wasn't sky high, so touche to you.

I suppose I will have to make a trip to a fun store about an hour away and see if I can fondle a cm40 and shield.
 
I moved to Colorado from Belleville, Hellinois... lol. Its a great State if you leave Chicago out of it..:D. Good luck with your desicion, I think you will be happy with either one, I know I would have been.
 
I think I will be happy either way. I agree so much on Illinois. I am in North central IL, around nothing important. The attitude of people here has nothing in common with the Chicago area.

Most people here either own guns or at least are not opposed to gun ownership.
 
I can pocket carry my wife's Shield 9, when she lets me, lol. I'm also 6'2", about 215pds and wear loose, or relaxed, fit style clothing when off duty. My wife, at 5'7" and 135pds, wears tighter clothing, can't pocket carry the Shield except back pocket. Of course, if it's not in her purse, it's in a Fobus paddle owb, when she's off duty.

I love the Shield, and choose it over the Kahr when I bought it for my wife. She carries a Glock on duty, and the similarity in manual of arms was a plus. I have yet to shot a sub compact that shoots as well as the Shield.

And as long as you stay away from Cook county, and surrounding, Illinois ain't too bad. The further south you go, the better, or so it seems. I live minutes from Cairo, can't get much further south, lol.
 
I am 5'8 and about 145, but I also wear fairly loose fitting clothes. I've read mixed opinions on the ability to pocket carry the Shield, but I imagine it can be done.

Winter is coming soon and as you probably know, with how cold it gets in Illinois some days you can conceal pretty much anything under the required clothing.

I will probably end up getting the Shield for no other reason than it has the same trigger system as my M&P FS. But all bets are off once I go to the fun shop.
 
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