Your holster choice will impact carriability much more than the gun choice. The guns are practically the same.
It's the golden age of micro 9's. They are all good choices. You can't pick wrong. Don't get too hung up on the differences, which are miniscule compared to the similarities. The important part is to have it with you always, and practice!!!

 

If you’re a 43 guy, consider the cr920

 

Dimensionally, I prefer the Shield Plus. More grip surface and longer grip length with no sacrifice to concealability:

Glock G43 vs Smith & Wesson M&P 9 Shield Plus size comparison | Handgun Hero

Compare the dimensions and specs of Glock G43 and Smith & Wesson M&P 9 Shield Plus

www.handgunhero.com

 

I own both and I like both. I shoot the Shield Plus better and faster. It handles recoil a bit better than the 43 as well. It has been my carry pistol most often for the past 2 years. I carry it in a Vedder light tuck holster at the 4:00 position. It is a little heavier than the 43 but not enough to keep me from carrying it. I still carry the 43 when I need to be very discreet as the 43 grip is a little shorter. For me the Shield Plus has become my number 1 carry pistol.

 

I have both and carry or have carried both. Even with the Pearce +1 in the G43 the Shield Plus has three more rounds in the flush fit magazine or six more in the 13 round mag counting one in the chamber for both guns. The Shield Plus also has a better trigger and better sights, although I always spend the extra $100 for improved and night sights on any Glock since their stock sights kinda suck. The newer Shield Plus models have an excellent grip surface that is just right for myself and many others. The G43 definitely needs Talon rubber add on grips or the Hogue rubber grip thingy.

Although I carried my two G43s for several years as primary warm weather use, the Sig P365 and then the Shield Plus bumped them to mostly range fun along with some carry on neighborhood walks. Personal opinion, but between the Shield Plus and the G43 the decision easily goes to the Shield Plus. More capacity, better trigger, better sights and better grip texturing add up to a better choice. The Shield Plus also has available 15-round magazines which makes an excellent backup mag.

Good luck with your choice and may you shoot it in good health.

 

Shield plus for me.

 

The shield plus is my main EDC. It for me just cannot be beat. When I’m looking for a deeper concealment, I’ve enjoyed the cr920. I’ll be getting my third one here soon. Also the hellcat series is ultra reliable, snappy but reliable.

 

I carried the 43 and shield 1.0. The 43 is easier to conceal . The grip angle doesn’t stand out as much when pressed against a shirt ( printing ) .
But both seem good to me

 

I have both with the same brand holster and I always find myself reaching for the 43 in the morning. It just disappears on my belt while I always notice the extra size and weight of the Shield Plus even though the differences are small.

My brother in law is the opposite. He carries the Plus everyday and is really happy with it.

 

I have the 43, 43x optics ready and the Shield Plus Optics Ready. All three great guns. Whatever you choose, will work great. I'd give an edge to the Shield Plus if you get the regular as it comes with one ten round and one 13 round magazine. On guns that small, putting an optic on it makes it a big gun, so you might as well go up. I put a red dot sight on the 43x and rarely carry it due to size. My 43s are older and I retired them for the other two being higher capacity until Palmetto State Armory came out with their Micro Dagger. I bought two frames and put the 43 slides on them. With OEM 10 round mags or PSA 15 round mags, they have worked flawlessly. Again, you have great options no matter what you pick.

 

While I do not own a G43, @GlockyQ is the wisdom on that particular firearm and can help you out. As to the Shield Plus, I find it a soft shooter for a small 10 round gun. Hope this helps.

 

Great responses so far. Thanks for everyone's input. Also would be helpful to note if you prefer aiwb vs an iwb 4oclock etc and if that makes a diff. (I just mention this because I feel that AIWB make it often easier to conceal bulkier pistols)

 

I hate AIWB and I've never had an issue with concealing IWB or OWB. The Shield Plus and G43 are not bulky or hard to conceal pistols. I EDC OWB concealed with only an untucked t-shirt without a problem, and I've EDC'd a double stack 9mm for a while as well around the 3 o'clock position without an issue. What's hardest to conceal are longer grips, which neither the G43 or Shield Plus has.

 

I like the Masada Slim.

 

Actually I had my eye on the Shield Plus for a while and very much determined to buy one last year. So, I rented it just to make sure it would work for me. Everything went well, except for the slide stop/release lever, which I was having a hard time to effectively depress with my thumb, when I was doing one-handed shooting drill.... Perhaps it was due to my small hand size and arthritis, and this may not even be relevant to the OP.

When I practice emergency reload and malfunction clearing drills, I normally user my weak hand to rack the slide. But being able to release the slide by depressing the slide stop/release lever with my thumb IF needed is one of the critical features of a CCW I just cannot give up. Because I did not find any aftermarket "extended" Slide Stop/Release lever for the Shield Plus, I decided that it was not for me...

 

Actually I had my eye on the Shield Plus for a while and very much determined to buy one last year. So, I rented it just to make sure it would work for me. Everything went well, except for the slide stop/release lever, which I was having a hard time to effectively depress with my thumb, when I was doing one-handed shooting drill.... Perhaps it was due to my small hand size and arthritis, and this may not even be relevant to the OP.

When I practice emergency reload and malfunction clearing drills, I normally user my weak hand to rack the slide. But being able to release the slide by depressing the slide stop/release lever with my thumb IF needed is one of the critical features of a CCW I just cannot give up. Because I did not find any aftermarket "extended" Slide Stop/Release lever for the Shield Plus, I decided that it was not for me...

Have never seen this as an issue with rds in a mag. S&W have always been more diff to thumb slide release with empty mags.
For small hands, use your support hand to reach the slide release as you seat the mag & roll into your grip. I teach this for shooters with smaller hands & bigger guns like 1911 & CZ. In a Glock, even very small hands, slide release is right under ypur thumb.

 

Have both, love both. Carry both in a Crossbreed IWB and both are equally comfortable. G43 lighter and a bit smaller, Shield Plus heavier and shoots like a full sized gun. Both guns have been 100% reliable. Wouldn't part with either one.

 

Shield plus is my carry gun. I had a 43 and a 43X, but got rid of them after shooting my buddies shield 2.0 and then the plus came out. I AIWB carry in CYA holsters. To me , the plus is my last carry pistol I’ll have to get , I shoot it well and it’s easily concealed in the hot Florida weather with just tshirts.

 

Thanks for the pics and comments helps to vis

 

I bought a regular Shield with the manual safety before Glock produced the G-43. I have no complaints about the Shield and it's been perfectly reliable just like my Compact-size Glock pistol.

I do wonder about 9mm JHP ammo achieving sufficient expansion coming from a 3.1" barrel and if the G-43 were available at the time I would definitely have opted for the G-43 and it's 3.41" barrel for that reason.

 

The gel tests say most rounds will be just fine . They even make short barrel versions of some of the products out there .

 

It really doesnt matter what i or anyone else thinks or feels. We are all built diff, carry in diff holsters. Its just not a relevant question Imo. More important, which do you shoot the best in timed drills. The diff between the two in carry is miniscule.

 

Don’t just go by timed drills . Consider how well you can draw if your other hand is busy. It’s not just for C3 carry but appendix and 3 to 5 o’clock carry too- . See how well you do if you can’t use the other hand to move the cover garment . If you are knocked down, can you draw it. How well can you retain the gun if in a struggle ? For example, an ankle holster is very hard to defend if on the ground wrestling with someone . Cops tend to wear guns on the 3 to 5 o’clock and keep a bladed position to make a gun grab less likely from the person they are talking to as opposed to an appendix carry where the other person is closer to grab it. It’s also range safety thing if there is gun grab and they actually get their hands on it, an ND is less likely to be deadly to the officer if on the side and not at the appendix . If attacked from behind or on the ground , appendix is easier to defend against a grab .
All things to be considered.

 

I carry a 43x, but if it's between the S&P Shield Plus vs the 43, the S&P has some real advantages. First the barrel is shorter and the grip height splits the difference between the 43 and 43x. You can get OEM 13 round mags with the S&P. With the Glock there are some basic upgrades that ups the net price (i.e. sights), and possibly trigger upgrade. IMO the S&P is more of a shoot-out-of-the-box pistol. Base price for the S/W is a bit cheaper than the Glock to start.

FWIW, had the Shield Plus been available when I got my 43x I might have gone that way (but lost out on the education I got with the Glock).

 

Ended up grabbing a CR920 after looking into it based on Parabellums rec. We will see how it goes. Seems like best of both worlds with a G43 style ergos and double stack capacity. I'll drop a line here when I get it out to the range.

 

I’m ordering a 3rd cr920 this week

 

And here I am back to a G30 and a XD-S .45…

 

Love the XDs. Saw a Mod2 in .45 on sale that made me contemplate picking one up. But for now sticking with 9mm because $$$ and my other pistols are 9mm.

 

Get a Glock 43x, send it to Shield Arms and they'll do their "S10 Cut". They'll chop the grip down to a g43 length, and install a metal mag release. Here's the cool part, they just made these 10 round versions of their g43x magazines. So you'll essentially be getting a slimline version of the glock 26. It turns the G43x into what the G43 should have been originally. If you do it with a G43x MOS you'll also be able to put a light and optic on it, if want.

 

I've heard about this and it just seems like too much trouble and too much money. But is a good one to keep in mind and pretty cool.

 

I just see zero benefit from butchering a reliable Glock to get 10 rounds when there is a bunch of 10 round options.

 

Stop making sense before you get everyone upset.

 

My Gen 1 S15 mags have been 100%.

My Gen 3 S15 mags have also been 100%.

 

Get a Glock 43x, send it to Shield Arms and they'll do their "S10 Cut". They'll chop the grip down to a g43 length, and install a metal mag release. Here's the cool part, they just made these 10 round versions of their g43x magazines. So you'll essentially be getting a slimline version of the glock 26. It turns the G43x into what the G43 should have been originally. If you do it with a G43x MOS you'll also be able to put a light and optic on it, if want.

I've heard about this and it just seems like too much trouble and too much money. But is a good one to keep in mind and pretty cool.

I just wish GLOCK, the OEM, would release a short grip version of the G43X with flush-fit 8-rounder mag. Then I would buy two of them - one to carry and the other one to practice with. I would carry 8+1 rounds with a flush-fit OEM mag in the gun and a spare 10-rounder mag, and call it my EDC.
(Well, I might use TTI+1 or MagGuts+1 IF they also become available.... )