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First, many of you know I am a dedicated Glock fanboy. I carry a Glock on duty, and have carried one primarily off duty since becoming a cop. I honestly believe if General Patton had carried a Glock pistol, he would have added it to his famous quote about the "greatest battle implement ever devised". Having said that I have been looking for a smaller, lighter off duty. While I think my G27 is great, do I really need a double stacked pistol, poking and prodding me after spending 12 hours in a gun belt? No.
So recently checked out a few guns my buddies had. One of the best things about a police station locker room at shift change, other than conversation, is the plethora of guns you can check out. Just say the word and guys are pulling guns out to show off. It's great. So I looked at the Walther PPS, Ruger LC9, G43. I even checked out a Sig, which I usually dont like. All seemed ok, but not quite what I wanted.
About 6 months go by and I get ahold of my buddies S&W shield 9. I fell in love, except for that safety. But he told me you can get one without a safety. Sold! The next day I got one for about $400, which seemed reasonable. It felt great in my hand, he grip angle seemed to be natural. The trigger about 6-7 lbs, just about right for a defensive pistol. A little creep, but this is t a 1911. I wasnt crazy about the stock white dot sights, but I replaced those with Ameriglo i-dots. I took her to the range and blasted all afternoon! That tiny little gun is smooth from the holster, nothing to snag on. The grips are very slim, and you have plenty of room for a high grip. I didn't experience any "slide bite" like I do on my 27, which normally results in bloody hand after a day at the range.
I put a couple hundred rounds down range without a hiccup. I shot cci blazer 115 gr fmj and some hornady 115 gr xtp. Everything cycled great, and accuracy was more than acceptable, 3-4 inches. At 25 yrds, off hand I put everything center mass, not even a flyer off paper. 15, 7, 5, 3 yards it just got better. Slow or rapid fire, this gun shot like a dream. The trigger resest was great, and from What I've read s&w tightened that up from their first gen. shield triggers. The magazines supplied were a 7 and 8 rounder and were steel and very solid, unlike the junk I got from colt with my 1911.
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Things I didn't like:
1. The mags don't drop free. I always beat on recruits not to rely on it, I know! "Rip it out!"
But they seemed to require a little extra effort over my glocks or my old XD.
2. My grip on this gun kept the slide stop from locking the slide after the last round. At first I thought I was having a malfunction, then I figured out that it was me and not the gun. Once I adjusted my usual thumb placement, I was back in business with no issues.
3. The spacer on the 8 round magazine kept sliding up the magazine. I thougt this was a solid part of the magazine base plate, but it was not.
All in all, I started carrying the shield as my new off duty. It's definitely something to look at if you're on the market for a single stack 9. I won't say I hung up my 27 for good, but who knows.
So recently checked out a few guns my buddies had. One of the best things about a police station locker room at shift change, other than conversation, is the plethora of guns you can check out. Just say the word and guys are pulling guns out to show off. It's great. So I looked at the Walther PPS, Ruger LC9, G43. I even checked out a Sig, which I usually dont like. All seemed ok, but not quite what I wanted.
About 6 months go by and I get ahold of my buddies S&W shield 9. I fell in love, except for that safety. But he told me you can get one without a safety. Sold! The next day I got one for about $400, which seemed reasonable. It felt great in my hand, he grip angle seemed to be natural. The trigger about 6-7 lbs, just about right for a defensive pistol. A little creep, but this is t a 1911. I wasnt crazy about the stock white dot sights, but I replaced those with Ameriglo i-dots. I took her to the range and blasted all afternoon! That tiny little gun is smooth from the holster, nothing to snag on. The grips are very slim, and you have plenty of room for a high grip. I didn't experience any "slide bite" like I do on my 27, which normally results in bloody hand after a day at the range.
I put a couple hundred rounds down range without a hiccup. I shot cci blazer 115 gr fmj and some hornady 115 gr xtp. Everything cycled great, and accuracy was more than acceptable, 3-4 inches. At 25 yrds, off hand I put everything center mass, not even a flyer off paper. 15, 7, 5, 3 yards it just got better. Slow or rapid fire, this gun shot like a dream. The trigger resest was great, and from What I've read s&w tightened that up from their first gen. shield triggers. The magazines supplied were a 7 and 8 rounder and were steel and very solid, unlike the junk I got from colt with my 1911.
***
Things I didn't like:
1. The mags don't drop free. I always beat on recruits not to rely on it, I know! "Rip it out!"
But they seemed to require a little extra effort over my glocks or my old XD.
2. My grip on this gun kept the slide stop from locking the slide after the last round. At first I thought I was having a malfunction, then I figured out that it was me and not the gun. Once I adjusted my usual thumb placement, I was back in business with no issues.
3. The spacer on the 8 round magazine kept sliding up the magazine. I thougt this was a solid part of the magazine base plate, but it was not.
All in all, I started carrying the shield as my new off duty. It's definitely something to look at if you're on the market for a single stack 9. I won't say I hung up my 27 for good, but who knows.
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