( 3 out of 5) They went too far

by Jeff from Burnsville, Minnesota on December 26, 2016

I received this firearm just a few weeks before Christmas this year. Have no problem with my dealings Sportsmans. Considering how busy they were just before the Holidays, it took about a week and a half to arrive. Now for the pistol. I have carried a Shield 9 for several years and loved the gun. The 9's operation was very trustworthy, something you could trust to defend yourself if ever necessary. The Shield 45 is a different story altogether. Maybe it's just mine, but the failure to feed is so bad, I couldn't rely on the firearm to defend myself. The newly textured grip is so rough, it can't be carried next to exposed skin and is hell on shirts. Recoil and muzzle flip with standard .45 ACP loads, approx. 850 Ft/Sec. is a little difficult to stay on target with a 230 grain bullet. I'm sure with more range time and 185/200 grain bullets it might be more manageable. Last but not least, at 35 feet this pistol shoot 3-4 inches to the left, which is B.S. being that far off from the manufacture. I thought this might have been me, so I got out the ransom rest and found it wasn't me, but the sight. Now, if any of you have tried to move the rear sight on a shield, it's like pulling teeth. I would say without a sight press it can't be done without damaging sight. After contacting S&W, you guessed it, send it in and we'll take a look at it. 4-6 weeks later I might have it back. FYI, the failure to feed is due to the extractor hanging on case rims ejector grove. Three different ammo manufactures were tried, and after 150 of rounds fired, I was never able to get a full magazine to run through it.