Grip safety on CC gun

Shield hands down every day of the week.

I'm not a huge fan of the grip safety as I think it's just one more thing to go wrong.

Plus the shield and the glock 43 are the goat single stack 9 anyway.

Shield is bit smaller and bit cheaper which are all good pluses

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I'm basically torn between xds and shield

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Split the difference and get a Kahr CM9.
OTOH, I've had cc guns w/ grip safeties and didn't worry about it. It's mainly a matter of becoming familiar w/ the manual of arms for your gun.

Just wonder if grip safety can help from ever shooting myself in the arse somehow

In theory it probably can't hurt. But a good kydex holster should take any of those chances and bring them down to such a small chance that it becomes a non issue.

To be honestl the only real answer is to go shoot the 43 the shield and the xds to see which you like best.

I can only speak for the 43 and the shield but here are my opinions as I have both.

The shield is a buy and forget gun. With its stock mag capacity and standard metal sights. Virtually nothing needs to be done to the gun whatsoever to be a perfect concealed carry gun.

That said it's really not my favorite gun. It seems top heavy and unbalanced to me and I am not a fan of the trigger.

However I know the trigger actually matters very little on these guns but still it's worth noting.

I know you can buy an apex trigger for it but I'm really really a proponent for leaving the operating mechanisms of a carry gun stock


On to the 43.

Stock the shield is a superior gun to the 43 in my eyes. Butttt with a tartan tactical +1 or +2 baseplate which jumps the capacity the same level as the shield all while maintaining a smaller grip height I think the glock begins to very quickly level the playing field.

The glock is smaller than the xds

The trigger feels subjectively better to me

And the gun balances and shoots far better in my hands.

The sights are plastic on the glock however that is something far too many ppl make a big deal about. But I do put trijicon Hds on all my carry guns so that was a moot point for me

No matter which gun you get the HDs are a must I promise. I know they are expensive but they are worth every penny.

So in conclusion I have written all of this to basically say if you would be open to putting a baseplate extension on the glock I think that it should be thrown in the ring as well.

Ohh before I forget the glock gas had about 3000 reloads through it with only a single stove pipe. Pretty darn impressive for reloads

My shield has about 300 and no failures so far but I venture to say both the shield and the glock are ok par in terms of reliability.

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Make sure y'all check that grip safety and see if it works. Lol

I'm basically torn between xds and shield

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You'll get a of of replies from people saying they've never had a problem with the XD grip safety. I don't doubt them.

But if you ever draw and fail to get a solid firing grip, you probably won't have the grip safety depressed. If you're in a lethal situation, or if you're struggling with someone over the gun, you might not get that perfect firing grip. So the gun won't fire (and some XD models won't even allow you to rack the slide w/o depressing the grip safety).

One clue is to do a Google search and find out how many LE agencies issue XD's. You won't find many (if any). LE agencies understand that a FTF due to the grip safety may be a low probability occurrence, if it does happen it can cost an officer his life.

Also Google "pin 1911 grip safety." You'll find lots of 1911 owners de-activating the grip safety (to remove one impediment to having a functioning gun when it's needed). It's against USPSA and IDPA rules, but lots of shooters do this.

As was pointed out -- carry your pistol in a holster that covers the trigger, and Keep finger off trigger until sights are on target. Problem solved.

If the grip safety gives you greater peace of mind, go for it. But from a "pure self-defense" perspective, it's just one more thing that can/might/could go wrong.

Just my $.02

ETA this video: LINK Jump to 8:00 if you don't want to watch the entire video.

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contemplating thumb safety,

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Again, if it gives you peace of mind, go for it.

I'm not a fan of external safeties on a self-defense weapon. But a lot of people prefer them.

Following the four universal safety rules should obviate the need for an external safety. Unfortunately, not everyone follows the four rules.

Firearm Safety Rules
1. Always Treat Every Firearm as if it is Loaded. Unless you have personally cleared the weapon, treat it as if it is loaded and ready to fire.

2. Never allow the muzzle of a weapon to point at anything you are not willing to destroy. Not only must you never intentionally point the firearm in an unsafe direction, you must never allow this to happen accidentally. You are responsible for keeping the muzzle pointed in a safe direction at all times.

3. Keep your finger off the trigger until your sights are on the target and you have decided to shoot. The natural instinct when picking up a gun is to place your finger inside the trigger guard. DO NOT DO THIS. If you happen to trip or fall, or if you are startled, you could easily pull the trigger unintentionally.

4. Always be sure of your target and what’s beyond it. Shooting at targets that you have not positively identified can have tragic consequences. Not having a safe backstop can be equally disastrous if your bullet misses or over-penetrates your intended target.