Purchase of a 9mm

It is all in the training- or lack thereof.

A manual safety definitely reduces the odds of accidentally/negligently discharging the gun when holstering/reholstering it.

It is one more barrier to overcome and takes deliberation.

That can be a great thing.

However, under heavy stress the same is true- it is one more barrier to overcome and takes deliberate action to do.

Under stress, it might slow you down a half-second [or more, depending on your reflexes].

The idea is that a shooter who trains as if they are always there will not forget.

One school of thought is as TunnelRat indicated: have all of the same type of platform [either all striker w/o TS, all striker w/TS, all DA/SA, or all SA-like 1911 or BHP].

Another school of thought is to train as if all of your semi auto handguns have thumbsafeties, and your thumb will never cause a jam, but you will never forget to sweep the safety off. This is especially important if you [llke me] want firearms from different systems, because, well, you do.

I have a M&P 9c w/o TS, and a M&P .45 full sized with. I have 1911s, BHPs, Star and Walther with. I have striker fired and DA/SA without.

The only one that the idea of training as if it is always there doesn't help with is the Walther P-1/P-38, as the safety is on the slide.

I sweep my thumb down on all of them, regardless of if there is one or not. I am not worried I'll accidently leave it on.

It feels silly on a Glock or Sig, but it makes me confident I won't forget the step under panic.


You need to get what is best for you. Down the road you can get your daughter a gun for her. Start her with a revolver? But get what is best for you.


I will say this, though. If you won't hit the range at least once a month, and won't practice ball-n-dummie drills at the range, if you won't work on safe handling at home and snap-cap trigger control practice at home, at least 2 times a month AFTER you become comfortable with it, then I recommend you consider a revolver.

I may be flamed for this, but a DA/SA revolver is what I am comfortable with my mother, my wife or my daughter shooting. It can sit for 10 years without worry about spring set affecting the recoil cycle. If a round doesn't fire, just pull the trigger a second time and the next one should- no clearance drills to get the next round in the chamber.

My ladies don't/won't go to the range more than once every 6 months, and don't do anything in between.

I would worry more about their presence of mind to clear the gun of a jam with that little practice.

A revolver is something I worry less about.

Just a thought.




Last thought: for concealed carry, I figure I'd rather have no thumb safety, as it can't get 'snicked off' in the holster by accident in an IWB holster.

If I could carry openly, or OWB, a larger gun with a thumb safety would appeal to me.


And around here, if I draw a gun to use it, I will have to be standing around for the police, and they will want it on the ground and me away from it as they walk up. I don't think I'd be reholstering it while waiting.

If I were hiking/hunting and it was a matter of non-human threats in the outdoors, reholstering is more of a concern.

For self defense, I doubt I'd get much reholstering done. But I am far from even half-way to being skilled, and way away from being an expert on these matters.
 
Thank you for the input I appreciate it. I have a spot out back that my husband has made into a shooting range for me. Both he and I shoot guns out back and I also go shooting with my dad usually at my parents house. Each of us have a decent amount of land for it. I usually only go to the range for gun rentals. Although sometimes it's a nice change. I have seriously considered a revolver. The one I was considering (because I've shot most of them that I can get my hands on) is the Ruger LCR .357. It's a really hard decision.
 
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Scatcatt said:
I may never buy a gun simply because I worry too much about every detail of my purchase. When does the madness stop?
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There's an old saying: "The Perfect is the enemy of The Good." IOW, if you're looking for the "perfect pistol," you'll never find it. I want a recoil-less 10mm with a 36-round magazine, suitable for pocket carry. I think we all know I'm not going to find it. Handguns are a compromise. So, to some extent, you'll have to prioritize and figure out which features are most important to you. Figure out which features are "non-negotiables" and which are negotiable.

Welcome to TFL, Scatcatt!
 
There are other 9mm single stacks that do have a safety that's a bit easier to manipulate. The SIG P938 is one such option.

I ask if this is going to be a carry pistol? I only ask because you seem to be looking at very small pistols usually used for dress-limited carry (by dress I mean clothing, not just dresses). If you were willing to look at something even only as large as say the M&P compact, you'd have more options. Honestly in terms of height the M&P compact with a flat baseplate is just as short as the Shield, it's just a bit thicker. And you can get a more substantial safety plus much more capacity.

I'm honestly not a huge fan of the small S&W J-frame revolver and even the Ruger LCR. They're great in terms of size but the capacity is limited. You can argue a revolver is more reliable, but any handgun needs to be shot throughout a year to maintain proficiency so I've never really bought into the "load it and forget it" mantra of the revolvers. Semiautos are generally quite reliable these days, and if you do have a malfunction they're typically much easier to clear than if a cylinder were to jam. I also haven't found one yet that's remotely enjoyable to shoot for 50 or more rounds. Some will argue, "So what? It's a carry pistol." I see the argument, but if you don't enjoy shooting it you likely won't and then how do you build on your skill level with it? I see many people at my range with J frames and such and with the long heavy trigger pulls, extremely short sight radius, and at times harsh recoil they typically don't have much luck with them. It's not something I'd recommend for a first handgun.
 
The shield is an excellent pistol, I have the non-safety version... While I like mine a lot, it is not a gun I would recommend for a first time owner, unless it is the only one that will fit into their concealed carry regime, and getting two different guns is not an option.

I would say it is a comfortable gun to shoot, for a small single stack 9mm. As a small 9mm, it can have a stiff recoil spring, as it is needed to make the gun function well while staying small. Recoil is fairly brisk due to its size, so it's good for a gun it's size, not on the whole of all 9mm pistols.


It is a common misconception that a woman or small framed person needs a small pistol... This is bad advice all around.

For a given caliber, the smaller the gun, the more recoil you feel. Smaller pistols are harder to shoot well than larger ones.

You want a pistol that fits comfortably in your hands and has good traction to prevent slipping.

For home defense and range use, a full size pistol like the standard M&P is a great choice.

The shield is designed for concealed carry, when you are limited in the size gun you can carry, due to clothing choices.


I have an M&P 9c, the compact version of the full size pistol, as well. It is vastly easier to use and shoot compared to my shield. It is about the same overall size, but a bit thicker in width, as it is a double stack design.

Due to that, recoil feels softer, and it hold more rounds in the magazine. It has a softer recoil spring and is easier to rack and manipulate, Plus, you can use the full size magazines in it at the range.

I would say it is suitable for both carry and home defense, with little issues. It will conceal almost as well as a shield.

The optional safety is larger and easier to use should you want to go with a safety version.

If you are going to teach your child to shoot, it will be much easier for them to use as well.
 
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Once again thank you for the information. I was planning on conceal carrying the Shield. I will look at the other guns suggested here. I have shot it so I know it has a recoil. But still not as hard as the Ruger LCR .357.
 
You are starting to figure out all the little things that go in to selecting just the right gun for yourself. It's all those little things-- how it feels , can you manipulate the controls, weight of the recoil spring --all of that stuff makes a huge difference . I think the shield is probably a pretty decent gun but if it comes down to that recoil spring being too much for you to handle then you'll have to look at something else

A couple of guns that some of the young ladies in my family seem to like shooting the most are the SIG 239 in 9mm 9or a 1911 like the Kimber tactical Pro II model in a 4inch barrel with an alloy frame --- both guns are light, fairly easy to manipulate and seem to be just about the right length in smaller hands

But ultimately comes down to what fits your hands the best not what any of us think and you just have to shoot more guns to see what works best

Good luck in your search and have fun with the process.....!
 
That's funny BigJim, I was just thinking maybe I'll give the Sig Sauer another look. Surely it isn't this difficult, picking a gun. I wish I was just ignorant and could just walk in the store and find a gun I liked the looks of and just purchase it like everyone else I know does. It would be way easier. The Sig Sauer's have always fascinated me. But I've never shot one. More money spent of gun rentals...*sigh*

I didn't find the recoil of the Shield to be too difficult compared the some of the ones I've shot. But maybe I need to do some more comparing.
 
Scatcatt said:
Once again thank you for the information. I was planning on conceal carrying the Shield. I will look at the other guns suggested here. I have shot it so I know it has a recoil. But still not as hard as the Ruger LCR .357.
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Have you tried shooting that LCR with .38s?
 
Yes Spats that how I've shot it. I've rented that gun several times now. I still find the LCR to be stouter than the Shield as far as recoil and shooting. I was very accurate when shooting the Shield compared to the LCR which as about an inch off on my target.
 
Yes Spats that how I've shot it. I've rented that gun several times now. I still find the LCR to be stouter than the Shield as far as recoil and shooting. I was very accurate when shooting the Shield compared to the LCR which as about an inch off on my target.
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This was also true for both my wife and I.
 
Dressing around my gun (other than the one I carry on duty) and making sure it is also a gun I like and shoot well has been a PITA of mine for the longest.
I read stories of women concealing these larger handguns and other than wearing a tent, I can't for the life of me make that happen.
My carry rotation includes these: Sig p238, p938, Glock 26, Glock 43 and Glock 33.
If I could carry what I wanted and not worry about size, I'd opt to tote the Sig 229, p320 or Glock 17 or 19.
 
My daughter prefer 32 magnum revolvers. She could shoot them comfortably when she was nine.

I don't recall my Ruger LC9 as being difficult to rack. IIRC it's about the size of a Shield.
 
My best friend has the LC9 and she really likes it also. It is about the same size as the Shield and they've recently improved the trigger on it.
 
Scatcatt,

I get the impression all you need to do is walk into a gunshop, ask to see a Shield, lock the slide back, remove the magazine (to remove the upward pressure on the slide stop), and make sure you can slingshot the slide by releasing the slide lock when pulling back on the slide. If you are sold on the Shield other than to know you can slingshot it, there is no need to rent it again.

redhologram,

I read stories of women concealing these larger handguns and other than wearing a tent, I can't for the life of me make that happen.
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Many men feel compelled to limit themselves to carrying a subcompact or a pocket pistol because of the constraints of attire, too. But, I can understand that concealing traditional waistband carry is more challenging for a women.

Evolutionary biology has programmed men from a wide variety of cultures tested to visual key in on a woman's waist-to-hip ratio as a sign of health and fertility (ie, beauty), and woman and their clothing designers know this and tend to accentuate this feature. Thus, unless a woman camouflages her waist-to-hip ration, which fashionable clothing does not typically do, she cannot readily conceal a waist-carried sidearm.

On the other hand, women have carry options unavailable to most men, including thigh carry (under a dress) and bra carry, and purse carry is easier for a woman.
 
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Springfield armory has new one that is small and easily concealed. The mod 2. It has no external safety
Instead it has a two part trigger, and a grip safety.
 
I hear your dilema in picking out a gun all the time at my local range...there are just too many variables ...that do make it tough.

But if you go into it as a process.../ keep a piece of paper with you on range...and make notes after you fire each gun..( how trigger feels as it breaks and resets, is grip angle comfortable when you bring the gun up or do you have to adjust by rolling your wrist, can you reach all the controls without moving your grip - especially mag release or maybe the safety if the gun has one....

The actual grips on the gun can be a real issue... I own and shoot a variety of K, L and N frame S&W revolvers ...most in .357 Mag and .44 mag...and last week I purchased 2 of their new N frame revolvers 627's ..in .357 Mag...one in a 2 5/8" barrel and a 5" barrel.../ grips on the 2 5/8" were way too short and too small in girth to suit me...grips on the 5" were way too thin but long enough. I've spent 3 range days...trying some of my old grips on these guns to get the right feel, grip angle etc...and today ordered a couple of aftermarket wood grips from Hogue...because I know their grips fit my hands. Getting into the silly details..these 2 new guns were round butt frames...and I think I might need a grip that converts them to Square butt frames...( and I own 13 S&W revolvers now in .357 Mag...) ...and I've been shooting S&W revolvers for over 40 yrs.../ and I'm still fussing with the grips on these 2 new guns...to get them just right...

With some of the young shooters in my family ...I really work hard to get a gun that will fit their hands the best..when training ( and I customize my ammo for them to keep the velocity down / and the bullet weight down to minimize recoil )...and while we do some of that in my gunroom downstairs dry firing, etc...until we go to the range I never quite know what they will like the best. I went thru the same thing with a buddy's girl friend last year..he wanted me to instruct her..and none of the guns I thought she'd like - suited her...and she gravitated quickly to a full sized 5" barreled 1911 chambered in 9mm...( over the Sig 239, the Kimber 4" alloy frame 1911, and she really hated the J, K and L frame S&W revolvers in .38 or .357 mag )...she's very petite ..like some of my granddaughters...but the point is, its different with every person.

So don't get down on the process ...make sure you have fun with it ! Take notes ...on guns you hate..and ones you like --- and try to be specific. Changing custom grips or sights, etc...can get expensive..( wood grips for S&W revolvers from Hogue that are not that fancy - are $ 125 - $200 ) - and even rubber grips ( which I think are incredibly ugly can be $ 25 - $40 ) on guns like Sig Sauer or S&W... / but personalizing a gun is kind of fun as well.

And most guys are worse at this ...they get into whatever their buddies like ...and buy 8 or 9 guns before they get it figured out .../ I had a buddy who was infatuated with Sig 226's...saved his money --- bought one...turns out he broke his thumb a few years ago - it didn't heal right ...so he can't reach the mag release on a Sig 226 Elite Stainless that he "had to have" for about $ 1,200....
 
"My best friend has the LC9 and she really likes it also. It is about the same size as the Shield and they've recently improved the trigger on it."


The LC9s is the newer model. It is striker fired and is said to have a better trigger than the original. It is also available as the LC9s pro, which is the same but with no manual safety.
 
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