9mm shield, 147 gr lead round nose over 3 gr Titegroup. I can generally keep them in a 7” group at 50 feet offhand with stock sights. Is this a typical group size at this distance? Just a touch high and left. I think I can do better. The small holes are .22lr. Thanks for any comments.
50BEB0B9-E0E9-4A08-B1F4-881EDDFD064D.jpg

"how accurate is a shield?" is like asking "how fast is a car?".. a ton of variables. first off, a shield is a defense pistol. at 16 yards, You definitely put a hurtin in whoever was coming at you.

also, turning the target right side up might help (http://smith-wessonforum.com/images/smilies/biggrin.gif). You seem to be consistent with where You're hitting (one side) adjust from there.

But like any light, compact pistol it takes some practice to be able to shoot it well. And it's still a defense pistol. 50' is a long shot for most defensive shooting. If you can move the group to center and get most of the shots in an 8" circle you should be good to go for SD purposes.

The Shield is so much fun to shoot that I get plenty of practice.

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"He was kinda funny lookin'"

Are you wanting to see how well you shoot or how accurate your pistol is? If the latter, shoot from rest, not offhand. My shield will put all shots in IDPA target head in my hands at 10yd-4 inch circle- about half that from rest

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Science plus Art

Between my two Shields, the 45 was a target pistol compared to the 9 until I started reloading. Using .356 coated bullets made a remarkable improvement in accuracy over any factory FMJ. Slugging the 9's barrel, I measured it at .3545" and factory ammo was averaging .354", with many at .3535" so, there was my answer as to why. Firing my reloads from 15 yards, I can easily achieve 3" groups from a rest and around 4" off hand.

I load 115gn coated LRN with 4.8gn of HP38

I am not a great shot, but I enjoy shooting. With my Pc Shield i can normally do pretty well in the 6-10 yard area. At an outdoor range just for giggles i tried it at 20-25 yards. Guess all things considerd from short barrel to grandpa eyes to my skill set it wasn't too bad. Pic compares that day’s results from 7yd to the longer distances.
Point being a decent shooter can do well with the Shield. I bet in the hands of someone with real skill it would do even better.
Edit I only use 115gn ammo.

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I would be happy shooting as well!

When I joined this forum was told Shield is a close quarter battle weapon. I shoot 10ft - 25ft with 9mm shield beyond that I hit all over .

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I suspect this is pretty close to what I get with my 9mm Shield with the usual FMJ 115-124 grain stuff I have lying around. I’ve never tried 147 grain ammo in it. I rarely shoot the gun at more than 35 feet. I intend to start stretching that some this winter.

I don't shoot my Shield 9 too much these days since I got my Shield .45. They both have about 4,500 rounds through them, but I prefer my Shield .45 because it is more accurate for me. I've attached photos of my most recent targets for both. I calculate an accuracy score, which is the percentage of shots that hit in the 4"x4" square in the center of the 12"x12" target. Both targets were at 15 yards. The Shield 9 target is on the left. At that distance, I'm ecstatic if I put 50% of my Shield 9 shots into the 4x4 square. With my Shield .45, I'm not really happy unless it's over 60%. The pictured result for the 9 is fairly typical, but the result for the .45 represents a really good shoot for me. If it had been really lousy, I wouldn't have posted!

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What, me worry?

If I'm shooting for target accuracy, a very slow147 gr SWC with Acc #7 has given me the best accuracy to the point where I surprised myself.

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"He was kinda funny lookin'"

From my experiences, not to mention those here who post as well.... I would say the Shield can be quite accurate all things considered. It isnt a ‘target’ gun yet we can get good results at the range with one. Heck I’ve never even tried shooting mine (or any other gun for that matter) from a rest. And I only shoot 115, tried 124 but that seemed to get the same results though never tried 147. Maybe I will sometime.
So the expectations for any Shield owner should be reasonable to work towards.

Some of my pistols are more accurate than others.

I don't shoot the 9mm Shield as well as the 45. It might be the slightly smaller size makes a bigger difference that one would think.

9mm at 25' with its favorite ammo



9mm at 25' with the other brands


The 45 Shield is a lot less finicky.


Last summer we had a good time on the on the steel with our carry guns. I was surprised how well the 45 Shield did. At 100 yards I could put at least half the magazine on a 12 x 18 plate. The ratio went down the farther out we went, but man was that fun and two of the other guys went out and bought 45 Shields afterwards. Here is some 400 yard video. The holdover required lob those 230 grain projectiles in made it very challenging.

My friends 9mm Shield is amazingly accurate.

The average Shield has average accuracy potential. It’s a mass manufactured gun with a range of acceptable manufacturing tolerances. What’s average? S&W knows, but they aren’t telling.

So we share our experiences about our perception of our gun and how we shoot it, and what we have done to improve the overall accuracy of the gun and our shooting of it. With all the variables present and accounted for, our comparisons are not themselves really accurate.

Nonetheless, such anecdotal tales of holes in paper are fun to read and do produce a nugget or two—like slugging the bore to handload the perfect bullet (Wow! Wonderful!) over the most accurate charge of powder.

So, my contribution is that I have sunk a lot of money into my Shield to make it more accurate. I didn’t need to, I wanted to. It’s a hobby with a goal: have the most reliable fast and accurate shooting CCW I can. It’s gives me a little extra confidence in the gun, knowing it is about maximized for its potential, and that puts the pressure on me to perform better with it.

Shield 1.0 with a milled Shield RMS Red Dot, Apex flat faced trigger and other fire control components, True Precision extended barrel (tight fit), Heine Straight Eight nite sites co-witnessed, and a grip enhancement of dribbled epoxy (Cerakoted).

At five yards two-handed, slow fire, I can hit the eye socket of a human photo target every time when I do my part. At this range, the gun is at least 1” accurate. Out to 15 yards I can hit the eye-nose box of the same target (3”). At 20 yards I can keep all shots centered—slow fire—in the upper chest with a sub 4” group. That gives me the confidence I want to carry this gun once in a while when I don’t carry my larger, more accurate and easier to shoot full size M&P.



Target photos to follow soon. Thanks gwmac for the Photobucket update.

As an aside, Photobucket is back and free.

I absolutely love my 9mm Shields Started with version 1 and it is very accurate..Purchashed a M2 earlier in the year and have used it at two defensive courses, and plenty of general range shooting; it is extremely accurate!!
It is my everyday carry and at what would be considered normal self defense range (15 yards or less) I feel as confident, if not more confident than shooting my M&P full-size..
The Shield fits me perfect and I am sure that contributes to the accuracy and confidence I have with it

The Shield 45 is above average in accuracy. Several of us have found it to be more accurate than other Shield models. I don't know why but it just is.

Just out of curiosity, what is average accuracy for a .45ACP gun?

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Freedom isn't free.

I am in love with my Shield and they are superb CCW guns but they will never bring home a trophy in a match with a full size pistol. I think they shoot great for CCW!!!

Some has to do with skill level and shooting technique (new shooter verses old school shooter) and amount of practice.

Some ammo, like good factory, cheap junk or how anal some people get with reloading (I'm very extreme for competition), some just pull the handle dump the powder and insert the bullet.

How well the weapon is treated and taken care of. I've seen some people shooting and wondered if they were actually trying to hit the target or see how fast they could empty the mag.

Last, but not least. Is the weapon "fresh" tooled and machined or has the production line been putting out thousands and thousands still barely in spec, but still with-in "the budget" specs for tooling cost and company profits ?!?!? I always like to check manufactured date and compare to how long the series has been run. I learned that from an old friend that was a machinist.

Some people will argue, but a little homework can go a long way.

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THIS WE'LL DEFEND ΜΟΛΩΝ ΛΑΒΕ

My .45 Shield at 15 yards, rapid fire, with 185 grain FMJ Freedom Ammunition. For a defensive pistol, I'll take it!!

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That's really amazing shooting vegasgunhand. How many rounds and how fast?

You're a really good shot. You should join us in this challenge: Rastoff's Challenge- Dropping the Gauntlet

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Freedom isn't free.

I was recently shooting my SR1911 45acp @ 12" steel plates on the 100 yard line. I had a buddy with me who was watching and counting the hits. At one point he says it's time to shoot his pocket pistol at the plates, that being a Berreta Nanno, 9mm, with about a 2" or so barrel.

So, he insists I be the plate shooter just knowing that the plate wasn't going to be rung. Well, you got it - first shot was a hit. Lucky shot, no doubt, but it was enough for me to tell my buddy that his Nanno just gained $75 in value!

I didn't take a second shot and retired undefeated for the day!

Great fun, for sure...

Bayou52

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Bayou52
NRA Life Member

Jerry Miculek seems to do ok. I'm sure all shots aren't hits.... By the way. Check out his ammo stash!

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CERAKOTE Svcs.
Class 01 FFL

I am an average shooter, I've shot & carried everything from $1500 1911's to $250 SD9's & Keltecs over the past decade or so and I have to say my Shield 9mm is better than most but, not as good as some... In a ransom rest I bet it's very mechanically accurate but, given the short sight radius it makes for pistol that in the human hand is not the easiest pistol to attain really tight groups at a distance with any serious speed.

Anymore my interest is strictly in combat accuracy, I put out a standard silhouette target with an 8" shoot n see target and just strive to keep all shots in that 8" circle and ramp up my rate of fire so take my comments with that grain of salt...

The post I responded to mentioned "average accuracy potential." Average small frame 45's can be difficult, but Smith figured out a way to improve this with the Shield 45. It's better. All I can tell you is it's more accurate than my full size 45, and quite a few here will tell you it's more accurate than the 9mm Shield. Could be the improved trigger. Maybe they put some magic on the Shield 45 that makes it handle recoil better than the average 45 or even the 9mm. I can't explain it, but I'm not the first to notice it.

Is the gun more accurate or is it that you shoot it better? There's a difference.

I don't have a Shield 45, but would love to shoot one. Even so, I find it hard to believe that it's more accurate than my 1911 or even my full size M&P 45.

If you're getting better groups while standing and not supported, then the right way to say it is that you shoot the Shield 45 better.

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Freedom isn't free.

Yep I hear ya, but what I'm saying is I really think there is something in the design of the Shield 45 that gives it better recoil management and better follow ups than average small frame LC pistols. Combine that with the improved trigger and it all adds up to more accuracy and tighter groups, for me anyway. We have three M&P's in the armory, including a 9mm, and full size full size 45.

I have always said that the Shield is the best of the small guns. I'm sure the 45 is no different.

Personally, I shoot the full size 9mm better than the Shield, but that's just me.

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Freedom isn't free.

45 Shield at 7 yards

As recall is was 100 rounds to proof the new .45 Shield. I was shooting controlled pairs from the holster under five seconds. I'm getting old, so not as fast as I used to be, but still doing OK. LOL

I had two 9mm Shields, both shot high with 147 gr ammo.
124 gr ammo shot POA. I wouldn't have thought there would have been
that much difference with a 3 1/2" barrel, but there was.
Since I reload and shoot 147's I changed the front sight.

Brother has a 9mm Shield also ,, POA with 124's.