45 Shield, 2.0 or not?
- Thread starter rubiranch
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Stamped on the slide. If it isn't then it isn't. 
The Shield 2.0 looks like this, with a 2.0 stamp on the left side of the slide. This 2.0 is Massachusetts Compliant, with a thumb safety. Many do not have this feature - mine was $25 cheaper than the non-safety version.
Hope this helps!
Hope this helps!
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I just don't know.
mckenney99
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All .45 Auto Shield's incorporated the 2.0 features from the beginning of production. At some point later in the production runs they finally started marking the slides with the 2.0 designation.
They are essentially all 2.0
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Yep a goody! Apex trigger and some tru glo’s added. Tier one IWB holster. Comfortable shooting, very accurate. Like it a lot for a small 45. Lower mag capacity obviously as you know.
You are..........100% correct........I have an early one (not stamped) that has ALL the 2.0 features.
I learn something here every day!
Well Armed
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Yes, S&W released the Shield 45 ACP in 2016 with all the Shield 2.0 features BEFORE there was a 9mm/40S&W Shield 2.0. That is, only the Shield 1.0 in 9mm and .40 existed at that time. As such, S&W didn't start etching the "2.0" onto the Shield 45 ACP's slide until a couple of years AFTER the 9mm/.40 Shield 2.0 was announced and released. The Shield 45 came out in 2016. The Shield "2.0" was announced in 2017. S&W simply put the cart before the horse.
All Shield 45s are Shield 2.0s whether it's denoted on the slide or not. The only downside with early Shield 45s is with the magazine followers. S&W changed the design. The older magazine followers were problematic and sometimes induced FTF malfunctions. I have experienced this myself.
Borrowed picture but this shows the difference between the older followers and newer.
All Shield 45s are Shield 2.0s whether it's denoted on the slide or not. The only downside with early Shield 45s is with the magazine followers. S&W changed the design. The older magazine followers were problematic and sometimes induced FTF malfunctions. I have experienced this myself.
Borrowed picture but this shows the difference between the older followers and newer.
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Well Armed
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Here are photos for my Shield that I purchased in 2017 or 2018. Still no "2.0" on the slide, and they shipped with the older style of mags.
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ultratec00
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I have one that is marked 2.0, one that was not. Fantastic little pocket cannon. Can't say it enough, match the ammo to the firearm. A polymer, lightweight, short barreled 45 is NOT a midsize or full size. The ammo I shoot in my mid/full size M&Ps or 1911s is NOT what I shoot out of my Shield 45s.
Yes, S&W released the Shield 45 ACP in 2016 with all the Shield 2.0 features BEFORE there was a 9mm/40S&W Shield 2.0. That is, only the Shield 1.0 in 9mm and .40 existed at that time. As such, S&W didn't start etching the "2.0" onto the Shield 45 ACP's slide until a couple of years AFTER the 9mm/.40 Shield 2.0 was announced and released. The Shield 45 came out in 2016. The Shield "2.0" was announced in 2017. S&W simply put the cart before the horse.
All Shield 45s are Shield 2.0s whether it's denoted on the slide or not. The only downside with early Shield 45s is with the magazine followers. S&W changed the design. The older magazine followers were problematic and sometimes induced FTF malfunctions. I have experienced this myself.
Borrowed picture but this shows the difference between the older followers and newer.
Best explanation ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Yes, S&W released the Shield 45 ACP in 2016 with all the Shield 2.0 features BEFORE there was a 9mm/40S&W Shield 2.0. That is, only the Shield 1.0 in 9mm and .40 existed at that time. As such, S&W didn't start etching the "2.0" onto the Shield 45 ACP's slide until a couple of years AFTER the 9mm/.40 Shield 2.0 was announced and released. The Shield 45 came out in 2016. The Shield "2.0" was announced in 2017. S&W simply put the cart before the horse.
All Shield 45s are Shield 2.0s whether it's denoted on the slide or not. The only downside with early Shield 45s is with the magazine followers. S&W changed the design. The older magazine followers were problematic and sometimes induced FTF malfunctions. I have experienced this myself.
Borrowed picture but this shows the difference between the older followers and newer.
Thank you. Can the older magazine followers be updated?
Does it take a lot of usage for the problem to developed?
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I' don't reload so ammo my ammo is the same.
I only have two .45 ACP, the two in my original post.
Well Armed
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I have about a dozen Shield 45 mags, and only the mags that came with the gun are the older style, so I haven't gotten around to swapping them out yet. In prior threads on this forum, I recall seeing that a member or two simply contacted S&W, and S&W shipped out replacement followers free of charge. I plan on attempting the same thing.
I think I primarily used the my 7 round newer mags at the range all these years. I never had an issue. I was in a self defense shootout back in late 2023. I had a failure to feed with the flush older style mag (the mag that's in the gun in the pictures I posted) after I fired the first round. I had to rack another round into the chamber. That was the first and only malfunction I ever had. I was able to fire the rest of the rounds without issue.
If you do a Google search and even search this forum, you'll see multiple complaints and threads about Shield 45 FTF. I'd just update to the newer followers, and verify each mag works reliably in the gun before carrying it.
Google Search: Shield 45 FTF
..
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If you have the old followers, contact S&W customer service and they will send you the redesigned followers free of charge. I had a bunch of FTFs with the original followers, and they all went away when I installed the new ones. The new followers are drop-in replacements for the old ones.
However, you may find that reassembling your 7-round magazines after replacing their followers is an exercise in frustration. It's a very tricky process, and the manual is of no help. The 6-round magazines don't have this problem, they're easy to reassemble. Below is an old thread that should help you with 7-rounder reassembly. There are at least two different methods presented there that you can use.
Shield .45 7-round magazine reassembly tip
The Shield 45 is a wonderful pistol, and I think you'll enjoy it immensely after you get your 7-round magazine followers updated.
