I love the shield lineup. My everyday carry is the shield 9mm with an iwb alien gear holster carried very comfortably. I just bought the shield 45 and tried carrying it and it is completely uncomfortable. The new abrasive grips work very well while shooting but carrying it iwb is virtually impossible with the skin abrasion due to the grips. I toted it for 2 hours out to dinner and couldn't wait to take it off. Any recommendations on a quick justifiable fix? A t shirt behind the holster is not going to work. Too hot for that

Talon rubberised grip....problem solved

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Hipcocked45

+1

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Improvise, Adapt, Overcome

Others have reported sanding the grips just enough to take the sharp edges off. I have no experience with this.

Another vote for Talon rubber grips.

Yeah, really sharp grip texture is nice in the store, but in reality too much. I haven't held a Shield in .45ACP yet so, this is just comments on grips in general.

I thought I wanted grips with really aggressive texture. Then I went through a class and some practice where I shot 200-400 rounds in a single day; no bueno. I've since learned that the way the shooter grips the gun is far more important than the texture. With the correct grip, smooth texture is no problem.

I've always thought the texture on the standard M&Ps and the Shield 9mm and .40S&W was great. I'm sorry they got a little over zealous on the .45ACP.

Get some 400 grit sand paper and tame it down a little. With proper application, no one will know you made any changes.

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Freedom isn't free.

I put grip tape on one side to protect my skin. It works very well and the stipples feel great in the shooting hand.

I used 400 grit wet sandpaper to lightly buff the points off the texture of my Shield 45. Easy to do, don't get aggressive and check it often. Give a little extra attention to the body side of the grip where it makes contact. Mine is comfortable yet still very grippy.

I carry this one against bare skin all day long with no trouble:

Your mags are black ??

They are after I bead blasted 'em and refinished them with Duracoat

My solution was admittedly a bit unorthodox, but I basically smoothed/flattened the stippling a bit with the glazed side of a piece of old tile. Didn't risk marring the polymer that way, and the treatment made it tolerable enough to carry under a t-shirt in an AIWB position.

The stippling still allows plenty of grip.

Sanding the texture lightly works well. Talon grips are very good as well. On mine I chose to use Agrip from Brooks Tactical. Love that stuff! Soft on your hide, but amazingly grippy.

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SFC, US Army, Retired

Did you just use the regular Shield AGrip for your 45?

Will look like this with Talons

KIMG0098.jpg

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Hipcocked45

I wear an undershirt. Always have so I don't have issues with holsters or grips rubbing against skin. I realize thats not for everyone

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I grew up in Florida and now live in Louisiana. Wearing 2 shirts is hot and uncomfortable. I've been looking at the N82Tactical holsters because they protect the body from stippled grips.

I'm in SE Pa. All summer 90+ degrees and 100% humidity. I find an undershirt comfortable and if I sweat it doesn't sweat through the top shirt.

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After the first week of carrying the 45 instead of the 9mm I did decide the inner top of the grip area was just a little bit too abrasive. I very lightly sanded just that area and it feels much nicer now.

I sort of like the stippling on the 45. You can control the pistol very easily without a very tight grip at all just letting the weight of the pistol sit into your hand without any " death grip " thing going on. It's not going to jump up and bite you like you might think it will even with full house ammo.

I used to carry the 9mm at just about 2:30 most of the time in a hybrid IWB but the 45 seems to like to be at almost exactly 3:00 for some reason.
A very comfy carry and the slight bit of added weight is not objectionable and the slightly larger overall size is BARELY noticeable but real. Side by side the 45 is larger in pretty much every dimension but only slightly so.

If you have large hands, you probably would like a grip wrap or tube to cover the grip and make it a hair fatter. This solves the width and the stippling issues. If you like a thin grip then a little bit of sanding on the inside of the grip area will do the job just fine IMHO .

I had to do the light careful sanding as well on my 45 Shield grips to make them comfortable to carry. I did it very carefully to make sure it was nice and even all the way around and made sure to only get the texture and not hit the frame. I did the sanding job because I hate slip on grips and I do not like stick on grips as well, I like the original grips of a pistol better. They are now perfect and permanent for carry and still have a good amount of grip left but not overly aggressive like I thought they were for every day carry, if its up against your skin all day it will start to bother you at some point I guarantee it. I figured that out myself after the first day of carrying it all day lol!

Thanks for recommending the talon grips. They have been applied and are all I was hoping for. So much more comfortable carrying concealed then stock

Yes I did. Worked well and feel's great. It's more expensive than the other's, but after feeling it, I'd use it again.

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SFC, US Army, Retired

Good info - thank you.

I love my new Shield 45 but same as most on this post the stipple grip is wearing my side out. Used the suggestion of 400 sandpaper and what a difference that made. I left the other side of the grip untouched so it's still very easy to use. Ready to hit the range again.

Another vote for Talon Grips. I have them on most of my polymer guns and they work great.

I"m not a fan of the new grips - way too rough on my hands and I imagine even worse on my body.

It's the prime reason I'm not getting the .45

I love the texture on my Shield 45. I thought the grip on my Shield 9 was a little too slick. I don't have any problem carrying the 45, since I wear underwear.

How is that Apex flat faced trigger working out? Their website says not for use in 45 Shield, just wondering if it works.