Shield 45 AWFUL GRIPS

[Whisper]

Like a previous poster, I like the grips on my Shield .45 just fine, and my Shield 9mms now feel a little slick after shooting the .45. But both are acceptable. I think the rubberized grips add too much thickness to an intentionally slim design, so it's probably good that I am satisfied with what I have...although I could envision possible adding some stippling on the 9mms at some point.

At present I consider the Shield .45 to be the closest-to-perfect EDC semiauto I have.

Cheers,
Whisper

 

[wanderson7262]

Personally I prefer the 45 texture to the Shield 9. I have Talon grips on several of my pistols and prefer the rubber over the sandpaper/grit so I'm fond of aggressive texturing either. My Shield 9mm was just barely good enough I felt it didn't need a wrap and IMHO the 45 is perfect.

FWIW I have an FNX-45 and the grip feels like a cheese grater. Not bad enough to rub your hands raw but I added an AGRIP and it's perfect now. AGRIP is an artificial suede-like material, like alcantara (that stuff they cover racing steering wheels with). I'd recommend either Talon or AGRIP if your present grip doesn't work for you.

 

[Ranger98]

I cheat !

When I shoot mine at the range,I wear a shooting glove

 

[Granddad]

To each, his/her own. I like the grip texture of the Shield 45.

 

[Americanpatriot]

I have the standard size 2.0. I have read some posts about the texture being to aggressive.I've been carrying IWB and put 150 rounds full power loads at the range Saturday. I haven't personally had any issues with the texture but I can see how for some they may be a bit rough. I'd recommend some sort of grip sleeve instead of a permanent modification.

 

[POPPS235]

grips

I love my 45 Shield. Only thing about the grips I don't like is that my shirts get snagged on them.it's like Velcro

 

[mnarcher]

I love my 45 Shield. Only thing about the grips I don't like is that my shirts get snagged on them.it's like Velcro

This is it exactly. It's the best thing they have done to the Shield. It's unfortunate they are not going to do anything else with the 9mm and .40 Shield.

Sent from my SM-G935V using Tapatalk

 

[tnhawk]

It's nothing compared to the front strap checkering on a TRP. Even with that cheese grater, you get use to it.

After a few hundred rounds, the checkering on the TRP became comfortable in my hand. The grips on the Shield 45 are one of the reasons I chose the pistol.

 

[ontargetagain]

Awful grips? I totally disagree and did you not handle this gun before you bought it?? The aggressive grips do just what they should do, they 'enhance' your grip without the extra squeeze by the shooter.

My first time out I shot 102 rounds, smiled when I was done and wondered how a grip being that aggressive did not bother me and I am not a big guy at 165lbs. Maybe you are accustomed to over squeezing your grip and can relax it a bit.
I bought my gun for more a target gun, not what it really was intended for I am sure I did add the Houge Gripall grip for the added girth but I miss the texturing of the factory grip so it is a compromise for me.
Just my take on it............
Karl

 

[wingspar]

Everyone is different. Tho not a Shield, I just bought a 2.0 in .45 ACP and I absolutely hate the rough grip texture. I’m going to shoot it before I take sandpaper to them, but I will be taking sandpaper to them, and no, I did not have the opportunity to handle it before buying. I rented an M&P in different calibers a few years ago and the grips were fine. New ones way too aggressive for me. Fine for others, not me.

 

[Walt Sherrill]

If you don't want to sand the grip texture down just a little, as suggested, you can always get a HANDALL-type rubber wrap, or just cup up an old bicycle inner-tube and slip it on the grip...

 

[ScaryWoody]

The grip texture was a big selling point for me. Aggressive yes. As a right handed shooter, I lightly sanded the left side a bit so it wouldn't rub skin as bad. You can't please everyone but at least they gave us a good start. Much better than the Shield 9/40. As a defensive pistol, I appreciate the positive grip. If it's going to be a range gun, it would be a callus builder.

 

[cowboydave]

I sanded mine too and now I really like how it feels in my hand.

 

[Will41]

This is the first thing I do after buying a Shield. They work great and are only $10 LGS. They do increase the size of the grip which I like.

I have the Hogue Beavertail Grip on my 40 Shield and it's great. You might want to look into this for the 45 Shield also.

HandAll Beavertail Grip Sleeve S&W M&P Shield 45, Kahr P9/P40/CW9/CW40

 

[0849]

I love the grip, but did notice it rubs a bit against my skin when I carry IWB. So I took some very fine sandpaper and gently rubbed to take down some of the aggressive texture. Its perfect now for me.

I suspect that the OP could do the same, just take it slow until you have a texture that you like. You can always take more off- you can't put the texture back one once its sanded off.

Just curious, did sanding it a bit change the color at all, I would guess not but just wanted to be sure ?

 

[jim46ok]

The texture grip is one of the main reasons I bought one, it locks the gun in your hand.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

It is NOT a target pistol. It is an SD pistol. If you sand/modify it for comfortable target shooting, i.e. 100 rds or so... then you are compromising the SD feature it was designed for. In a tense SD situation, wouldn't you rather the grip "stays put"...?? I would.

 

[Walt Sherrill]

It is NOT a target pistol. It is an SD pistol. If you sand/modify it for comfortable target shooting, i.e. 100 rds or so... then you are compromising the SD feature it was designed for. In a tense SD situation, wouldn't you rather the grip "stays put"...?? I would.

I hope that was a tongue-in-cheek comment , but fear it wasn't. If it was a serious warning...

May the Great Gun Gods in the Sky forgive the gun owner if he (or she) also later chooses to change the gun's sights!! That's equally wrong, too, because the sights on the gun are exactly right for anybody who might buys it.

We shouldn't second-guess the Gun Gods!!​

In fact, the person modifying the grips may be IMPROVING the WEAPON (rather than compromising a single feature), and in doing so will have a weapon that BETTER does what it was designed to do FOR HIM (or HER) than as it came from the factory!

 

[bubbajoe45]

I agree with jim46. In an SD situation, you'll only fire a few rounds and you probably won't even notice the texturing. Clearly, we should practice with what we carry, but the tendency to shoot 100 rounds or more for practice at a time highlights these features that are designed to enhance your grip when sweat, rain, mud, blood, (beer), etc. are present. If practical (and I know its not for everyone), practice more often with fewer rounds. I believe quality practice is more important than quantity.

 

[cowboydave]

I am happy with my gun now, before I sanded it I wasn't. That's what really matters. YMMV.

 

[sandog]

My second time at the range with my new Shield 45, First time I only fired abot 15 rounds (all I had in my carryall).\
This time I had 100 rounds with me, well, after about 25 rounds I began to feel the back of the grip in my hand....looking at it the grips on the 45 are VERY rough...almost like 60 grit sandpaper.
Awful design, now what...Talon Grips over it....NOT GOOD

Well, I don't know about an awful design, most Shield owners like the grip fine, myself included.
I just that we all have different tastes and ideas, and some shooters are more sensitive with grip.
I could see smoothing a part of the grip if it irritates you when carrying, after all, a pistol like the Shield will get carried a lot more than it will get put into action saving your bacon.
And the OP did say he was bothered after 25 rounds at the range, not from carrying the piece.
Are the grips on the .45 really rougher/different than the 9mm or .40 ? I haven't handled a .45, mine is a .40, and I wouldn't want the texture to be any smoother than it is.
I find the PC Shield to be much more comfortable to shoot than my Fullsize M&P .40. Even though the grip is thinner, and the recoil isn't as spread out, the grip on the FS is harder, like plastic, and the Shield is more rubbery. The porting on the Shield has something to do with the comfort for sure.
I will modify a gun as much as anyone if I feel it will help and give me an advantage in an SD situation.
I have found that most firearms could use some improvement.
The example that Walt used about changing the sights would be true, but only depending on the sights you changed to.
If you were to put a big blocky set of Target sights on a Shield, that would not be keeping with the intent of this pistol.
But say you want a set of Tritium sights instead of the stock ones, or some with a slightly different sight picture that you are used to.
If the ones you choose are sleek, streamlined, and rugged, then those would be a good choice.
Range use is not the same as using the same gun in a stressful defense scenario. You might have an injured hand, or hands, pouring down rain, sweat, blood, etc on them, you might have to get a shot off from a unorthodox position, you never know.
I wouldn't take a gun that is darn near perfect for SD, and change it to make it more range friendly, but that's just me.
Same as always wearing gloves at the range when shooting.
Are you gonna still have those gloves on when leaving the mall on a hot summer night, or if a home invader appears at the foot of your bed at 2 a.m. ?
Practice like you are going to fight, as close as you can anyway.