For those having FTF issues with their 45 Shield.

[SATX]

If other shooters are not having the problems you are having, it's you. No mystery about it. It doesn't matter how many other guns you shot that were more forgiving.

 

[bigbob76]

One of .45 Shields went back to the mother ship for a little problem and has been fine ever since. The other one was fine all the way. They are both listed on my carry license and I am completely confident with them. Some of my friends that shoot really small 1911s in .45acp carry with 185 grain rounds. They say that because of the short barrels there is a lot that has to happen in a very short time and space and also the weight of the bullets slow down how fast the spring can push them up into position. All I can say is I am very happy with the .45 Shield.

 

[martybee]

On the subject of: FTF (in this case, Failure To Feed) problems with the Shield.45; I believe a large portion of the problem stems from the fact that the rounds are not fully seated in the magazine. this causes the round to "nose dive" into the front of the mag. I think most are aware that the "Stripper rail" (the long rib on the bottom of the slide) has machined swirl marks on it from the factory that were introduced on the Shield 45, the Shield 9 & 40 do not. These were added to help seat the next round back in the mag before stripping it into chamber. Unfortunately it does not always work.
I found that when I load the mags, if I slap the back of the loaded mag against the palm of my hand, it will drive the loaded rds. to the back of the mag. It works for me! I have well over 1,500 rds through my Shield.45 and never have a failure to feed. Incidentally, all my mags still have the original non-modified followers! I hope this is of some help to you who are still having difficulties with this problem!
I learned this trick from fellow forum member, Jessie in his post #20.

 

[Oceandiver]

I bought two

Well, the Chief Kool-Aid Drinker himself, Mr. FloridaS&W, just can't let anyone who doesn't WORSHIP all that Smith & Wesson shoves out the door have his say. Mr. FloridaS&W has NO CREDIBILITY or objectivity in ANY of his responses as you read through his hyper-defensive posts and demeaning responses to anyone else who hints at criticism of any S&W product. He just can't help himself! Guys like him just plain RUIN the spirit of helpfulness and free expression in forums like this one!

Regardless of Mr. FloridaS&W's depraved obsession to rewrite history and deny reality, I have actually bought, owned and sold several .45 Shields, as I have said in several prior posts - Six as of last fall, 2017 and two more since then, to date. Why? Because I COULD and I DID!

Don't like reality, Mr. FloridaS&W? Go back to your psychiatrist and tell him your meds aren't working!

Also, if you check my previous posts with an open mind, you'll see that I have always tried to be helpful in SOLVING members problems, unlike Mr. FloridaS&W who likes to discredit and blame the gun owner who points out a problem.

I stand behind (and can back up 100%) every one of my posts, including any that call out the fanboys and logo-obsessed truth suppressors like the Kool-Aid addicted Mr. FloridaS&W.

Thank You.

I bought one, loved it except for the FTF issue. Bought a second one, thinking the first one may be a lemon. Same issue. Sold off the second one. Gun is crazy accurate, just not reliable.

 

[1sailor]

This thread has me a little curious. When I posted a couple of months ago that I was having issues I don't recall anyone else mentioning any issues. About the only answer I got was that I was simply too old and feeble to handle the awesome 45acp. It was recommended that I should only carry a .380. However, in my case it turned out to be the followers. Thankfully at least one of our members suggested them and they did turn out to be the problem.

 

[luvsmiths]

I've got three M&P's, including a 9mm Shield. If it were operator error, I think it would've shown up before now.

Sounds like he didn't succeed in not aggravating you.

It fails for NO ONE but you. Let that sink.

 

[luvsmiths]

Donn, I don't mean to aggravate you, but doesn't this suggest operator error?

Yeah- uh, I think you aggravated him.

He not only went all bold in the fonts, but he used italics, an ENLARGED font, and different text styles.

Yup, my spidey senses say you aggravated Donn!

 

[Well Armed]

I was in a gunfight this year after an armed robbery happened where two younger men robbed stuck a gun into the chin of a guy standing next to me and preceeded to rob him of his openly carried firearm.

As I was on the phone calling 911 and trying to let them know where they were headed on foot, they fired at me, and I fired back. I was later charged with a Class 1 misdemeanor for firing in public which a befuddled recently judge dismissed.

I was EDCing my M&P Shield 45 Performance Center. I've owned it since 2016 or 2017 I believe. I had the 6 round flush fit magazine in the gun. I was able to fire off 2 shot and then I got a "click." It was a failure to feed in which I had to rack another round into the chamber to empty the mag. This is in the middle of a gun fight where had it happened when they were closer and not as they were running away, I'd probably be dead. No, I wasn't limp wristing, the recoil wasn't much, and I had a firm 2 handed grip.

 

[Mike SC Hunter]

I dunno....

I've fired many rounds with my Shield .45 with a one hand grip, either hand and such AND my weak hand is actually WEAK due to a spinal injury... and NEVER had a FTF . I can't MAKE the pistol fail, not even with shotshells and desert dirt. I haven't even needed to change mags or springs. Never even had a mag drop event. I DO make sure to solidly seat all rounds to the rear of the mag well.

I hear ya, but just don't understand how this happens with this pistol unless the grip style being used is somehow interfering with the slide / lock mechanisms ? I just dunno... I would have given up after trying TWO of em . Too bad this model doesn't seem to suit you, I've found it to be my all time favorite EDC .

Same here. 9-40-45 Shields. All stock. Never had a problem with any of them....Even shooting cast bullet reloads.

 

[DaSvenska]

After reading all of these posts, one would want to reconsider purchasing one of these firearms. That said, not me. I have a Shield Plus in the 9mm variety that is flawless, I prefer .45 and was looking for something a bit smaller than my Glock 30S. I am on the lookout for a Shield 45 and still trying to make up my mind as to getting a PC or not. Nevertheless, I am sure I still want a Shield 2.0 45.

 

[DaSvenska]

Ok, bought one. The standard Shield 2.0 .45. Mine actually has the thumb safety. It was built 9/2023. I ran 100 rounds thru it today for the first time out with it, 230 gr Federal ball ammo and Amscor 230 gr JHP. All fed with no problem and the gun ran flawlessly. I was quite taken on how soft the recoil was compared to other .45's I have ran. This gun is a keeper. Found some 7 round mags on line that are on the way, so will have some range mags which will help. I now see why this gun is so popular.

 

[Echo40]

Talk about a blast from the past!