Will, I just purchased the mesh which came in something like 2'x4' and had the body shop fit it - since it involved taking the bumper, cutting the cross bar, moving a few parts ..... instead of perhaps using push pins to secure it from the sides and the top of the opening, they wrapped around the back of the mouth and glued it.
And for all the others, yes the radiator shields works great. I used mine for years until I opted for this more open option primarily for track also to refresh the look; which still doesn't exclude using the shield.
As for the AC shields, definitely, those get damaged/clogged quicker than the radiator!