Weapon cord and shield arm

[The black raven]

Say I secured my crossbow to my shield arm with weapon cords.

If I drop my crossbow, I cannot use this hand for using a weapon (including a shield bash, way I read it). But do I still benefit from the shield's bonus to AC ?

[blackbloodtroll]

What kind of Shield?

What kind of Crossbow?

[The black raven]

My original situation was Heavy Wooden Shield and Light Crossbow for my 1st level Cleric (BAB 0, no Quickdraw feat).

But I realized that the main problem there was that I would have a -2 to my shooting.

So, I will trade my Shield for a Buckler, which allows me to shoot with no penalty and I can use the buckler when I am not shooting to get its bonus to AC. Way I understand it, I am not even required to drop my crossbow to use the buckler.