Shakyshoot

Picked up my new 45 M&P Shield yesterday and took it to the range today. It was everything I hoped for. Shot 75 rds of 230 gr ball with no problems. 50 of Fed Am Eagle and 25 of Herters. Any difference in recoil between this and my 9mm Shield is really not a factor. Put the first 6 shots in one hole. Only 5 yds, but still, I quit while I was ahead on that target.



I did some 10 yd slow fires, couldn't quite put a whole string together, but hey, it's the first day.



I finished up with some quicker shooting at a small silhouette target at 7 yards. Pretty much punched out the 10 ring with a few slightly low ones. This gun seems to shoot a bit lower than my 9mm Shield, but I'll see how it goes after some more range time. I lined up the 3 dots on the top of the 10 ring on this target.



Very happy with the gun so far. The trigger is decent. Some grit on the take up that should smooth out, and more overtravel than I might really like, but it gets the job done. The new grip texture is more aggressive than I might prefer. Might do some fine sanding, but I'll see how it feels for a little IWB carry first. It fits in the DeSantis holster I have for my 9mm. I talked to one of the league shooters I know. I pointed out my new gun, and he said he rented the 45 Shield and was so impressed that he's already gotten rid of his Glock 36 to replace it with the Shield.

RidgeRunner

Shaky, have you shot the Glock 30S. 10 rounds 45acp or 14 rounds with extended mag.
I don't believe there is much difference in size.
I would be interested in your review of the 30S.

Shakyshoot

No I haven't--the 30S is about 1/4" thicker, which is a lot when you're carrying IWB. Also over 1/2" longer. The 30S compares more closely to the M&P Compact. The Glock 36 is close to the Shield. Same length as the 30S, but closer to the thickness of the Shield.

Terry_P

At 20 oz it should be a decent carry pistol and in 45 it will do the job. Congrats and enjoy.

moakes58

+1! Very nice shooting.

RidgeRunner

I'll stick with my Glock 30S. If one quarter inch is an issue, do some situps.

north country gal

Nice shooting, as always, Shaky. Had no idea these plastic guns were so light. Interesting.

Sightngrl

The grip on the 45 is a much smarter use of texture compared to the 9 & 40. S&W needs to go with that grip on all their 2017shields. (I can't believe I just used 2017)

The 30s is more to my liking, nothing against the quality of S&W, but my little gun voice tells me to glock.

Shakyshoot

I guess I'm one of the few who never complained that the Shield 9mm grip is "too slick." I've never felt the need to add skateboard tape or anything. The new one is almost too rough, but I'm thinking it will soften up a bit over time. (Kind of like the way very hard abrasive paper gets worn down by soft wood)
There are some other subtle improvements that aren't mentioned anywhere. A lot of people have had their recoil spring jump off track and jam up the slide to where they can't get the gun apart. They blame the "faulty" recoil spring when the fact is they didn't put the gun together right. The .45 has a more defined detent on the barrel that makes it hard to misalign the spring. Also the ejector on the 9mm is somewhat loose by design. It fits together with a couple of other parts and is not really solidly mounted to anything. On the 45 the ejector is solidly mounted to the rear frame rails. I like the safety on the .45 better too. It's about the same as the other one, except it's got a little more travel

44s Rock

Nice shooting! I just might have to check one out, the wife sure likes her 9.