S&W Announces M&P Shield .45 ACP Carry Gun at NRA 2016

by Nathaniel F

Published: May 21st, 2016

w announces m p shield 45 acp carry gun at nra 2016

At the 2016 National Rifle Association Annual Meeting, gunmaker Smith & Wesson announced a new single stack carry handgun for the civilian market: A .45 ACP variant of their popular Military & Police Shield, previously available in .40 S&W and 9mm only.

The new big bore Shield comes in two variants, like other M&P handguns, one with and one without a manual safety. Like the .40 S&W caliber model, the new Shield .45 ACP carries 6 rounds in its standard magazine, and 7 in its extended pinkie rest magazine. As well, the .45 model uses the same three-dot sight arrangement, but due to the larger chambering, is larger in dimensions: Compared to the 9mm Luger and .40 Smith & Wesson M&P Shields:

.45, Length – 6.45″, Width – 1.05″ (incl. slide stop), Height – 4.88″

9mm, Length – 6.1″, Width – 0.95″, Height – 4.6″

Both the 6 and 7 round magazines use the same body, hence the "+1 marking.

The .45 ACP Shield competes directly with the Glock 36 (against which it is slightly thinner and about half an inch shorter, but taller), and Kahr CM45 (against which it is somewhat larger in every dimension) for the .45 ACP compact concealed carry handgun segment. At the show, the M&P Shield .45 ACP handguns that were present had a smoother, cleaner feeling trigger than I am used to in the M&P series of handguns, although I cannot say whether that improvement will carry over to the production gun.

The M&P Shield .45 ACP has a suggested retail of $479.

Nathaniel F

Nathaniel is a history enthusiast and firearms hobbyist whose primary interest lies in military small arms technological developments beginning with the smokeless powder era. He can be reached via email at nathaniel.f@staff.thefirearmblog.com.

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3 of 32 comments

Dragonheart on May 24, 2016

I wonder how do the dimensions compare to a 3.5" 1911?

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HolyCOW on May 25, 2016

Too big, will have to go XDS...

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- Maodeedee on May 28, 2016
  
  @HolyCOW Why? The two guns are almost Identical in size, read the specs.
  I'd rather go with the S&W 40 Shield which is smaller, lighter, and more compact and load it with 174 grain Critical Duty ammo. I've fired the M&P 40 with that ammo and it is very controllable as far as recoil, recovery time, and hit probability. The light 45's might not be unless you used 45 ACP 185 grain non-plus +P ammo.
  Springfield XDs .45
  Weight (with Empty Magazine) 21.5 ozs.
  Height 4.4" w/ Compact Mag, 5" w/ Mid-Mag X-Tension™
  Barrel length 3.3"
  Overall Length 6.3"
  Width:.90
  S&W M&P 45
  Weight: 20.5 oz. unloaded
  Overall Height: 4.8” with Flush Magazine
  Barrel Length: 3.3”
  Overall Length: 6.4”
  Frame Width: .99”
  M&P 40
  Weight: 19.0
  Overall Height: 4.6”
  Barrel Length: 3.1"
  Overall Length: 6.1"
  
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S&W Announces M&P Shield .45 ACP Carry Gun at NRA 2016

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