The shield 45 is a great CCW, but not for me.

[old-school]

The shield 45 is a great CCW, but not for me. I have a shield 9 which have given me great service for the past three years, but when the 45 came out I had to get one. Well I got one and broke it in with 200 rounds without any problems (I suggest that everyone should be sure that any new pistol will eat at least 200 rounds before you can trust any pistol). On Wednesday, I took both the 9 and 45 and 50 rounds each to the range. At the end of the day, I was able to put my 9mm shots in the black, but the 45 had too much recoil for me-for that quick second shot, I couldn’t keep it on target. So I think that the 9mm will continue to be my EDC and the 45 will be retested later. So the bottom line, to each his own, but I would suggest that you may want to try the 45 Shield before you buy one.

 

[Zebra War Wagon]

old-school, you made a great point......No use CCW'ing anything if you don't do well with it......A hit with a 9mm beats a miss with a .45!

 

[MacA]

I think you came to the correct conclusion, especially since you were more familiar with (3 years) your Shield 9. Most .45ACP compact and sub-compact pistols have a unique recoil that takes some getting used to. Since my primary carry weapons over the years were .45ACP, (Commander 1911, XD-S, and Glock 30) I am accustomed to getting back on target in an acceptable amount of time for me.

A CCW should be what you are more comfortable with, whether that is 9mm, .45 ACP, or any other caliber!

 

[RobzGuns]

I got a chance to fondle a Shield45 the other day, but they didn't have a rental to try. I do like its textured grip... But like you guys have written, a .45 recoil feels different from 9mm and I'd need to shoot one before taking the leap.

Plus... No extra mags to be found (yet), so there's really no hurry to buy one.

 

[Holmes375]

I'm noticeably faster with the 9mm Shield as compared to the 45 version. The 45 shoots nicely for a small 45 but the 9s are simply quicker to recover in these small pistols. Add the additional round advantage - 2 more with MagGuts - and the 9mm Shield is hard too argue with in terms of overall efficacy.

I certainly shoot the 45 well enough to carry it daily for self defense but there's no getting around the fact that I'd be slightly better armed carrying the 9mm.

It wasn't long ago that the 45 had a clear advantage regarding terminal ballistics but modern ammunition development has changed that game noticeably. I still believe the 45 hits harder initially but there's no arguing with the proven similarities of the permanent wound channels exhibited by both cartridges.

I say carry what ya like if you shoot it well enough.

 

[Old cop]

With modern self defense ammo the difference between the two is only slight, you made a wise choice. I recently swapped my Glock 23 (.40 cal.) for a Glock 17 (9MM) and found it much easier to get quick and more accurate follow up shots. My LEOSA score improved by about 8%.

 

[okiegtrider]

It's good that we got choices.

 

[Shield9mm]

sorry it didn't worked for you, I'm usually more accurate with 45 acp than 9mm independent of the frame compact, subcompact, etc.. I'm anxious to get one.

 

[Radco]

I was concerned that the .45 Shield might kick like a Mule :O Ill go F/S on a New .45 Thanks for your range report

 

[leadfoot]

I have a question that I'm sure I'll get good info on! I have an M&P .45 ACP, and I'd like to know what the difference is between it and the M&P Shield .45. Is it just the barrel length and capacity and things like the slide serrations? And aren't the M&P Shield .45 and the Shield .45 the same gun? It's getting hard to keep up!

 

[kmanick]

Hmmmm..Interesting, I'm glad you posted this.
I ended up grabbing a Springfield XDM 3.8 .45 a few weeks back
when I found out that the mass compliant version of the Shield .45 is still a year out.
I carry a shield in 9mm and can shoot it pretty accurately. The XDM took me a bit to get used too(completely different feeling recoil from a 9mm shield), but now that I'm used to it I'm almost tempted to say I can shoot it just as well if not even a little better than my shield.
I'm picking up a 9C tomorrow morning to see how that fares VS the shield as well. I'm thinking I would not like a .45 in that small a frame.
the 3.8 XDM is about as small as I'd go with a .45 (still easy enough to CCW too)

 

[Bonephish]

I have a question that I'm sure I'll get good info on! I have an M&P .45 ACP, and I'd like to know what the difference is between it and the M&P Shield .45. Is it just the barrel length and capacity and things like the slide serrations? And aren't the M&P Shield .45 and the Shield .45 the same gun? It's getting hard to keep up!

M&P45 - .45ACP - Smith & Wesson

.45 Shield 3.3" barrel holds 7+1
.45 Compact 4" barrel holds 8+1
.45 Full Size 4" barrel holds 10+1

 

[maineultraclassic]

I am a much better shot with my Ruger LC9s right now then I am with my Shield 45. But, I've also only put 100 rounds thru the Shield, so I still have more work to do on my shot with it.

 

[old-school]

As I sit here I have a LC9sPro in my pocket, when I go out I will put the 9mm Shield on my belt, each are great for what they are.

 

[asia331]

Picked up a .45 Shield just this week. My first polymer frame. I am a lifelong, read aging, 1911 & revolver guy.
Put 50 rounds of 230 grain ball reloads through her. Ran reliably, recoil manageable. One disapponting aspect was that lock back was inconsistent; failed to lock back more often than not. Not happy with that.Otherwise OK.

 

[McE]

sorry it didn't worked for you, I'm usually more accurate with 45 acp than 9mm independent of the frame compact, subcompact, etc.. I'm anxious to get one.

More accurate how? Because of a bigger hole? On the first shot? Second shot? On the clock? What means this "more accurate"?

 

[Neumann]

It's a personal choice, but I've carried a Kahr PM45, Springfield XDs (3.3") and lately a Springfield XDm2 (3.3"). I shoot them well and find the recoil permits a good double tap. The last is a double stack, 9+1 with a flush magazine (13+1 extended). There's even a label, "Grip Zone," to tell you which end to hold. At 25 oz, it's not that much harder to shoot than a 30 oz 1911 4-1/4" with a scandium frame, but still pocket-sized if necessary.

 

[photoman]

If it came down to it (for whatever reason) that all I had was ball 9 and ball 45... I want 45. Other than that, nothing wrong with 9.

 

[leadfoot]

Bonephish, thanks for your response and for your service to our country! From your post, there's no difference in the triggers, for example? I have the M&P .45 compact and was seriously thinking about the .45 Shield, but it's not worth the $$ just for a .7" shorter barrel and one fewer round, IMHO ... still thinkin' about it, though, and that usually means I'm talkin' myself into it!

 

[Dave Nowlin]

To compare a 9mm shooting 124 or 115 grain bullets to a 45 a.c.p. shooting 230 grain bullets isn't anywhere near apples to apples. Try the Barnes 160 grain +P all copper bullet loads to whatever you are shooting from your 9 and get back with us. I expect you will realize there is little difference when the playing field is more level. I also have a Sig 938 in 9mm but I am carrying my 45 Shield and happily doing so.