So with the current rebates going on for the Shield line of pistols I was set on getting the .45 but then started wondering about the .40. Now I know the .40 is a little cheaper per round for plinking/target ammo and the cost for S/D ammo is not an issue.
I have shot a Glock 40 cal. before and have had previous .45's in the 1911 style before, didn't care for the Glock and the 1911 just didn't seem to fit me right. Have handled the Shields in the gun stores and like the fit and sight picture on them, and with the rebate that was the final excuse to pick one up.
Also this would be a target/plinker/ccw weapon.
Opinions, observations on either, good, bad just general opinions would be welcome. Thanks fellow shooters !

Can't speak for the majority of Shield owners, but for myself the 45 is a much better "Shooter".....due to how it manages the recoil. Just Saying......

I must add: IMHO so as not to upset the masses........

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Hipcocked45

.45, .40 has too much muzzle flip and is an oddball cartridge anymore

I recommend the Shield 45. It's slightly larger, better trigger, better grip texture, and the recoil (to me) is much better. The recoil is more like a push back into the hand, while the recoil of a .40 S&W is more of a hard snap upward. I think the .45 ACP round is a better defensive round, although just about any round will do for most civilian situations with proper shot placement.

I have the shield in 9mm and recently got the 45 taking advantage of the rebate. Choosing one over the other is difficult I like both, put i'm better with the 45 also It is slightly larger than the shield 9/40 so that gives it a little advantage controlling the gun and absorbing the recoil. I don't like the 40 cal, but the best you can do is try to shoot both, I did and have no regrets.


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M&P 9, Shield9.

I have all three, and like all three, but,.............

The 45 is just flat out a great platform to shoot, love it. May get another.

I have 2 9's, and both are great, and are my second favorite to shoot. The 9's are smooth, and fast back on target. Double taps are quick, and manageable. Ammo is fairly inexpensive, if you don't shoot as much as I have been tending to shoot lately.

The 40 is nice as well, but not quite as nice to shoot as the 45. If they were to move the 40 into the 45 sized platform it might level the playing field a bit. However, that's not what were talking about.

Bottom line, IMO, get the 45.

^^^^^^^^
What they said....get the 45. I love mine. Also love the Shield 9. Have never liked .40 in any platform I've shot except full-sized Sig P226, and even in that sized pistol, the 9 is easier to shoot well.

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Loving retirement!

I am very used to gripping a revolver which is what I prefer to shoot. I sold off my beautiful S&W 1911 E series because at times I struggle with proper grip to depress the grip safety.
All the good hype on the Shield 45 and of course the amazing $75 rebate attracted me to teach myself to shoot a compact 45acp because I really do like 45acp. I have no regrets on the Shield 45, I have fallen in love with the darn thing and find it enjoyable to shoot. My first 102 rounds through it had no issues at all and I was surprised on such a small gun in 45 that my hand/hands did not fatigue.

I think you will be very pleased with your choice should it be the 45!
Karl

I would recommend the Shield .45. That being said, I would also suggest you rent the .40 and .45 at your gun range and see which you like better. Best of luck on your purchase.

Don't waste your money on a .40 rental. Put it towards the .45 Shield. You'll never regret it!
Especially now with the current rebates Smith is offering.

Niether is an oddball cartridge with all due respect.IMHO.Try bolth for me I didn't get into the 40 cal till 2015 .Glad I did I shoot my M &P 40 C better an far less effort than any of my 9 mm. Got a Springfield xds 45 Acp at the same time. Like the 45 but again do far better with 40. Also dont buy the hipe that 40 is out or to much money to shoot. You can always get range ammo 40 cal at Wal-Mart for a buck more than 9mm always in sunshine state

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Spin The Wheel

I am 45 ACP guy ! I have shot all 3 calibers but I bought the shield 45 and I love it. I like the 40 also but have not made my mind on the purchase. The 45 feels better on my hands than the other two and shoots extremely good. If I had to pick again it still would be the 45. you wont be disappointed.

.40 is my preference, the 45 has too long of grip for me, and the grip texturing is way too aggressive for carrying IWB without a t-shirt which I never wear. I tried carrying my M2.0 (which has the same aggressive grip texture) IWB for a day and the grip soon rubbed my side sore.

I have the Shield 40 and it's a sweet shooter, recoil isn't bad at all. As a matter of fact I had my annual LEOSA re-cert last Tuesday and scored a 94%, which included unsupported strong and weak hand only shooting.

But...9 or 40 or 45...ANY SHIELD is better than NO SHIELD!

Good luck with your decision!

Get what you want not what people tell you to get. I carry a 40 shield and have no complaints about it.

Friends don't let friends buy Taurus.

My m&p pro 40 levels the field somewhat with the grips on the pro being far superior to the shield spend more money and get the pro

Thanks for all the opinions guys, I appreciate them. Will probably see if these are for rent at range. I am leaning more to the .45 as I have experience with the round but don't want to be close minded to options hence the question about the .40. Thanks again and happy shooting.

Like all here were trying to convey...the better trigger, grip and recoil management of the 45 will probably decide for you..but by all means give both a try......Let us know which you decide and good luck.

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Hipcocked45

My first pistol was a 40, and til this day I am more accurate with the 40 over the 9, but still new to the 9.

Putting more rounds through my Shield 9 yesterday, ran into a fellow who just picked up the Shield 40 who let me shoot a few rounds through it. It wasn't any worse than my Sig 40 that I am used to.

An old range buddy suggested maybe I am just a .40 type of guy. Is there really such a thing? With the rebate, and trigger complaints I have with the 9, I was considering a PC version. Of course 9 is out of stock but 40 isn't... and so I was considering it and picking up a 9mm barrel for practice and carrying the 40.

I haven't shot a 45 but I am reading and hearing about the 45 trigger all the time. The extra size would make carrying it an issue but I have yet to try the trigger on the 45.

I'd been pretty hesitant on wanting to buy the 45, because I wasn't sure how it would handle. I didn't have a chance to try one, but on the recommendations of the LGS guys who shot it, I bought one. I'm happy to say I love it and prefer it over the 9. The recoil is not bad at all and quite manageable. I love it and think you will too!


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If you are mostly concerned with " plinking" and targets then I suggest the 9mm just cuz the ammo is less expensive.

I myself never liked the Shield in .40 . I did carry and shoot the 9mm version for a couple years and like them just fine.

I have been carrying the Shield in .45 the last year and find it to be my favorite EDC. If I only was plinking I would stick with the 9mm probably due to the price of ammo.

I did have a reason to fire two .45 shot shells at a rogue rattler last week , and they fed and ejected nicely. The pattern was excellent and I could have saved the second round..... The 9mm shot shell is not nearly as effective, but will function from a Shield OK too.

JMHO

This one really is all about personal preferences and what suits you. Reading these posts the .40 has it's share lovers and haters for sure, but appears to be less popular all around. The 9 and .45 seem to have equally positive reviews.

For me, it's a .40. About eighteen months ago, a friend of mine began singing the praises of his .40 Shield and insisted that I take it to the range and shoot it, promising that I would be pleasantly surprised. Turns out he was right. I liked it enough that shortly after I went out and bought my own. YMMV

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America First

I own all 3 calibers in the Shield, my very first purchase was the 40, then the 9 and then the 45. The 40 was so accurate, I added the 9mm. I have no qualms about any of the 3 but it would be nice if they offered the 9 and 40 in the same size as the 45. The 45 just seems to be perfect in all aspects.

I like my 40 Shield

I have a 9mm that my wife carries now and a .45acp Shield I carry. My wife best girl friend has a 40 and I have shot the it. When comparing all three the .45acp Shield is the pick of the litter.

My .45 has a better trigger than either 9mm or .40 S&W and hit fits my paw much better. The recoil is very manageable and less snappy than the .40 S&W ( which isn't all that bad or hard to manage). Simply the ergonomics of the .45 Shield work better to me than the slightly smaller 9 and 40.

As to the very slight increase in size for the .45acp Shield; when it comes to conceal carry there is virtually no difference between the ever so slightly smaller 9s and 40s and the 45. Either conceals easily and on my waist I can't tell the difference. The extra 1/32 of and inch in width and the extra almost quarter inch in grip length just makes the 45 Shield feel so much better in the hand and is imperceptible when it comes to concealment. I like the more aggressive stippling on the 45 Shield. The 9mm and 40 Shield out of the box are just a tad slick if your hand is at all sweaty (you correct this quickly with some grip tape by outfits like Talon)

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Bill Bates

I'll throw in my opinion here as well. While I don't own any of the shields, I have shot all three. I don't like the .40 at all. In fact I don't really like any .40 except for the Sig P229. The .45 is surprisingly soft shooting. Doesn't really feel like a .45 at all. Almost like a 9mm with a heavier grain bullet. And as mentioned in some of the other posts, the slightly larger size and the more aggressive grip texture really do feel much better than the others. I am seriously considering picking up the .45 now after recently trying one.

After reading this thread, and several others to add or confirm details, but primarily because of this thread I abandoned my pursuit of a Colt Defender Lightweight .45 and bought a Shield .45 today at less than half the price.



Range day this Saturday so I can't wait to see just how well it shoots and how happy I am with the purchase. With the rebate how could I go wrong?

I shot my new Shield 45 this weekend along with my Glock 30SF. I only shot a total of 100 rounds of Winchester white box 230 grain ball. I experienced no malfunctions with either pistol.

Accuracy was not finely evaluated but at 5 yards I did shoot the entire middle out of target. They both exhibit similar accuracy at that range, unsupported standing. Both pistols shot POA-POI at that range which in my mind is very practical.

The recoil I felt was about the same in both pistols. I've shot the Glock a lot and was honestly surprised the Shield 45 was so similar since it is a good bit lighter and much more compact. Attribute this to the recoil spring set up and the grip shape I suppose. I did note the muzzle rise seemed higher with the Shield but it was in no way a problem.

The trigger in the Shield 45 is noticeably better than the Glock. It is crisper with a better break, it is lighter, and it has a similar tactile reset that is very welcome.

The Shield 45 magazines are hard to load. A tight spring was surely the cause but they are pretty hard to get the rounds in and under the feed lips. That will soften with time I'm sure.

I did notice the Shield 45 slide lock was very sensitive to any pressure at all. If I was riding over it with the slightest pressure it would fail to lock the slide open after the last round. Just have to concentrate on grip to avoid the slide lock.

It's a keeper for sure and once I get a good holster (already ordered an IWB kydex from High Noon Holsters) it will replace my Glock 26 as the primary for CCW.

+1 vote for the Shield .45 ACP.

+2--Love my Shield45!

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Loving retirement!

+3--Love my Shield45!


3 outings so far. 274 down range with each one mine/hers. With Beavertails. Great fun.

FYI...558rds and only 1 unexplained FTE yesterday. Mammas gun, left the expended round in the chamber. Possible she did something since we have had -0- failures otherwise.

104 each yesterday.....


EDIT: rd count up to 730 through 2-45's... -0- failures....also have 2-9's...one new and one with a couple thousand through it.
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My vote would be for the shield 45.

While I have not shot the 9, I would recommend the 9 over the 40 if you like the smaller size as 9 is cheaper, more plentiful, has very similar ballistics with federal HST, holds more, and recoils less.

I would only recommend getting a 40 if you already have another firearm in 40 and a surplus of ammo

If your question about which handgun caliber is best...just don't go there. The 9/40 Shields have a little different feel from the 45, so you be the judge. If you are going for cheapest to buy and cheapest to shoot, go for the 9.

I do not have the .40 as my last .40 was an SDVE and it was very diificult for me to shoot, so I have not wanted another since. I do have a .45 and 9mm. I like both, both are accuratw, but the 9mm is more consitent and cheaper for me (ammo is about 40% less). Shoot all three and buy what you prefer!

I really really like the 45 and find it very comfortable to shoot. I find it even more comfortable in my hand. If you are interested I just purchased 500 rounds of the below for $12.96 a box (reman) they are offering $5 flat rate shipping on orders above $125.

45 Auto 230 gr RN Reman | Freedom Munitions

Enjoy!

my .02:
I shot a friends .40 Shield and did excellent with it.
Ordered a 9mm Shield for the extra round and the cost effectiveness.
While waiting for the 9mm to come in I purchased a P238.

Outcome:
Of the 3 I shoot my 9mm the worst for some reason. Not "bad", but not as well as my P238. Maybe it was just the day but I couldn't miss with my buddies .40. Go figure. I carry the 9mm or P238 depending on various circumstances.

My take:
Shoot whatever you can get your hands on first and then buy. We're all different.

Another thing to consider with the Shield 45... seems there are slightly fewer holster options. I was considering a Blade-Tech Klipt Ambi listed for "Shield" but seems it was designed for the 9 & 40 only. They don't have one listed for the 45 except in the RH only, which is quite a different make.

Stealth Gear USA makes a holster for the Shield .45. Very nice, but pricey.

@OP: Get the .45

Little early still for a plethora of accessories to be available. No mag extensions/guts, few holsters etc etc.

Im patient....Im waiting...

I have the 9 and 45.

For shooting, I love the 45. For carry, the 9 is easier as it is lighter and has a less aggressive grip texture. I put a Hogue grip on the 45 because the grip texture irritates my skin. (I don't wear a T shirt).

The 40 should be the same as the 9 as far as carry issues.

All that being said, if I could only have one, it would be the 45. It feels great in my hand, and shoots very well. With the 45, you just know it will do the job, despite all the hoopla about modern handgun cartridge development.

If you carry a 45, you qualify for a gold star on your Man Card.

I went 45. I have Glock 9's and 40's. The Shields small size, good capacity and great texture makes it a winner. It's now my daily carry. I gave up a few rounds to make really big holes.

The sear made it home today from work...might be able to try it next weekend

I've already had 40 so for me it was a no brainer which one to get with that rebate . 45, I think, is easier to control, however the grip edge was right at the middle of my pinky joint, so I've put a Pearce grip extension and everything is fine. Also texture on 45 is MUCH more aggressive.

Another vote for the Shield .45.. Have both 9mm and .45 and I love my .45...

Anybody done a size comparison between the Shield 45 and the 9/40 M&P Compact? I own a .40C, and have fondled a .45 Shield, amd they seem to be about the same size to me, although Imhaven't held the two together to compare for myself.