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Smith & Wesson M&P Pistols All Variants of the Smith & Wesson M&P Auto Pistols


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Old 03-08-2017, 06:26 PM
jrvariel48 jrvariel48 is offline
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Default .45 Shield at the range

Today was my 2nd trip to the range with my Shield .45. I fired 200 rounds of Remington 185 gr. round nose with absolutely no problems at all! Sorry no pics of the targets, but I'm not good enough to show them or comment on accuracy. All I can say is that the ammo and the gun worked perfectly together. I also noticed I was able to release the slide lock with my thumb, unlike last time. I guess it's loosening up a bit! Sorry about the picture, I don't know how to straighten it out!
Thank you,
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Old 03-08-2017, 06:36 PM
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OP, i wouldn't be worried about target pix not good enough to show. I'm an avg shooter who at times can do pretty decent, and i post them all the time. After all, i figure i'll get one of 3 responses.
"Nice shooting."
Or
"Looks good, but i notice this and maybe try that to correct."
Or, i wont hear anything at all which doesn't bother me one bit.

After all, i'd have to say the high majority I've encountered on this forum have been more than friendly and helpful when needed.
Give it a shot (sorry bad pun lol)
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Old 03-08-2017, 06:44 PM
jrvariel48 jrvariel48 is offline
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Originally Posted by Ranger17 View Post
OP, i wouldn't be worried about target pix not good enough to show. I'm an avg shooter who at times can do pretty decent, and i post them all the time. After all, i figure i'll get one of 3 responses.
"Nice shooting."
Or
"Looks good, but i notice this and maybe try that to correct."
Or, i wont hear anything at all which doesn't bother me one bit.

After all, i'd have to say the high majority I've encountered on this forum have been more than friendly and helpful when needed.
Give it a shot (sorry bad pun lol)
Haha!! Ok Ranger17, next time I'll put them up!! Thanks for the honest opinion and encouragement!
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Old 03-09-2017, 09:32 AM
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Haha!! Ok Ranger17, next time I'll put them up!! Thanks for the honest opinion and encouragement!
22 12th SS

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Old 03-09-2017, 10:58 AM
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A buddy of mine bought one of the new .45 ACP Shields and he showed me how rough (swirled machine marks) the bottom of the slide is. Looks like S&W is leaving out steps. All that being said, my buddy said the pistol functioned without any issues. He ended up polishing out the tool marks himself.
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Old 03-09-2017, 11:22 AM
LAA LAA is offline
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A buddy of mine bought one of the new .45 ACP Shields and he showed me how rough (swirled machine marks) the bottom of the slide is. Looks like S&W is leaving out steps. All that being said, my buddy said the pistol functioned without any issues. He ended up polishing out the tool marks himself.
Every 45 Shield is like that. Perhaps it's an extra step that would require a change in tooling setup, extra cost, ?...... I don't know. Personally, considering where the marks are, it hasn't bothered me. I am terribly picky about machine work, wood work, and the final fit & finish of a product. Yet, for some unknown reason, those particular marks, considering they're not rough edges due to lack of quality control, just doesn't seem to matter.
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Old 03-09-2017, 06:49 PM
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Happy to hear the .45 ran well. I just picked mine up And am waiting to try it out.


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Old 03-09-2017, 08:49 PM
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From what I have read, those machine marks under the slide are put there for a functional reason.... not a QC issue at all.

Just sayin...

JMHO
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Old 03-09-2017, 10:34 PM
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Don't feel discouraged and keep at it. All it takes is practice and reinforcing solid fundamentals like trigger control. You'll find the .45 Shield is capable of remarkable accuracy.

This group was fired at 25 feet as quickly as I could get a flash sight picture. No, I was not trying to make the smiley face.

Shot my Shield 45 today-untitled-jpg
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Old 03-10-2017, 06:19 PM
jrvariel48 jrvariel48 is offline
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Don't feel discouraged and keep at it. All it takes is practice and reinforcing solid fundamentals like trigger control. You'll find the .45 Shield is capable of remarkable accuracy.

This group was fired at 25 feet as quickly as I could get a flash sight picture. No, I was not trying to make the smiley face.

Shot my Shield 45 today-untitled-jpg
Thanks CoMF! That's some nice shootin'! The trigger definitely takes some getting used to. I've have a Springfield Armory Trophy Match that I've owned for about 22 years. The trigger is completely different! Since we can't carry here in New Jersey, (YET!!), I have plenty of time to get proficient.
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Old 03-10-2017, 06:20 PM
jrvariel48 jrvariel48 is offline
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Happy to hear the .45 ran well. I just picked mine up And am waiting to try it out.


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I think you'll love it!! Let us know when you get there!!
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Old 03-10-2017, 06:31 PM
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Well, let's straighten up your photo for you.
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Old 03-10-2017, 07:03 PM
Kframerbluvr Kframerbluvr is offline
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I borrowed a .45 Shield from one of my co-workers and got in two range sessions with it. Had no problems keeping twenty four rounds in the black of a B8 target at twenty one feet with a variety of factory and hand loaded 230 grain ball ammo. The chronograph was used on the second trip and the velocity was right at 700 fps with factory ball and some handloads with WST.
Handloads with 6.3 grains of BE-86 with a 230 grain plated bullet gave an average of 765 fps.
A handful of Georgia Arms 185 grain Speer +p hollow points averaged 965 fps.
I enjoyed the gun a lot but it needs at least a 4" barrel to reduce the velocity loss from the 5" barrel the .45 round was designed to work from.
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Old 03-11-2017, 05:57 AM
jrvariel48 jrvariel48 is offline
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Well, let's straighten up your photo for you.
How'd you do that??
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Old 03-12-2017, 01:56 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by kannonvaggon View Post
From what I have read, those machine marks under the slide are put there for a functional reason.... not a QC issue at all.

Just sayin...

JMHO
What is the reason for leaving the swirl marks?
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Old 03-12-2017, 03:36 PM
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Just a guess here, but I think the swirls may possibly be a part of the equation to control slide speed to allow the gun to function well. The Shield is a pretty small .45ACP, and it doesn't weigh a lot so getting the timing and slide speed under control for reliability would be a critical design chore. I personally would be afraid to remove them completely. I'd be interested in hearing the results of doing so from someone who has done it. Or better yet, if anyone is able to get a statement from S&W about this would be good to hear. My gun has exhibited no failures to function, and since every copy I know of has the swirls, I believe they were put there for a reason!
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Old 03-13-2017, 03:50 PM
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Just a guess here, but I think the swirls may possibly be a part of the equation to control slide speed to allow the gun to function well. The Shield is a pretty small .45ACP, and it doesn't weigh a lot so getting the timing and slide speed under control for reliability would be a critical design chore. I personally would be afraid to remove them completely. I'd be interested in hearing the results of doing so from someone who has done it. Or better yet, if anyone is able to get a statement from S&W about this would be good to hear. My gun has exhibited no failures to function, and since every copy I know of has the swirls, I believe they were put there for a reason!
My buddy, a very experienced pistolero, removed the machining marks from inside the slide. The gun functioned properly, both before and after removing the swirls. I still think that this is a skipped step in production that saves the company money and time. I think it has nothing to do with engineering.
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Old 03-13-2017, 11:13 PM
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Those swirls at the front of the slide are meant to be used as cocking serrations for front of slide press checks. I think they got the idea from some gun customizers who offer the same type of thing on the M&P, such as these: Page not found | ATEi | Page 68

I find them to be ugly and useless unless you have the grip strength of a gorilla.
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Old 03-14-2017, 09:45 AM
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Those swirls at the front of the slide are meant to be used as cocking serrations for front of slide press checks. I think they got the idea from some gun customizers who offer the same type of thing on the M&P, such as these: Page not found | ATEi | Page 68

I find them to be ugly and useless unless you have the grip strength of a gorilla.
I think the concern is the swirls under the slide on the firing pin channel. One has to remove the slide from the frame to see them.
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Old 03-14-2017, 09:56 AM
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I think the concern is the swirls under the slide on the firing pin channel. One has to remove the slide from the frame to see them.
Yes, there are very distinct machine cutter swirls the entire length of the rib under the firing pin channel of the slide. They are rough enough to feel and make a slight noise as they ride over the top round in a new magazine. The swirls have not caused any issues with my Shield, though I think I'm going to polish them a bit just to smooth slide travel.

I found the .45 Shield to be very quick on target and easy to keep there in rapid shooting. Much easier than I expected.
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Old 03-14-2017, 10:42 AM
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Yes, there are very distinct machine cutter swirls the entire length of the rib under the firing pin channel of the slide. They are rough enough to feel and make a slight noise as they ride over the top round in a new magazine. The swirls have not caused any issues with my Shield, though I think I'm going to polish them a bit just to smooth slide travel.

I found the .45 Shield to be very quick on target and easy to keep there in rapid shooting. Much easier than I expected.
Looking at mine the other night, after shooting many rounds over the last half of year, it looks like they polish themselves to a degree. Even though they never bothered me to start with, they look to be less noticeable now.
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Old 03-14-2017, 11:23 AM
kthom kthom is offline
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Quote:
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I think the concern is the swirls under the slide on the firing pin channel. One has to remove the slide from the frame to see them.
You certainly may be right, BE Mike. I used a stone to slightly polish the swirl marks on my copy of the Shield .45 but did not remove them. Just made things a little smoother than originally found. I suspect that continued shooting would likely have done the same thing over time. My gun never had a problem before I did this, and it has not had a problem since. Perhaps we'll never know for sure. But I sure do like my Shield .45!
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Old 03-14-2017, 11:53 AM
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With the CNC machinery S&W is using, if they wanted the marks gone it would only be a matter of programming. Mine works fine and I see no need to fret over something that trivial.
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Old 03-14-2017, 01:29 PM
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How'd you do that??
Saved it to my computer. Opened it in Photoshop. Rotated it to its proper orientation, then saved it again. Posted it as an attachment.
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Old 03-15-2017, 02:54 PM
jrvariel48 jrvariel48 is offline
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Saved it to my computer. Opened it in Photoshop. Rotated it to its proper orientation, then saved it again. Posted it as an attachment.
That's fantastic! I think I'm too much of a dummy to figure that out!!
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Old 03-15-2017, 04:17 PM
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With the CNC machinery S&W is using, if they wanted the marks gone it would only be a matter of programming. Mine works fine and I see no need to fret over something that trivial.
I guess it just bothers those of us who are used to the finer touches being taken care of. My Kahr CM9 doesn't have any roughness like this. As has been said, it looks like a non-issue as far as function goes. I just expect S&W handguns to be top quality. Looks like most folks don't care what their plastic pistols look like as long as they go bang and put a pill somewhere close to where they aim.
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Old 03-21-2017, 01:28 PM
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Hello folks. Took my new Shield 45 to the range. I only had a few minutes so I just pumped a box of 50 thru it. As my primary purpose was initial break-in and just getting to know each other, I must say I really like this pistol. No FTF. I have a Kahr P-40 and do not enjoy shooting it as it is snappy. This Shield 45 was a joy to shoot. I shot fast and slow, right and left handed. All shots were within a 7" circle at 21'. Sorry no pics but I was very surprised and impressed since my fast shooting was just that. Faster re-targeting than expected for a compact .45. I do have a love/hate relationship with the grip. I was in an auto accident years ago which removed some muscle (padding) from my right hand. The grip feels good and holds well but it did leave a mark on the inside of my hand. Nothing on my left hand so it is my issue.
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Old 03-22-2017, 05:18 AM
jrvariel48 jrvariel48 is offline
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I'm glad to hear you like the Shield! I know some people here have used the Talon rubber grip to help with the abrasiveness.
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