Just ordered a crossbreed mini tuck and have put 125 rounds down range of pmc and federal hst 124 grain standard pressure without a hiccup. It came down to the XDS 4.0 in 9mm and the shield in 9mm. Both felt great in the hand. XDS was a little aggressive with grip texture and the shield was a little to slick (not quite aggressive enough but still good). Loved the 4.0 idea. It is basically a polymer CCO and wouldn't be any harder to conceal then the shield but in the end the $100-150 price difference made me say no.
Another reason I got the shield is I really couldn't tell the difference between it and my 25 oz S&W 908s in recoil. There is a little more muzzle blast and flip with the shield but surprisingly the 6oz of weight loss made no difference in snappiness or push to the hand if you will. Also, since I have long skinny fingers the shield and the xds were a perfect fit for all three fingers on the grip with no hang off and run flush with the base of the grip with the standard mag. Finally, someone has made a grip where I don't need a pinky extension!
Looked at several others, PPS, Kahr LC9 etc etc but this is the only one that worked for both my wife and I. This is basically the smallest package in a single stack nine that I can get a full grip and still be comfortable to shoot all day. I think the xds and PPS both come in a close second and would also be great options for me but I saw no reason to spend the extra coin when this did all I required.
Might post pics but I am lazy this weekend!
