note: article first appeared in August 2015

Some years ago I came to the conclusion on what combination of guns that I wanted to have. They were; 1) pistol, 2) shotgun, and 3) tactical carbine. I felt that was the right combination of defensive weapons to deal with any disaster, emergency or “grid-down” situation. Today, more than ever, I am convinced that I am right. I even wrote about “Choosing the Right Gun” in three separate articles.

And then I wrote an article about tactical vests to carry the right equipment, and that included the magazines and

ammunition for the “right gun.” Yes, I know, shotguns don’t have magazines. Well, unless the shotgun is a Siaga 12 and then you have magazines😉

But the focus of this article is putting together a very specific “load” of ammunition to have assembled for your shotgun. And, just for the record, I am not talking about your quail hunting shotgun. I am talking about your defensive weapon, a tactical shotgun. Or at least a shotgun that you will use as your defensive weapon.

I have talked about shotgun ammunition before. Essentially I believe in three types of ammo for a shotgun; 1) 00 buck, 2) 1oz slugs, and 3) Hornady SST sabots. Just a quick explanation…

00 Buck is probably one of the best rounds ever made. It is unreal devastating when it comes to personal defense. Remember, for a round to be effective it must create significant shock and a debilitating wound channel. The shock stops a person’s mind from continuing to function. The wound channel creates physical trauma to prevent the person’s body from continuing to function. Those two things combined stops the bad guy from hurting you or your family member. 00 Buck comes in a two basic options 7 and 9 pellet. Obviously the 9 pellet version is better generally speaking. That is 9 rounds of .31 caliber balls heading down range to stop the bad guy.

1oz Slugs are a pretty amazing round. They transfer a massive amount of energy to whatever it hits. The little dimple in the nose ensures that it expands, transferring even more energy with expanding mass. It is a good hunting round; it can bring down large white tail deer without any problem. It can also breach a door nicely. They are a little limited in range. Most slugs, in the hands of the average person, are good for 50 – 100 yard shots, not much more.

Hornady SST is a fairly recent newcomer to the shotgun ammo scene. It weighs in at 2/3oz, making it 2/3 the weight of the slugs mentioned above. But the nice thing is the ballistics and performance of the SST. You can get sub-2” groups at 100 yards, and 4” – 6” at 200 yards with plenty of energy in the round to bring down medium sized game. So, for a little less weight you get very decent accuracy. And can you imagine getting hit with a 300gr / .68oz round? Ouch!

Those are the three basic type of shotgun rounds that are appropriate for defensive purposes for the average person in an emergency, disaster, or grid-down scenario.

OK, moving right along…But how do you store your shotgun ammo and is it ready to go at a moments notice? Do you have the right number of each type of rounds and are they ready to be picked up and carried off without searching, scrounging and praying?

Well, I have a suggestion for you and one worth considering. I spent a whole lot of time thinking through what the different kinds of defensive encounters that the average person might encounter during the scenarios mentioned above. I then thought through which round would be best suited for dealing with the threat that each encounter might produce.

Once I accomplished that then I started thinking about the best way to store the right amount of ammunition that an average person could reasonably be expected to carry. And here is my suggestion:

• 145 rounds of 00 buck
• 30 rounds of slugs
• 25 rounds of Hornady SST

And to store them…a .50cal ammo can.

Yup, that simple. Those rounds fit perfectly in the space that a .50cal can has. The can seals out water, air, dirt and dust. A perfect environment for your ammunition. There is a bonus…it has a built-in handle that you just grab and go. Then there is the whole stacking thing if you have multiple cans.

The ammo can only weighs in at 24 pounds with the ammo listed above. That is well within the capability of any adult and many children. You can store it just about anywhere and never worry about the ammo “going bad.” It just won’t.

Here are some brands and types of ammunition I use –

• 00 Buck Federal Law Enforcement 2-3/4″ w/ Flight Control – LE127

• 00 Buck Winchester Ranger 2-3/4″

• 12ga 300gr Hornady SST

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            vs.             

note: articel first appeared in June 2015

Yeah…try to figure this one out with the two pictures…and make the connection with prepping…

Several years ago I built my first AR. I used a BCM upper because I didn’t want to screw-up seating the barrel, shoulder spacing, etc. Besides, BCM makes one of the, if not the, best uppers on the market today. Everything else, each individual part, that went into the build was bought for a specific reason – quality.

It was a great experience and I really learned so much during that build, it truly helped me understand my weapon better. And the end product was an amazing pair of AR’s, one for my wife and the other for me. But it didn’t stop there.

Whenever people see my AR in the field they always kinda look it over pretty closely. Most can tell that the parts and pieces are high-quality, but others look a little astonished at the mixing of colors of my carbine. I don’t own one of those “black” guns.

The colors on my carbine are black, flat dark earth and a dull flat darkish bronze kinda color. And my two-point sling is a padded BlueForce multicam. So the weapon looks a bit like a weaponized quilt.

So why no cool “back gun” look for me?

Well, look at the picture below…

A black gun pretty much stands out like a sore thumb doesn’t it. There is no mistaking it for anything other than a military grade weapon. And I don’t like that. Nope, I don’t like that one little bit. So when I built our AR’s I wanted something that blended in to the background a bit more.

Why?

Oh come on now, you know why. If they can’t see you, they probably won’t shoot you. You don’t always have the safety of “cover” so I will take its ugly, distant cousin “concealment” if I have to.

The human eye is genetically trained to pick up certain shapes and such. We are wired that way to help us stay alive from lurking predators that would eat us for dinner, or shoot us to take our stuff. The key is to trick the predator’s eye into by-passing us if we happen to be exposed (i.e. not behind cover). Changing up how your carbine looks is one of the tricks.

So here is a mix-color AR in the same setting. Is it a bit harder to see?

But notice the black upper and the black magazine “complete” a picture for your mind to associate with a “danger” signal and you can recognize it as a gun. The black shadow also gives it away. What could you do to reduce the shadow and the black mag visually?

The next coupe of pictures show the same gun with a variety of magazines…

Notice how just using the right color magazine can dramatically reduce the gun’s signature profile?

Now I want you to look at this AR that I had painted (Duracoat) to match the environment it is meant to be carried in. Notice the difference?

Notice how the AR blends in but the black magazine makes it stand out again and makes the weapon recognizable. The Black magazine draws your eye to it and then your mind pulls the rest of the gun into focus to make it recognizable…complete the narrative.

But let me swap out a magazine. Now what do you think?

Notice that just swapping a magazine now allows the whole gun to fade into the background because it gives nothing for your eye to be drawn to.

A little bit of changing up can make a big difference, a difference that could save your life. But let’s take it the next step further. Here is a fully cammo pained (Duracoat) carbine. What do you think?

With the cammo painted magazine the gun fades even more into the background and it is hard to see the magazine at all. But slap a black magazine into the weapon and all of the sudden you can stat seeing the gun again even with the entire gun cammo painted.

So here is what the Duracoat painted carbine looks like with a cammo painted magazine in it and laying in the environment that is was meant to be used in. The profile is very low, with a hard to see signature. It is called an “advantage.”

I hope by now you can see the value in keeping your profile and signature as low possible. Remember, they won’t shoot you if they don’t see you. And when times are tough I would think you would want every possible advantage you can get.

You might be asking me about now, “What do I do if I already own a black gun?”

Great question! Several answers come to mind:

1. Find a quality gun painter in your area that paints weapons with Duracoat or similar system. Have him show you several patterns for the area where you will be using your weapon BEFORE you decide on the paint job.
2. Buy a couple cans of spray paint for metal in earth tone colors. Store them for when the time comes and paint your own weapon. You will have to clean your weapon thoroughly in preparation to paint it to remove not just dirt, but the oil as well. But in the meantime you still have your pretty black gun.
3. Just don’t worry about it all, keep your black gun intact and just let luck run its course. Make sure you have a black sling as well, it make it even easier for the bad guys to see you. (yeah, not such a great option huh?)

Have a great day!!

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So here’s the deal…I have bad hearing. Yup, too many years running around in a fire truck with the windows rolled down, electronic siren blaring, and the Federal siren wailing away. All that noise finally took its toll and left me with bad hearing, not too bad, but bad enough. And to top it off…tinnitus.

When I go to the range or just out to the desert to go shooting I want good ear protection, or rather, good hearing protection. I tried the standard ear muffs and wasn’t really impressed. Sure, they kept the damaging sound out but left big globs of plastic on my ears that made it hard to get a good sight picture since I was wearing eye protection as well. Additionally, I had to take off one side to hear what anyone else was saying.

Then one day I was talking to a buddy and he told me about the Howard Leight Impact Sound earmuffs. Whoa! That changed my life.

I could go on and on about their benefits trying to convince you on a scientific level just how good they are. But, let me save the time…these things are perfect…wonderful…life-changing!

Technical info directly from their website –

• Sleek, extremely low profile earcup design allows for full clearance of firearm stock
• Automatic 4 hour shut-off increases battery life
• AUX jack connects to MP3 players and scanners
• Automatically shuts off loud impulse noise to a safe 82dB while amplifying conversation and range commands
• Convenient folding design for easy storage
• One single power and volume control knob
• Air Flow Control technology
• Black leatherette headband with sporty hunter green earcups
• Water resistant
• Easy access to the external battery compartment

Yes, that means you can turn up the sound (amplification of ambient sounds) to hear what is going on around you…and I mean everything such as birds chirping and grass growing. And when a gun is fired the electronics kick in and protect your ears from the harmful sound level. You are protected at anything over 82dB!

I’ve worn these for 10 hour days at the firing range, in the desert, in 90 – 100 degree weather. They are comfortable…period…double period.

If you forget to shut them off when you are done they will automatically turn off after 4-hours. The battery life is amazing! I’ve gone over a year of use on one set of Duracell AA batteries.

I’ve heard some complaints about them not doing very well at indoor ranges. I can’t verify that because I never go to an indoor range. I know outdoors they work really, really well. Also, there are a few people (out of thousands) that have said they couldn’t get them to fit exactly right around their ears. I wear them, my wife wears them, my best friend wears them, and a number of my instructor buddies wear them. I’ve never heard a single complaint about the fit not being right.

These are a for sure “BUY!!!”

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Well, kind of an interesting morning at the range. Let me explain…

I actually didn’t go to the range at all. I have a place I like to go in the desert, its remote but close enough to town not to be a long drive. It is all boxed in with high canyon walls all around. It is quiet and I am always alone unless I take people with me. So that’s where I headed…and I am glad I did.

Alright, so I drop the tailgate to my pickup and layout all my shooting gear. I had brought 220 rounds of 115gr Winchester FMJ ammo with me. That stuff is nothing fancy but the price is right and the brass is reloadable. I really wasn’t trying to become an expert shot with the Shield, I just wanted to run the rounds through it to see how it performed and get through the “break-in period” with it.

Let’s cover all of it…the factory magazines that came with it were a decent quality. If I did my research right, Mec-Gar makes them for S&W. With the pistol came a 7-round mag and an 8-round mag. The 8-rounder has a little pinky finger extension on it. Both mags were a little stiff at first but broke-in just fine. I did notice that even at the end the 7-rounder was a little stiff getting that last round in as I was loading, but it wasn’t a big deal at all.

The first round of any new gun I send down range is always an interesting one for me. My head always wonders what might happen. I wasn’t surprised or startled by the first round at all. It just went “crack” and the tree stump splintered. Same thing for each round for both of the first mags.

After about 100 rounds I started to pay more attention, snapping up from a low-ready, changing my stance, aim, not aiming, and trying different positions on the trigger with my finger. What I did notice were a few things –

1. I tended to want to put more of my finger over the trigger than I normally do. I figured out it is because the Shield is small compared to my Sig 1911 Ultra-Compact or my Sig 226. So my big paw wanted to envelope more of the gun than it is designed to handle. So I had to consciously work at keeping my trigger finger where it belonged.
2. I noticed I was shooting a little to my left pretty consistently. When I really slowed down and was taking each shot seriously I noticed that I didn’t have a natural sight picture with the pistol. I can work through that with range time and getting the right feel for the gun…hand position vs. aim point.
3. The Shield is much smaller in my hand that any other gun I have with the exception of the Sig 938 I have.
4. It was simple, easy, and second nature for each follow-up (second) shot. Even with a small, lightweight gun the second shot was very easy to manage.

Once I had shot up 200 rounds I got out the 15 rounds of misc rounds I had brought. I mixed in those rounds with a few of the remaining Winchester rounds I still had left. Ran them, no problems. Then I got out the good stuff, the 147gr Hornady XTP rounds that I absolutely love. I feel these are the undisputed best round to run in a 9mm pistol. I loaded them up mixing them in with the remaining 115gr Winchester rounds.

It ran like “crack” “crack” “thump”. The “crack” were the 115gr rounds, the “thump” was the 147gr round. There was a noticeable difference in the feel of the gun on top of the sound. The 147gr rounds were ones that I had reloaded myself and they are a little on the hot side since I run them through my full-frame Sig226. The Shield handled them just fine. Even the second shot was no issue at all.

After about an hour and 250 rounds later, I have to say I like the Shield. The 7-round magazine leaves my pinky finger dangling. But for some reason it quite naturally tucked right under the grip and was no issue. The 8-round magazine removes any issue at all. The 18º grip angle is just right for me. The grip is a little small for me, but it is entirely doable with no issues. I do like the 8-round mag grip better, it feels more natural, and I think I have better control on the pistol with it. That being said, I am perfectly fine with the 7-round mag grip with no complaints.

A few more technical observations –

1. No failure to feeds.
2. No failure to ejects.
3. Two failures to go completely into battery.
4. No misfires.
5. No magazine feed issues.

I want to explain the battery failure issue I mentioned. There is a thumb button slide release. But, don’t think for a minute you are going to be able to use it…you simply can’t. Yes, I know you are supposed to release the slide by “racking” but I just wanted to test the release. The release button is simply too tight and stiff to allow it to be used under normal circumstances. Overall, it is a good thing, forces you to into good habits no matter how resistant you might be. I think the two failures to go completely into battery were my fault. They occurred early on and I just feel I didn’t have enough “snap” to my racking the slide. I will keep my eyes on that one and report more later.

I did a medium and long distance test fire on it as well. At a medium distance, about 80’ the gun was plenty accurate enough. Without really trying I was grouping 12” – 18” with one flyer. When I went to 100 yard distance I found I was able to pick up the aim point pretty quickly. I would have no problems trying to engage someone at 100 yards if I had to. I would have to slow my shots down a bit, but it is perfectly doable.

The trigger reset is clean. There is even an audible “click” when it resets. However, in a gunfight I am not sure that you would hear it. I only heard it because I use Howard Leight electronic ear muffs. There is a “feel” when it resets but I hard a hard time feeling it. Next time at the range I will slow down and really work the gun to become proficient. I will let you know if it becomes any kind of an issue.

I did a glove test on the pistol as well. Unless you are using a “golf glove” (i.e. thin leather) you might struggle getting your trigger finger inside the guard. I could do it but it felt a like fumbling at first…and later as well.

Then I had to remind myself…this isn’t a battle gun. This isn’t something I am going to strap onto a drop-leg rig and head into some pitched firefight. This is a CCW EDC pistol. It is designed to be highly concealable, highly reliable for carrying on your person every day.

One thing I will point out that is fairly weird, maybe it is just me. I do a lot of shooting and I have a decent variety of pistols. But, I have never had a problem retrieving a spare magazine to place into a pistol that I was shooting (magazine swap). Seriously, I’ve never had a problem…period. With the Shield three times I brought the spare mag up reversed. As I tried to repeat the error it boiled down to the base plate of the magazine. It is just kind strange to anything I am use to. The base plate itself stick out to the front and to the rear of the magazine so there is no easily distinguished forward position. I think this is just a “me thing” and I will get over it with practice and consistent handling of the mags. I didn’t have the problem with the 7-round mag…but it doesn’t have the strange base plate that the 8-rounder does.

I wrapped up the range time and headed home…after picking up my brass. I felt very pleased with the Shield and I felt 100% confident that I could carry it as my EDC piece and not worry a bit.

When I got home I cleaned it. I gotta tell you, it was the easiest pistol I ever stripped down. It was simple, easy, and very fast to clean. While I can’t say I enjoy cleaning guns, cleaning the Shield was no big deal, fast, and easy. And that is good enough for me.

At that point I made the decision that this was going to become my new EDC…period. I liked it, it packed plenty of punch, was light, really concealable and just what I was looking for. So the next step…

I ordered four different holsters for it –

1. • Outbags LOB3P
   • Galco SG652B Stinger
   • Blade-Tech Revolution Klipt
   • Desantis Mini Scabbard

Why those holsters? Because I did about four hours of research online to find the holsters that I feel are most likely to me what I am looking for. I will write an article on that once my testing is complete. And yes, I will have a recommendation as well.

I ordered another 8-round magazine. I figure that since this pistol was meant to be more highly concealable I would carry the 7-round mag in the pistol on my belt. That gives the gun the smallest possible “print.” But, my two spare mags will both be 8-rounders vs. 7-rounders. Yeah, I know…only two rounds of difference. But I keep thinking that I would rather have two too many rounds, than two too few rounds. That is just me. And why two spare mags? Because you never know how long the gunfight might be or how many bad guys you might be dealing with.

One thing I had to do…just had to. When I was ordering the spare mag from the supplier…right there just two tiny ads over was a 10-round magazine option. Yes of course I bought that one also. I just couldn’t resist! Come on, if 8-rounds is good…10-rounds really rocks! I will return and report on that as well.

I know I talked about two other issues; 1) night sights, 2) trigger job. At this point I see absolutely no reason for a trigger job. Yes, I might change my opinion later on, but for now I am perfectly fine with the trigger it has. I am almost struggling with getting the night sights or not. I was just fine with the way it was at the range. But, the sun wasn’t its normal desert brightness nor was I am attempting to shoot in low/no light conditions. I will probably go with the night sights but not just now. I am more interested in another day at the range really working the gun and finishing the break-in. I am also going to enjoy figuring out which holster is best suited for it. I am hoping that one holster really stand outs.

So there you have it…all of my initial impression of the Shield are positive and I think this is going to be as great CCW EDC gun. And I will be writing at least one more article covering all the new stuff I test.

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note: originally published in 2016, updated/edited in 2019

I am never satisfied!

Duh, like you didn’t already know that by now. But, in this case I hope it might help you a bit. I sure enjoyed the time!

So, for my normal every day carry (EDC) I have been carrying a .45cal Sig 1911 Ultra-Compact. It is a great gun, never failed me, can run any kind of ammo, and it is dead-on accurate. So why was I looking for another EDC piece? Weight and bulk.

The Sig is a solid chunk of steel. While that makes it a fine piece of craftsmanship and very good looking, it does make it a bit heavy. And since it is a .45cal there is a little inherent bulk. When I am doing any personal protection detail I like having that .45 at my disposal, lots of stopping power. But, I am finding that I am really a lot better with my second shot placement when using a 9mm round.

For 9mm I like the 147gr Hornady XTP round. In the .45cal I like the 230gr Hornady XTP round. My testing shows that the 147gr 9mm makes up a lot of the lost ground when switching to a 9mm round. The 147gr is a decent weight and the XTP round petals and creates a devastating wound channel. Sorry, back to the gun issue…

I am not overly concerned about “printing” with the Sig. It does print with thinner material shirts or just a t-shirt on. With a suit coat or casual jacket you can’t really tell it is there unless you are looking, and you know that you are looking for.

But, I found myself wanting a lighter gun, a thinner gun, and a 9mm for really good second shot placement. I naturally looked at Sigs…because I am a gun snob. I also found myself really disappointed. I had previously looked that Sig P238 (.380) and I liked the gun’s size and weight but didn’t much care for the size of the round, a .380 is pretty light for what I might need it for.

About three years ago I looked at and eventually bought a Sig 938 9mm. I liked the 9mm round, loved the 1911 style, enjoyed the Sig name, and thought the size was incredible…nice pocket gun. And rarely carried it. Why? It was too small and it got lost in my hand. Subsequently I was not really accurate with it and didn’t have a lot of confidence in it should it come to a gun fight. It sits in the gun safe. I was still without that really great sized CCW EDC pistol that I loved to shoot and had confidence i, should it come to free exchange of lead.

Then one day about 2 months ago after a security gig watching over two people I decided that I was going to get a different gun period. And so the quest began anew. While I was in the gun store last month I looked at the Sig P250 (9mm) and it was a nice looking gun and the right caliber. What I didn’t like was the grip…it was short, squat, and really didn’t feel right. I am not sure if it was the balance, weight, or something else. The gun wasn’t what I was looking for. It’s too bad because I liked everything I had read, great reviews, and it was a Sig. I was 95% sold. Well, 95% sold till I picked it up. I didn’t like the gun at all…not a single bit.

Not able to lose a sale the shop owner suggested I try a Sig 320. I liked the way it felt. I have large hands and I like the feel of a double-stack mag grip. I liked this gun, it felt really nice, it was a 9mm double stack so it held a few more rounds than I was used to, and it was a Sig. I was 95% sold. Well, 95% sold till I held it up next to my Ultra Compact. It was almost the same size and felt virtually the same weight. I was crushed.

I begged and pleaded with the owner to find me a solution…I was desperate…I had money in my pocket just burning a hole and needed a new gun. OK, maybe it wasn’t all that bad…sounds a little melodramatic for what actually took place.

Then the unspeakable happened, he asked, “Have you ever held a Shield?”

I recoiled in horror and disgust…it was a lowly Smith & Wesson pistol…an M&P Shield. I felt like vomiting in the trash can. What did this man think I was? Who did this peddler of pistols think I was? What an insult…I felt like challenging him to a duel! Offer a S&W to a Sig man…how thoughtless and stupid.

But, I was desperate…”No, let me try one” came my reply before I could stop myself. I should have cut out my tongue first…or at least after those despicable words left my lips.

After clearing it, he handed me this black, skinny, piece of plastic and steel that didn’t appear to be all that terrible looking. I cleared the gun myself and immediately noticed the little “peep hole” at the breach. Sweet! No more press checks to see if there is a round in the chamber…at a glance I can tell.

After a proper grip I noticed that the 18º grip angle gave me a very natural and accurate aim point. The grip was plenty long enough, my pinky finger didn’t dangle out in mid-air. I also noticed that the gun was very well balanced. All of those things added up to the Shield feeling very nice, and quite natural, in my hand.

I requested permission to dry-fire it. After a quick nod from the owner, I did so. I went very slowly on the trigger to assess the trigger quality. I wasn’t impressed. But, I also wasn’t disappointed. I had to remember that this was a striker fired pistol so it had to do several things at once, not just release the hammer. I will say that the trigger felt a little “gritty” but not bad. I estimated that the trigger pull at about 5lbs, the owner said it was 6.5lb trigger. Hummmm, my trigger finger must be getting stronger.

I mentioned it to the owner and he said there is a trigger replacement option that he promised was smooth as silk. It brings it down to the 4.7lb range and has zero “grittiness”. The price for the replacement trigger assembly sounded reasonable and I filed that away back in my head.

I saw that the factory sights were not night sights. Bad!!!  For me I feel night sights are an absolute must, no option, a pistol must have night sights. I talked with the owner and he mentioned that Tru-Glo makes a night sight option that is really sweet. He showed me a trainer pistol with them installed.

Let me explain about sights, night sights to be exact. Here in the desert southwest it is extremely bright outside about 394 days of the year…and I mean brilliant bright, hurt-your-eyes bright. And that tends to make sights in general disappear. You just lose track of the white dots in the bright daylight conditions. Not these Tru-Glo sights! These were amazingly easy to pick up quickly from a low-ready position. I loved them. When you get my age you need any edge you can get if you are going to get into a gun fight. These sights would be just such an edge in daylight conditions. But notice that there are supposed to be night sights…so how would they look at night.

Back inside the shop the owner said to go into the restroom and turn off the lights. There was no doubt that he wasn’t getting kinky or creepy so I did as he suggested…locking the door behind me just to be safe. The freaking night sights lit up really well…really well. And I liked an additional feature…the front sight was orange in color and the rear sights are green in color. Why is that important? If you want to, or need to, make a fast “snap shot” in the dark you don’t have to worry about sight alignment at all. Just set that orange colored front sight where you want it and pull the trigger.

This make-believe, half-plastic, striker-fired, non-Sig pistol kept feeling better and better the longer I held it. I was begging to fall in love all over again as if I were 15 and dating Sherri Greene at the Akron Rod Stewart concert. Meaning…This dang-gone Shield was nice!

After another 15 minutes of talking I ran for the door. No, not trying to steal the gun, I had to get out of there before I bought the thing. But, the owner and I parted on good terms. I was going to talk to a couple of friends to get their opinion and I thought a buddy of mine had one. I was going to ask him if I could shoot his before making the purchase. And to top it off…the owner made me an unreal deal on it. Because of my job I am eligible for a special discount…a substantial discount offered by S&W. The pistol retails for $449.00. Street price is $389 – $399. My price was going to be substantially less than that.

For ten days I did my research and everything –I mean everything– pointed that his was a great little gun. I had myself convinced that it was a match made in heaven. I had to own this gun. Back to the shop I went with money in hand and a “little kid at Christmas” attitude. And they were out of them!!! Yup, not a single 9mm Shield in the store. I was crushed! I ended up buying one, or I should say paying for one. And for that privilege of paying for it then and there I would get the first one that came in. Done!

But, here is my plan…

1. Only buy the gun, no accessories, nothing else but the gun.
2. Take 300 rounds to the range with the pistol and run the ammo through it. Different weights, loads, and types of ammo.
3. If the gun still was the right thing to do then I would buy, a two spare magazines, a good EDC holster, and good double-mag pouch.
4. Then run another couple hundred rounds through it on the following Saturday.
5. If I still liked it then I would get the Tru-Glo night installed sights on it.
6. And if I still liked it and have any money left over AND I still think the trigger is a little gritty then I will get the premium, gold-plated, platinum filled trigger replacement.

Once I have run 500 – 600 rounds through the gun and it has proven itself reliable and didn’t jam (no FTEs/FTFs) on more than one or two rounds AND I have the night sights on it…then I will begin to carry it as my EDC.

So, where am I today? I am just leaving for the range time for the first 200 – 300 rounds pushed through the gun. But, unlike my Sigs, I will clean the Shield first.

In my next article of this adventure I will report back on how the Shield performed at the range, and more about the night sights…assuming I get them installed.

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