Keep looking for a M&P Sheild or just go with a P238 or P938

[nitrousjunky]

My wife and I will be taking a CCW class soon and are looking for what we will be carrying. I just sold my P250 40 and am looking at something small and easy to conceal. I've narrowed it down to either a M&P Shield 9mm (possibly 40 if I where to actually stumble onto one) or a Sig P238/938. I'm 5'11 & 190lbs, so I should be able to conceal any of these fairly easy. I normally dress in jeans & T-shirt or shorts & T-shirt. Do wear vest & jackets in the winter fairly often, but i want to this gun to work well with everything. I will primarily carry IWB in probably a crossbreed or possibly a Remora Clipless at times, but could possibly see pocket carrying on a few occasions. I do realize the P238 would probably be the easiest to conceal in every occasion.

I haven't even held A Shield in my hand yet, but we both have shot a M&P9C. My wife instantly fell in love with the M&P9C, but after watching reviews has decided she wants the Shield for ease of concealing on her. So we will probably be searching for at least one of these. I have shot a P238, it fit my hand rather well with the extended mag and shot very nicely. So I'm kinda debating whether I want to hold out and get us both Shields. Or go ahead with a Sig to give us a little diversity to carry/shoot/try out for a while.

As everyone knows the Shield is hard to find and aren't making to the shelves of most of my LGSs. It being about $150-250 cheaper than P238/P938s is appealing to me as we are looking at buying guns for both of us soon. However there are several options available locally to me for P238s and a few P938s. To anyone that has both, should I hold out for a Shield myself too or just go ahead and get another Sig?

Thanks for any input!

[DefensiveCarry.com]

[Frogbones]

Don't settle, get what you want. If you settle it will always "haunt" you. If you get what you really want, it's a good feeling that stays with you...unless the gun gives you chronic issues.

Though one can't really go wrong with a sig.

even though I like sigs.....I'd go with that M&P hands down.

[svgheartland]

I swapped my P238 for a Shield in 40 maybe 6 months ago and it was a great decision. It's not as concealable, or rather I had to adjust my carry approach, but no worries. It's very easy for carry, accurate and 100% reliable. I must admit that I don't care for how it settles in my hand but it shoots great so whaddya gonna do?

[GaugedFreak]

I absolutely love my P238. Unfortunately my wife stole it to carry. I've been debating whether to get a P238, P938, or a Snubby for summer carry. The P238 is so easy to conceal it's crazy, and it's a great little shooter. Everything I look at, I keep coming back to the P238. 9mm PD ammo is almost impossible to find around here these days, while .380 and .38 is plentiful. The P238 is thin and more concealable, has a great SA trigger like the 1911s I carry, and holds more rounds than a snubby. The snubby is easier and cheaper to find these days and I don't have one of those yet.... Decisions, Decisions...

[Qtip]

I have thoroughly enjoyed my p938. It seems there were some problems with the earlier ones, but the more recent ones run fine. Even the 9mm handles recoil pretty well for a gun that small, so I'm not hesitant to practice with it at all.

[ghost tracker]

Buy what you want, when you can! Sounds like you've caught the S&W Shield virus that's goin' around. You're not gonna' get over it buying another Sig. Be patient. You'll eventually forget the Shield wait. But you'll be reminded that you didn't wait...every time you holster your new Sig.

[1MoreGoodGuy]

I like the Sig P938. I have two of them. Very easy to pocket carry. If you get the P938, get some of the 7 round magazines...it really improves the feel of the grip with the little extender on the bottom of the mag.

Sig P938 bi-tone.jpg

Personally, I'd rather have a Sig P938 in my possession than be crossing my fingers hoping and waiting to find a M&P Shield.

Here is a thread on the P938 with links to other threads on the P938: What do you think of the P938?

[GH]

Order what you want & be prepared to wait. Hopefully it'll come shortly after you take your class & when your license arrives. Don't settle on just anything that's available at the time. I don't know enough about Sigs other than they're fine handguns but expensive. What I know are M&Ps & Glocks so that's all I can recommend.

[nitrousjunky]

GaugedFreak- Yeah a couple of the guys I work with have sold off P238s and later bought another one to replace it. There are now 3 guys carrying P238s and one carrying a P938.

1MoreGoodGuy- Honestly I want the extended Mag for either one of the Sigs. It just fits my hand better with it.

GH- I've thought hard about just ordering it and waiting, as I can't concealed carry it until after the class & license. Only thing holding me back from doing that, is I now after selling the P250, I don't have a good pistol for home defense. So that's my only hesitation to just ponying up and placing the order.

[The Haig]

My opinion and $1.75 will get you a 20oz soda at the local pizza shop (But not in NYC of course) but having said that I have both the Shield 9mm and the Sig P238. Even though I think the Sig is a great gun I much prefer the Shield over it for EDC. The Shield is more accurate, shoots better, is more powerful, holds more rounds and is easy to conceal comfortably. The Sig is a great pocket carry gun however where the Shield is just a bit too big.

[DHart]

I love my P938, but for most daily carry purposes, I consider the P938 to be a back-up gun, not a primary. And, with great 9mm mini guns like the P938 and PM9 available (quite close in size to most .380 models), I wouldn't even consider stepping down to a .380 as I don't see the compromise in caliber being necessary.

For a primary, I prefer greater capacity, and a bit more size and weight for superior control. From this standpoint, between the two, the M&P Shield would be my choice in your decision.

Beyond that, though, I'd prefer the M&P9C over the Shield, as I can conceal and handle the 9C every bit as easily and comfortably as the Shield and much prefer the greater capacity.

For me, the Shield is a "tweener" gun: not enough gun to be a great primary and not small enough to be a great backup. For some very small stature or very lightly built people, it might be a good choice as a primary.

[ACS_Matt]

I have a Shield, and I love it. That being said, I had a chance to shoot the P938 this last weekend and its great! If I had to pick between the two, it would be the P938.

[godawgs82]

I considered the Shield (borrowed a friend's for the weekend) but then chose the Walther PPS 9mm. I still think I made the right choice.

[sid1]

Both are sweet, Shields are hard to come by these days, but still can be found just at a premium price.
I own both shields and the sig p938 and love them all!

[contented]

I bought a Ruger LC9 when I couldn't find a Shield. About a month later I saw one but it was too late. The LC9 ok, but I wish I'd been more patient. As many have said, wait until you can find your first choice.