Last question of the O.P. What do YOU carry and how, is in comfortable! Full size 10 MM 1911 in a IWB hybrid holster at the 3:30, 4:30 right side and it's very comfy! Left side are two double mag pouches for a total of 5 mags, 51 rounds of the good stuff. One mag is 220 gr Jacketed solids for the possibility of a tango behind the wheel! It's real easy to tell which mag too! Holster made by Ryan@ OregonHolsterworks, and mag carriers made by me, with ultra strong magnets to provide extra retention! All are adjustable for carry retention, and super slick for the draw and reholster.
Nice! Did you have that one made the day we got together for @Sgt Nambu ? I recall he was in the shop making holsters when I had to leave. When I drop the next 50 lbs I could pull that setup off.
Yesserie! Ryan was up to his eyeballs in holster making that day! First was Greg, then Tony, and finally Me! Hey Sarg, did Ryan make you one too? I know you were talking about having one made!
3M states "I currently carry an S&W Shield that meets these criteria and which I am very satisfied with." If it works for you and you're very satisfied with it why change? This is a subject I've done a lot of research on and the research I've done indicates that there's not enough difference between the 3 main service calibers to make any one of them clearly superior. They're all adequate but none are really excellent. That's not to say a specific bear gun wouldn't be a bad idea but I don't know that I'd be looking to switch calibers for general carry. I carried a .40 S&W for several years (CZ75B & S&W 4006) but the older I get the more noticeable the recoil is. I shoot .40 well but after about 50 rounds it's not fun. There's also the fact that 9mm is noticeably cheaper than .40. All that said I don't like single stack guns. If I was going to switch out my Shield I'd do exactly what I did and trade it in for a M&P9C (which I eventually traded in for a Glock19)
IMO the 9mm is adequate for self defense with a modern bullet design, but it along with the 38 Special are at the low end of the scale. More is better so long as it doesn't detract from other factors. I'm also moving to country where it gets colder in the winter and my have more clothing layers to deal with.
I live in Colorado. If you feel that another caliber better suits your needs then by all means get the .40/10mm. I agree that .40 hits harder I just don't think it's enough harder to justify a switch.
Not had a lot of like to like testing to compare, but I have shot some Glock .40, and HATED it, the recoil was horrible and no weight to bring it back down on target (Glock bias confirmed haha), shot .40 from a Baby Eagle, thought that I would carry that gun if it shot BBs, shot 10mm 1911s and thought it was a pussycat with distant claws. I like the 10mm, especially with +P options, and have been debating going to it if I get into autos again...plus you can get a warranty on your gun, which you can't on several makes of .40, because they are so high pressure.
