Any comments by those who own them?
Is there a non safety model?
Thanks

I have a couple of Shields 45. I love them, the balance in my hand is about perfect.
They are available with and with thumb safety. Go get yourself one.
There is also a ported one from the Performance Center.

I am a huge fan of little 45 autos, particularly 1911's but bought one of the 45 Shields when they first appeared. Great little gun and a really soft shooter. Easily way more accurate than my 9mm Shield.
If you do a search here on the Forum's I believe the general consensus is very positive.
There are at least 2 non thumb safety models: #11726 with factory night sights & #11531 with standard sights.

Thanks Ikabug.

Very happy with mine. Surprisingly accurate and slimmer than most double-stack semiautos. I have large paws and my pinky usually has no place to grip on small autos. The grip on the Shield .45, even with the 6-round mag installed, is long enough to provide a full grip.

I can hit with mine like no other small pistol, and recoil is very manageable.
If it was any smaller, it would be more difficult to shoot it well.
Perfect size with good power.

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U. S. Army Veteran

I concur with previous comments. Soft shooting, accurate, big punch in a compact package. I prefer the thumb safety but that's individual choice. I have OWB and IWB holsters but rarely carry mine, preferring a snub nose J frame. My .45 Shield is my nightstand gun.

I have owned the Shield 1.0 9 mm and now the 2.0 Shield 9 as my carry/night stand gun. I also shoot 1911's @ steel matches, 9 mm & 45, have always loved the .45. I've read many comments on this forum the .45 Shield soft shooting? While I've not shot the .45 Shield and want too, how can that BE as know how the 9 mm recoils as the .45 muzzle jump can't be soft?

The .45 is a lot "softer" shooting than you'd expect a compact .45 to be.
Yes, it has some kick, but it is more of a big push, instead of the snap of the higher pressure 9mm.
9mm pressure is 35,000 to 38,000 for +P, while the .45 pressure is 18,000 to 21,000 for +P.

You should try a .45 Shield if you know someone that has one or you can rent one somewhere.

Also helping is the bigger grip of the .45 compared to the 9mm or .40 Shield.

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U. S. Army Veteran

Sandog,

What I've noticed from this forum and You Tube the .45 much more accurate than the 9 mm shield and that's why I have the .45 Shield bug.

I bought my .45 Shield when S&W was running a promotional price at $250. That was the only reason I bought it. However, once I took it to the range, I couldn’t believe how well it handled for a small .45. To this date, it has never had a failure. As a result, it has become one of my favorites.

I LOVE MINE. I SHOOT 185GR JHP AND FOUND IT TO BE VERY ACCURATE COMBO. IT LOVES THE ATLANTA ARMS 185GR JHP MATCH AMMO. JP

Here's a whole thread on the topic.

School me/ steel me on a Sheild 2.0 45 ACP

Here's a review of my Shield 45 I posted back in March:


Shield 45
Purchased February, 2017
Round count: 7,661
Accuracy scores (percentage of shots in a 4"X4" square over my last 15 range sessions): 15 yards, 404/565 = 72%; 20 yards, 369/728 = 51%

Comment: I love this gun. It’s easy to carry, its recoil is surprisingly mild, and its 15-yard accuracy is astonishing. (The attached target photo shows one of my better days at 15 yards with my Shield 45.) I can’t believe that it is so accurate with such a short barrel. It outshoots every other pistol I have, including my SIG P320 compact. The only exception is my FNX 45 Tactical with its 5.25” barrel and Vortex red dot.

I did have the original magazine followers, so I had a bunch of failures to feed initially, but after I received the redesigned followers, the FTFs went away, and it has been very reliable since. I added a Hogue grip which has helped to improve my accuracy. My main challenge is shooting one handed. The combination of a small gun and a big round means you need a very firm grip and a firm trigger pull, or you’ll limp wrist it into a failure to feed. But those have diminished with practice. Overall, however, I have no reservations about carrying my Shield 45. Even though my 40c usually gets chosen for my daily carry, it’s because of its greater round capacity, not because of its greater ability. Anyone considering the purchase of a Shield should consider the 45 first. It is superior to the 9 in every way, except capacity. And to me, it’s worth giving up one extra round for the superiority of the 45.

From a good range session:

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What, me worry?

I bought a Shield 45 when they first came out as a graduation gift for my son. Since it was to be his carry piece I took it out to make sure it worked reliably. It was so much fun to shoot that before I knew it I had put a few hundred rounds through it and had to buy another one for my son. I already had a full sized Sig P220 in 45 and didn't really need another 45 so I decided to sell one. I know this may cause me to get a lot of flak but, I've decided to keep the Shield. In all fairness the Sig is an amazing pistol but the take down lever is constantly trying to remove my left thumbnail. The Shield shoots very soft for a 45 and out to 20 meters (in my hands anyway) shoots as well as the Sig.

I don't know how that can be. I figure it has something to do with having two recoil springs. Or where the bore sits in relation to my hand. I can only tell you I expected the gun to kick pretty hard given the size and weight, but it does not. I have a Charter Pitbull .45 that weighs the same as my Shield and the difference in recoil between the two is night and day.

I have two, one now is in an AIWB holster, thumb safety model.

Neither has had a malfunction, one with about 600 rounds through it the other 1200. The low round count one had a protruding RSA, call to S&W CS solved that problem and it runs fine. Mix of 230 ball and quality defensive ammo.

Both are bone stock, except I don't care for the white dot sights, so those are blacked out. I toned down the aggressive grip a little, mostly due to skin comfort on my trunk (a little 200grit sandpaper, wrapped around an expended 12ga shell, judiciously applied did the trick).

I've got the guns, I've the ammo, I've got a range reservation for tomorrow, love it when a plan comes together!

Great gun. Mine has eaten all the brass, aluminum and steel case I have thrown at it. Carries very nicely when I’m in a 45 mood. I do have the grip sleeve on it as the grip is a bit thin (not something you hear when talking about 45’s very often). I use 200 grain Hornady Custom as my carry ammo. Likely get a four inch, red dot when things settle down.

I really like mine. For it's small size, it's very comfortable and accurate. No chance of ccw here in NJ, but I didn't want to waste a purchase permit and S&W was offering a nice rebate so I got one from PSA, and glad I did. As a precaution, I did put in the newer magazine followers but have had no problems at all.

I bought my Shield M&P 9 when they first came out. I use 8" paper plate at 10 yards. I was all over heavy left. Love the gun then the Shield 45 came out. Wow, what a difference. My groups were in 4" groups & centered. As it was said before, soft, easy to shoot. I have changed the white dot sights on the 9 & 45 with Tru Glo green rear, red front. As for round count for the 45 I bought extra mags to assure ample firepower. Shield 45 provides the best conceal & ease of carrying for such a big caliber.

I love mine! It has the safety & I also put a Hogue sleeve on the grip. Have yet to have a FTE or FTF with any ammo I've fed it & is very accurate. I painted the front sight's white dot orange for contrast with the rear sight dots. All I do now is shoot it!