I think the bottom line was S&W did a great job with this gun. I still think the Kahr CM and CW pistols beat the pants off this one in every way as far as subcompact and ultra compact pistols, further his comparison of the Shield with with the M&P9c says to me that if I was going to carry the gun on my belt the 9c is more gun for not a lot more size, and while the Shield offers a 8-round mag, the M&P9c can be fed from a 17 or 18 round mag, as well as the standard 12.
Of course carry guns are NOT one-size-fits all, so the dimensions might be perfect for you, and of course in places like Massachusetts all M&P9 and M&P9c are limited to 10 rounds, so maybe the shield will carry better than a 9c that’s been limited from 12 down to 10 rounds for you.
Also yet another good note on the thumb safety. I don’t see a point of a thumb safety on a gun like this (besides the stupid “safety” standards in various states), but again it seems very similar to the safety on the Bodyguard .380, or the Ruger LC9, which I have found to be both easy to flick on, and unobtrusive enough to ignore entirely.
I own an M&P40, which I converted to 9mm with some new mags and a replacement barrel. That way, I can fire .40, 9mm, and .357Sig from the same firearm. I wanted to buy a more concealable M&P, but the compact series of the M&P has a shorter grip, which causes my pinky finger to hang unsupported off the bottom.
Glocks are thicker than I would like for IWB carry, as is the J frame.
To date, I have only held a blue training gun when it comes to the Shield, but the shield doesn’t appear to do any of that. A third of an inch thinner than a 1911, yet with a grip length that allows all four fingers to be supported on the grip. There are not any other 9mm pistols that have this attribute.
If the gun fits your need by all means buy it. I would point out that a 1911 is ONLY thicker than the Shield if it has standard stocks on it. As far as I can tell there are almost NO guns (even in 9×19!) that are as slim as a traditional 1911 if you place the slimline grips on it. My carry 1911 is about the same width as the shield (at least from the notes I’ve read, never mic’d one) across the wing of my safety, everywhere else it mics at 0.91″.
I’d also advise you to have a look at the Kahr P9 or its cheaper clone the CW9. Its about the same size-class as the Shield and the LC9, but Kahr’s greatest innovation is its VERY low bore axis by means of an offset feed ramp allowing the trigger bar to slid beside the ramp and magazine, rather than under in most guns.
Unless your mitts are much bigger than mine, you might find room for your pinkie with the CW9/P9
http://www.weerdworld.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/Kahr-Grip1.jpg
(The PM45 is approximately the size of those 9mm guns)
If the safety is that easy to turn off, what good is it? It could get brushed off by the fabric of a pocket. But that takes me to my next point. Ultracompact guns are pocket guns. If I can conceal the Shield on my belt, I can also conceal my full-size 1911. My belt guns are full-size and single action. My pocket guns are small and double action with no safeties. As you say, it’s all a matter of what works for each of us.
That’s why my pocket guns are a S&W 642 (no lock), and a Kahr PM45. Thankfully S&W is still selling 642s with the internal lock deleted, why they aren’t offering this option on ALL their guns is beyond me, especially given that there doesn’t seem to be a single state that mandates an internal integral locking system for a gun to be sold or transferred. I would not carry an airweight revolver without the lock disabled or removed.
Now Kahr hasn’t been interested in putting a heavy trigger spring on their guns to comply with the dumb state’s stupid little laws, so instead they added a HORRIBLE thumb safety to the PM9 and PM40 for restricted state sales.
I thought about getting a Mass-Compliant PM9, as that’s an amazing gun, but I just couldn’t do it. In stead I jumped through all the crazy hoops and waiting for the starts to align to get my PM45.
I’m glad I did, but It shouldn’t be that way.
i’ve held a Shield recently, so, my impressions: the safety is small and easily ignored, so it’s no big deal. the grip is long enough to get one’s full hand on the grip, which is cool. the gun is small enough to put in a pocket, so belt carry is an option not something one Has to do. as long as it groups ok and doesn’t lose parts during a firing string it should be a good pistol.