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Glock 43 Or 9mm Shield? Why The Shield Is The Better Choice


marathonrunner

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When I learned just the other day, Glock finally came out with a single stack 9mm, at first I was so excited but after looking at a side by side comparison by a gun editor, the Glock 43 is smaller and just a tad bigger than the G42. But both the Shield and G43 are almost same size. I sold my G42 because it was too small for my hands and squirmed with each shot. The editor stated the G43 also squirmed in his hands which was a deal breaker for me. I also don't like the fact the G43 has only 6 shots. The Shield has 7 with flush and 8 with the extended mag.

 

I also like the fact the 9mm Shield is 3oz heavier than the G43 and the felt recoil is not as much as the G43. I also think the ergonomics on the Shield will be superior to the G43 and one more reason for me at least not to get the G43 when made available. I think at this point it is too early to really say but I have shot a double action only LC9 in .380 if I got my Ruger model right, but that gun kicked like a mule and I figure the G43 will as well.

 

Have any of you tried the G43 yet? And when it comes out will you get it?

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Here we go again...if a certain user happens to start a thread about it and SCREAM THE TITLE AT EVERYONE, it must be an absolute truth.

 

And to think I might actually agree with you on this one, too...though the XDs and the Walther PPS are both better than either one of 'em.

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You will find that many people have an opinion on what is the better pistol for concealed carry. All of this depends on what you think your use case would be. There will be a balance between what you can shoot well and what you can carry easy. These tend to be opposite ends of the spectrum. If you go with what is easy to shoot I would rank the concealed carry options like this:

 

  • Glock 19
  • Glock 26
  • Shield and Glock 34 pretty much stack up the same
  • Many other pistols

If we go what is easy to carry then I would go with this:

 

  • Shield Glock 34
  • Glock 26
  • Glock 19
  • Many other pistols

Other criteria I use as well is use case. Ease of shooting is big here. Other factors tend towards what you find to be most important. Round count is important as pistols are not particularly effective at stopping criminals from doing bad things. If you consider that most people will have to me shot multiple times to ensure your complete safety during a defensive gun use the order changes complete:

 

  • Glock 19
  • Glock 26
  • Shield Glock 34
  • Many other pistols

You can use quite a few pistols in place of the one's listed but they will fall into similar categories this is not a Glock only conversation. People tend to only want to go with a gun that is comfortable for them which is good but tends to limit the usability quite a bit. This is the criteria in the order I put them in to choose a defensive pistol:

 

  • Easy to shoot hit targets
  • Capacity (like to see at least 10 rounds)
  • Comfortable
  • Concealment

Draw your own balance for what is important to you. You will note I did not put safety on the list. Lots and lots of people talk about some type of external safety or other crud. I will tell you all a secret. They are all safe. How do I know? They are not getting sued out of business. I want a gun that can shoot accurately I can carry around and has a decent capacity (I don't really see reloading as an option is a civilian DGU).

 

So both the Glock and the Shield do not hit my capacity want. They do fit the comfort and concealment as well as the easy to shoot component. I would say the Glock 26 and 19 both are better on the easy to shoot category. I own a 19 and 26. I do sometimes go with my PM9 as a pocket pistol for deep concealment. It does not hit the easy to shoot or the capacity criteria but is unreal on the comfortable and concealment categories.

 

I personally picked a Springfield EMP which shoots awesome for combat and good for precision shooting. My personal recommendation to people however would be the Glock 26 which shoots almost as good. I gave up a bit on the comfort and capacity to get the easy to shoot which is my top priority.

 

There are other pistols out there that I am sure do just as good of a job but I have tried a lot of them and this is what I settled on for myself. I used the criteria above to choose and I think it is well thought out. Other aspects of what is important are holsters (this can make or break any of these categories and people will but a 1k gun and a 19 dollar holster). Holster is as important as the gun and I have at least 5 different types of holster for most of my guns.

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You will find that many people have an opinion on what is the better pistol for concealed carry. All of this depends on what you think your use case would be. There will be a balance between what you can shoot well and what you can carry easy. These tend to be opposite ends of the spectrum. If you go with what is easy to shoot I would rank the concealed carry options like this:

 

  • Glock 19
  • Glock 26
  • Shield and Glock 34 pretty much stack up the same
  • Many other pistols

If we go what is easy to carry then I would go with this:

 

  • Shield Glock 34
  • Glock 26
  • Glock 19
  • Many other pistols

Other criteria I use as well is use case. Ease of shooting is big here. Other factors tend towards what you find to be most important. Round count is important as pistols are not particularly effective at stopping criminals from doing bad things. If you consider that most people will have to me shot multiple times to ensure your complete safety during a defensive gun use the order changes complete:

 

  • Glock 19
  • Glock 26
  • Shield Glock 34
  • Many other pistols

You can use quite a few pistols in place of the one's listed but they will fall into similar categories this is not a Glock only conversation. People tend to only want to go with a gun that is comfortable for them which is good but tends to limit the usability quite a bit. This is the criteria in the order I put them in to choose a defensive pistol:

 

  • Easy to shoot hit targets
  • Capacity (like to see at least 10 rounds)
  • Comfortable
  • Concealment

Draw your own balance for what is important to you. You will note I did not put safety on the list. Lots and lots of people talk about some type of external safety or other crud. I will tell you all a secret. They are all safe. How do I know? They are not getting sued out of business. I want a gun that can shoot accurately I can carry around and has a decent capacity (I don't really see reloading as an option is a civilian DGU).

 

So both the Glock and the Shield do not hit my capacity want. They do fit the comfort and concealment as well as the easy to shoot component. I would say the Glock 26 and 19 both are better on the easy to shoot category. I own a 19 and 26. I do sometimes go with my PM9 as a pocket pistol for deep concealment. It does not hit the easy to shoot or the capacity criteria but is unreal on the comfortable and concealment categories.

 

I personally picked a Springfield EMP which shoots awesome for combat and good for precision shooting. My personal recommendation to people however would be the Glock 26 which shoots almost as good. I gave up a bit on the comfort and capacity to get the easy to shoot which is my top priority.

 

There are other pistols out there that I am sure do just as good of a job but I have tried a lot of them and this is what I settled on for myself. I used the criteria above to choose and I think it is well thought out. Other aspects of what is important are holsters (this can make or break any of these categories and people will but a 1k gun and a 19 dollar holster). Holster is as important as the gun and I have at least 5 different types of holster for most of my guns.

I would of not considered the G34 easier to carry than the G19.

 

Now the G43 appears to be and I would put the G43/Shield/G26 on the same level.

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OP, no offense, but I have read many of your postings which lead me to the conclusion that you are not an authority on firearms, all caps titles notwithstanding. Nevertheless, I agree with your conclusion, having owned a Shield and being familiar with Glocks. IMO, Glock got on the SC, single stack 9 train too late. You can buy a Shield without a manual safety, main Glock advantage mooted. The Shield is cheaper, has metal sights, is thinner, comfortable to shoot in either 7+1 or 8+1 configuration, and would I think conceal as good or probably better than the Glock. Yes, the trigger could be better, but an Apex trigger kit is a cheap fix. In any event, 6 rounds would be a deal killer for me even in .45acp. If you're only getting 6 rounds, I'll take a revolver.
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You will find that many people have an opinion on what is the better pistol for concealed carry. All of this depends on what you think your use case would be. There will be a balance between what you can shoot well and what you can carry easy. These tend to be opposite ends of the spectrum. If you go with what is easy to shoot I would rank the concealed carry options like this:

 

  • Glock 19
  • Glock 26
  • Shield and Glock 34 pretty much stack up the same
  • Many other pistols

If we go what is easy to carry then I would go with this:

 

  • Shield Glock 34
  • Glock 26
  • Glock 19
  • Many other pistols

Other criteria I use as well is use case. Ease of shooting is big here. Other factors tend towards what you find to be most important. Round count is important as pistols are not particularly effective at stopping criminals from doing bad things. If you consider that most people will have to me shot multiple times to ensure your complete safety during a defensive gun use the order changes complete:

 

  • Glock 19
  • Glock 26
  • Shield Glock 34
  • Many other pistols

You can use quite a few pistols in place of the one's listed but they will fall into similar categories this is not a Glock only conversation. People tend to only want to go with a gun that is comfortable for them which is good but tends to limit the usability quite a bit. This is the criteria in the order I put them in to choose a defensive pistol:

 

  • Easy to shoot hit targets
  • Capacity (like to see at least 10 rounds)
  • Comfortable
  • Concealment

Draw your own balance for what is important to you. You will note I did not put safety on the list. Lots and lots of people talk about some type of external safety or other crud. I will tell you all a secret. They are all safe. How do I know? They are not getting sued out of business. I want a gun that can shoot accurately I can carry around and has a decent capacity (I don't really see reloading as an option is a civilian DGU).

 

So both the Glock and the Shield do not hit my capacity want. They do fit the comfort and concealment as well as the easy to shoot component. I would say the Glock 26 and 19 both are better on the easy to shoot category. I own a 19 and 26. I do sometimes go with my PM9 as a pocket pistol for deep concealment. It does not hit the easy to shoot or the capacity criteria but is unreal on the comfortable and concealment categories.

 

I personally picked a Springfield EMP which shoots awesome for combat and good for precision shooting. My personal recommendation to people however would be the Glock 26 which shoots almost as good. I gave up a bit on the comfort and capacity to get the easy to shoot which is my top priority.

 

There are other pistols out there that I am sure do just as good of a job but I have tried a lot of them and this is what I settled on for myself. I used the criteria above to choose and I think it is well thought out. Other aspects of what is important are holsters (this can make or break any of these categories and people will but a 1k gun and a 19 dollar holster). Holster is as important as the gun and I have at least 5 different types of holster for most of my guns.

I would of not considered the G34 easier to carry than the G19.

 

Now the G43 appears to be and I would put the G43/Shield/G26 on the same level.

 

agreed please subsitute glock 43 (I am getting stupider in my old age).

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Glock 43 is shorter than the Shield which is what matters when it comes to concealment (along with thickness). What people don't see to understand is that the 43 is a SLIMLINE pistol, it's not trying to compete with a 19 or a 26. The 43 is for when your MAIN concern is concealment. When it comes to concealment the 43 beats the Shield because it is shorter. Yes you lose one round but if capacity is your main concern you won't be looking at the 43 and the 43 was not made for you. It's like saying a Jeep is not as sleek as a Ferrari. Yep, you're right, and the Jeep doesn't care.

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I already looked at the G26 and it is a bit too chunky.

 

 

I have a real problem with a 6 or 7 or even 8 shot gun as my primary EDC. I am going to get a G43 for situations where I need the concealability vs. my FNS-9c or VP-9. If your seeking a single stack as your all day every day carry go with the shield for the extra rounds.

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Good, if you don't want one don't get one! That will make it easier for me to get one at a decent price sooner. Everyone has their own opinions on everything and you got to figure out what works for you and more importantly, what does not work!

 

As far as the 42 being hard to shoot, I just don't get it! We were breaking in my brothers yesterday and all three of us shot it well. I shot it quite well! Sure it isn't a target gun to shoot the bulllseye out at 50 yards. But at 7 yards I was getting 6 shot groups that measured about an inch when I took my time and tried hard. We all shot it minute of man out to 10 yards (all shots on a piece of writing paper) during rapid fire.

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2A4COOK, I completely agree with you. The Shield is $75 cheaper and it also has a better grip. I had the chance to hold a G43 today while at the range and without the finger groove extension, it would probably feel just like the G42. I got rid of the G42 because it was too small and it kept squirming in my hand. I didn't care for how the G43 was slippery and ergonomically was not as good as the Shield. The counter rep told me the G43 also has a slightly heavier trigger pull than the G42. I also sold my G42 because it was 8.5lbs and way too heavy. I do have another 9mm Shield with the apex duty carry and it shoots very accurately but I do not carry that because of that mod. I only carry my other Shield that is totally stock

 

@ragsbo, before my G42 went back to Glock, it shot pretty well. After I got it back, it was never the same. I think whatever they did, they made the trigger even harder.

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I already looked at the G26 and it is a bit too chunky.

 

 

I have a real problem with a 6 or 7 or even 8 shot gun as my primary EDC. I am going to get a G43 for situations where I need the concealability vs. my FNS-9c or VP-9. If your seeking a single stack as your all day every day carry go with the shield for the extra rounds.

 

 

You mean extra round not rounds. I'm cool with dropping one round for IMO a better platform in the G43. I hate the Shield trigger but love a Glock trigger for example. But thanks for clarifying the main purpose of the 43 -- an alternative to another firearm when deeper concealment is needed. Pretty simple concept really. The G19 is my main EDC but the 43 will be on my hip when it's smaller, light-colored t-shirt time.

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I also have a Kahr CM9 & Love It. This is my main carry. I have a Shield 9mm and love it but it's getting to feel like a full size to me. I carry my Ruger LCP in summer because it conceals well in shorts & a lite shirt. My Glock 27 is to heavy & thick so I only keep this for my home defense pistol. My snappy gun for hiking, backpacking, camping & fishing is my Kel Tec PF9 & my play gun for the range is my Ruger SR22 that my wife loves to shoot. I'm used to all my pistols from weight, size, trigger pull, sights, caliber, grip and more. From the reviews I feel the new Glock 43 will fit my likings because it's close to the pistols I already carry & have. Like I mentioned I doubt I'll get one because it's to expensive at this time.

The most important part of any pistol is TRAINING with your gun in all aspects and practice a lot with it! No matter on the caliber, how many rounds it carries, how heavy or lite it feels, how tiny or big the gun is... The main thing will be your "Shot Placement " to make it a perfect gun to save your life and your love ones.

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@ragsbo, before my G42 went back to Glock, it shot pretty well. After I got it back, it was never the same. I think whatever they did, they made the trigger even harder.

 

 

 

Interesting! Both mine and my brothers 42 triggers feel like your basic Glock trigger. Wonder what they did to yours! Why did you send it back for?

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Most of MR issues with firearms tend to be from lack of experience or 3rd hand internet opinions. None of the guns he has not liked have been bad guns for most people. None of the issues he has found to have with many firearms are really issues but searches done on the internet to prove random problems. I am not saying this to flame MR just for the most part he would be about the last person I would take advise from on any firearm. I applaud his enthusiasm but the knowledge is sadly lacking.

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