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JakeTheSnake wrote:Picked up my Shield 9 from the FFL Wednesday, $253 out the door.
Tried loading both mags, immediately ordered a Maglula. Also ordered a extension from NDZ.
Considering the Apex to lighten the trigger pull.

Apex duty carry kit installed on my Shield, huge difference, worth it.
But, removing rear sight is a major pain.

flowrie wrote:

JakeTheSnake wrote:Picked up my Shield 9 from the FFL Wednesday, $253 out the door.
Tried loading both mags, immediately ordered a Maglula. Also ordered a extension from NDZ.
Considering the Apex to lighten the trigger pull.

Apex duty carry kit installed on my Shield, huge difference, worth it.
But, removing rear sight is a major pain.

Yeah, saw that. Thinking about getting one of these.
http://sightpusher.com/product/standard ... ight-tool/

JakeTheSnake wrote:

flowrie wrote:

JakeTheSnake wrote:Picked up my Shield 9 from the FFL Wednesday, $253 out the door.
Tried loading both mags, immediately ordered a Maglula. Also ordered a extension from NDZ.
Considering the Apex to lighten the trigger pull.

Apex duty carry kit installed on my Shield, huge difference, worth it.
But, removing rear sight is a major pain.

Yeah, saw that. Thinking about getting one of these.
http://sightpusher.com/product/standard ... ight-tool/

I bought this universal sight tool and it's great. The price is now $15 lower than what I paid. (That's mildly irritating.) http://www.ebay.com/itm/Handgun-Sight-P ... 1944507684

Chas.

Thanks for all the suggestions!

Now, I need to get serious about my daily carry ammo. I confess to carrying Academy's "Monarch" brand in FMJ---maybe not the best bad guy stopper out there. Occasionally, I carry some of the Monarch in hollow-point too. I think both of those are 115 grain bullets.

My 9 mm manuals for my Shield and Glock recommend against "Plus P" ammo so started doing some research. The 147 grain bullet "Train and Defend" made by Winchester has some favorable reviews on the internet so I might buy some of those.

What do you folks think is the best 9 mm ammo for every-day carry that will stop the bad guys?

115 gr or 124 gr Speer Gold Dots are some of the best performers out there. Here is a great resource for ammo performance.

http://www.luckygunner.com/labs/self-de ... tic-tests/

I buy my carry ammo at GT Distributors in Austin. You can get a box of 50 there for about what you can get a box of 20 for at another store.

I also put Talon Grips on my Shield (and all my polymer guns). Its a great and inexpensive addition.

Charles L. Cotton wrote:

JakeTheSnake wrote:

flowrie wrote:

JakeTheSnake wrote:Picked up my Shield 9 from the FFL Wednesday, $253 out the door.
Tried loading both mags, immediately ordered a Maglula. Also ordered a extension from NDZ.
Considering the Apex to lighten the trigger pull.

Apex duty carry kit installed on my Shield, huge difference, worth it.
But, removing rear sight is a major pain.

Yeah, saw that. Thinking about getting one of these.
http://sightpusher.com/product/standard ... ight-tool/

I bought this universal sight tool and it's great. The price is now $15 lower than what I paid. (That's mildly irritating.) http://www.ebay.com/itm/Handgun-Sight-P ... 1944507684

Chas.

Thanks, that tool looks amazing for the price. I'm guessing the pusher is reversible for flat and angled sights?

Received the Maglula today, wow! Do yourself a favor and get one of these if you don't have one. Works perfectly.
Also received the Alien Gear shell exchange for the Shield free of charge. They are making them differently, now molded to exact gun.

maverick2076 wrote:115 gr or 124 gr Speer Gold Dots are some of the best performers out there. Here is a great resource for ammo performance.

http://www.luckygunner.com/labs/self-de ... tic-tests/

I buy my carry ammo at GT Distributors in Austin. You can get a box of 50 there for about what you can get a box of 20 for at another store.

I also put Talon Grips on my Shield (and all my polymer guns). Its a great and inexpensive addition.

Yep, Speer Gold Dots for me too!

AndyC wrote:

dlh wrote:What do you folks think is the best 9 mm ammo for every-day carry that will stop the bad guys?

Your ability to put them where needed.

To add, for 9mm I always have preferred to go heavy. Federal 147gr jhp or Grizzly 147gr+p (occasional "+p" is not going to break your modern quality gun).

I have put roughly 100-150 rds of hotter +p ammo through my g43 over the last few months, just to cycle through the ammo a bit, and every shot ran flawlessly.

dlh wrote:What do you folks think is the best 9 mm ammo for every-day carry that will stop the bad guys?

https://www.targetsportsusa.com/federal ... -3546.aspx

This is what I carry in my Shield for self defense ammo.

bblhd672 wrote:

dlh wrote:What do you folks think is the best 9 mm ammo for every-day carry that will stop the bad guys?

https://www.targetsportsusa.com/federal ... -3546.aspx

This is what I carry in my Shield for self defense ammo.

I use this in my 9mm Shield and nothing else.

Blkhwkdr wrote:

bblhd672 wrote:

dlh wrote:What do you folks think is the best 9 mm ammo for every-day carry that will stop the bad guys?

https://www.targetsportsusa.com/federal ... -3546.aspx

This is what I carry in my Shield for self defense ammo.

I use this in my 9mm Shield and nothing else.

+1 on carrying HST 124gr.
Also +1 on the Apex Trigger and duty/carry kits. I got my shield when I decided to get my LTC, and I've loved it since day 1. The stiffness of the mag springs is such a common statement I thin there should be a dedicated thread! At first It was so stiff I would sometimes take the rounds out and count them to make sure I wasn't trying to put in too many. I'm not sure if break in after enough reloading, or if it's just increased hand-strength. Either way, not a problem for me any more.

JakeTheSnake wrote:

Charles L. Cotton wrote:

JakeTheSnake wrote:

flowrie wrote:

JakeTheSnake wrote:Picked up my Shield 9 from the FFL Wednesday, $253 out the door.
Tried loading both mags, immediately ordered a Maglula. Also ordered a extension from NDZ.
Considering the Apex to lighten the trigger pull.

Apex duty carry kit installed on my Shield, huge difference, worth it.
But, removing rear sight is a major pain.

Yeah, saw that. Thinking about getting one of these.
http://sightpusher.com/product/standard ... ight-tool/

I bought this universal sight tool and it's great. The price is now $15 lower than what I paid. (That's mildly irritating.) http://www.ebay.com/itm/Handgun-Sight-P ... 1944507684

Chas.

Thanks, that tool looks amazing for the price. I'm guessing the pusher is reversible for flat and angled sights?

Yes, it is. It also has some type of polymer posts to tighten against the slide to keep it steady without scratching it. I cut leather shims for the sides and bottom of the slide as added protection.

Chas.

A BIG THANK YOU for the recommendation on the Uplula!

Today went to my local mom and pop and purchased one! Took just a minute to figure it out and I was "going to town!" No more partially filled magazines for me!

How did I ever do without this thing?

I picked up 2 models in .45 caliber. The one with night sights, and the performance center version with a ported barrel, improved trigger, and fiber optic sights. I field stripped both guns, lubed them and fired 70 rounds through each. Here are my initial impressions.

Pros
Price - With the $75 rebate, these guns are a great deal.
Accuracy - Both guns were extremely accurate out of the box.
Concealability - I love the size.
Capacity - 7+1 rounds of .45 ACP in a very small package.
Recoil - Very manageable, even for the gun with the non-ported barrel.
Reliability - TBD. The PC gun ran flawlessly, 3 failures to lock back on an empty mag for the non-PC gun. But that gun is nowhere near broken in yet.

Cons
Trigger - A ton of creep in both guns, the non-PC trigger was very gritty, the PC one less so. This may smooth out over time.
Takedown - I hate the fact that you need a tool to take these guns down. Yes, just about any tool would work. I used a small allen wrench instead of the referenced small screwdriver. A knife would have also worked, I believe. But it still irks me that you need a tool at all. And this is coming from a 1911 guy.

Overall - You can't beat these guns at the prices you can get them for right now.