It's all about increasing the comfort when carrying IWB. Everyone who wants to conceal carry for some reason is dead set on doing it IWB. I'm sure they would consider pocket carry if they could find a 9mm small enough to fit in their front pocket, but they can't and they won't use .380 because they all know .380 doesn't work and will get you killed (their thought, not mine). Shoulder holster... they look at the $200 price for one and they say, "That doesn't work for me, brother."
So, it's IWB and the deal with that is the thinner the pistol, the more comfortable that carry method is. Understandable and when these 365 clones are all .05" thicker than the single stack 9mm pistols like the LC9, Glock 43, PF9, etc. yet they hold 3, 4, or 5 more rounds... it's an improvement in capacity by a significant amount and a reduction in size by a significant amount.
Also, with all the focus by anti's on the 10 rd mag capacity limit, if I was going to be stuck with that limit, I'd rather have a 365 or clone of a 365 than be stuck with a Glock 19 and a 10 rd mag.
Is it a trend? Yes. Is it a trend I seeing going away? No, I don't see people clamoring for single stack 9mm's that are marginally thinner that hold 3 rounds less. Of course, for those who already own all those single stack 9's that you haven't had an issue with, you may as well keep them, there's no reason to run out and spend $400 or $500 on an unproven pistol because it holds a few more rds, but those who, like me, don't have a single stack 9mm... it's really hard to tell someone to get the single stack polymer 9mm over the one that holds more rounds in the mag.
Because people are convinced that capacity is king when it comes to concealed carry.
It’s not, but lots of people think that. So small guns with large capacity have become really popular. It’s fine. Thankfully most people won’t have to use their carry gun and won’t ever realize that they’ll never need rounds 7 through 10, even if a shooting does occur.
The only reason would be price. Once things settle down with demand, those slimline, single stack 9mm's are going to be neglected and rejected by most people, but those who want a decent quality, lightweight, slim pistol for $250 or less will have a ton of them to choose from on the used market. Yeah, sure a new Taurus Gx4 may only be $400, but $150 or $200 is a lot of money to some people. If the choice is between a Hi Point and a Beretta Nano or Bersa BP9 for $50 more, the choice is obvious what more you get for your money.That said if you are in the market for this style of gun it would be ludicrous to not go with the Shield Plus vs the Shield for example or a P365 etc. in all but the rarest of circumstances I can’t see why you would choose the pure single stack option today if buying specifically as a defensive tool.
The only reason would be price. Once things settle down with demand, those slimline, single stack 9mm's are going to be neglected and rejected by most people, but those who want a decent quality, lightweight, slim pistol for $250 or less will have a ton of them to choose from on the used market. Yeah, sure a new Taurus Gx4 may only be $400, but $150 or $200 is a lot of money to some people. If the choice is between a Hi Point and a Beretta Nano or Bersa BP9 for $50 more, the choice is obvious what more you get for your money.
I can see why someone would want to replace a Shield with a Shield Plus or similar subcompact with a staggered magazine because of capacity. But that doesn't address my original premise that there is little to gain when going from a M&P 1.0 Compact or M&P 2.0 Subcompact.That said if you are in the market for this style of gun it would be ludicrous to not go with the Shield Plus vs the Shield for example or a P365 etc. in all but the rarest of circumstances ...
I’ll be curious what S&W does with the original Shield. If they sell for $250 like a few years ago I see them sticking around as you mentioned.
But if you didn't have the LC9s and were out looking with an Max-9 were in front of you, why would you buy the LC9s?
It has no size advantage and better everything else.