Is the shield .45 good to go?

[obofglob]

Thanks, Sandog. I was going to inquire about the night sights S&W offers on the PC 2.0 .45, as this is the model I'm looking for. They don't say who's they use, just that they're tritium. Was wondering if it would be more cost effective to buy the version without, and purchase aftermarket ones. That is, if they're better.

The factory tritium sights are marked trijicon on the bottom . Check the PM I sent you .

 

[upcountry]

My PC .45 Shield is a softer shooter than my 9mm Shield.
Not sure if the porting makes that much difference, but it's a reliable and accurate shooter.

 

[Univibe]

Skip the 45 and get the 9mm. Less recoil, more bullets, same effect on bad guys


45 is for shooting with your friends
9mm is for shooting at your enemies

 

[ejr10mm]

I had one for awhile. It never gave me problems. I traded it off for a Glock 43 when my department switched to Glocks. Just wanted to keep the same trigger and mechanics the same with my carry gun to my work gun if that makes sense.

 

[sandog]

Skip the 45 and get the 9mm. Less recoil, more bullets, same effect on bad guys


45 is for shooting with your friends
9mm is for shooting at your enemies

I would be inclined to agree with you, if we were talking about pistols other than the Shield.
My full size M&P is a 9mm, it has noticeably less recoil and holds 7 more rounds than the full size .45 equivalent.

But in the Shield, the .45 only holds one less round than the 9mm, and I actually like the recoil of the .45 better than the ported or unported 9mm Shield.
Not saying the .45 Shield has less recoil than a 9mm Shield, but I find it just as pleasant to shoot.

If anything, the .45 Shield probably has more recoil then the 9mm, but it is a slower recoil, not as snappy as the 9mm or .40.
And the larger grip of the .45 helps make it comfortable to shoot.

 

[Bore Snake]

Typically you don't hear anything about a firearm a few years after it has been released, it gets a lot of attention when it's new, then it slowly fades away, even if it remains successful and people in general like it.

Besides, single-stack .45s aren't all the rage right now, most folks are into high capacity subcompact 9mms like the SIG P365 or Springfield Armory Hellcat right now. So the Shield in general has lost some steam, and many anticipate that Smith & Wesson will make their own entry into that niche shortly.

That being said, the M&P45 Shield is a fantastic carry firearm which by all accounts is surprisingly soft-shooting for such a lightweight .45 ACP pistol. Furthermore, in the unfortunate event in which the AWB is reinstated like certain politicians are pushing for, then the M&P45 Shield will be exempt and therefore is likely to skyrocket in demand, so if you're thinking of getting one, then it's best to do so sooner rather than later.

I was actually looking to buy an M&P45 Shield as a new Summer Carry gun as well as an alternative primary EDC in the event that the AWB does make a comeback, but ended up getting an Performance Center M&P40 Shield instead because I happened upon a deal that was too good to pass up, and obviously I'm a fan of .40 S&W anyway.

What are the differences between the original M&P .45 and the new 2.0 .45?

Are the magazines interchangeable? At this point I am heavily invested in the M&P 14 rounders because I just finished putting together an AR-45 pistol, and the magwell adapter is designed for the M&P mags.

Thanks in advance for any info.

 

[Mike SC Hunter]

Skip the 45 and get the 9mm. Less recoil, more bullets, same effect on bad guys

Seems everybody is "recoil sensitive" these days.......Wonder why?


45 is for shooting with your friends
9mm is for shooting at your enemies

Seems our big ol 45 beat the stuffins out the Keiser's puny 9mm back in WWII...........And it still will.


Or do like me and get all three 9/40/45. The 45 is the most accurate of my 3.

 

[sandog]

What are the differences between the original M&P .45 and the new 2.0 .45?

Are the magazines interchangeable? At this point I am heavily invested in the M&P 14 rounders because I just finished putting together an AR-45 pistol, and the magwell adapter is designed for the M&P mags.

Thanks in advance for any info.

All older .45 Shields had 2.0 features.
The .45 Shield was the testbed for the 2.0 features, even though they didn't yet call them 2.0.
The only thing I can think of that the 2.0 has over the original .45 Shield is the "2.0" stamping on the slide.

In other Shield calibers (9mm and .40) the 2.0 added forward cocking fish scales on the slide, but even my 2017 .45 has those.
And magazines are interchangeable.

 

[Echo40]

Sandog is correct.

The M&P45 Shield 1.0 and 2.0 are identical save for slide markings because the M&P45 Shield 1.0 was the basis for the 2.0 Series.

That being said, even if the M&P45 Shield 1.0 were the same as the earlier 1.0 9mm and .40cal variants, then the differences would be minimal, as the only differences were more aggressive grip texture and some minor forward slide serrations for press checks, that's it.

On a personal note, I actually prefer the 1.0 design because I feel that the 2.0 grip texture is too rough and to me press checks are just the latest superfluous (onion-on-the-belt) trend like hooked/textured trigger guards of decades passed. The M&P already has a witness hole in the top of the barrel hood so that you can see brass inside when loaded, and while it isn't easy to see in low light, press checks wouldn't be much better under the same lighting conditions.

 

[sandog]

Yes, and in 9mm and .40, the 2.0 generally has a better trigger than the 1.0
All the .45 Shields, whether marked 2.0 on the slide or not, have nice trigger pulls.

 

[Echo40]

I forgot about the trigger, but then again, my 1.0 model is a Performance Center model so it already has an improved trigger, and trigger snobs hated the 2.0's trigger as well, so it's just sort of slipped my mind.
Heck, trigger snobs even hate the Shield PLUS trigger which is supposed to be the best yet, so apparently nothing short of some goofy-looking aftermarket brightly colored aluminum trigger with an even goofier name will ever satisfy them.

 

[M.Yurco]

I had an early Shield .45. The factory sent me new magazine followers on two occasions. It also went back to the factory 3 times.It would constantly drop the magazines.It was obviously a lemon. Surprisingly, Smith and Wesson would do nothing to resolve this issue.They told me it was because I was a left handed shooter.
I was in Law Enforcement for 33 years, and I am a firearms instructor.I asked them what would happen if a right-handed officer was injured and had to shoot left-handed.They had no answer.

 

[rubiranch]

I have two M&P 45s, a full size and a Shield with the 3.375" barrel.
Both have been flawless.
I carried a 642-1 for years and bought the Shield with the intension of replacing
the 642-1 and making the Shield my EDC.
After a few months I went back to the 642-1 due to the weight of the Shield.

I've been told more than once by people I consider experts in their field that
if you get into a gunfight and don't win with your first three rounds there's a good
chance you're not going to win so I don't know what the advantage is when
it comes to a hand gun that holds 20 rounds.
I think the Shield 45 is an excellent choice for your EDC.

 

[Bore Snake]

Thanks Sandog and Forte.

Being that I built the AR-45 pistol, I wanted a "companion" Shield .45 to go with it. I found an 4.6" LE version, (model 11884), with 3 mags. Not sure what these normally go for, but considering current political circumstances and that these are getting hard to find, I wanted to verify mag compatibility before committing to purchase.

If anyone is curious, the AR-45 build is as follows:

Palmetto lower with Aero LPK
Wilson .458 Socom upper receiver, (XL Aero)
Wilson UPK
CMMG RDB BCG and 16" barrel, (cut to 10.5")
GHW Tailhook Mod 1 brace, (buffer tube cut down to keep under 26" OAL)
Trybe 9.25 forend, (Optics Planet brand)
Magpul accessories
Sig Romeo 5
Stern Defense AD-MP.45 magwell adapter

Stern said their adapter wouldn't work with the CMMG Radial Delay BCG because the adapter was made for blowback style bolts. I played with the seating depth of the magwell adapter, and modified the adapter where the standard mag catch engages.

It runs like a top. Only thing is... that the LRBHO isn't functional at the moment. I may take the time at some point to make that functional somehow, but I really don't miss it at this point.

If anyone wants to see a pic, I will try to figure out how to pull that off the phone and post it.

So what is current average market pricing on a new Shield .45 2.0 ???

 

[Mike SC Hunter]

And always remember. A 9mm MAY expand. But a .45 will never shrink.

 

[Univibe]

And always remember. A 9mm MAY expand. But a .45 will never shrink.

Also remember: after you've fired 11 rounds, with 9mm you have 7 more. But with .45 you're out.

 

[Mike SC Hunter]

Also remember: after you've fired 11 rounds, with 9mm you have 7 more. But with .45 you're out.

IF....You haven't extinguished the problem in 11 rounds you need to go home and practice more. IF you're still standing.

A magazine change takes all of 3-4 seconds.

 

[Bore Snake]

Also remember: after you've fired 11 rounds, with 9mm you have 7 more. But with .45 you're out.

Not with 14 rounders.

 

[Bore Snake]

Well....

The M&P .45 2.0 is ordered and shipped. Should have it in hand by the 6th. Model SWLE 11884 does come with 3 mags, and the enhanced full length stainless chassis system. I assume that means it's more durable/ longer life? The extra mag and the enhanced chassis seem to be what makes it LE.

I probably overpaid... but I bought somewhat local and had to pay state tax... and it was one of the only places I found online, (after an extensive search), that actually had the model 11884 in stock.

 

[sandog]

Also remember: after you've fired 11 rounds, with 9mm you have 7 more. But with .45 you're out.

We're talking Shields here, not FS pistols. The 9mms only hold one more round than the .45.