Glock 43 vs S&W Shield

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Originally Posted By: meadows
Which gun has the best safety?


Glocks don't have a manual safety. The Shield comes with or without a manual thumb safety if you want that.
 
Originally Posted By: meadows
Which gun has the best safety?


The "best safety" is always the one located between your ears.
 
Originally Posted By: billt460
Originally Posted By: meadows
Which gun has the best safety?


The gun with the safest shooter.


Originally Posted By: 147_Grain
Originally Posted By: meadows
Which gun has the best safety?


The "best safety" is always the one located between your ears.




I could not agree more!

Rigid adherence to safe gun handling practices keeps everyone alive and well at the end of the day (barring fluke mechanical failures).
 
Originally Posted By: The_Eric
Originally Posted By: billt460

The gun with the safest shooter.

Originally Posted By: 147_Grain

The "best safety" is always the one located between your ears.


I could not agree more!
Rigid adherence to safe gun handling practices keeps everyone alive and well at the end of the day (barring fluke mechanical failures).


Finally something on BITOG we can all agree on
 
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Originally Posted By: Hokiefyd


Also: Shield is 8+1 if you carry the longer magazine, which is how I carry mine.


S&W has a long history of building fine handguns, and if you want a premier example of that look at the model 52. All were fired at the factory from a rest, and any gun that didn't achieve a 2" or smaller group at 50 yards was returned to be reworked until it did. As far as I know, it's among the most consistently accurate production handguns.

In a larger sense, though, I've yet to find a plastic handgun that I'd call "refined" but S&Ws(particularly M&Ps, which I realize aren't under discussion) have always come across to me as being a step above Glocks.

There certainly is nothing WRONG with a Glock, but utilitarian is exactly how I would describe them.
 
Originally Posted By: bunnspecial
In a larger sense, though, I've yet to find a plastic handgun that I'd call "refined" but S&Ws(particularly M&Ps, which I realize aren't under discussion) have always come across to me as being a step above Glocks.


Note that the Shield's full name is the M&P Shield, as it is part of the broader family of M&P polymer pistols. It shares the same excellent build quality, the same excellent material quality (stainless steel slide, barrel, and magazines), and I think it even also shares the larger M&P's design concept of an internal steel chassis connecting the front locking block and rear sear block. I could be wrong on the last part -- I do know that's a feature of the larger M&P polymer pistols.

One thing I found interesting is the M&P Shield has a steel recoil "buffer block" embedded into its polymer frame to help transfer the force of the front slide lug as it bottoms back against the frame during recoil. The full size M&P 9 that I used to own didn't have that -- the front slide lug just bottomed back against the polymer frame. You can see it in the fourth picture down on this website:

http://americancopmagazine.com/sws-shield/

It's the silver horseshoe-shaped piece of steel just in front of the front locking block.

The Shield is very similar to the very nice larger M&P pistols, but there are a few interesting design changes.
 
I prefer the new spin on the first rule:

1. The gun is loaded.

That replaces, "Treat the gun as if it were loaded". If you tell yourself it's loaded, you treat it differently.
 
http://www.guns.com/2016/01/26/product-liability-suit-filed-against-smith-wesson-in-tn/?utm_campaign=trueAnthem:+Trending+Content&utm_content=56a7e55b04d30146f016368f&utm_medium=trueAnthem&utm_source=facebook
 
Originally Posted By: bunnspecial

In a larger sense, though, I've yet to find a plastic handgun that I'd call "refined" but S&Ws(particularly M&Ps, which I realize aren't under discussion) have always come across to me as being a step above Glocks.

There certainly is nothing WRONG with a Glock, but utilitarian is exactly how I would describe them.

There is always the "my d*&&k is bigger/better than yours"....lol

To say that a Shield or M&P is a step above a Glock is absurd.
As I said..I own both. Hokiefyd prefers the Shield to the Glock. But (and I respect his opinion) he did not even imply that the Glockl was inferior to the Smith. As I am not implying the M&P in inferior to the Glock. The "likes" (for me) of the Glock are more than the "likes" for the M&P.

I would more than trust my life to either one. But at the end of the day I prefer the 43.
 
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Originally Posted By: GeorgeKaplan
http://www.guns.com/2016/01/26/product-liability-suit-filed-against-smith-wesson-in-tn/?utm_campaign=trueAnthem:+Trending+Content&utm_content=56a7e55b04d30146f016368f&utm_medium=trueAnthem&utm_source=facebook


Sounds like the trigger must have gotten pulled when he tried to catch it after if slipped out of his hand. This is one reason I like a manual thumb safety on my pistols.

"According to the complaint, McNeal attempted to lock the slide back to ensure the chamber was empty, but due to an obstruction the slide wouldn’t come back all the way and lock into place. In an attempt to correct the problem, McNeal “briskly drew back the slide several times,” while following instructions from the gun’s safety manual.

However, the gun slipped from his grip, and when McNeal caught it, the firearm accidentally discharged, hitting his left small finger, ultimately leading to a need to amputate, the complaint says."
 
Originally Posted By: GeorgeKaplan
http://www.guns.com/2016/01/26/product-liability-suit-filed-against-smith-wesson-in-tn/?utm_campaign=trueAnthem:+Trending+Content&utm_content=56a7e55b04d30146f016368f&utm_medium=trueAnthem&utm_source=facebook
He had his manual right there and then he proceeded to follow it? Unlikely. He then proceeded to drop it...as per the manual...and then pull the trigger?

Some people have no business owning firearms...2nd Amendment not withstanding.
 
Picked up a Glock 43 Talo Edition on Monday and shot it Friday. First magazine @ 10 yards went under 2 inches and just left of point of aim. It'll do. The Talo Edition has a ProGlo/tritium front sight and steel u-notch rear sight. http://www.taloinc.com/glock-firearms/glock-43-glopro

Not what I needed but it was all my LGS could scare up. Now to put 500 rounds through it and find 2 holsters.

Someone said Glocks are utilitarian. Couldn't agree more and perfectly fine with that. Got others to look at and admire the fine craftsmanship, but I don't carry them daily.
 
Utilitarian is a good description. I have a Glock 21 which is a great .45 to have but I'm not crazy about its looks. I got a stomping good deal on it I couldn't pass up at the time. My Walther PPS, on the other hand, I love the way it looks. On topic, I prefer the looks of the S&W to the 43 every day. But given the same ammunition either one is going to do the job 99% as effectively as the other in the hands of someone who shoots them well.

I love these discussions, even though we sometimes smack each other around a bit.
 
Originally Posted By: billt460
I'm not into single stack 9's. I like a fat grip, and a lot of ammo!


Me too bill, something like a G19 probably. The 43 fills a specific need when we take the dogs for runs out in the desert and everything else is too big.
 
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