re: S&W M&P Shield Reviews?

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Or is there other issues with 40cal that I'm not aware of? I've never owned nor shot a 40cal, unless you count "40mag"(10mm)... I'm aware that the stronger round of the 40 will have more felt recoil but would the trade off of a round with stronger ballistics overcome having 1 less round?

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The one extra round is a big one for sure in an already-small single stack magazine.

40S&W has a strange lineage. The Miami shootout in the early 90s made officers believe they needed something bigger and faster because a 9mm bullet stopped a couple inches from the perp's heart and he went on to kill more officers.

So then they stepped up all of their duty guns to 10mm. The 10mm Auto had tons more recoil and was a lot harder on guns. They needed to be replaced faster and the harsh recoil made follow-up shots more difficult.

So then they decided to make the 10mm a bit lighter-recoiling and also make it have the same overall length as a standard FMJ 9mm. So they shortened the 10mm case and gave the bullet a flat point to make it shorter. This was considered 10mm "lite" until S&W came in and made it 40S&W.

The 40S&W still has some of the characteristics of the 10mm Auto - high slide velocity, high pressure. It's extremely rare to find a 40S&W +P because their pressures are already pretty high.

The "snap" you feel is the increased slide velocity along with higher pressure. If you're used to shooting your Delta, you know what I'm talking about.

So to sum up, your tiny gun will be easier to shoot in 9mm and will also have more rounds at your disposal.

(FWIW if you buy a 40 Shield, a 9mm Shield barrel will drop right in with no modification. All you need is 9mm mags. So if only the 40 is on sale and you can find a Shield 9mm barrel on Midway or Brownell's, I wouldn't hesitate to get it.)

I have the S&W M&P Shield 40 and I absolutely love it. Get little gun that I keep in the truck. Even my wife loves shooting it.

Guy in my local gun store said its the fastest selling CC pistol this year, have heard really good things about them but y'all already have that covered.

I just wanted to say that if you do decide to get it PSA is perfectly fine to order from. When they first opened the online stuff and got real popular they did have a big problem shipping stuff correctly. I saw reports of them sometimes sending the completely wrong order and I had some of my stuff take way too long to ship. But they've greatly improved their logistics and they run very efficient now. I've had 3 different ARs shipped in multiple pieces, ammo, magazines, and as of Friday last week a sig 938 that all shipped very fast. Pistol comes in tomorrow in fact. A lot of the horror stories you hear are from people who ordered years ago and haven't given them a chance in the last year and a half, PSA is perfectly fine to buy from. Don't let it stop you if you want that pistol.

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(FWIW if you buy a 40 Shield, a 9mm Shield barrel will drop right in with no modification. All you need is 9mm mags. So if only the 40 is on sale and you can find a Shield 9mm barrel on Midway or Brownell's, I wouldn't hesitate to get it.)

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same with the glock 19/23
i see no reason to buy either of these guns in 9mm, when for the same price you can buy in .40, spend another 100 bucks on a drop on a 9mm conversion barrel, and have both

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spend another 100 bucks on a drop on a 9mm conversion barrel, and have both

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M&Ps actually don't need a conversion barrel and will just run with the factory 9mm barrel. That's the only difference though really.

I am using a Desantis SofTuck right now. It is ok at best. I have an Alien Gear Cloak Tuck 3 and their OWB on order.
I just got an email, stating that they are 1 to 2 weeks out on shipping right now due to high order quantities.

Get the 9mm they're just a few bucks more at Academy. Great gun

Why not order from them? Regardless of the website it is a brand new smith and Wesson right?

Thanks to everyone who chimed in. As I said in my OP I know the Shield has a good following and good reviews. I'm glad to hear opinions from those who aren't affiliated with magazines or websites. I was kind of surprised to hear so many saying "go with the 9". I didn't realize that 40cal had fallen so far out of favor but glad to see a few of you who have the 40cal version chime in with some positive feedback as well.

For the price, I ordered the 40 from PSA. Hopefully I don't experience an issue like Hammertime had. If I find the recoil is too harsh I'll get a 9mm barrel and then I'll have both.

I'll be sure to report back on my purchase and shooting experience once I get it.

Thanks again!