So I bought a new Shield 45 2.0 this month and the box has a date of 101318. I forgot to look at date in store. Should I feel kinda disappointed to get a new pistol that was made 18 months ago cause I feel a little disappointed.

This was at a big sporting store in town. I guess they do not move the 45 too well. It was the only one in stock.

Thanks

Paid 435 plus tax-

$100 less online - paid a premium for something that has sit in a box for 18 months...

What difference does it make? Whether it was made yesterday or 2 years ago. Its still a NEW pistol.

__________________
S&W Accumulator

My new M&P 9 2.0 was made about the same time, bought it a few weeks ago. Don't care when it was made, it was new and it shoots great!! :-)

Don't know when my 45 Shield was made. It does not label 2.0, but I understand all the 45's were 2.0. A call to S&W verified that mine is indeed 2.0. A S&W rep circulating locally saw it and recommended a "normal" breakin of a few hundred rounds may be necessary, then get ready for more than 10k of life. It reliably feeds 200g LSWCs from a Lyman mold and kicks about as hard as a 38 spcl. Must be something about the springs.

__________________
"Don't Give Up the Ship"

When I bought mine I paid a little north of $200 after the rebate-probably around $235. I just looked at the box and the number is 020717-so I guess that means February 2, 2017-groundhog day.

__________________
Forum consigliere

These are magnificent guns. They shoot great and are inexplicably accurate. Congrats on discovering one of hidden gems of modern handgunning.

Cheers,
Whisper

Wow now that was quite a deal !

Thanks Mike - just hope I didn't miss out on any improvements/updates that may have happened between 2018 and today if any.

I have not purchased a "New" weapon since I was in the Marines.(Desert Storm and prior). I tried to pick the best overall IWB and am partial to 45. I really liked the Kimber Micro too. I have shot the old 1911 we had in the Marines the most. They were old,sloppy and jammed a lot - we had the oldest of everything.

Pretty sure Private Ryan used my last service 1911. That thing sounded like a Chevelle with rod knock. We couldn't even carry chambered in the 80's.

It's a pistol, not a loaf of bread. Chances are it hasn't gone stale. Go now and enjoy your Shield, if you can find fresh ammo for it.

LMAO .

The plus of getting the 45 was I found ammo for it and still can! 9mm forget about it.

I first only found 400 rounds of Sig Elite FMJ then found a hundred rounds of a mix of Hornady and Sig Hollow point.

Just be sure to clean it thoroughly and re-lube it. Some preservative oils can dry out and become gummy over time and can cause issues.

Feels great in my hand especially with the 7 round mag! Not liking it for a IWB. I bought a CYA IWB holster which it fits nice but IWB is painful when working and moving around. No way at 3 and not limber enough for 5 or 6- 2 is best or cross.

Will get fired if caught carrying for work but my line of work places me in vulnerable situations.

I bought my Shield .45 in early April of 2017. There was a $75 rebate at the time. I believe my total cost worked out to $290, including shipping, FFL transfer, and the rebate. Your post got me curious, so I just looked at the box. Mine was made in March, so it was fresh as a daisy when I bought it.

They are excellent guns. Soft shooting, very accurate, easy to disassemble and clean, big punch in a small package.

A great choice, Herndog. I bought my Shield 45 three years ago for $349 + tax, and it's one fine gun. It may be the most accurate small carry pistol on the market. It's more accurate than my SIG P320 compact, more accurate than my M&P 40c 40 S&W, and way, way, way more accurate than my Shield 9. It's even slightly more accurate than my M&P 40c 357 SIG. The only gun I own that will completely outshoot it is my considerably more expensive FNX 45 Tactical, with its 5.25" barrel and Vortex red dot sight. I carry my Shield 45 in a DeSantis Nemesis pocket holster. It is very comfortable.

__________________
What, me worry?

One thing some don't realize about IWB carry is that you need to upsize your pants 2" in the waist to allow for the additional "displacement" caused by the holster and gun.

Herndog, that Shield sat there for 18 months just waiting for the right owner to come along- You ! Anybody that passed on buying it just doesn't know what they are missing.
My .45 has become my favorite carry piece, my PC Shield with both .40 and 9mm barrels is just gathering dust now.

My .45 shoots 3 inches high at 25 yards with 230 grain ammo. Still plenty good enough to hit something, especially closer in.
I found I can chew the bullseye out of the target with 185 and 200 grain loads, so I prefer to buy those weights.

I bought several hundred rounds of carry and range ammo right before the ammo buying craze hit.
200 grain +P Gold Dots shoot the best in it, and the Speer Lawman 185 TMJ (185 at 1050) shoots the same for range use.

I still see some .45 on the store shelves here, and several online sources, but 9mm is completely sold out as far as I can tell.
Check your mags to see if they have the updated followers in them, the new ones have a notch in the front right corner, the old ones do not.
If yours are the old style, call S&W, they will send you new followers at no cost.

__________________
U. S. Army Veteran

I got mine when the 2.0 were just coming out. Didn't know anything about 2.0 at the time. I was looking at the 9mm Shield but the grip texture is what sold me.

I did eventually get a 9mm. The .45 carries better for me in a Blue Star IWB holster. Very comfortable. The 9 not so much. Although the 9 does have a Viridian laser on it.

Love my Shield .45. 8 rounds, Light weight, slim and shoots great.

I bought the 45 Shield 1.0 I'm glad with the gun...excellent...

__________________
One day at a time

Love mine too. Carry it daily in a belt side holster( narrow, short and open at the bottom) for a 1911.

Manufacturers don't make products like daily doughnuts. They run products in batches. And sell to distributors as requested.

__________________
S&W Accumulator

I'm a Shield fan, it fits my hand well and sight picture lines up perfectly. My 1.0 trigger smooth out and accuracy improved but you have to test defensive loads for accuracy. My 1.0 likes the 124 gr pills so far as range closed to test 147 gr Gold Dots.

Recently visited LGS, held a Shield 2.0 9mm, liked the trigger, it was crisp, shorter travel so purchased another Shield in 9 mm. I do like the 9's, if you shoot a lot like me the 9's cheaper until the panic hit. I shoot the .45's through the 1911's @ Steel Shoots but the weight of the 1911 absorbs recoil. I've read and heard enough reports the .45 Shield is very snappy upon recoil with both .45 hardball or more so with defensive loads? I can handle recoil but in a EDC gun can shoot double taps so much faster in the 9 mm than a .45. I've held the .45 Shield, really liked the larger frame and weight. Oh well I guess that's why we own more than one M & P.

Just an FYI, last Steel Shoot before COVID19, shot a Sig 365 short barrel not the new 4", holy crab was it snappy with just 115 gr metal case, little grip moved in my hand so had to re-grip moving from plate to plate. I've read many former Shield owners now carrying SIG 365. I can on a bad day with my Shield out shoot 365 so gave it back to the owner and watched him run a few strings. I thank him for allowing me to shoot the 365 thinking the 365 just saved my life ........really

Gee, I bought a Shield 45 in 2017 (and paid less than that, before rebate--timing is everything). And it's an awesome reliable, accurate gun that I love to shoot. But it wasn't made last week, so can I trade it in on a new one now?

__________________
Southern Comfort
Retired USAF

It never occurred to me the concept of double tap with a 45. But as a kid, I had a cap gun called a Fanner Fifty. Come to think of it, I've never seen a single action 9mm. Nuthin' serious, just an attempt at humor.

__________________
"Don't Give Up the Ship"

I wear jeans for work so unless I buy some really baggy new jeans I can't see pocket carrying this 45. I also just can't bring myself to carry without a thumb safety in daily life.

I really like to carry outside on the right hip (a duty belt and lanyard would be perfect)- feels like being home. I just can't do that for work. I will figure something out.

This bad boy shoots like a dream, much more accurate than that old 1911-hard on the wrist but my wrist has been bothering me for a few years. Maybe they gave us weak loads back in the day. This FMJ 230 Sig and the +P is something. Very controllable though.

.

I was thinking the updated mags have red followers?

I guess you can aim 3 inches low with that ammo.. If I could shoot bulls with smaller loads and high with hotter loads I would think it was me. We got some hot loads on qual day and I always shot better with more powder.

Guns are flying off the shelves so was just surprised to see "stale" stock 18 months old .

Everyone wants a 9 mm these days though - lighter usually, less recoil, more rounds in mag usually, ammo is much cheaper. No old stock there those 9 mm are flying off the shelf.

herndog, the new followers with the groove running down the right front corner are orange, same as the old followers.
S&W was nice enough to send me 3 of the new style followers.

The heavier, slower loads like the 230 grain will impact higher on the target, as the gun has more time to rise from recoil before the bullet leaves the barrel. For close in defensive use, hitting 3 inches high is no big deal, I'd still hit center of mass.

But the 200 grain ( and 185) bullets hit right where I aim.
I have TFO sights. so not that easy to get a different height front sight from Dawson or some other company.
The Speer 200 grain +P Gold Dots also shoot the best in my Shield, but one nice thing about the .45 Shield, is it seems to shoot anything decently, not fussy at all.

I have the Desantis IWB holster for concealed carry, but if just out camping or hiking I use a OWB leather holster from El Paso Saddlery.

__________________
U. S. Army Veteran

Valid thought. I don't know about the Shield, but other manufacturers have had many design changes in their pistol since it was introduced, such as the Sig P365. If you have any issues though, I'm sure S&W will take care of you.

I really like my 1.0 Shield 45! Shoots fine and is accurate. I have no issues with double taps. Yes its snappy, but you need to master your grip and trigger press and all is fine. My only issue, abeit very minor, the grip texture is extremely rough. When wearing shorts and a tee shirt in the warm months while carrying IWB, the rub on my bare skin is annoying. Anyway, great purchase!

__________________
5906tsw,MP15,Shield9/45,39-2

Me too! But there actually isn't a 1.0; the Shield 45 was the first model to introduce the 2.0 design changes, but the first ones didn't have "M2.0" engraved on the slide. They're all the same.
Would also agree about the rough grip texture, I ended up sanding it down slightly for IWB carry.

__________________
Southern Comfort
Retired USAF

I'm sure he has nothing to worry about regarding his old inventory, but I don't agree it doesn't matter. Yes, manufacturers build their guns in batches, but donuts are also baked in batches, and oftentimes the new batch of guns is baked with some changes (i.e. fixes).

I've had M&P's since the year they come out (circa 2005). There were upgrades on them periodically that the manufacturer does not necessarily advertise. Often they'll stamp marks on the inside of the slide or barrel to keep track of them (in addition to tracking through serial numbers). We've seen many incarnations of the first gen M&P's go through changes to barrel rifling and lockup, to changes with the trigger, for example, that were pretty significant.

All manufacturers make these kinds of changes along the way, so it is fairly common. The longer stores sit on old inventory and don't price it to move the greater the risk for the consumer. I for one would not want to buy a SIG P320 or P365 from old inventory, for example. No way.

That said, from what I am aware, people have been very happy with the Shield 45 since the beginning, so I wouldn't sweat it, but it was worth reminding people about in my opinion. Always check as much about the firearm you're purchasing as reasonably possible before leaving the store.

In fact, I learned this the hard way with the first M&P I bought. It was a M&P40c when they first came out and when I got it home, there was a nick in the slide about the size of a the 0 in M2.0 taken out of the slide (maybe even bigger). In other words, it was an actual divot in the slide showing bare metal and not just the removal of paint. After that, I was always more careful, and if there's an easy way to check the born date on any given firearm, it's a good idea to do so in my opinion especially if there were known changes. SIG proved with the P320 that they're not always willing to do a mandatory recall even when the design flaw is dangerous.

Love my new shield 45 M2.0. Fits in most of my SA XDS-45 holsters. I find my EDC is the SA XDS 45 in a smartcarry holster. Soon this will be replaced when the ranges open again and I can break in my new shield.

__________________
Semper Fi

Agreed! This is one of the things I struggle with. Sitting around for 5 weeks (going on 6) with this quarantine going on, I've been forced to buy bigger britches. When I lose weight, I will keep the bigger pants for concealed carry. I have a belt being made that is upsized for concealed carry as well.

__________________
otis