I bought a shield .40 and took it to the range yesterday. It shot extremely left. Took it to my gunsmith and he said the rear sights were fine, and he straightened the front sight, he said it was waaay off center.
my FS 9 MM mostly shoots about 5-6 inches low. But i noticed today i droop my head down to the sights almost. Not sure if it's the problem. As i didn't droop the head and i was still 6 inches low and a little left.
my FS 9 MM mostly shoots about 5-6 inches low. But i noticed today i droop my head down to the sights almost. Not sure if it's the problem. As i didn't droop the head and i was still 6 inches low and a little left.
My shield came in with the sight off center.
I was shooting left.very hard to move it but now its on center so hope it shoots at point of aim.
By the way very hard is a under statment .had to use a vise with much pressure to move it.
After reading this thread i was fed up with my shield (9) hitting left and drifted the rear sight a tad this morning and heres the results
So you drifted the rear not the front?
Did the rear move easy ?
Now that I have my front sight in the center I may move my rear next if needed.
Just dont know why smith says move the front only but press the dang thing on.
Wasnt easy but it moved just go easy. it doesnt have to move over much but since you moved the front sight, i would shoot it first before making any more changes to see where its hitting
My shield came in with the sight off center.
I was shooting left.very hard to move it but now its on center so hope it shoots at point of aim.
By the way very hard is a under statment .had to use a vise with much pressure to move it.
I used mallet and flat head screwdriver. (remember to use 1/16th Allen key to remove screw first)
Have not waded through this entire long thread in full, but a bore sight would immediately determine if the sights are off enough to cause the way low left problem. Amazon has them for less than a box of bullets.
Have not waded through this entire long thread in full, but a bore sight would immediately determine if the sights are off enough to cause the way low left problem. Amazon has them for less than a box of bullets.
9 rounds should be enough to sight in maybe 12 at most(three at a time grouped).. plus most bore sights usually just put u on paper not fine tuning. how much are u paying for a box of 9mm? im just asking
9 rounds should be enough to sight in maybe 12 at most(three at a time grouped).. plus most bore sights usually just put u on paper not fine tuning. how much are u paying for a box of 9mm? im just asking
As I understand the original poster, his groupings were tight but way off at 7 yds. At that range even a cheap bore sight should be able to rule out (or not) misalignment of the iron sights. Not trying to zero in, just help determine if it's the pistol's problem or operator's.
9mm factory reloads can be bought from a half a dozen places on the internet for less than $0.30/round, making a box of 50 about $15.00. And prices are slowly starting to come down. I've had zero problems in over 2,000 rounds with these in an M&P Pro40, Shield 9, two Kahr CW40s and a HiPoint 40S&W carbine.
I just had the same problem with a 5"40 pro. Had me beating me head against the wall, had my buddy shoot it and low left same as me. drifted the front site a little to the left and went to 180 grain ammo the site adjustment took care of the left and the heaver bullets took care of the low. I was shooting 155 grain bullets. try some different ammo.
Cracker57
The 5'' Pro is known to shoot low out of the box. It's hard for me to believe bullet weight changed the point of impact at pistol ranges (up to 20 yards)
I had to replace the front sight with a lower height one.
As I understand the original poster, his groupings were tight but way off at 7 yds. At that range even a cheap bore sight should be able to rule out (or not) misalignment of the iron sights. Not trying to zero in, just help determine if it's the pistol's problem or operator's.
9mm factory reloads can be bought from a half a dozen places on the internet for less than $0.30/round, making a box of 50 about $15.00. And prices are slowly starting to come down. I've had zero problems in over 2,000 rounds with these in an M&P Pro40, Shield 9, two Kahr CW40s and a HiPoint 40S&W carbine.
Unserstood. But forgive me if im wrong if its mine and i zero it for me to perform the way i need it to perform, whats the point trying to figure out why its hiting left if its grouping tightly? I had taken some calipers and measured the distances of the rear sight on the slide and found they werent equal. I dont have that issues with the full size 9 or any ive owned ine the past, and judging from the amount of people having the same issue i decided just to move it and be done with it. Same with compond bows rifles etc. no?? Just constructive critisism.
Hello all..
New Shield 9 owner and just went to the range and put 150 rounds through it. Guess what? low and left. At about the 100 round count I was convinced it was the gun and since it being new I'm just concerned with getting rounds through it and not to worried about POI right now. Then I shot a mag with my off hand just to see what it felt like.....AND ALL 8 SHOTS WERE RIGHT ON THE BUTTON!
So I'm definitely going to try some of the suggestions found here and see what happens. I'm thinking it is my trigger finger or I can just shoot left handed from now on! haha...
The Shield is a primary defense weapon for close range...who cares what it does beyond 3-12 feet...I'm just concerned about reliability...and my Shield9 does the job...
The Shield is a primary defense weapon for close range...who cares what it does beyond 3-12 feet...I'm just concerned about reliability...and my Shield9 does the job...
Keep in mind that many of the posting members as involved with weapons, M&P or otherwise, as a hobby. They are interested in shooting for enjoyment and satisfaction. A little challenge makes it more interesting, and there is little challenge at 3-12 feet.
Hopefully very few will ever be required to use deadly force for defense.
Took my M&P 40 Shield to the range for the first time yesterday and fired a nice tight group low and left. Had the gunsmith make a small tweet so now it's dead center. Not sure why so many seem to be doing that out do the box. Love this gun...
After much reading on the forum I tried using the shield with a thumbs forward grip, and pulling the trigger at the first joint of my trigger finger. At 7 yards I was able to cluster the shots in the red zone of my target close to the the center. I shot 50 rounds today. I will probably put 100 to 200 rounds tomorrow, but the shooting is much improved. I also had trigger modified with an Apex reducing the trigger pull. I have to admit it has been frustrating.
I also shoot an S&W 9C and a Springfield 9XDS single stack sub compact and have not had these issues. I like the size of the Shield it is the smallest of the three, and has a very thin profile for CC.
Apology first, for reviving an old thread. I felt compelled to register and leave a post on this particular post and a few others where people posted the shooting left problem (in case their search brings them to another similar thread) I found my answer buried in the echo chamber of replies stating the same thing "user error." Google returns MANY threads with this same issue, and everyone literally ignored the actual problem, me and many other people have.
STORY:
YES, some of you shooting left MAY be squeezing your thumb too tight, or using TOO much trigger finger. If fixing these things (or you weren't doing them in the first place,) didn't work, I offer you the solution I found:
Brand new shield 9mm (no mag disconnect, no safety,) been breaking it in over the last year. Stock sights from factory, shoots dead nuts. No problems. Want to start carrying this as CPL, decide to upgrade sights.
Gunsmith down the street installs TruGlo TFX Pro's (so far awesome btw.) Take the pistol out a couple months later and it shoots left 3" at 7 yards, wont hit my small target at further distances.
A shield rear sight is un-adjustable for windage or drift (per owners manual.) It should be perfectly centered and set screwed into place. I think there may be .002" adjustment but that will not effect shot that much. You should be able to eyeball your rear sight and see it perfectly centered. You should also technically use a straightedge and a caliper.
Front sight is completely adjustable for windage (drift.)
SOLUTION:
Check your front sight post. Its completely adjustable for drift. Mine was aligned slightly to the right. In order to get the pistol to bullseye, assuming you are using correct shooting technique, you will need to move that front sight post LEFT.
If you shoot left, you need to check if your sight is aligned to the right. If it is, you will need to have a gunsmith adjust your front sight post.
Personally, I did it myself, carefully. I took a pencil and drew an outline of the sight on the frame. This way, when it starts moving I can see if it adjusts past the pencil mark. I used doubled electrical tape as a barrier between a wide punch and the post and I tapped the post LEFT. Start out with a few short put followed through taps. See if it adjusts. Admittedly, I did have to tap it pretty hard to move it. It will start moving. Don't over adjust.
I hope this helps clear up some confusion on another possible problem instead of the cop-out "its your fault." If you google M&P warranty issues you'll see the slew of **** they do. Their customer service sucks. That said, we do trust our lives to their products. So we need to hold them to some standard.
Also, some argument that I saw people make, "Oh if it shoots left 4" you'll still hit your target and put down the threat." Another one: "just aim right, and deal with it" - These are both false. Even hitting center mass with a 9mm or .40 there have been plenty of real world situations where the threat was still able to engage. IMO, practice an accurate double tap center mass with accurate follow up double taps until the treat is eliminated. Your pistol should shoot on target 100% of the time if you do your job. This way, in a situation, if you miss, only you are to blame. Also, if you are in a situation that doesn't allow you to aim properly for whatever reason, you know that pistol will shoot straight if you aim in the right direction. You dont have to account for that extra few inches. Confidence is also important.
Anyway, end rant. Sorry again for reviving an old threat.
My first post to this forum. Just bought a M&P 9 Shield. I've had it on the range twice now and have the same problem. Low left. I have three other handguns, S&W 686, CZ 75-P06, Ruger Super Redhawk, and I do well enough with them, so I thought it had to be me just not used to the slim single stack grip and DAO trigger. Takes some getting used to. This thread been very helpful. I'm going to the range this morning. I'll give your suggestions a try. Thanks!
I too bought a S&W Shield 9mm with these great low prices/rebates.
Same issue as many others on this forum.
Not happy with it yet, out of the box it shoots low and to the left bench rest
Fired same ammo in another 9mm that I know is dead on - it was again dead on with that same ammo (as it was originally out of the box).
I then shot my 1911 .22 - it too was dead on (as it was originally out of the box).
My SA XDS .45 and SA XD SC .40 and SA 1911 A1GI .45 all were dead on out of the box
Have read multiple S&W forums including this one and was alarmed at how many people complained the same thing/results as mine; and response were "it's you, not the gun".
BS
If I have to grip, squeeze, use different sight picture, different ammo with this gun - just to get it to center, what good is it compared to my others that shoot straight out of the box?
I am shooting/comparing bench rest at same distance w/ same ammo w/ ~same length bbls (for example 3.1" Shield/3.2" PT111) with same sight picture and same grip and same finger/thumb/trigger placement and squeeze.
Every pistol I have is dead on out of the box at that distance (and some even further) and even w/ variable ammo.
Comparison 9mm pistol yesterday: Taurus PT111 (3.2"bbl vs Shield 3'1") has been dead on with 115, 124, 147 fmj and hp at that distance and further back (at least double that)
Every pistol mentioned above I have I run multiple brands and weight/config bullets thru - and they have been dead on at that distance
Guess I've been lucky as the only pistol I have that I know always shoots low is my Walther P1, no matter what ammo.
Will take out today and check again, even with different ammo - before I send it in to S&W as their CS is good as they have sent me a FedEx label to send in.
I've had zero problems in over 2,000 rounds with these in an M&P Pro40, Shield 9, two Kahr CW40s and a HiPoint 40S&W carbine.
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