What holster have you been using?Originally Posted by Ed L
What holster have you been using?
Well just for my education, is there some reason I would need to use +p ammo?I'm a big revolver fan, however, I would suggest you shoot your shield side by side with a small revolver. I can shoot a small autoloader much better than a J-Frame size revolver. An Airweight S&W hurts me to shoot anything other than wadcutters. Read here on PF about how many carry wadcutters in their J-Frames because it is too hard to shoot well with +P ammo. If your Shield is too thin, I would wrap tape around the grip until it was thick enough.Also, I'll bet the sights on your Shield are better.
Even with +P, .38 special is a big step down in energy from 9mm. Going to standard pressure is yet another step down, in most cases reducing the energy below .380 levels.
Standard pressure .38 has a poor reputation for stopping attackers from the days when it was issued to many police officers.
I am a big believer in having a gun first and worrying about minimum power as a distant second, but I am having a hard time understanding the choice of a .38 over a slim 9mm unless weight needs to be reduced.
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Actually I think both a S&W Shield and a J Frame/LCR make a fine combo for carry.
I carried my Shield AIWB and pocket carried 640 (I've had since '92) for a number of years... at time a Glock Appendix, but it is much easier for me to conceal the Shield in an appendix carry.
It's nice to be able to have your hand clandestinely on a revolver in your pocket as Dagga Boy and others have mentioned, just in case. And I find the Shield to be a remarkably easy to shoot pistol for it's size.
Why not have both?
I do confess to have a pair of LCR's in my cargo shorts pockets as I type this. Liking this summer time carry setup at my age.
I didn't want to get into the caliber discussion of this, but, now that it's been broached, I can't help but +1 it. For ME, my LCR serves one VERY niche roll - pocket carry as a BUG. In the summer, it's in the off side front pockets of my shorts when I'm kicking around, as a BUG to a small semi-auto (usually a G26, sometimes a S&W Shield). In the winter, the LCR is a coat pocket gun, something I can access quickly without having to dig through layers of cold weather gear to access. Other than that, as much as I love round guns, it serves no real purpose.
As a PRIMARY carry gun, it's hard for me to justify the LCR in any circumstance. If I NEEDED a deep concealment marginally effective pistol for up close SD, I'd take a Ruger LCP (or two), and at least have the ability to reload quickly from spare magazines.
If the thinness of the Shield's grip is an issue, I'd take a hard look at the Sig P365 - it's still small, but "feels" a lot better in my hand than my G43 ever did.
Again, YMMV, but, given my druthers, I'll take an autoloader any day and twice on Sunday for a serious use pistol over a revolver.
Darryl Bolke and Chuck Haggard are two notables that advocate carrying Federal Gold Medal Match wadcutters in lightweight snubs. Accurate, usually shoot to sights, low recoil, cut full .38” wound channel and penetrate deep enough to hit important stuff.
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the J frames or LCR are both great snubby CCW option. i like the J frames but my thumbs hit the cylinder lock under recoil. i've tried adjusting my grip but it occurs frequently enough for me to avoid J frames. if i didn't have this problem I would be all about them. i have an LCR in 38 sp that has run ~600 rounds without a hiccup. great pistol. my primary beef with the LCR is that the trigger return spring is a bit weak so it's easy to short stroke the trigger. one must completely let off the trigger to allow it to reset. on the contrary the J frame trigger mechanism has a more positive return spring and will reset easier.
for the LCR i swap the OEM rubber grip with the ruger boot grip. makes pocket carrying much easier. slightly harder to shoot but whatever. with regards to sights, i personally don't care about sights on a stubby. i learn to shoot it with natural POA so you could grind off the sights and i would still hit targets within 10 yards. YMMV.
This is exactly my experience. I love my 642 (1991 model) and can't imagine not having it for ankle and pocket. I only use it for a couple of carry situations now. The Shield is SO much easier for me to hit something with, especially with the Trijicon HD sights and Hogue grip sleeve. The sights on the old 642s are pretty much cosmetic-maybe if I had a 340 or something, I'd spend money on the Apex kit and see what I could do. The gun is fun for about two cylinder fulls of carry loads outside of the 148s, even with the formerly Taurus grips I use. I'm sure there are revolver shooters that can get hits with it across a parking lot or a movie theater, but for me it would be a matter of luck. I can do it with the Shield.I'm a big revolver fan, however, I would suggest you shoot your shield side by side with a small revolver. I can shoot a small autoloader much better than a J-Frame size revolver. An Airweight S&W hurts me to shoot anything other than wadcutters. Read here on PF about how many carry wadcutters in their J-Frames because it is too hard to shoot well with +P ammo. If your Shield is too thin, I would wrap tape around the grip until it was thick enough.
I am a big advocate of this and do it daily. AIWB semi and a snub in the pocket.
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I don't think you will get much for trade in from the Shield. They can be found for $250 new online. Which is a deal in my opinion. I would keep it and pick up a snubbie for another carry option.
I usually carry a 640 J-frame but I still like having the Shield as an option for carry also. I like to carry both when I feel like having more fire power.
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