Wasn't looking for a .45 at all.
Recently I have bought a S/W Shield 9mm, Ruger LCRx .38 and a .22 single action revolver.
I always look here and Armslist daily for what is for sale so I can learn prices.
I can get a new M&P Shield .45 for $400 at Hoosier Armory, and used prices are that are more, but I saw two today on Armslist:
$350 with holsters and $325 with ammo.
The $325 with $100 of ammo with it was near me on the East side, so I decided to go or it.
The profile of the owner was great: he bought it in April, put 4 mags of ammo through it, and put it away with his other guns (he got 2 of Smith's guns with the rebate, and said he hasn't got the rebate yet).
The price, I thought was good enough that I can sell it anytime and get my money back, so why not?
At the range, I found it to be accurate, I did everything from 15' to 45'.
I was surprised the recoil wasn't more.
It seemed to have no more than the small 9mms like the Ruger LC9 and the Taurus 709, but that is just from memory.
I shot my Shield 9mm today and I wish I would have paid more attention and shot them back to back, but I don't remember the recoil being any big deal between the two.
What surprised me was the size difference: hardly any between the M&P Shield 9mm and the M&P Shield 45mm.
It is no thicker in the handle, the 45 is only about 1/2 inch longer and 1/2 inch taller: surprising.
Both the 9mm and the 45mm fit into my Desanti Superfly sticky pocket holster that fits my S/W 642 .38 snubbie with just a little but of the edge of the handle sticking over the "flap" of the holster (the flap helps hide the profile of the handle in the pocket).
Well, life just got more complicated for me in what to keep and what to sell.
I have always wanted a 45 (just b/c I never had one, like I never had a 9mm before this summer) and this Shield is small enough to warrant keeping for a CC.
I could not believe how hard it was to load up the magazines. Good Grief!
The springs in the mags seem so stiff that it was very difficult to get the last round or two in the mags.
Hopefully, it will get easier as I put more in.
Does it do any good loosening them up by putting them in and leaving them?