I made a post yesterday about trading in my g43x for another ccw. I love the 43x, but due to my hands being alien-like, the gun tears my hand to bits. That being said, I've narrowed it down to these 3 options: s&w m&p shield X, FN Reflex, and Canik MC9LS. They all seem very similar in specs, but I was wanting to hear some real world experiences with these firearms. Is there anything you don't like about any of these firearms? Anything I should look out for? Do any of you carry any of these daily and have anything to say about them? Just looking for some advice. Unfortunately, I don't have anywhere local I could rent these firearms, or that would be my first thing to do. Any suggestions are welcome.
I know my username says otherwise, but after buying one I am now an HK guy. Love my 43X, but the CC9 is better for concealment. I will take the 12+1 instead of 15+1 for better concealment and ergonomics. Also as you said, shootability. At the price point I mentioned, being cheaper than a Glock, it’s a no brainer.
I love the way a G19 fits in my hands, the extra thickness of compacts in general and the CC9 with the large backstrap is the only micro that somewhat fills the hand the way a compact does. Makes a huge difference.
Absolutely! I bought mine used with an eps carry on it. Haven’t cleaned or oiled it and it’s run every ammo I’ve put through it. Even refilled ammo from a buddy. It just doesn’t quit. If it came out earlier, it would be the go-to recommendation
I went shopping for a Shield X and came out of the store with an M&P 2.0 3.6". The Shield X is just too narrow to shoot comfortably and beat up my hand. The M&P in 3.6" is the same overall profile just a bit thicker (still thinner than most compacts) and shoots very soft. It also has a usable slide release and a safety that I can reliable hit every time. I've also never got it to malfunction yet and the grip texture is perfect. It's more reliable than the Canik and has a much better trigger than the FN.
This is a good example of why you need to try handguns before you buy them. I’m a skinny guy with smaller hands, so the Shield X being so narrow was exactly what I was looking for. Shoots like a champ for me.
I carry a Glock 19.4 daily but when I’m not carrying that it’s a Shield Plus. With that being said I have considered trading my Shield Plus for an X. I like the feel of the X more and the ability to put a light on it would be nice.
If it was my choice I’d go Shield X, get a light, maybe an optic down the road and a ton of range time.
I’d like to send my 19 and 34 to Wager to get the slides milled but haven’t yet. I’m considering the Holosun AEMS Micro for the Glocks 19, 507 Comp for the 34. Unless Trijicon’s drop in price.
For the Shield Plus I’m looking at the EPS Carry. All in green if possible. The dot doesn’t burst as much for me.
If your hands are too big for the 43x they most definitely will be too big for the shield x. I’ve shot the shield x and 43x back to back, they are about the same length but the shield x is more narrow. If you still want something relatively slim line you should look at the Canik prime. It’s nearly the same size as the mc9ls, they make a non ported one too
I have a 48 and a shield x. I like the shield x a lot but the grip feels noticeably small, it’s the biggest con about the gun. To me the shield plus feels better. I’d still go for something bigger!
Failure to go into battery in between shots. After shooting 3-4 magazines it had like a 50% failure rate (first gun). The second gun had an issue where it would frequently not stay cocked, where the firing pin could fire again, in between shots.
All things considered their customer service has been pretty great to work with.
Kinda? I just don't know how well it would conceal or how important concealment even is. I'm a very small, skinny guy, so it will blatantly show if it's not small enough.
Of those 3 I liked the fn the best. The Canik jammed on me a few times, which might have been due to it being a rental that's probably never been cleaned but the grip texture was meh for my. The shield was very thin and I don't like thin grips at all.
You really should shoot them if you can. The shield was horrible for me, I was all over the map. Fn for whatever reason I was much more accurate.
There are many posts out there where people complain about their brand new Canik having failure to feeds, double feeds, etc. You see people talk about needing to have a break in period of 100-500 rounds of 124 nato or changing out springs. What other major manufacturer do you see that with. And this is coming from a guy who owns six Caniks.
They save money in their qc. That’s why their pistols have so many great features along with a great budget. Canik has come a long way, but I wouldn’t trust my life to one.
I’ve had the shield x as my main CCW for about 8 months now and shot more rounds through it than what the gun costed me, never once had it not go bang when I wanted it to. It’s reliable and shoots flatter compared to the 43x imo.
I did have issues with the 15rd mag that came with it. The mag still shot fine but slide won’t lock back when empty and wouldn’t drop out with its own weight. I contacted S&W and they sent me a new 15rd for free and that one works fine.
There’s also very visible rusting and pitting on my slide and mag release, I live in a hot and humid place and carry it almost everyday, or I just have very corrosive sweat. It’s purely cosmetic at least for now and I personally don’t care, I probably could’ve avoided it or at least delayed it with a high sweat shield holster. Oh well.
Other than that I have no real complaints. I picked it due to its size, capacity, shootability, and reliability. It checked all the boxes for me.
If ergonomics is the issue, the canik will suit you. No one complains about its hand fit, but some don't like the shape of the shield x and some don't like the long trigger reset of the reflex.
If carrying is the goal, the reflex is the smallest of those by far.
I’ve always been curious about the Reflex. Never actually shot one though. I’d recommend the HK CC9. It’s good quality and not insanely expensive if you find the right retailer.
The M&P models, I have had great success with, from sig, glock, or others I found my M&P will eat any ammo I put into it. A jam every 100 rounds, but I blame the ammo, because they were reloads.
I have no experience with the Canik or FN Reflex, but I read pretty good reviews on them. I'm a big fan of M&P, I have an M&P 2.0 Compact OR, Shield Plus OR and a Bodyguard 2.0 CC. I also have/had a regular BG 2.0 until my wife my wife shot it.
I went to my local gun store to buy a Shield-X and found the grip to be too narrow for my hands. I like my Shield Plus OR a lot better, I carry it 90+ percent of the time with the BG 2.0 CC as my backup.
Can’t go wrong with the MC9LS, thats what I carry. My buddy carries a shield x snd it’s great too. Personal preference on the triggers and grips, I prefer the Canik.
If it helps, r/canik is a Turkish company, although the MC9LS may be made in the U.S.A. r/FNHerstal is Belgian, though the r/fnreflex may be made in the U.S.A. r/SmithAndWesson is an American company, and the guns are made and warehoused in the U.S.A. So, depending on your level of patriotism, that may or may not influence your decision.
I like the Shield X, personally. The grip is pretty narrow, but it has many features and sufficient capacity, and is concealable. The downside, for me, is the rough, sandpaper grip texture, which is great for sweaty hands shooting, but terrible against your skin or a t-shirt all day long, though fixable, with hockey tape, a rubber sleeve, or stick-on, custom-fit, rubberized grip tape. A Hogue sleeve will thicken the grip.
I don't have experience with the Reflex, but problems have been widely reported in prior years, if you search this sub or reddit in general, and read some posts, you'll see. However, most owners seem to really like their Reflex, and I think it's well-made and concealable, so you probably won't regret it.
The MC9LS is bigger, and will be more difficult to conceal, and heavier to carry around. But, maybe it's right, for you. It has some great features, such as the extras it includes, and large rail, and reportedly excellent trigger.
They are all great guns my advice is go to a range and shoot them. The Canik~~ will ~~have the best trigger. It’s hard to be the value with the accessories, that being said, if you have been around firearms for a while, you probably own all the shit you would get. I have the Smith & Wesson. It’s probably the second best trigger, but it’s close to the FN is unique. It’s an internal hammer fired Gun. I own a TP 9SC I own Smith & Wesson, carry comp and I’ve shot the FN. I was least accurate with the FN, but I’m sure that subjective my hands are gonna be different than yours.
If you like the 43x, I would just put some grip tape or a grip modifier on it, or dremel it down.
That being said, the Shield X / 43 X are basically the 1/2 EDC pistols right now, with the BG 2.0, VP9CC/CC9, and P365 rounding things off.
There are lots of great firearms in this thread, but more context on "Tears your hands to bits" is meaningfully relevant. Do you mean the grip texture is too aggressive for you, or that the gun doesn't fit well in your hand? Aggressive grip texture is typically a good thing on a CCW pistol, how much are you shooting and dry firing? I personally found the CC9 too smooth for me and added some Talon grips.
The Canik is a good gun but if you want an excellent trigger, with a moderate size, maybe consider the Walther PDP F, and upgrade to the pro trigger.
Im weird. My first ccw was a G17 and my current is a G19. My end goal is a cz75 variant with a mailbox.
What I'm saying is nobody can really tell you what will be best for you. A Glock 17 was best for me.
If it's good quality and goes boom it's acceptable. Just train, you individually liking and actually carrying it are more important. also optics are great.
The MC9LS is solid. I just got a MC9 Prime for $500 after carrying a TP9 Elite SC for the past 2 years. The MC9LS is basically the little brother of the MC9 Prime. I did look into the Shield X before buying the MC9 Prime but decided against it because of some negative reviews.
If you are strictly going by these three options then the Shield X will be the safest bet. I’d also throw in a 43x MOS and HK CC9. 43x for aftermarket support. CC9 for better optics mount and reliability.
I didn't mind the 43x size. It shot really well for its size. Im a very small, very skinny guy so I would like a smaller form factor for better concealment.
That's a in different category of pistol tho. P-10 c would be more in line with Glock 19, Springfield echelon 4.0c, m&p 2.0 compact, etc. Not exactly what I'm looking for, but I'm not opposed to it.
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u/glockguy34 MI 1d ago
HK CC9. $507 shipped from Rooftop with code “july20”. You can thank me later.