Took a brand new Shield 45 out today and I must say I'm so far thoroughly impressed. Yeah, I'm late to the party, so I suppose this write up is for people who are still on the fence as I was about picking one up.

I had never really gotten on board with the subcompact single stack 9mm fad, but when S&W released the Shield in 45 Auto, it got my interest. Even then, I already had a lot invested in other platforms, and just couldn't justify adding another one. But with recent steep retailer discounts and the rebate from S&W, I thought "What the hell", and figured that for under $300 OTD, if I hated the thing I could turn it for minimal loss. Turns out I'm probably going to keep it.

First shots out of the gun at ~7 yards went dead center in the 0 zone on a standard IDPA target, and it kept punching out the center out to ~17 yards which is the maximum distance I had today on the range.

One of the reasons I never had much interest the M&P series was the awful trigger I remember on an M&P 9c I handled several years ago, and I'm of the thought that I shouldn't feel the need to drop another $100 on a trigger kit for a brand new gun that should have come with a decent trigger from the factory. This Shield 45 trigger has a crisper break than my Glocks, with an equally audible and tactile reset as its Austrian counterparts. I don't have a trigger scale but subjectively it feels much lighter than the advertised 6.5#.

I had heard that the Shield tames the 45 Auto recoil well. Still, I was expecting the thing to jump around violently with each shot and leave my hand stinging, but this is a pistol suitable for an all day training class with a several hundred round count. I'm not exaggerating when I say that there is less perceived recoil and muzzle flip from this little gun compared to my SIG P220 or Colt M45A1; I suspect part of this is due to less reciprocating mass and a shorter slide. The aggressive grip texturing also helps. The gun is not at all punishing to shoot, and I had so much fun shooting it I ended up going through all 200 rounds of 45 Auto I brought with me without a second thought.

The pistol had a couple bobbles, which were user induced. First, my thumb will occasionally ride the slide stop due to my grip. No big deal. Second, I had a few stoppages where the next round in the magazine would get hung up on the bottom of the feed ramp. This only happened twice when I was shooting one handed, so it may have been due to limp wristing. Nevertheless, a light tap to the base of the magazine got things going again and the slide slammed home, taking the cartridge with it.

Overall I'm more than happy with the pistol. Time will tell with regards to durability and long term reliability, but at the current pricing of these pistols, it's money well spent if you're even slightly interested in a little single stack 45 Auto that shoots like a full size gun.

I'm going to pick up a second one soon. Just order some 7 rd but the six are on sale.

http://palmettostatearmory.com...city-ss-3005566.html

Sir,

You have just cost me $100.

The trigger break was a little too heavy on mine but after polishing the safety plunger and trigger bar it's perfect. Not sure what the weight was but the front sight would move a bit when it broke no matter what. Real hard wall on the break. It just needed a little smoothing out.

Just got one of these. I like the trigger way beter than my 9mm Shield. I find it shoots very soft with follow up shots easy to do. Like the grips will not have to a Talon grips like on my 9mm. For less than $300 not sure you would go wrong.

I also have the Shield .45 and believe it s a good value for the dollar and an excellent performer.

I really like the 1911 platform, however.........I CCW flush 7 round magazines in my 1911 Commander, so I am only loosing 1 round when CCW'ing the Shield with the flush magazine and Pearce Pink Extension.
My second concern with the Shield .45 was the loss of velocity from the short 3.3" barrel. After a little research, I found off the shelf factory ammo with a 230 grain bullet weight, that would deliver over 900 FPS from the Shields short barrel.
So, in closing, I lost only one round over the 1911 platform, and still maintain a high enough velocity in a reliable, compact, concealable and lightweight package.
My Shield .45 has quickly become my preferred EDC.

quote:

Originally posted by Cousin Vinnie:
I also have the Shield .45 and believe it s a good value for the dollar and an excellent performer.

I really like the 1911 platform, however.........I CCW flush 7 round magazines in my 1911 Commander, so I am only loosing 1 round when CCW'ing the Shield with the flush magazine and Pearce Pink Extension.
My second concern with the Shield .45 was the loss of velocity from the short 3.3" barrel. After a little research, I found off the shelf factory ammo with a 230 grain bullet weight, that would deliver over 900 FPS from the Shields short barrel.
So, in closing, I lost only one round over the 1911 platform, and still maintain a high enough velocity in a reliable, compact, concealable and lightweight package.
My Shield .45 has quickly become my preferred EDC.

Which ammo did you go with for EDC? I'm doing some research but haven't decided on one yet.

I am using Buffalo Bore 230 grain HP +P and Hornady Critical Duty 220 grain +P.

Check out this web site: http://www.luckygunner.com/lab...mmo-ballistic-tests/

Lucky Gunner tested with a Kahr 45 with a 3.64" barrel which is 0.34" longer than the Shield. With the above mentioned ammo, I personally choreographed similar results from my Shield .45.

I bought a Shield 45 for myself and a Shield 9 for my wife. She and I both dislike the 9mm, but I really like the 45 and use it as my primary carry firearm. I like the way it virtually disappears with a IWB holster even under just a t shirt.
I would be interested in knowing how to upgrade the trigger as mentioned by one of the posters here. Smoothing out the trigger action a little would make the gun that much better.

quote:

Originally posted by rmak:
I bought a Shield 45 for myself and a Shield 9 for my wife. She and I both dislike the 9mm, but I really like the 45 and use it as my primary carry firearm. I like the way it virtually disappears with a IWB holster even under just a t shirt.
I would be interested in knowing how to upgrade the trigger as mentioned by one of the posters here. Smoothing out the trigger action a little would make the gun that much better.

Thanks Cousin Vinnie for the ammo info. I don't know how to multi quote on this forum. It looks like the Federal HST 230gr +P does well out of the SA XDS 45 too.

rmak: The .25ct trigger job I did involves a lot of labor for small returns. I'm sure just even buying the Apex Shield 45 sear and springs for $80 will do a much better job. I just polished some of the contact parts and it takes time and some familiarity. I just polished the trigger bar where it contacts the safety plunger and the striker face where it hits the sear. I only used polish and smoothed it. No changes in angles. The safety plunger is different then their usual one making it difficult to polish. Apex even left it alone in their kits. Unless you have more time than money and enjoy tearing into the gun I would recommend the Apex kit.

I have been set on a Glock 36 for a while, but with the dropping prices and rebate on the Shield 45 it has my attention. For $225 after rebate it really has my attention. For those that have shot both, how does the Shield hold up to the 36?

Is the rebate still active and where can I find this 45 for 300?

quote:

Originally posted by Seotaji:
Is the rebate still active and where can I find this 45 for 300?

Palmetto State Armory. $225 after rebate

Going to be trading for one this weekend.

quote:

Originally posted by Creeping_Death:
I have been set on a Glock 36 for a while, but with the dropping prices and rebate on the Shield 45 it has my attention. For $225 after rebate it really has my attention. For those that have shot both, how does the Shield hold up to the 36?

Hands down better than the 36. I am a glock guy btw

quote:

Originally posted by bashman:
$225 after rebate

The story of my life; in January, I paid a little over $400. Growl, stomp, kick, grumble.

At least I like it and will keep carrying it.

quote:

Originally posted by bashman:

quote:

Originally posted by Seotaji:
Is the rebate still active and where can I find this 45 for 300?

Palmetto State Armory. $225 after rebate

This may be the greatest gun Bargain ever!

CHARGE !

Love mine. I carry it and shoot it a lot.

At $225 I may just buy one. For no other reason than to keep the wear and tear off my real S&W 45s!