New S&W Shield.....

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Nathan

New member
Just bought a new s&w Shield with a manual safety. I have about 200-300 rounds through it. It is pretty good for the $255 that I have into it. I cannot even believe I bought a pistol this useful for $255!

Accuracy is ok. The trigger is pretty good for a small holster carry gun. It has some light 1lb take up, short crisp 6.75 lb pull with minimal overtravel. Overall, this is about right, maybe a bit heavy for CCW.

Sights are great. The only negatives I see are the grip shape is a bit weird. Grasping harder seems to cause the gun to rise up and grip is not that good with stock texture. Needs grip tape or stippling.

Pics later.

The real question is why are we all talking about these at today's $250-$350 pricing after rebate?
 
Talon grips helped with my Shield, but the actual shape of the grip is not the best. Not bad, but not great either.
 
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Good shooting. Out of curiosity, at what distance?

The real question is why are we all talking about these at today's $250-$350 pricing after rebate?
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Not sure I follow. Are you saying the prices are too high currently? For some sites it's ~$225-$250 after the rebate. Certainly shouldn't be $350.

.https://gun.deals/search/apachesolr_search/S%2526W%2Bshield?sort=date&dir=desc

As to why you got yours at such a good price, not sure. Some stores/companies need to move stock so they offer steep discounts. You got a good deal though and should be happy.
 
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The Shield is a well-designed concealed carry pistol – accurate and reliable at an affordable price, easily replaced if needed.
 
I picked up a 9mm shield about 4 months ago and its a well made single stack for the money.
I have about 1000 rounds through it without a single malfunction, and it shoots as well as can be expected for its size.

Its a great buy with the recent price drop and the rebate. I'd put is near the top of the list for compact single stack 9mms.
 
Good shooting. Out of curiosity, at what distance?
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If you look close, you can see powder burns...
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You caught me....about 7 yards.:eek::D

Not sure I follow. Are you saying the prices are too high currently? For some sites it's ~$225-$250 after the rebate. Certainly shouldn't be $350.
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Never seen $225, but my numbers are after rebate, tax and transfer. $231 was the local ad. I'm saying I believe this gun to be a solid deal at $375-$425. It compares well to the Kahr P40 I had, but the grip is worse. The Shield may prove to be more reliable as it is digesting my reloads great.

Anybody want to share what their preferred holster is? I'm thinking hybrid kydex with a single clip like Raw Dawg Tactical or similar.
 
Wish I could have gotten my .45ACP Shield with a rebate. Not complaining, but it would have made it a better value. I find it to be a great concealed carry gun. I don't shoot as small a groups as Nathan. However, I practice fast shooting with it, self defense. And, I can keep all five, or how many ever, on the pie plate. Fast shooting is a relative thing; competitive shooters would consider me to be slow, slow.
 
I'm saying I believe this gun to be a solid deal at $375-$425.
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I owned one not long after they came out and it was $400 I think? Even then I thought it was a solid deal. At these prices it's kind of nuts. I don't need one at all and even I am tempted.
 
I got mine in the $320 range or so last year. One of my best investments, made it possible for me to realistically carry virtually all the time with how concealable it is while still fitting my gorilla mitts.
 
Well, I bit on the rebate as well and picked up a 9mm Shield, although I have only put about 50 rounds of FMJ through it thus far.

My initial impressions:

The grip is too thin to be comfortable for me. I knew that going in and the whole reason for the Shield's existence is the fact that it is thin and easily concealed, so I can put up with that. A Talon grip did improve the feel.

The trigger is mediocre at best. It is pretty heavy, which may be appropriate for a carry pistol, but it is at least a bit heavier than I would like. It is also quite gritty. When dry firing the pistol, even when concentrating, the break on the trigger is such that it is hard for me to prevent the trigger break from shaking the whole gun.

The recoil spring is quite stiff. I prefer to open the slide by sling shotting it with my thumb and finger at the back. Now I did have a cervical disc rupture years ago that left me with a bit of permanent weakness in my left thumb and index finger, but this is the first pistol I have owned where I could not do that. I have to come over the top of the slide with a saddle grip, and with the slide being so compact it is hard not to obstruct the ejection port. I am not sure that I could easily clear a malfunction with this pistol.

The slide catch lever is somewhat awkward to engage (due to its small size) and also release.

On the plus side the pistol has functioned fine thus far in my very limited experience. The sights are good and accuracy is what I would expect for a pistol with a sight radius this short.

Bottom line is that I am satisfied with the gun thus far, but I am certainly not blown away by it.
 
I love my Shield and carry it often in a Don Hume open top OWB holster. It easily hides on me even with a t-shirt untucked. I dropped in an Apex sear and it improved the trigger greatly and the Talon grips I put on, along with a Pearce mag extension, really helped the feel of the grip. I have probably about 1000 rounds through the gun without a hiccup. It has become my favorite carry gun. I am resisting the urge to handle a Shield 45 because I am almost certain it will come home with me.
 
I carried a Shield in 9mm for a couple of years. Very happy with it and never any problems.

With the rebates right now I hope to have the funds to replace it soon.
 
I picked mine up around November of last year. I am guessing that I have a just shy of 2000 rounds through it, and it's been a good shooter.

I have had less than 5 FTF and no FTE. The only major issue I had was the recoil return spring got misaligned when I put it back together after cleaning, and had to have a smith give it a good smack for me. No issues since then.

I find with my small hands, the grip is comfortable and have no issues. I'm not sure what to say about the trigger, as I have no issues, and until recently didn't really even understand what "good trigger" was (there is another thread on that).

Anybody want to share what their preferred holster is?
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I have been using a CYA IWB holster. I picked mine up at Amazon for under $40. I wear it at the small of my back, which works well for me under most circumstances.


Exco
 
I bought a Shield last week. The shop had a $40 off sale and the $75 rebate put the deal over the top. I'll compare it to my Kahrs and Walther PPS when I go to the range tomorrow.
 
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