Glock 43 vs M&P Shield

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  • It all comes down to personal preference. With that said, a year ago I got rid of my Glock 43 in favor of the Shield. for the same size you get an extra round in the base mag plus 2 extra in the extended. I didn't notice anything bad about the trigger on mine and had no problem hitting what I was aiming at within 7 yards.
     

    Zorros

    Ultimate Member
    Dec 10, 2017
    1,407
    Metropolis
    He's right you know!

    Maybe, but if you are going to carry it, you should shoot it...a lot. Often. The better trigger makes it more satisfying. That does not mean a lighter trigger on a carry gun. I also think the mini glocks conceal very nicely. Downside, which is their upside, is shorter grips. Harder to draw. I put the shields away in feb and have been carrying a 27 and now a 33. Its personal preference. All good guns. All shoot very well.
     

    Mr. Ed

    This IS my Happy Face
    MDS Supporter
    Jun 8, 2009
    7,899
    Edgewater
    I've owned both. I've carried both. To me, these are iwb self defense carry guns. Comfort is key. I got rid of the shield. The 43 disappears and until I get a 365 to try, the Glock is probably the best concealed carry pistol known to man :)

    Most carry pistols are carried more than they are shot. Trigger means a hill of beans when all you need to do is land a center mass shot from a close distance. I wouldn't base a purchase decision on which trigger is best out of the box, since they both have great aftermarket options.

    Picking the 365 up Tuesday?
     

    spoon059

    Ultimate Member
    Jun 1, 2018
    5,336
    I carry a Glock at work and am very familiar with the platform. For that reason I went with a G43 for my off-duty carry. I love it, I shoot it very well. Even with the small grip and short sights I am pretty accurate to 25 yards. 6 round mag is the only "hesitation". I've tried TT extenders, but I had feed issues. I decided to stay with the 6 round mags... but I would love to see someone come out with an aftermarket mag that help a couple more rounds in the event I wanted them.

    For the time being, the G43 is perfect. It is easy to conceal, heck I can even put it in my front pocket in a kydex IWB holster.
     

    jbrown50

    Ultimate Member
    Sep 18, 2014
    3,471
    DC
    The G43, for it's size, is easy to shoot accurately. It reminds me of the .380 PPK I owned years ago, size and dimension wise, except it's lighter and easier to shoot than the PPK. It's a good replacement and more like a huge upgrade.

    My personal carry is a G33 though because it fits my long fingers better and I prefer the 357 Sig.
     

    byf43

    SCSC Life/NRA Patron Life
    I too, am a Glock fanboy, however, when I got my hands on the Shield .40, and after putting sufficient rounds downrange, to call it 100% reliable, the Glock(s) have stayed in the nightstand and/or safe.


    A very good friend (retired Federal LEO) bought the G42 and the G43, and I handled them and shot both.

    They just don't 'fit' my ham hands very well.

    YMMV.
     

    HeatSeeker

    Ultimate Member
    Jun 18, 2012
    3,058
    Maryland
    I heard the 2.0 Shield has a better trigger. I am now leaning more towards the Glock 26 for the capacity. I will say though, I love my Walther PPK/S. I also have a Walther PP, but in 32 ACP which is worthless. Anyways; M&P Shield 2.0 or Glock 26. Hmm.
    I have never owned a G43, but do own and carried my G26 for a couple years. I then purchased a Shield .40 and have been carrying it for over 3 years now. I sacrificed capacity for comfort. The G26 is thick but is very concealable IWB. The Shield .40 is a much thinner pistol at only 7/8" and I like the feel of it in my hand with the extended mag(7+1). I do like the trigger on the Glock better though. It's just about comfort for me carrying IWB everyday.
     

    Biggfoot44

    Ultimate Member
    Aug 2, 2009
    32,881
    As I see things on the subject generally , it comes to a binary question of will you actually pocket carry or not.

    Actual pocket carry is constrained by the size of typical pants pockets, and requires meaningful trade offs in gun selection. Particularly the grips will be too small for optimal shooting. ( unless you are 10yo, or an XXS adult . And usually round capacity. To me the former is far more important than the latter , but others will have a (misguided) perception the otherwise .

    For Me ( with XXXL hands) there are plenty of pistol that fall into the neither fish nor fowl catagory of big enough to require belt level carry, yet too small to shoot well .

    To Me the sweet spot for all around carry is +/- 4in bbl , single stack, with grip long enough to accommodate at least half of pinky finger
     

    Blaster229

    God loves you, I don't.
    MDS Supporter
    Sep 14, 2010
    46,409
    Glen Burnie
    As I see things on the subject generally , it comes to a binary question of will you actually pocket carry or not.

    Actual pocket carry is constrained by the size of typical pants pockets, and requires meaningful trade offs in gun selection. Particularly the grips will be too small for optimal shooting. ( unless you are 10yo, or an XXS adult . And usually round capacity. To me the former is far more important than the latter , but others will have a (misguided) perception the otherwise .

    For Me ( with XXXL hands) there are plenty of pistol that fall into the neither fish nor fowl catagory of big enough to require belt level carry, yet too small to shoot well .

    To Me the sweet spot for all around carry is +/- 4in bbl , single stack, with grip long enough to accommodate at least half of pinky finger
    Pocket carry is a miserable carry and is not relevant to any other type of carry. Not viable at all in any carry conversation.
     

    Zorros

    Ultimate Member
    Dec 10, 2017
    1,407
    Metropolis
    I read that sw adopted the griip texture from the shield 45 for its 2.0 shield. I couldn’t carry the shield 45 for 2 minutes iwb against bare skin under a shirt had to wet sand the left side and portions of the front and rear strap and then it was fine. But ervous taking saner to a new pistol.
     

    Mr.Blue

    Living In A Bizarro World
    Nov 21, 2011
    1,523
    Miserable in MD
    I have Glock, M&P, and XD. Try the XDs. 7+1, and has a 9 round mag for reloading. My choice would be the XDs followed by the Shield. That said, the p365 will be a winner once they fix the bugs. By then I’m sure the other manufacturers will have a similar offering.
     

    Zorros

    Ultimate Member
    Dec 10, 2017
    1,407
    Metropolis
    From what I saw working in the firearms industry I would always choose a Glock over a Smitty. I don't have a lot of faith in their QA/QC. They're not Taurus, but they're not Glock either IMHO. And not being a snob. I would pick a Glock over an HK too. Just my .02.

    I don’t work in the industry, but i will add my experience with glock and smith. My wife bought two blue label glocks, a 42 and a 33. Both were returned to glock immediatly. The 33 would not feed speer gold dots...they hung up on the ramp. The 42 failed to feed, eject a variety of rds. Wife then bought a blue label 43 and it has been flawless.
    I have alternated carry between a shield 45/9; the 9 never an issue in 000s of rds. The 45 would ocassionaly drop the mag while firing, but it could have been me hitting the mag release on recoil. Smith sent new followers which i did not install because they were the same as in the mag from the factory.
    I carried a 27 i bought used in 1998 and no issues ever. I now carry a 33 and use federal HST rds for carry. Someone has 2 new shield 9s on this bd for sale at $280 per. My point is that in my limited experience some glocks leave the factory with issues. Some smiths do not.
    No manufacturer is perfect, no QC sublime. And by the by, i was disapointed in glock because The urban legend is they are totally reliable. They aren’t.
     
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    Alphabrew

    Binary male Lesbian
    MDS Supporter
    Jan 27, 2013
    40,749
    Woodbine
    Im a Glock Fan boi but I have a Shield and not a 43. The Shield was half the price and when fondling the 43 it didn’t speak to me. YMMV

    ETA: I’m also curious to see what HK brings to this arena
     
    Im a Glock Fan boi but I have a Shield and not a 43. The Shield was half the price and when fondling the 43 it didn’t speak to me. YMMV

    ETA: I’m also curious to see what HK brings to this arena

    Supremacy. H&K ALWAYS brings supremacy. Even if they don't offer a sub-compact model, they are still the best choice.
    My H&K Shield required a lot of Dremel time for identification markings, but it is waaaayyyy better than the S&W Shield I owned the day before.
    (Yes, I'm poking fun at Glock fanboys)
     
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