What is the difference in width of the S&W 9mm Shield and it's .45 ACP counterpart? I was interested in a holster from Vedder for my new Shield 45 and all they have available, in the Rapid Tuck model, is that in the 9mm Shield.

If it is not too much I think I might be able to heat up the Kydex with a paint stripper hot air gun (glorified hair dryer) and then put the pistol in there and wiggle it a bit to get it to open up just a bit.

Thoughts??

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Vern

According to the specs I found on the Smith and Wesson website the widths are:

Frame Width: .99” (2.5 cm) Shield .45 ACP

Frame Width: .95” (2.4 cm) Shield 9mm

Vedder makes holsters for the Shield .45, I own one and love it.

http://www.vedderholsters.com/s-w-m-p-shield-45/

Hope this helps.

Thanks very much John. Yes, Vedder make a "Kydex" holster for the Shield 45, but not a hybrid (leather/kydex) such as the Comfort Tuck or RapidTuck. I messaged them and got back a response that they have not made the hybrid holsters ...yet... for the Shield 45.

I had a all Kydex "LightTuck" but had to send it back in exchange for a Comfort Tuck as the ridge on the LightTuck put pressure on my hip where I normally carry and caused pain after a while.

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Vern

I've successfully done this with several Kydex/Hybrid holsters.
One was a Hybrid made for my old PF-9, that I reshaped to use with my Shield. It just takes a bit of time and patience (to not heat up the Kydex too aggressively with the heat gun).

Kydex becomes workable at 300 degrees F. Needless to say, that temperature can cause serious burns. Be careful working with it. Also, the current shape will want to collapse so plan your work. If you can insert the pistol at all then heat, that may help but watch accessories like lasers. They may not handle the high temperature very well.

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Si vis pacem para bellum.