I couldn't pass up a recent sale for the Shield 45. The pistol had received good reviews and I liked the idea of a small and light striker-fired 45 auto. Unboxing the pistol, I found the fit, finish and overall build quality to be good for a mass produced gun (IMO). Fully loaded with the 7 round mag, the gun was about 27 oz. which, by my standards, is pretty light for a carry 45 auto.

I've now made three trips to the range, going though 500 rounds of coated SWC and 100 rounds of XTP and Gold Dots with no function issues. While the grip texture felt like it might be abrasive, I really didn't notice it during or after the range sessions. It does "stick" to your hand and I can't imagine a situation where this pistol would slip in your hand while shooting. The rear cocking serrations are almost sharp-edged and do allow a sure grip in racking the slide. I found the trigger to be one of the best among the striker-fired pistols I've owned (my SIG P320 9mm is probably a little better but I haven't shoot them side-by-side). The trigger pull is smooth and seems fairly light (I don't have a trigger pull gauge), reset is noticeable and not too long. My real surprise was the accuracy of the pistol; at 7-8 yards it has been rather easy to keep 6 to 7 shot groups within 3 inches or less when I did my part. Also, I tended to shoot about 1.5 inches left if I didn't get enough finger on the trigger. Recoil was very manageable and quite a bit less than I expected for such a small pistol (I think the grip texture and grip length contributed to that). To this point, I am quite satisfied with the way the gun functions and shoots.

At some point I might change the sights, but otherwise I think it would make a good concealed carry pistol. I've been happy enough with it that I purchased a OWB from High Noon (I think the model is the "Snapper").

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I don't have any M&Ps but I have been considering a 9mm Shield to carry a reduced size 9mm. I am not surprised that the .45 Shield worked out so well. They remind me of the CS-45 in that respect. Top notch, diminutive .45. Excellent!

You sure won't get me to get rid of my 45 Shield. I like it that much.

I too was a little surprised/pleased with the accuracy of it when I shot it for the first time. I've put about 400 rounds through mine so far and I love it. Now I have to make sure I don't neglect shooting my shield 9mm that I bought last year. Some dilemma, huh?

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Congrats on the new .45. Nice review too. I don't have one, but I've handled one a few times in the local fun shop. The new grip texture seemed a bit much at first, but it's growing on me. It must be...I keep going back to handle it again...already on a slippery slope.

Congrats. Shot one yesterday for the first time. I really liked it.

If you keep going back to "just have another look" you are in trouble! Fortunately, the Shield is comparatively inexpensive and your credit card doesn't take too big of a hit.

I too am quite happy with my shield 45acp. I had to modify the grips with bike tube and a Pachmayr sleeve to get it to feel right, but it shoots quite nicely and has become my primary EDC . I also installed a HiViz FO front sight for fast target acquisition ( 70 year old eyes) and I'm a believer !

Congratulations!

I will chime in. Just purchased an M&P Sheild .45. shot it tonight for the first time. love the feel. But it shoots low. By 5". tried everything I could think of. love the gun. just need better site alignment.

I've shot 5 different Shield 45s. All have been dead center POA right out of box. And freakishly easy to do that

Aarrggghhhh! You guys are killin' me here. LOL! I want but cannot have for awhile. Saving my change.

Love mine. About 600 rounds through it and it keeps getting tighter groups. Can't complain about the size either. And I'm definitely all in for the 8 rounds of 45 available (7 in clip and 1 in the pipe) in a package that is just slightly over 1 inch wide compared to the 9mm which offers just one more round in the same size package. The grip is a definite improvement over the 9 and 40 shields as well. Nice job S& W. It just sticks to the hand. It has definitely become an easy choice for my EDC.
If you need anymore convincing and wondering about a laser, crimson trace is coming out in February with a model for it. lg-485.
Go ahead and grab one boys. Bet you'll think about letting some of your other pieces go pretty soon.

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Shield 45, BDM 9mm, pt111 pro

Finally got to the range with my 45 Shield and was pleasantly surprised at its accuracy and ease of getting back on target. It's a keeper.


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Ordered mine today. Now......I......must......wait.

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Just pretend this is witty.

Definitely a nice execution by S&W on the Shield 45.

I'll be at the range with mine sometime this weekend.

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I've loved the small 45 ACP concept and have owned two previously, an ATI Titan 1911 3.5 inch which had serious extraction issues requiring a trip to the factory and the services of a skilled pistolsmith.

After that failure, I made an even bigger mistake by getting a Kahr CW45. The Kahr fit my hand very well and had a goood trigger. End of positive Kahr attributes. The gun would not function reliably even after I followed the Kahr manual shooting over 300 break in rounds. A call to Kahr and I was told to shoot another 200 to 300 rounds before deciding something is wrong with the gun. It did start to work after that second round of 300 shots. Then the silly little wire takedown lever spring failed. Kahr sells replacements as they are a "wear item" just like the mainspring, which, not at all coincidentally, failed next at right around the 1000 round mark. Bye bye Kahr.

Yesterday I purchased a new Shield 45. Fits my hand perfectly. It's cleaned, lubed properly and ready for the range. Hopefully my third foray into the small 45ACP pistol world will be a complete success. I already have my Alien Gear IWB holster set up for the Shield.

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Virtue,Liberty & Independence

ordered one from PSA today, daily deal at $349 with free shipping. I couldn't pass it up, now the wait.

Congrats on your new Shield 45. I have one and liked it so much that I sold my Glock 36 and Shield 9. It shot better than the G36 and it has a bigger pop than the Shield 9 with both having almost the identical specs.

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Shield 45

You may have read this already. But here is a gel test with the .45 Shield
.45 Shield
January 20,2017
Weather 35*, Pressure 30inHg, Humidity 83%
FBI clearballistics 16x6x6 block with T bone 6x6x20" resulting in 22" in length
Block stored in 68* and utilized in 2 minutes of being outside
Block had one layer of each of medium weight nylon filled with polyester winter coat, followed by 200gr polartec fleece and 5.3oz Tshirt
This is typical winter attire here in NY. I used no denim as no one seems to be wearing denim around their chest
Results
Underwood 230+P XTP 20.5" penetration, .593" expansion
Underwood 185+P XTP 22" penetration, .55" expansion
Underwood 230+P bonded JHP 14" penetration, .677 expansion
Underwood 185+P bonded JHP 13.5" penetration, .690 expansion
Underwood Xtreme defense 120gr 17" penetration not designed to expand.
This Xtreme defense bullet went to 17" penetration in bare, 4 layers of denim and this test. Very consistent
Winchester Ranger 230+P over 22" and no expansion
Federal HST 230+P was the BIG surprise for me yet again. In bare gel it only went to 11 3/4" penetration and .880 expansion
In 4 layers of denim it passed through 20" of gel 3 out of 4 times. The 4th time in 4 layers it penetrated to 11 1/2" and .820 expansion.
Today the HST 230+p gr was STELLAR. Penetrated to 16" 3 out of 3 times and expanded to .859 on the widest one and .771 on the lowest expanded bullet.
So I did a 2 layer Hanes white cotton t-shirt test and the Federal 230gr HST+P penetrated to 13" and expanded to .875 on one round and penetrated to 13" and .818" on the other round
The standard pressure HST 230 did not do well at all in regards to penetration.
Through winter layers it penetrated 11-12" but expansion was incredible .912!!!
Through the two layer cotton t-shirt was 10 1/2'-11" penetration with .922 expansion!!!
Corbon DPX 185+P is by far the most consistent JHP so far out of the Shield. Penetrated to 14 1/2 to 15 1/2" regardless of bare, 4 layers of denim and this winter wear test. Expansion was between .750 and .780.
Looks like I will use Federal HST 230+P in the fall and winter time and undecided for the spring and summer. Either the Underwood Xtreme defense or the Corbon DPX 185+P

I've been dying to shoot since early October and my new S&W Shield 45 finally forced me to make some range time! I took the new pistol, 100 rounds of Berry's Plated 230 gr ball over 5 gr of Bullsey, 50 rounds of Speer 230gr ball, 50 rounds of Speer Gold Dot LE 230 gr HP and 50 rounds of Remington Golden Sabre 230 gr bonded JHP to my club's indoor range. Have five mags, three 7 round and two 6 round. Oh, and my Maglula loader, dang those mages have tough springs.

I fired the first seven rounds of Speer 230 grain at 25 feet and realized this would be no real challenge for me or the pistol! Moving back to 40 feet (we have a weird range setup) I loaded all the mags with more Speer ball and proceeded to shoot from a Weaver stance until I'd used up the 50 rounds. All shots were good elevation wise but three or so inches the the left.

Next came the Speer Gold Dot HP. Hit the exact same places as the ball, but in a tighter grouping. Centered but left. At least I know I wasn't jerking the trigger as none were breaking low. Recoil was a tiny bit more, however the pistol recovers very quickly and the white dot sights a super easy to keep on target.
I shot 30 rounds of the GDHP then moved to the Remington Golden Sabre. My first seven rounds hit in about a hand sized pattern to the left of center. Not as tight as the previous ammo. I tried three more mags and got similar results. I'll save the rest for my Range Officer, it loves Golden Saber.
No one hiccup yet, and I was loving the feel of the pistol.

Finally, I moved on to my 100 rounds of handloads, a duplicate of military ball ammo. The attached picture shows my first target of 33 rounds (6,7,7,7,6) all fired standing at 40 feet. On another target I was able to print a 7 round 3 inch group. I kept shooting without any problems until the final three magazines. The feed ramp had become very dirty causing the first round from each of the last three mags to hang-up, and the third round from the final mag stovepiped. Impressive performance, over 200 rounds from a brand new compact pistol (cleaned and lightly oiled before shooting) before any type of issue, and that was due to dirt.

The grip did not abrade, redden or irritate my hands at all. Moreover, the aggressive grip texture kept the Shield from moving in my grip making aimed rapid fire quite easy. The only thing I need to address; I have to drift the front sight to move the bullet impact to the right. I can't wait to try the Shield for accuracy after I've had a few more range sessions to get all my mechanics back in line!.

33 rounds on the target from 40 feet standing hold. Check out that bag of empty brass. The Shield 45 impressed me!

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Virtue,Liberty & Independence

Shot both my 9 and 45 Shields today. Love both guns but one thing is clear, it is significantly easier to one hole a target with the .45 than the 9. Fast Follow up shots are also easier for me.

Better trigger, slightly larger grip and longer and slightly heavier slide help immensely. The little bit of size increase makes the .45 feel like a much bigger gun, full size feel even.
The .45 just feels perfect.

The 9 is no slouch but it can't compete with the .45, albeit it feels much smaller IWB and conceals easier, much easier. Both have their place and glad I have both.

Try using " more finger " on the trigger of this pistol, which may well move your groups naturally to the right .....

YMMV

Steamloco76: I had a similar issue shooting a little to the left. When I put more finger on the trigger (1st joint) I was dead-on. Maybe related to the size of the frame, reach, hand sizes, or ???

I'm used to single action 1911 style pistols and revolvers where too much trigger finger causes issues. When I modified my trigger pull, I did get closer to the dead center. I have big palms with normal length fingers. I'm glad I kept everything inside the 7 on the 50 foot reduced NRA targets I used as a backer after firing less than 500 rounds in 2016.

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Virtue,Liberty & Independence

I guess I'll be the odd one out concerning the grip. I found it to be a bit rough for my taste, but a quick once over with an emery board fixed it right up...for me. Even after my field modification, it's still a more aggressive grip than my .40, but not quite so "scratchy". All other aspects of the gun are awesome. Now the dilemma of deciding which one to carry each day.

I have one big problem with my Shield .45............
My wife shot it and now that's what she grabs when she leaves the house, leaving her Glock 36 in the safe.

I just purchased the 45 Sheild as my first EDC. It was a gift to myself celebrating the recent win for the U.S. Constitution.
Truth be told, I dont have any handgun experience to compare it with but I love this beautiful piece of machinery. I dont know about you guys but when I fire mine, it feels like this one was custom made for me. I was really worried about having to completely change my life and basically feel like I adopted a child while gettin used to carrying everyday. Not with this firearm.
Again, Ive only had it a week but I can tell you, from a newbie stand point, this thing is top notch.
Thanks for the excellent review, BTW.

I was at the range the other day, and some gent happened to be shooting his 45 Shield right next to me. After me peeking over numerous times, he offered to let me shoot a couple of mags.

Wow, what a gun, it hit dead on. It fit my hand like it grew there, and the grip and trigger are perfect for me. Smith hit a home run with this.

The company is well on the way to 2,000,000 Shields.

I'll be looking for one myself, this is a winner. My first striker fired gun since I dumped my Glocks years ago.

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Sure you did

I just bought mine today

Went to Cabela's in Grandville MI on the 19 and looked at the Shield 45. They matched a local gun store price of $380.10 and then I used my Cabela's gift card I got from my Daughter and that knocked off another $50.00 Then, I will get a $75.00 rebate. Pretty nice.

I've shot it and had to drift the front sight to the left a bit as the groups were left of bulls eye. Just shooting Federal FJM from Walmart. No problems except kind of a gritty trigger at first.

Groups are quite good for such a small and light weight pistol. It is not "yet" up to par with my SIG P320 in .45, but I have not shot it that much yet. (live in the country and my range is about 25 yards from the back door). got it home and cleaned it and ended up shooting it at around 12:30 AM before going to bed. Wanted to see how well it shot and what the recoil was like. It's sharp, no doubt at all, with this light weight pistol. I will try some of my Winchester Ranger T RA45T ammo soon. Right now carrying Sig Sauer V-Crown 200gr JHP that really expand nice out of the SIG.
I notice it is kind of stiff to get the slide back far enough to engage the slide lock.

I worked out the issues with the striker safety plunger, so it is a lot smoother trigger now. Grip is definitely heavy stippled. Not saying good or bad, but way more "rough" than either of my Sigs.

First post, btw.


Thanks for the review, Granddad !!

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Vern