Talk me out of this Shield

So, this is not an answer to your questions but food for thought. Springfield Armory made a true single stack, but now discontinued, 4" barrel XDs .45 acp. I like both the xds and the shield just fine but it may be another option if that's the platform you're looking for.

I have Shield 9mm and PT145 SA/DA that is comparable in size but differs in thickness but with 10 rounds of 45ACP.

I actually prefer G23 with 10 rounds of 40S&W as I can shoot it more accurate and practice more with cheaper 9mm using 40-9 conversion barrel.

I’m with LiveLife on the 40. If you want to punch big holes, there are a few 40 cals expanding into 45 territory. But your recoil impulse won’t be in the 45 territory.

I used to carry a 21 but now I carry a 22 with Dots or Sabers because I think 40 S&W is better than 9 or 45!

Spats McGee said:

Do you like it? How's the recoil? Can you tell me how these stack up against other pistols in your safe?

Click to expand...

I replaced Glock 30 with PT145 SA/DA (I don't like DAO trigger) due to wife's smaller hands but the recoil from compact 45, from shooting various models, is a resounding THUMP. Even with dual recoil spring of PT145, accurate follow up shots can be slower.

I find I am better able to do faster and accurate follow up shots with 40S&W G23. With recent Texas church shooting scenario, I feel more comfortable with G23 being able to make the first shot and subsequent follow up shots as I train for COM for defensive shooting, not head shots.

Hartkopf said:

I used to carry a 21 but now I carry a 22 with Dots or Sabers because I think 40 S&W is better than 9 or 45!

Click to expand...

10 rounds of Gold Dots/Golden Saber/PDX-1 with 15 round spares did it for me.

Spats McGee said:

I've been carrying a Shield 9mm for a few years now, and I've been very happy with it. Over the past few months, though, I've been considering going back to .45 acp for carry. I've got nothing against the 9mm, and I've carried it for years. No plans to get rid of my 9s. Still, we've had several caliber wars lately, as well as .45 acp discussions, and that fired up my old brain to go to thinking about it again.

I do tend to believe that all other things being equal (which they never are), bigger holes in bad guys are better holes in bad guys. I've always shot my .45s better than my 9mms, and actually preferred the recoil impulse of the .45, but those may be a function of the pistols as much as of the calibers (5" 1911 vs G19 or 9mm Shield).

In any event, one of the things that I've said for a long time was that if someone would build a single-stack, polymer, .45 acp pistol, roughly the size of a G19, I'd be all over it. And then.... I discovered the Smith and Wesson Performance Center M&P 45 Shield 2.0, 4" barrel. Being the massive overthinker that I am, I sat down and ran the numbers on the PC Shield with the G19 and the G36. It's awfully close to that "single-stack, polymer, .45 acp pistol, roughly the size of a G19" that I mentioned above.

I can rent a Shield 45, and intend to, but I can't locally rent a Shield 45 with the 4" barrel. So, does anyone have one of these? Do you like it? How's the recoil? Can you tell me how these stack up against other pistols in your safe? I assume that it takes standard Shield 45 magazines?

My wanter is in high gear, but I can't really afford it. But maybe if I sold a couple of shotguns and hustled a side job, I could scrape the $$$ together... It just had to be a Performance Center pistol, didn't it?

Click to expand...

Not for me (and I like all my M&P 1.0's) but it is very appealing.

For you, given what you wrote, I'd consider skipping the side job.... skipping the court house vending machine/cafeteria and instead start packing PB&J.

No...Don’t do it. I am talking you out of it..,stop! Don’t buy the gun you want! Life’s too short...Don’t do it...No! Please don’t...






There. My work is done here...moving on.

Grabagun is showing a 4" shield .45 for $420.00, just sayin..........

Talk you out of it?

NO! BUY IT! BUY IT NOW!

I can't speak to the 45, but I have the 9mm version and love it. Great trigger, reliable, accurate, thin and light so it carries easily. There's nothing I don't like about it. There's one on Gunbroker with a buy now price of $399.

https://www.gunbroker.com/item/848951456

I'll stick with my shield 9. It is just doing its job too well to mess with.

I love my .45 Shield. It's the standard one, but honestly if there had been a 4" version available at the LGS, I would have gone that route. The 3" version is just a tick bigger than the 9/40 to notice, so gaining the extra velocity out.of the 4" at the expense of being a bit longer wouldn't really be a game changer.

I actually shoot my Shield better than a small 1911. I love the grip texture and rugged build. I'm wearing it IWB with 7+1 and I forget it's there.

The worst thing I can say about the Shield is that I wish I had given one a try 3 single stacks ago. It's a keeper.

I really like my Shield9 but for a .40S&W (or .45acp) it’s a bigger gun (G23) to maintain shoot ability.

Spats McGee said:

You are right about that. A buddy had a 3.3" XDs in .45 that I shot once. And liked, actually. That is another option.

ETA: In 9mm, though, I do like the Shield better than the XDs.

Click to expand...

In dry handling, I agree. The shield feels smaller, lighter, and more contoured without any noticeable increase in recoil. In actual use I shoot the xds better and feel that it is a higher quality gun. I do not like how easily the shield is pushed out of battery either. They have been so cheap lately that it's hard to find any real fault with them for the cost. If I carried .45 acp I would probably have to reevaluate my choices.

I love shooting 45 ACP. Sadly I decided my 1911 Commander was just too big for EDC for me. I toyed with the idea of a Glock in 45 GAP but that round went nowhere as the gun had the right size. I had a Glock 27 in 40 SW but it was snappier than a 9 or my 45 so I ditched it. I settled on a 26 for EDC as it had 11 rounds on board (plus an extra mag) and was easily concealable. Modern 9s seem good enough but the appeal of the bigger round exists.

However, the decided point for me and YMMV is what Tom Givens calls Time in the Fight. It is also described as the reasonable number of opponents for the gun.

A six shot (6+1) gun keeps you in the fight at best for two folks (one shot stops - Yeah!). Then you have to reload. A ten or 11 gun is a three opponent gun or long time in the fight.

So the dichotomy is basically, do you risk manage for the one opponent single mugger situation as modal or a more extreme situation that require more (more folks, you miss - NEVER).

There is no easy answer. As far as the XD - never shot one. Opinions are mixed.
https://www.thearmorylife.com/does-ayoob-hate-the-xd/
https://www.activeresponsetraining.net/the-springfield-xd-a-polemic

I don't think you would go wrong with the gun. My, often repeated theme, is that one shoots the gun in something like IDPA to see how you manage stress and multiple targets vs. the more reloads. I shoot capacity limited guns (J and a G42) quite a bit in such and have a handle that the smaller capacity guns are a handicap if the situation needs more. As Kleanbore says, you have to decide your risk level.

I wouldn't feel helpless with it, far from it. Just some thoughts.

Just my take but if you can't afford it don't spend what you don't have. A 45 Shield won't do anything your 9mm Shield isn't already doing for you, performance center or otherwise, and 9mm ammo costs less for practice.

I vastly prefer the .45 ACP over 9mm, but there is no sub compact .45 that I can carry as easily as a sub compact 9mm (rule 1 - always have a gun). My carry loads are some form of 124 grain bullet. My input would be if the size of the .45 you are looking at is such that you will always carry it, then that seals the deal. I dislike IWB carry so for me it's either in a jeans pocket or if weather permits, OWB under a jacket.

GEM said:

A six shot (6+1) gun keeps you in the fight at best for two folks (one shot stops - Yeah!). Then you have to reload. A ten or 11 gun is a three opponent gun or long time in the fight.

Click to expand...

IDK Bernhard Goetz took out four muggers with 4 shots and somewhere in there managed to miss one shot all with a 5 shot snubby revolver. And I doubt living in NYC he got to do much practice.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1984_New_York_City_Subway_shooting

Spats McGee said:

My wanter is in high gear, but I can't really afford it.

Click to expand...

Sounds like money is tight, but one of the things I've found beneficial for saving for fun stuff like travel or guns is to run on down to my local ATM at my bank every time I get paid, and pull anywhere from $40-$160 out in cash. I then drop the money into varied labeled envelope for a specific purchase, and the envelope goes into a hidden lock box in my office. There is also an envelope labeled "Rainy Day" where I am stashing an emergency fund for something crazy like my furnace blowing up, or a catastrophic failure on my vehicle. I have a savings account too of course where I dump the majority of my savings, but I find this cash method good for fun and emergency money, because I drop it in, put the box away, and forget about it until it's needed or I look every few months to see how much it is in the case of fun money. Out of sight, out of mind. I plan to keep saving small bits of cash like this for the remainder of my career, and hopefully by the time I'm ready to retire, I'll have enough to go on a long vacation, buy my dream custom gun, pay off a vehicle, or pay off my house, which ever I deem most important at the time.

Now I don't have any kids and my only real debt is my mortgage, so I'm guessing I have a different ability to save, but even small quantities build up over time.

You are covered by your 9mm Shield now, you just WANT this now too. Mentally punch the devil sitting on your shoulder in the face, and just save a bit here and there. Street price on that gun is doable if you exercise patience. However I do think trading an unwanted or unneeded gun is fine if it gets you there faster. You may even be able to work out a longer term layaway if you're in good with your LGS.

Try not to give in to instant gratification urges.

Or, if you prefer the standard THR response that's way more fun, "Buy it! Buy it now! They may not continue that particular offering into the future. BUY NOW! Gun prices are cheap! Election this year an they're going to take our guns, so prices will climb! Ahhhhhhhhhh!!!!!"

Maybe back burner the new shield until money is less tight. A relative was just telling me how much he liked shooting a .45 shield and he's normally not a big fan of small .45s due to some wrist issues, so that's kinda got me a little interested myself, though I dislike hinged triggers.

I've been doing some of the same thinking vis a vi 9mm and .45 myself, figuring if most other things are similar (I like my 1911s in both calibers) that I've been leaning to bigger is better.

Spats McGee said:

I've been carrying a Shield 9mm for a few years now, and I've been very happy with it. Over the past few months, though, I've been considering going back to .45 acp for carry. I've got nothing against the 9mm, and I've carried it for years. No plans to get rid of my 9s.

Click to expand...

So, talk you out of it huh? Okay. Here goes. You asked for it!
.45acp ammo is almost double the price of 9mm.(less practice)
.45acp has more recoil (less practice)
.45acp ammo is not as available
.45acp wasn't designed for a light short barrel subcompact
. ...Is louder
......Is bulkier
......Is heavier
.......is low capacity

You like your current gun.
If money is tight, trade your 9mm shield for the .45.? Its the same thing except costs more to get less.

Now, that was my best effort.
Having said that, I prefer .45 calibers for bloodletting.
I have what I consider to be a great 9mm ccw, but I want a .45.
I am currently trying to trade a 1911 defender for a smaller lighter .45 XDS.
My advice: Get the gun you want.
The trouble with us is that we are all gun nuts. How much easier would it be to get a weapon to protect ourselves and families if all we had to do was pick an effective, and economical, and carries easily? But noooooooo, we have to make it difficult....we have to LIKE it.
My life would have been so much simpler if I didn't LIKE guns.

Why would I want to talk you out of it? I don't care what you buy.

Seriously,if that's what you desire grab it. Right now, no messing around. New man toys are always good.

Deleted due to excessive silliness.

You came to wrong place and asked the wrong people to try to get someone to talk you out of buying a gun. I don't do it myself but there is always putting it on a credit card. Pay it off in 3-4 payments and you have your new gun. Nice looking gun by the way. I knew not to click on the link but I did. I can resist anything but temptation. That was tempting. I have only owned one 45 but have shot a couple of others. Thankfully I am trying to go smaller not bigger and I don't want another caliber to load for.