Do you own a Shield 45 and a full size M&P

[1sailor]

Since buying my first Shield 45 when they first came out (my son ended up with that one) I've been impressed with how accurate they are out to 25 yards for such a small lightweight 45acp. If there's any members out there that own both a Shield and a 4.5" full size (or 4" compact) how would you rate the accuracy between the two. It naturally seems like the larger frame and grip area would make for a more accurate gun but "how much more accurate". Are you firing much tighter groups or is it just a little better. I'm sure the larger pistols are a little more comfortable shooting 300 rounds through. I'm asking because I look at how well my Shield shoots and I gotta wonder, how well would I be doing with a full size by comparison. Not considering skill level just the two pistols. I currently own a Sig P220 that I'm going to sell and am considering the purchase of another full size 45 to take it's place. The Sig is a great pistol but it just doesn't fit me well.

 

[bloodlord77]

I don't own a shield .45 for comparison, but I do own an M&P 2.0 .45 fullsize 4.6". I also own 9 other M&Ps including a shield 40, and the 45 is my favorite shooter of them all. It sleeps beside me on my nightstand every night with an Olight Pro Valkyrie, and 14 round extended mags. I can easily get groups of 1"-1.5" at 10 yards. Offhand. And 2.5" or so out to 25 yards. So, I cant offer you a comparison between the two, but I can say you wont be disappointed with the fullsize version of the M&P 45.

 

[swsig]

I don't have both of those, but I do have a Shield 45 with 7,600 rounds and a full-size FNX 45 Tactical (DA/SA, 5.25" barrel, Vortex Venom red dot sight) with 7,700 rounds, so I can make a Shield 45 vs. a full size 45 comparison. I have used the same accuracy statistic throughout my ownership of these guns: The percentage of shots (freehand) placed into a 4"x4" square on my targets. For my last 15 range sessions at 20 yards with each, I averaged 51% placed in the square with the Shield, and 70% with the FNX. The longer barrel of the FNX most certainly results in greater accuracy, but so does the red dot sight, so it's hard to separate the effects of the two. Nevertheless, the 51% accuracy score from the Shield is quite good for me.

The Shield 45 is a superb gun, and as I've stated before on the Forum, it may be the most accurate small carry pistol on the market. But as accurate as it is, I would expect a full-size M&P 45 to be even more accurate. My suggestion is that you should buy one, check it out for yourself, and post a report for us. That would be a great excuse for buying a new gun: It's for science!

 

[1sailor]

Too bad my state is so backed up on background checks, It's gonna be a while before I can buy anything new. Everyone's prices also jumped a hundred plus dollars over the last few days. I'd sure like to see those prices come down first. But don't worry, whenever I get a new pistol I can't shut up about it.

 

[Ranger17]

Not in 45, but when I would take both my Shield 9 (PC) & my full size 9 to the range, up to my usual 6-8 yards practice distances i’d be about as accurate with both. From 10-15 yds still pretty close but going to 25 then my full size was slightly better. Grouping a little smaller. Though with crappy eyesight either one at 25 yards is a chore lol.
Noting i have never used a rest so none of my results are scientific. I’m sure it would take someone using one to give truly solid feedback. I never concern myself with results from a rest, only with how “I” can shoot something.
So for me, whether its the longer barrel, maybe the added weight/balance or even just the feel of the thicker grip; I do shoot the full size a tad bit better.

 

[ultratec00]

I have two Shield 45s, one 1.0 45FS, and three 1.0 45Cs. They're all apexed and shooters, which means with the right ammo combination I can keep 95% in a 4" circle offhand at 25 yards. Some still hold to the mindset most deadly encounters happen at very short distances. That may be true to some extent, but the world is changing.

Note I said right ammo because every firearm tends to prefer certain bullet weights/type/speed/pressure combos over others. Comparing the 45 Shield with the FS frames is apples to orange. The Shield is what it is, a light weight, short barreled, polymer framed, 45 and you should treat it as such. The ammo that stokes my FS frames never sees my Shields.

All my 45s have an affection for 185 JHPs. The 185 JHPs that stoke the FS frames comes out the muzzle at an honest 1000+ fps. They are quite snappy, but totally manageable and very accurate in the FS frames. My reloads duplicate the ballistics and are comparably accurate.

Both my Shields have the stainless steel guide rod, which is a single stage spring vs. the stock dual stage. That spring weight with a 185 JHP pushing ~800-900 FPS is deadly accurate and very manageable.

 

[B0308]

Hi,

I have a brace of .45 Shields, good little guns, carry well in an AIWB holster. Three .45 4", one remaining iron sights, one RMR and one Aimpoint ACRO. All the 4" carry well in a JM Kydex AIWB holster, if you dress appropriately.

No doubt at all that the 4" M&P's are more accurate, in my hands, out to 25 yards. The Shield's in my experience drop off considerably beyond 15 yards. YMMV.