shield plus in 9mm or 30 super carry

[mossy]

after going to the range with some coworkers I have decided its time to change the off duty gun. their guns held the same amount as my p2000SK with out being extra thick....time to sell the HK and get something modern that's easy to carry with a large capacity. I have decided to go with the shield plus, my agency issues M&P 9mm's so I have experience with that line of pistols, but I am conflicted over what flavor to buy. the 9mm had ammo variety/affordability with a 13 round capacity in the pinky extension magazine, and I generally like the duty M&P 9mm. never had a problem with it, and their finish seems to hold up amazingly well. seen a few bad magazines, but all magazines will eventually go bad with enough abuse. i have 9mm in my stockpile of ammo, and I haver a lot of experience shooting 9mm firearms. its a good old reliable round that's alwase been there when people needed it. the 30 super magazine packs 16 rounds in the pinky extension mag though. that magazine capacity is amazing. ammo is not nearly as affordable and there is a limited selection of .30 SC available, but to have capacity in a small firearm is extremely tempting. round performance is not equivalent to 9mm, but its not that far off either. grab a gun has the 30 super flavor on sale for $299 and that's an amazing deal, but that massive price cut probably means nobody is buying 30 super carry and they are trying to dump their inventory. that mag capacity in a small package is mighty tempting though. if you had a choice between the two what flavor would you go with, ammo variety, or ammo capacity?

[Quiet]

IMO...

If you answer "yes" to both #1 and #2, then go for it.
If you answer "no" to either #1 or #2, then go with 9mm.

#1.
Is .30 Super Carry authorized by your LE agency for off-duty use?
^There are some LE agencies that apply caliber restrictions for on-duty and off-duty firearms.

#2.
Are you willing to spend the additional resources (time and money) necessary to acquire .30 Super Carry ammo in CA?


Alternative... get two S&W Shield Plus, one in each caliber.

[naz]

[Micah8]

[static2126]

I would not be surprised if .30 super carry becomes a boutique and eventually relatively defunct round. The upcoming primer and ammo crisis won't help. Already seeing ammo qc getting worse all brands.

In free states they can't give away those guns. As someone who shoots 10 to 30k rounds a year through his carry gun's clone give me reliable, cheap, common and easy to source ammo.

One of the earlier posters had it right. If you answered yes to 1 and 2 go for it.

[L84CABO]

9mm all the way. 30 Super is a dying caliber. Well, I mean, for it to be a dying caliber it would have had to have actually caught on. But in 5 years nobody will remember it...including the ammo makers.

Also consider the whole pinky mag extension thing. That right there is proof that the form factor leaves a lot to be desired. And at the point that you're running a pinky mag, the grip essentially becomes the same size as a full size. Might as well just opt for a regular M&P compact at that point IMO. It may be a tad bit wider but it's negligible in all but a deep cover situation, and you get two extra rounds in a grip that is actually functional. YMMV.

[mossy]

Went with the 9mm flavored shield. The capacity of 30 super carry would have been awesome, but the availability just isn't there. Looks like 45 gap had more selection of ammo when it launched, now it's gone. Maybe down the line I will find a 30sc slide and barrel to mess around with.

[APeter001]

Congratulations on your new gun. However you missed out on telling a great story about going from store to store trying to find 30 Super Carry ammo in stock, posting pictures along the way of the clueless salesman who have no idea what you're asking for

[static2126]

IMG_5682.jpg

Went with the 9mm flavored shield. The capacity of 30 super carry would have been awesome, but the availability just isn't there. Looks like 45 gap had more selection of ammo when it launched, now it's gone. Maybe down the line I will find a 30sc slide and barrel to mess around with.

For what it is worth as long as it holds 10 rounds capacity is one of the most overrated things in a carry gun off duty or civilian (provided one can shoot)

[mossy]

IMG_5682.jpg

For what it is worth as long as it holds 10 rounds capacity is one of the most overrated things in a carry gun off duty or civilian (provided one can shoot)

no its not. there is a reason why law enforcement, military and security issue firearms that feature large capacity capable magazines. if round capacity was meaningless standard capacity magazines would be legal here in CA for everyone to buy.

[static2126]

no its not. there is a reason why law enforcement, military and security issue firearms that feature large capacity capable magazines. if round capacity was meaningless standard capacity magazines would be legal here in CA for everyone to buy.

Off duty law enforcement and civilian ccw are very different beasts than duty Leo and military.

Study of 35k plus civilian and off duty incidents none went over 10 rounds before one or both parties left or was out of the fight.

Tom Given who has keep detail record of his student's wins and losses in incidents never had a winning student go over 7. Only 2 student losses and unf both of those students didn't have guns during the incidents.

More ammo more better but hardly top 5 important traits inna ccw.

[naz]

Went with the 9mm flavored shield. The capacity of 30 super carry would have been awesome, but the availability just isn't there. Looks like 45 gap had more selection of ammo when it launched, now it's gone. Maybe down the line I will find a 30sc slide and barrel to mess around with.

[Capybara]

.30 Super Carry is already a dead, defunct round. It was DOA. Slight capacity improvement over the reigning champ versus very limited availability and greater expense, it was doomed to fail.