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M&P Shield 9 vs Glock 42 vs Glock 26
Last week I did a write up of my first outing with my new CA version M&P Shield 9mm. (here: http://www.calguns.net/calgunforum/s...d.php?t=992881 )
Yesterday I took my Shield to Sac Valley with my friend BonnieB and her new Glock 42 and brought my Glock 26. (Glock 27 with a Lonewolf 40-9 barrel) and did comparison's. All 3 are off-the-shelf-stock except my G26 has TruGlo TFOs.
Glock 26/27................................................ .........M&P Shield (Sorry, new phone=poor pics)
Glock 27 and Shield.jpg
Glock 42
Glock 42.jpg
Last week my only concern with the Shield was the trigger and that maybe near the end it started smoothing out a little. Pleased to say that after some random dry firing during the week and about 300 rounds yesterday, the trigger is pretty good. Not quite as good as my G26 but it has about 4000 rnds through it. By the end of the range time the Shield's trigger was smooth, good break and most important, a good reset. I have no concerns about it now.
For the comparison, I shot a few rounds with the G42 and Shield to warm up, then I loaded 2 mags of the G42 with 90gr Federal American Eagle and 2 mags each for the Shield and G26 with 6 rnds of WWB 115gr. I used the flush mags in all 3. I shot 2 rnds with the G42, then 2 with the Shield, then 2 with the G26 and repeated till they were empty. The results were pretty much what one would expect:
Glock 42: Certainly the softer shooting of the 3. Trigger was just what you'd expect from a new Glock - just fine. I had a harder time getting a great grip on the G42. Grip felt shorter front to back and seemed thinner than the Shield. Had to push my trigger finger in further, almost to the 1st joint to get a good trigger pull .. seems to be a common comment with these little single stacks .. I had a harder time getting good shot on target but I got better. Of course I had the least experience with the G42 and I'd do fine with some routine practice. The sights, well, they're stock Glock sights and as always they're just kinda $0.99 placeholders until you get something good.
Shield: I'm really starting to like my Shield. Obviously more felt recoil than the G42 and logically a little more recoil than the G26 due to the grip size & weight. As I said above the trigger is getting to be nice and smooth. And like the G42 I have to insert my trigger finger in farther than usual to get a good, straight trigger pull, but it was very comfortable and easy to get a good straight trigger pull. I said in last week's thread that I never felt my grip on the Shield was ever a problem it fit surprisingly well and very comfortable even with my big hands and felt even better yesterday. As far as the ugly CA LCI, it's still a non-issue. While aiming, I have to actually look for it to see it. It's totally unobtrusive. The safety, meh, who cares, it's there, it's almost flush, never notice it. The stock sights are in the same category as the Glock stock sights.
Glock 26: What can I say, I love my G26 and have several 1000 rnds through it as a G26 & G27. I've carried it as a G27 for a few years. Love it with the TruGlo TFOs. I routinely shoot it better than my G19/G23. There's nothing I don't like about it with the single exception that it's hard to pocket carry it .. I do, sometimes though, with a Galco Pocket Protector. I wanted the Shield for an easier pocket carry but will use it IWB too. Picked up a Galco for the shield also. It's still a little snug but will insert another 1/2 inch when it's broken in.
Shield - Galco.jpg
The winner is: Well, there's no winner. They're all good guns and different people have different preferences. Can't say I'm in love with my Shield yet, but we're certainly in a serious relationship that's looking promising. My G26 isn't jealous and will continue to get a lot of attention. They'll both have to deal with more changes now that I'm engaged to a pretty little XDs 9mm that I'll bring into the family as soon as she gets out of jail next month.
Overall comments: With the popularity of the Glock 42 and other 380, the ammo mfgs and coming out with good performing SD ammo and surely more will come soon. But my preference is to stick with 9mm so my vote goes to the Shield between the 2 new ones .. the G26 is always a favorite. Try before you buy then buy what you like.
I finished the day shooting a variety of 115gr WWB, 124gr Speer Lawman, 147gr WWB and 147gr American Eagle. All ran fine of course. Soon I'll pickup a variety of HD/SD ammo to pin down a couple types my Shield is happy with.
Important notes - strictly my opinions:
1. For people thinking about one of the small single stack 380s or 9mms, or a sub-compact double stack like G26, try to rent or borrow one to shoot for awhile. Make sure you are willing to put some time in learning to shoot them with a 2 finger grip. Most of these come with extended mags or have aftermarket grip extensions. Those eliminate the benefits of these small guns - the small size and concealability. If you just absolutely have to have a grip extension to shoot them well, you might be better off buying a bigger gun.
2. These small 'pocket guns' are probably the wrong choice as your very first gun ever. I think they're harder to learn proper shooting techniques and harder to shoot well than a mid or full sized gun. And they are almost certainly not something you want to spend a day at the range with, shooting 400-500 rounds. The last thing you want is buying your first gun then not liking to go shooting
Yesterday I took my Shield to Sac Valley with my friend BonnieB and her new Glock 42 and brought my Glock 26. (Glock 27 with a Lonewolf 40-9 barrel) and did comparison's. All 3 are off-the-shelf-stock except my G26 has TruGlo TFOs.
Glock 26/27................................................ .........M&P Shield (Sorry, new phone=poor pics)
Glock 27 and Shield.jpg
Glock 42
Glock 42.jpg
Last week my only concern with the Shield was the trigger and that maybe near the end it started smoothing out a little. Pleased to say that after some random dry firing during the week and about 300 rounds yesterday, the trigger is pretty good. Not quite as good as my G26 but it has about 4000 rnds through it. By the end of the range time the Shield's trigger was smooth, good break and most important, a good reset. I have no concerns about it now.
For the comparison, I shot a few rounds with the G42 and Shield to warm up, then I loaded 2 mags of the G42 with 90gr Federal American Eagle and 2 mags each for the Shield and G26 with 6 rnds of WWB 115gr. I used the flush mags in all 3. I shot 2 rnds with the G42, then 2 with the Shield, then 2 with the G26 and repeated till they were empty. The results were pretty much what one would expect:
Glock 42: Certainly the softer shooting of the 3. Trigger was just what you'd expect from a new Glock - just fine. I had a harder time getting a great grip on the G42. Grip felt shorter front to back and seemed thinner than the Shield. Had to push my trigger finger in further, almost to the 1st joint to get a good trigger pull .. seems to be a common comment with these little single stacks .. I had a harder time getting good shot on target but I got better. Of course I had the least experience with the G42 and I'd do fine with some routine practice. The sights, well, they're stock Glock sights and as always they're just kinda $0.99 placeholders until you get something good.
Shield: I'm really starting to like my Shield. Obviously more felt recoil than the G42 and logically a little more recoil than the G26 due to the grip size & weight. As I said above the trigger is getting to be nice and smooth. And like the G42 I have to insert my trigger finger in farther than usual to get a good, straight trigger pull, but it was very comfortable and easy to get a good straight trigger pull. I said in last week's thread that I never felt my grip on the Shield was ever a problem it fit surprisingly well and very comfortable even with my big hands and felt even better yesterday. As far as the ugly CA LCI, it's still a non-issue. While aiming, I have to actually look for it to see it. It's totally unobtrusive. The safety, meh, who cares, it's there, it's almost flush, never notice it. The stock sights are in the same category as the Glock stock sights.
Glock 26: What can I say, I love my G26 and have several 1000 rnds through it as a G26 & G27. I've carried it as a G27 for a few years. Love it with the TruGlo TFOs. I routinely shoot it better than my G19/G23. There's nothing I don't like about it with the single exception that it's hard to pocket carry it .. I do, sometimes though, with a Galco Pocket Protector. I wanted the Shield for an easier pocket carry but will use it IWB too. Picked up a Galco for the shield also. It's still a little snug but will insert another 1/2 inch when it's broken in.
Shield - Galco.jpg
The winner is: Well, there's no winner. They're all good guns and different people have different preferences. Can't say I'm in love with my Shield yet, but we're certainly in a serious relationship that's looking promising. My G26 isn't jealous and will continue to get a lot of attention. They'll both have to deal with more changes now that I'm engaged to a pretty little XDs 9mm that I'll bring into the family as soon as she gets out of jail next month.
Overall comments: With the popularity of the Glock 42 and other 380, the ammo mfgs and coming out with good performing SD ammo and surely more will come soon. But my preference is to stick with 9mm so my vote goes to the Shield between the 2 new ones .. the G26 is always a favorite. Try before you buy then buy what you like.
I finished the day shooting a variety of 115gr WWB, 124gr Speer Lawman, 147gr WWB and 147gr American Eagle. All ran fine of course. Soon I'll pickup a variety of HD/SD ammo to pin down a couple types my Shield is happy with.
Important notes - strictly my opinions:
1. For people thinking about one of the small single stack 380s or 9mms, or a sub-compact double stack like G26, try to rent or borrow one to shoot for awhile. Make sure you are willing to put some time in learning to shoot them with a 2 finger grip. Most of these come with extended mags or have aftermarket grip extensions. Those eliminate the benefits of these small guns - the small size and concealability. If you just absolutely have to have a grip extension to shoot them well, you might be better off buying a bigger gun.
2. These small 'pocket guns' are probably the wrong choice as your very first gun ever. I think they're harder to learn proper shooting techniques and harder to shoot well than a mid or full sized gun. And they are almost certainly not something you want to spend a day at the range with, shooting 400-500 rounds. The last thing you want is buying your first gun then not liking to go shooting
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