TexasCHLforum.com

I didn't see that much of a difference that would influence daily carry one way or the other; + for compact because of the capacity.

Compact for me. I have an lc9 which is similar in size to a shield, never carry it as I can't justify the downgrade in capacity. Compact 40 almost always gets the nod. Think the shield us a great little heater, just not for me. Different strokes.

Surfer

If anyone is looking for an S&W M&P Shield in 9mm, I saw about 6 of them on various dealers' tables at the gun show at the Lone Star Convention Center in Conroe this morning.

Prices ranged from $550 (AJC Sports) up through a high of $595 on other tables.

Ouch. Makes the $500 at Carter's Country look downright reasonable!

RHenriksen wrote:Ouch. Makes the $500 at Carter's Country look downright reasonable!

It makes me happy that I am fortunate to own one.

I'll take the shield....mostly because I have USPc 9mm to fill the "slot" that the M&Pc would otherwise take up.

To be honest, I think that they are both great pistols, and when choosing between my USPc and Shield, the determining factor is what I'm choosing to wearon that day. The M&P compact is a great choice for something that is concealable but still has a fair amount of firepower on tap, and I think that the Shield is a great choice for a thin and very concealable pistol - but is still big enouhg (just barely) that you're not giving up too much in terms of ergonomics. I can still put rounds on target fairly easily at 15 yards with a Shield. A pistol that's smaller would require some real skill to be accurate at those distances.

Of course, maybe I just define it as "real skill" because it's more skill than I currently posess?

RHenriksen wrote:Ouch. Makes the $500 at Carter's Country look downright reasonable!

I overheard one of the dealers saying they had no trouble at all selling them for $700 apiece at their storefront location.

I vote for the Compact. My 9c is my primary carry with a 12rd w/finger rest magazine and a full size 17rd mag in a belt pouch for back up. I'll likely never need that much capacity, but it's nice to have. My backup and "light duty" carry in my Kahr CM9. I got it a month or two before the Shield was released and originally planned to pocket carry it. I never have pocket carried it on account of the size and weight but it has become a nice and trusted backup when the 9c is a bit cumbersome. If I could do it over I would have waited and got a Shield, but as rare as they've been I guess it's good I didn't. I do wish the CM9 had a trigger like the Shield though. I have a Shield on my wish list, but I would still favor my 9c because of it's higher capacity and the fact that it fits my hand so perfectly.