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


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Old 05-13-2017, 01:37 PM
SCAR333 SCAR333 is offline
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45 Shield vs. Shield .45 ACP 45 Shield vs. Shield .45 ACP 45 Shield vs. Shield .45 ACP 45 Shield vs. Shield .45 ACP 45 Shield vs. Shield .45 ACP  
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Default 45 Shield vs. Shield .45 ACP

Besides the 45 Shield having a thump safety, and the .45 ACP not having a thumb safety, what is the difference between the two? I have all but made up my mind that I am going to be purchasing a new concealed carry firearm (currently carry Ruger sr9c), but I am still on the fence between a Shield 9mm, Shield .40, and the Shield .45.

After reading alot of people in this forum saying that the recoil of the .45 is not much more than the 9mm, I am heavily leaning towards the .45. I am not reading much that makes me lean too much towards the .40, although I would like to think it would fall between the 9mm and the .45, in terms of recoil and "stopping power" (whatever that means to you). The 9mm almost seems like the obvious, logical choice, but I already have a 9mm and would like something different. I am assuming that they are all similar in size (length/width/height/weight), so carrying either of the three would not be a factor in my decision?

So, back to my original question: What is the difference between the 45 Shield and the Shield .45 ACP, besides the thumb safety?
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Old 05-13-2017, 01:56 PM
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45 Shield vs. Shield .45 ACP 45 Shield vs. Shield .45 ACP 45 Shield vs. Shield .45 ACP 45 Shield vs. Shield .45 ACP 45 Shield vs. Shield .45 ACP  
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The 45 Shield is .45 ACP with or without a safety.
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Old 05-13-2017, 03:58 PM
Hhenry Hhenry is offline
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[QUOTE=LAA;139589783]The 45 Shield is .45 ACP with or without a safety.[/QUOTE)


ACP stands for automatic colt pistol. As already noted, the ONLY difference is a thumb safety!
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Old 05-13-2017, 04:19 PM
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The Shield will carry much easier than your SR9c regardless of which caliber you select. The .45 Shield is available with or without a manual safety. I chose the manual safety because it is there if I should need it and I don't have to use if if I don't desire to. The .45ACP refers to the cartridge used in the .45 Shield regardless of whether it is a manual safety or non safety version.

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Old 05-13-2017, 04:34 PM
Wee Hooker Wee Hooker is offline
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I think your a little confused in the terminology. 45 and 45 ACP are both abbreviations for the same caliber. Are you asking about the Performance Center version of the 45 shield?
Also, all production shields can be had with/without the thumb safety.
Do a search here and you'll likely find everything your looking for.
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Old 05-13-2017, 04:35 PM
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The difference is one has a safery and one does not. The ACP part has nothing to do with it. Its got to do with caliber. They are both .45ACP.

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Old 05-13-2017, 11:30 PM
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I guess I was just confused as to why one just said 45 and the other said .45 ACP. Thank you for clearing that up!

I am now in debate as to whether or not I want the .40 or the .45.
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Old 05-13-2017, 11:54 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by SCAR333 View Post
I guess I was just confused as to why one just said 45 and the other said .45 ACP. Thank you for clearing that up!

I am now in debate as to whether or not I want the .40 or the .45.
And most will suggest the 45acp.
There is a 45 Colt cartridge for revolver by the way, not used in semi autos though.
Karl
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Old 05-14-2017, 12:10 AM
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I shot a shield in 40 for the first and last time last week. The pressure curve on .40 is more of a spike, very sharp. The 9mm is much more pleasant to shoot. The 45 has a mild pressure curve, more of a push plus it's a bigger gun. A lot of high level competition shooters like .40 because the recoil impulse is short, so they can get back on target faster, that and capacity issues. If you have to have a caliber that starts with a 4, get the 45 shield, or a bigger .40. I would equate the 40 shield to a light j frame with standard pressure defensive loads.

Just me talking here, my advice is worth every penny you paid for it.

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Old 05-14-2017, 12:57 AM
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I prefer the .40 for greater stopping power. Recoil seems about the same as in my full size Glock in .40, which I don't find sharp or snappy as many do. The .45 Shield is a little bigger than the 9 or 40. The forty is the same size as the 9 and slightly lighter than the 9 cuz the bore is drilled bigger for the larger caliber.
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Old 05-14-2017, 09:45 AM
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I currently carry a Ruger sr9c and also have a Ruger LC9. I am getting the impression that the Shields (9&40) are about the size of the LC9s, which, to me, seems a little small for my liking... I do not mind the size of the sr9c, so I feel like the .45 would be closer to the sr9c than the LC9, and would, therefore, better suit my comfort (carrying concealed) level?

To be honest, I do not believe that a .45 is going to stop/eliminate a threat any more or less than a 9mm, but, as I mentioned before, I already have a 9mm and would like to try/have something different.

I guess, what it boils down to, is that I am used to a 9mm, as well as have some ammo for a 9mm already. What I am afraid of is that I would get a .45 and the "learning" curve (getting used to the different recoil) would be more than my amount of shooting would allow me to deal with, if that makes sense...
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Old 05-14-2017, 10:08 AM
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To add to this lesson, there is also a .45 GAP (Glock Automatic Pistol).

So just be aware when you ask for .45 or say yours is a .45, it could mean,

.45 ACP
.45 Colt (or Long Colt)
.45GAP

There are other .45 cartridges out there, like .45 Schofield, .454 Casull and some others that are rifle cartridges.

However, generally speaking, when people say .45, they generally mean .45 ACP.
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Old 05-14-2017, 10:12 AM
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If you have a 9 already buy the 9. Having more than one firearm in a caliber is a good thing
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Old 05-15-2017, 03:20 AM
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One thing that hasn't been mentioned this thread so far: accuracy. I have both a Shield 9 and a Shield .45. The .45 is considerably more accurate, especially beyond 15 yards. My recommendation is to get the .45.
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Old 05-15-2017, 03:35 AM
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I'm planning on getting the .45 acp hopefully this week, I have the 9mm.
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Old 05-15-2017, 05:49 PM
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Well, I ended up with the 9mm. PSA only had the 9mm available to rent, and I wanted a slightly smaller handgun to carry than the sr9c, but slightly bigger than the LC9; the Shield 9mm fit(s) that description. I enjoyed shooting it (the rental). I brought mine home and broke it down and cleaned it.

I will say this, and I am sure it is normal, the gun is a little stiff (taking down and locking slide back, not to mention the slide release won't release the slide unless I pull back on the slide), but probably because it is brand new.

I ordered a Blackhawk ARC holster for concealed carry, but that is a topic for another part of this forum...
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Old 05-15-2017, 07:56 PM
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With any Shield, it is a good plan to lock the slide open and leave it that way for a couple days or so. At the same time, load each mag you have completely and let them sit fully loaded for the same time period. This will allow those springs to begin to take their initial set. It will also make it easier for the gun to function whether by hand or by firing. There is very little distance between the spot where the slide release will capture the slide and the stopping point for the slide when it's completely to the rear. The slide MUST be completely to the rear to lock it back. And the springs are pretty strong, as they must be to correctly function this gun. It gets better the more you shoot it, but letting the gun sit with all those springs compressed fully before you begin shooting will certainly make a positive difference. You have a good pistol!
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Old 05-15-2017, 08:22 PM
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I have the .45. I have had a 9 and a 40. Knowing what I know today, if I was starting from scratch, I would get the 45. That being said, it would be awful hard to turn down PSAs 40 Shields for $204.
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Old 05-15-2017, 09:13 PM
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I'd be interested in the velocity difference between the short barrel shield in .45 and a 5 in barrel with the same ammo. I'm wondering if the .45 has enough energy to open up a hollow point in such a short barrel. I carry ammo made for short barrels in my 9mm shield, different powder burn rate.
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Old 05-16-2017, 02:44 AM
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[QUOTE=SCAR333;139592646]

I will say this, and I am sure it is normal, the gun is a little stiff (taking down and locking slide back, not to mention the slide release won't release the slide unless I pull back on the slide), but probably because it is brand new. [QUOTE=SCAR333;139592646]

If you look in your owners manual you will see that it is called a slide STOP, not a slide RELEASE. On page 18, S&W states:
• Pull the slide to the rear and release it, allowing it to carry fully forward. This strips a cartridge from the magazine and seats it in the chamber of the barrel.
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Old 05-16-2017, 12:34 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by kthom View Post
With any Shield, it is a good plan to lock the slide open and leave it that way for a couple days or so. At the same time, load each mag you have completely and let them sit fully loaded for the same time period. This will allow those springs to begin to take their initial set. It will also make it easier for the gun to function whether by hand or by firing. There is very little distance between the spot where the slide release will capture the slide and the stopping point for the slide when it's completely to the rear. The slide MUST be completely to the rear to lock it back. And the springs are pretty strong, as they must be to correctly function this gun. It gets better the more you shoot it, but letting the gun sit with all those springs compressed fully before you begin shooting will certainly make a positive difference. You have a good pistol!
It is currently stored with the slide open and two full magazines.
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Old 05-16-2017, 12:55 PM
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Take it apart and polish the release parts. Works much better.
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