That M&P has been worked a lot harder than any individual 1911 I carried before it, too. Even after I pared the 1911 stable down severely, the Pro or the old Colt or, later, the CCA custom, would spend maybe a month or three at best on holster duty before getting rotated to the safe or range bag, which was no biggie since the guns were set up pretty much identically.
I meant to ask you this a while ago but forgot. Do you think your transition from the 1911 to the M&P would have been easier/smoother had you gone with a thumb safety equipped M&P?
ReplyDeleteI'm trying to recall when I got my 9mm Shield, I think it was two years back. It's interesting to observe that my pocket carried blaster has less wear than your presumably holster carried one. BTW, still very happy with the Shield in it's role of "replaces the pocket carried J frame".
ReplyDeleteIt does look rather scuffed up. How does that compare to what would happen to a steel framed gun? Is there any impact on the function or reliability of the gun? What would it take to clean up the appearance?
ReplyDelete"It does look rather scuffed up. How does that compare to what would happen to a steel framed gun? Is there any impact on the function or reliability of the gun? What would it take to clean up the appearance?"
ReplyDeleteMost of that scuffing is on the CTC Lightguard.
Steel-framed guns get cosmetically scuffed-up, too if you use them a lot. (Interestingly, if it were flipped over, you'd see some pretty impressive scuffs on the steel slide, too.)
No.
Heck if I know. Blowing off all the lint would help.
I've still not gotten to the point of reading about your transition from 1911 to tactical Tupperware.
ReplyDeleteI blame Matt Bracken. I finally read the Enemies trilogy since he generously put the Kindle versions out free :)
Plastic guns have no soul! - Guffaw, Guffaw in AZ
ReplyDeletegfa
Is tool. Has no soul. Estwing hammer has no soul either, but drives nails just fine.
ReplyDeleteIs tool. Has no soul. Estwing hammer has no soul either, but drives nails just fine.
ReplyDeleteNot to disparage your efforts here, which obviously are interesting to your readers and characteristically entertaining, but this post is a humourous testament to your morning doldrums: After explicitly complaining about snooze buttons and crappy TV, the most you could muster for a substantive post was taking a picture of your gun.
ReplyDeleteThat picture's a week or two old, and this isn't even the post I meant to use it in.
ReplyDeleteHa. Then you couldn't even muster a picture? Y'all's winter would do well to realise that it's spring time.
ReplyDeleteAt least you've got a full day of in depth debris coverage to look forward to.
OH MY GOD THE FREE ICE CREAM ISN'T EVEN THE FLAVOR I WANTED THIS FREE ICE CREAM PARLOR SUCKS
ReplyDeleteYeah, you really need an artisanal, organic, locally sourced carry piece.
ReplyDeletePerhaps I was unclear, but I don't generally use adjectives like "interesting," "characteristically entertaining," and "humourous" when I'm criticising something.
ReplyDeletenothing a little brake cleaner and compressed air won't fix.
ReplyDeleteBesides no soul there is also no concern for your health and welfare. A 20-oz. Eastwing framing hammer will get you a case of bursitis really fast and a blown-up elbow is no fun when you go to slow-prone.
ReplyDeleteAny friends who own ultrasonic cleaners? One of those and a buffing wheel do wonders. Otherwise you've gotten more than your monies worth of service from that pistol.
ReplyDeleteJust curious, are you using a Kydex holster? Seems that the hard plastic combined with the sandy range where I shoot totally ate the finish (if you can call it that) off of my Kimber.
ReplyDeleteAt least you don't have 94-95F body temps to add enhancement to your SAD!
ReplyDeleteMildest winter we have had here in years, and I'm freezing my butt off. Damn thyroid wanted a vacation, I guess.
Sport Pilot,
ReplyDelete"Otherwise you've gotten more than your monies worth of service from that pistol."
Dafuq? There's nothing wrong with that gun but some scuffs and lint. There's no reason it won't go on being my CCW gun another five or ten years or more at this rate.
Al T.,
"Just curious, are you using a Kydex holster?"
Yes. Those are schmears of blue kydex on the side of the light housing.
Tam said...
ReplyDeleteBlowing off all the lint would help.
That seems to be the biggest issue I have too. It's about time to detail strip and clean mine.
You are correct, aside from honest wear and fuzz bunnies your M&P 9 is good to go for years. I merely pointed out your investments paid for itself already.
ReplyDeletePhew! I thought you were suggesting it needed putting out to pasture, and it got my inner penny-pincher up. :D
ReplyDeleteYep, daily carry does scuff up a gun, but it's a tool not a showpiece... And that's one of the reasons I do at least a monthly teardown/clean if I can't get to the range... Dustbunnies in the barrel/action are not good! :-)
ReplyDeleteWould the M&P Shield 9mm version do as well?
ReplyDeleteI, for one, welcome this free ice cream...
ReplyDeleteNotClaus, mine, a sample of one, has done extremely well IMHO. Check my earlier posts, it's a pocket carried Shield and it shoots well. Again, IMHO, it's a superb replacement for a pocket carried five shot J frame.
ReplyDeleteSo was the .357 a wheelgun M&P or the .357 Sig cartridge? and what did you think of it? Apart from the fact that it's "carried" and not "carrying"
ReplyDeleteOf the Shield's I've seen that were really used, yes. I'm ornery though and after a PF9 & LC9 I went with the SA XD9s.
ReplyDeleteIs .39 Dustbunny the new tacticool kaliburrrrr, for use in the land of endless winter?
ReplyDeleteJim
Sunk New Dawn
Galveston, TX
I've got a G19 that has been shot and carried enough I've worn the finish off the front corners of the slide. Still seems to run fine. I see nothing wrong with yours!
ReplyDeleteTom the Impaler,
ReplyDeleteSome more here.
Ah, Thank you. It dovetails with my observation lately that in a panic, the "common" calibers are in fact impossible to get and the guy with the 8mm Lebel, 7mm RSAUM or .416 Rigby is grinning into his beer.
ReplyDeletepart of the reason i reload .32-20. :)
ReplyDeleteBeen carrying my XD 4" in .45 for about the same period (maybe a tad longer) in a Fobus paddle and one of the surprises has been how little the finish has worn.
ReplyDeleteMust be something in the brain waves but I took five or six minutes yesterday when I got home to field-strip and run some Gunzilla through the parts that might benefit from same. I've shot this piece regularly (and used the last day of our TR pistol class) and it's still lookin purty shiny (in a matte-black kinda way)
Heh, funny to see my comments all over that .357 Sig thread.
ReplyDeleteI'm a couple of steps closer to a .40. I've turned my SW9VE into $250 and should turn my Taurus PT-22 into $150 next week.
I have my eye on one of those used M&P .40s at Bud's for $399 shipped.
The 1911 I just rebuilt(new frame and some parts)looked pretty worn before; I could refinish the slide, but it'll get just as worn again after a couple of years(or less). Which doesn't make it shoot any worse.
ReplyDeletePersonally, I don't like the thumb-safety M&Ps I've seen; just not in the right place to suit my hand.
Since it's in the picture, and no one else has brought it up, what's the story on the 2022? I have been giving one of those in 9mm at the local big box sporting goods place the hairy eyeball for a year or so, waiting to see if they'll keep dropping the price to a point that Dr. Wife won't notice.
ReplyDeleteScott J, unless you already own other .40 S&W pistol's it's kind off overrated and expensive. I carried and trained with G22/27 for years. Overall experiences have me more in the 9mmP camp with the 1911 GM in 45ACP as well.
ReplyDeleteScott J:
ReplyDeleteThe only reason, at this point, to own a .40 is to have a weapon that can handle that ammo in a possible SHTF situation.
Recoil is snappy. Bothers some people. Ammo is expensive. Since they are generally built on a 9mm frame size, they tend to fail at faster rates than the equivalent 9mm would.
The .40 is much more likely to Kaboom! with bullet setback, than most other calibers. The very high pressure, and the loading/chambering dynamics of typical pistols seems to be the main cause. I've investigated this, and it is f'ing scary.
I'm looking to convert my .40 into a 9mm.
The recoil doesn't bother me in my primary hand, but I'm already having problems with my off hand/wrist, so I don't need the future aggravation it may cause. Plus, I need to practice more with that hand, and I avoid it now. Aging is not fun.
"The only reason, at this point, to own a .40 is to have a weapon that can handle that ammo in a possible SHTF situation. "
ReplyDeletePrecisely why I want it.
My intent is to get it a Storm Lake 9mm conversion barrel for range toy use.
Ultimately my intent is to have a M&P and Glock 19 to go with my XD-9 when introing a new shooter.
Buy a high quality CCW gun, then take care of it and it will last longer than you will.
ReplyDeleteYea it will have alot of it's finish gone, but it will work fine.
Does it still work?
ReplyDeleteglenn,
ReplyDelete"Does it still work?"
Yes.
Paul,
"Buy a high quality CCW gun, then take care of it and it will last longer than you will. "
For most people. Most people carry a gun a lot more than they shoot it. On the other hand, I know people who have shot many high quality handguns until they were junk. Fortunately, I only shoot a fraction of what they do, so I anticipate eventually replacing this one because I want to, not because I have to.
I shoot my carry pistol, a Kimber Custom II in IDPA matches and, once in a while, USPSA.
ReplyDeleteI everyone who carries should shoot USPSA or IDPA with their carry guns. It's the best way to find out about you and the instrument that you are betting your life on.
As a side note, I do not shoot these matches because I'm interested in the competitive side of shooting. I shoot these matches to familiarize myself with my weapon.
-Blake
Tam,
ReplyDeleteEvery Year my carry G-19 gets a hot bath and an oil rub. I run the frame under hot soapy, then hot clear water. Scrubbing it internally with a toothbrush when I soap her. Then I give it a good rubdown with ArmorAll and re-lube the rails, springs and friction points. Looks almost new when I am done.....but I can never get that new Gun smell back......
Gun wears. Tam still hot.It's math.
ReplyDeleteI know people who have shot many high quality handguns until they were junk. Phew!! Thank God, now I can shoot the hell out of the Sig and other crap, and just leave the Ed Brown for carry.
ReplyDeleteSince it's a major cost-boner I don't dare pull it out unless it really ~IS~ absolutely necessary. Talk about carrying around some insurance - to NOT shoot...
And Louis (I know you don't read this but I wish you did), thanks!
Sounds like some folks would get the vapors if they saw my usual carry, a Colt from the very early 80s. The steel was exposed at one time to Maryland humidity, and had to be ground down to get the worst of the pitting off before it was moly coated.
ReplyDeleteBut it's damn accurate and has been 100% reliable.