I just spent over an hour calling almost every dealer in Kentucky and no one has one. One dealer said they called and their was a 50 year back order never heard such! Bull ! I was looking to get one around x-mas you think they'll be more available?

Dear sir.,

I have a 642 with Crimson Trace Grips,
A 686 with CT,
a Sigma .40 With Ct and 3000+ no glitches rounds thru it,
2- 4513TSW's
a Performance Center .45-Shorty .45
and 2 - Taurus 945's (4566's)
I do not understand what makes the Shield so special ?/
I mean no disrespect, but am confused as to why this gun is so special?/?

It is a neat gun and lot's of people want one ..

__________________
JR

Get on as many waiting lists as you can. This is how I obtained mine after someone wanted the next best thing and traded in their barely used 9mm Shield. When I mean barely used, I mean no more than a box of ammo went through it.

If you get on multiple lists you won't have a need to call all over the place, just sit back and wait patiently.

Hi RanchHand,
Nice list of handguns you have there, aside from the 642, the rest are much larger than the Shield. The Shield is popular due the the small size, high quality, and low price. If the Shield was priced at $550, they would be everywhere. The gun is a steal at $400, if you can find one. I've pretty much given up finding one this year, sorry I can't be of more help to the original poster. BTW: Are you suggesting the Taurus 945 is of equal quality as the S&W 4566? Please share your experiences with us if this is true, I don't hear much about the 945.

Thanks

Well they won't be that special after they have been out for a couple of years. The shields are new production and are being snapped up as fast as they come out of the factory because S&W's supply isn't able to keep up with high demand for now anyway. The big thing right now is pocket pistols and although the shield isn't exactly a pocket pistol it is close enough for S&W.

I am sure I overpaid for mine just to have it right now and have seen prices $50-75 less than what I paid IF you can find them.

Good luck.

__________________
44 Garrett Defender Ammo 4 me.

It took me several weeks of checking gun broker, Buds gun shop,and Gallery of Guns twice a day. I finally found one on Gallery of guns and bought it on the spot for 412.50 including my 6% state sales tax. I had the gun the very next day.
The small size (it is smaller than my Springfield EMP 9mm) and low price make it a very desireable gun for concealed carry. I have fired about 400 rounds thru mine and it has been 100% reliable and very accurate at SD distances. This is a better gun for concealed carry than a G19 or a G26 and as good (or may be better) than an EMP).
The supply will catch up to the demand and you will not regret the wait.

Wow, I guess I was pretty lucky. I was at a local gun show in June. Met a local FFL holder who worked out of his house, basically went to gun shows etc. He had 5 tables , mostly of handguns, new and used.
Really nice guy, we got to just chit chatting about guns, and I just happened to ask if he had any Shields.
Amazingly he said 'Yes, I got 2 in yesterday, but we didn't have any room to display'.
Purchased the .40 on the spot for 419.95 plus sales tax.

Moral of the story, go to a local gun show and ask every dealer there if they have any Shields. You might get lucky like I did.

[QUOTE=DASA;136682801]Hi RanchHand,
Nice list of handguns you have there, aside from the 642, the rest are much larger than the Shield. The Shield is popular due the the small size, high quality, and low price. If the Shield was priced at $550, they would be everywhere. The gun is a steal at $400, if you can find one. I've pretty much given up finding one this year, sorry I can't be of more help to the original poster. BTW: Are you suggesting the Taurus 945 is of equal quality as the S&W 4566? Please share your experiences with us if this is true, I don't hear much about the 945.

RESPONSE TO DASA


The T-945 is a near copy to the 4566 in size IMO. The ergonomics are perfect for my hands plus at 28 ounces is easy to carry especially in the North East where Sweatshirts are common 6-9 months a year.. And I LIKE .45's
The 945 is nowhere near the quality of the SW line. But as long as ANY gun fires when its supposed to, Feeds as it should, they are ALL good weapons.. You get to a gun show and see one try it just to get the feel of the grip/gun ETC.. Mine are one stainless with rosewood grips and one in black with rosewood grips. Both guns have the Gold plated details. Both are .45 caliber. 8+1 with a 10 rd back up clip.
You can drop the hammer back 1 notch to its safe position and leave the ambi safety off with no fear of accidental discharge. Gun is Traditional DA/SA,
and the 2 -I have VERY accurate for SD. They are NOT Smith's but ok just the same. I used the SS one to take my CCW test. The instructor said, " you love that gun don't you?" I said yeah 'fraid so.. only guns I have that are NOT SW's.

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One of the local dealers in Fort Myers seems to get all he wants. He had several in each cal the last time I stopped in. Checked it out and wasn't impressed. Too big for pocket carry.

I just walked into my local Gander and bought mine a few weeks ago. Not sure why some are having trouble getting them???

I live in kentucky too, louisville. You can have mine for 450 bucks. Its the .40 cal. The 7 round mag drops when firing, but the 6 round mag seems to have no problem. Send me a PM if your interested. I paid more than that with tax out the door.

Try here they had quite a few a week or so back Shooters Firearms and Gun Accessories

To bad they wouldn't sell one over the phone. Only in state sales.

When I decided I wanted one I checked online at the normal places (Bud's, etc) and called some local shops. One had a 22 person waiting list.

I wasn't willing to pay what the scalpers on Gunbroker wanted so I decided to check some of the law enforcement supply shops online. The third one I looked at had one in stock. $399 shipped to my FFL.

You might want to try looking at some of the smaller online shops instead of the big names.

What place did you find one?

You can find the 40 or 9 Shield at G&R Tactical, he just posted he had them in stock.... good price too.. opps... just went to post a link to it... they are already sold out... WOW.. might keep an eye out for them there, Grant seems to get them in, but obviously they go out fast..

__________________
Jack C

I'm having a terrible time locating one as well. I want the 9mm and I've been on the waitlist of two LGS for three weeks now. I've also been calling the first-come-first-serve stores about every week. I've expanded my search to nearby cities, as I'm willing to drive about 2 hours out to pick one up. I've signed up for availability notifications online. And I got nothin'...

It is especially annoying to me because this is going to be my first gun. I don't have anything else to play with while I wait. I've looked into the alternatives, but my mind is set and I've got a stubborn will.

C'mon S&W... I'm sure you're working as hard as you can, but can't you put in more overtime?

While I can empathize with your plight, perhaps you should read this: Smith & Wesson Soars - Business Insider .

Smith and Wesson just had a record fiscal quarter fueled mostly by the sales of the M&P Shield platform. They're obviously pumping them out as fast as they can, but demand is just that crazy right now.

Frankly I think they (S&W) have played this masterfully so far.

I am number 51 on the list at the Lgs.
Been a month now ,Hopefully by Christmas I will have my new shield in hand.....It better be worth the wait.

I'm in Nashville TN. I called Guns and Leather on 7/23/12 and asked about a Shield. They said they got 20+ calls a day. I asked if they had a waiting list. They said no. They were glad to put me on a waiting list. I was skeptical when they didn't ask for money. They called me on Friday, 9/7/12, and said one came in and they had it on hold for me.

Of course their ranges have been full so I havent' been able to shoot it yet. But I do have one.

Joe