I also changed from a S&W 642 to a Sig 365XL for the extra rounds and I can also shoot it much better. Although rioting is really not a concern around here I do have more interest in a 9mm AR platform.
Been a little wild westish here in southern Wisconsin lately. I don’t mess around with carrying a revolver much anymore and mostly carry a Glock with a light, red dot, and a spare mag or 2.
I have a 9mm shield and am thinking about stepping it up to a 40... how do you find the recoil and shoot ability between the two.
I've never owned a Shield. The pic is of my M&P Compact 9mm. I've owned one about since they came out. I've never felt the need to go to a Shield feeling like the increase in concealability would not be offset by the decrease in capacity and shootability. I like the recoil spread out over a wider surface in double-stack grip frames. So I can't speak to the Shield even though my gun is pretty much a Shield with more firepower.
I've never owned either a Shield of M&P Compact in .40. I've got a regular M&P in 40 and personally, don't find the recoil to be much worse than a 9...but the one I'm comparing it to specifically, is a smaller gun. Neither has objectionable recoil. Compared to say, a typical full size 1911...I'd rather shoot any of the M&P variants. I like the ergonomics better than a Glock.
When I bought my SIG P938, I laid out a bunch of pistols at the gunstore and compared them side-by-side for size and ergonomics sans actually shooting them. The 938 won. The pistols included a Shield. The only pistol in the same size-range was a Kel Tec and I've already been down that road and don't want to go back. IIRC though, this was before the P365 came out. I'd take a hard look at it if I was doing this over.
Back to the .40...the main reason I've got one is I had a lot of .40 ammo. For some reason during the last great ammo shortage, .40 ammo was relatively easy to get. 9mm and 45 ACP around here, was wiped out. Another advantage of the .40 IMO is that it's easier to get top-quality self defense ammo for it than the 9. IMO the 9 in its top loads is about equal to the 40. The 40 has a lot of loads that are just as good to a bit better than the very top 9mm loads.
So to summarize, if I were doing what you're doing and really wanted it to be in 40, I'd pick the wider-bodied Smith over the Shield.
One thing I WOULDN'T do is get any of the M&P variants with a safety. No need for it.
I carry Mexican style now though. Before it mostly sat in the truck or a fleece/jacket/hoody pocket.
I think you need more gun. What you have is better than nothing but I'd want a better caliber. It's debatable about firepower, but you should get something bigger. I really like the Governor if you're going revolver. 45 Colt, 2 1/2" .410, and/or 45 ACP. I always carry a knife too.
Have you switched from, for example, a Smith and Wesson model 642 or the like to a High Capacity Glock? Are you now carrying a long gun in your vehicle? Do you carry more reloads or ammo now than you did before all this craziness really gained speed?
Maybe a little. I mostly made that change a few years ago. I carry a 32 Seecamp in my pocket and keep a Glock 23 and 2 magazines in the vehicle. My Wife gave up Her beloved S&W model 60 for a Springfield 911. I have started carrying an AR and a load out of magazines in the truck when we go out.
Tend to carry a spare mag for the Sig 365 more often now... have replaced the .357 revolver truck gun with a Springfield P9 in .40 or Beretta 92, either with some spare mags
I changed from CCI Mini Mags to Velocitors in my S&W 63 Kit Gun, but then again I'm smart enough to know that the biggest threat to those on this forum is a white guy in a golf shirt with a cell phone in his ear (stole that line from the great Tom Russell).
"Anti-intellectualism has been a constant thread winding its way through our political and cultural life, nurtured by the false notion that democracy means that 'my ignorance is just as good as your knowledge.'" -Isaac Asimov
Just curious. How many times in the last 10 years has an armed citizen (not a police or security type) needed more than 7 shots in a shooting situation?
Some mornings, it just does not feel worth it to chew through the straps!~
Ethan Edwards: I "carry" more often now - that is when I travel to "population centers"! It is amazingly safe where I live. Still have plenty of firepower readily available at my home but seldom "carry" in my region. I feel blessed. Hold into the wind VarmintGuy
Just curious. How many times in the last 10 years has an armed citizen (not a police or security type) needed more than 7 shots in a shooting situation?
What has that to do with the current trend?
I saw this coming for a while now. Was already preparing. Yeah, I won't say how or with what, but there's more firepower on tap.
Always have two knives on me. One is for daily cutting tasks (a simple lockblade folder attached to my key chain that has a blade I can resharpen without any difficulty using a wet stone), and the other is a flip open fighting knife clipped to the inside of my front pocket. That one has a razor edge and vicious point, but never gets used as a daily tool.
The fighting folder I carry lately is the second to last in this shot. All of these are quick opening, but that one is what's called a flipper. Opens basically like an automatic, but not technically automatic, although I am authorized in my state to carry an actual automatic knife (just don't like them). The one on the far right is also a flipper design.
I am rural LaCrosse county , but the crime has been gettting more and more rural. I have a 12 and 20 with buckshot and slugs, and some other stuff! Get too many folks out of work in this area and it is only a matter of time till it gets close to home!