Went to a LGS in Grand Junction to purchase some ammo and find a holster for my new Shield. When I told the guy what I had, he said" You got one of those huh". I told him that I had and that so far I really liked it and all that I have read and heard has been good. He said that he had heard that there were problems with them and that one of the problems was cracked frames. He is a Glock guy! Anyone heard of this?

Tom

I have not...just good things. but what can you expect his a glock guy, most of them look at it this way=glock is the only way....but also people use to think the earth was flat

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Aim small miss small

Frame cracked, no problem, S&W will replace it no questions asked, no cost to you. One of the best warranties in the biz. Personally, I think he was messing with you. I don't think I've seen a negative Shield review since the came out. Can they say the same about Gen 4 Glocks???

I have run +P through mine along with hundreds of Winchester target and my frame is fine. I think it is another story that has been started as a "My friend says he heard from some guy at another gun store that someone read on an internet post that his cousin saw a guy who knew a person that thought he heard of a person that looked like he had a crack in what he thought was one of those new guns by that company?"
Don't believe it. Frank.

LOL exactly.

It sounds like hes just one of those brand loyal people who are too ignorant to look at anything besides Glock.

I've been digging,researching,watching videos,pm'ing owners,and everything I can do to research the Shield before I actually buy TWO of them.
I've heard nothing negative,and I don't think there is a frame crack problem. People make up all sorts of tales based on their lack of understanding of things.
I'm actually thinking of selling all three of my 2nd Gen Glock 19's. The Shield is the first gun in decades that has piqued my interest this much. I like to think of it as an improved modern day version of the ASP,one of the most sensible 9mm's ever built for carry.
Believe me if the frame cracks Smith&Wesson will make it right. After some rocky years,this company is back on track and I don't expect to see anything but good things coming out of their plant.
Shoot the dickens out of it,and don't give it a second thought. IMO.the Shield is almost too good to be true.

I'm so fed up with Glock I could puke. I think I've said that here before,so 'scuse me for reiterating.

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Blessed be the Lord,my Rock

No problems with the Shield what so ever. Smith did it right this time by thoroughly testing the pistol prior to release. Many of the other small pistol brands have issues and people love to spread myths and rumors. Bill

LOL!! GOOD STUFF!

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Aim small miss small

The worst thing about he new Shield
Is actually finding one.

I agree with all the answers to my query about the rumor. I didn't think that there was any truth to what he said but wanted to see if anyone else had heard this.I think it is a great little pistol. I am taking it to the range for a second session today in preparation for a ritired LE qualification tomorrow. The only thing that I wonder about is wheather I should have waited and gotten a 40 cal instead of the .9mm. I have not owned a 9mm since a Browning High Power in 1971 and the bullets seem rather little after carrying a 1911 for so many years. My thinking was that the small gun might be more suited to the .9mm than the 40 cal. ???

Tom

Marshall tom,I am about to spring for a pair of Shields.
I'm a 9mm guy myself,esp,in a pistol of this size,but I am considering making one of them a .40.
I'd like to hear from someone on the .40 versions handling and recoil,though. With good ammo(I like HST's) I don't think there's a world of difference. Good luck on your qual's,sir.

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Blessed be the Lord,my Rock

Just back from the Range, up to 500 rounds now in my 9MM Shield.

All is A-OK.

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NRA Pistol/Rifle Inst. RSO

Apex had put a thousand through theirs in 1.5 hours.

Sent from my ADR6425LVW using Tapatalk 2

You got that right. I got one of two that came in and the other was already gone when I picked mine up. Just goofin' around,I started checking other Dealers and they were all out to and NONE ever hit the shelf. No idea on restocks yet either.

M&P pistols use Zytel polymer made by DuPont and it should never crack and is used in high heat and stress applications such as automotive as well as ...gun frames, however if you used a torch on your guns frame you would probably set fire to it or at the least melt it since it is a plastic! as far as longevity your frame should live and function about 20,000 years longer than you do!

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59,M&P9,40,40C,357,(2)45,G26

My head hurts after reading that...

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Gary

I am on probably almost every gun forum. I have read every Shield thread I see. The ONLY neg thing I have seen is some guy said that Critical Defense ammo worked, but Critical Duty ammo did not, because the round is longer.and, another guy said that the slide didn't always lock back on empty - but when he was more careful, it did... So, he figured it was HIM pushing the mag release by accident...

I've seen zero about cracked frames or anything even remotely significant. NO gun is perfect.. There will always be some complaints about any gun. But honestly, so far, I have seen no problems to worry about

Story time





I haven't heard anything of the kind.

Be proud of your pistol as it was made by Smith and Wesson. I own a Ruger LC9 and the Shield is better hands down. I own two Glocks and they can't compare to the Shield for the intended purpose of concealed carry. Smith and Wesson just took over as king of the hill in the highly competitive world of concealed carry semis.

I bought one, and then quickly bought a second...I wanted my wife to have one too. I think the Shield is the perfect CCW pistol for me with the 8 round magazine, and the 7 round magazine is great for her hand.

I have read all the reviews I can find, I can't find anyone who has had any problems.

Kind of rare isn't it.

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John 3:16, Carry Everyday!

I did see something on the net where a group put the shield through a torture test after stripping it down and removing all traces of lubricant and putting many many rounds it for a very long extended time and checking it periodicaly they finally detected a crack. After sending the part back to S&W for their examination it was sent back to them and told to continue with their testing. The article had pictures attached. I"ll attempt to find the article again and pass it along to the forum. All in all, it was a severe test with thouands of rounds put through it in the harshest of conditions over an extended period o time. I picked up my shield Saturday and ran 100 rnds through it to my great satisfaction. It's kind of like having a new beautiful girlfriend, I can't keep my hands off her.

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642-2/LG-105,M&P 9 & 40 Shield

That CRACKED FRAME ISSUE might have been a confusion of firearms and internet stories getting convoluted.

I do believe in recent history that S&W had ISSUES with CRACKED FRAMES on some "J-FRAME SNUBBY REVOLVERS" The barrels were torqued in too tight.

S&W REPLACED THOSE FIREARMS FOR THE OWNERS OF THEM.

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NRA Pistol/Rifle Inst. RSO

Yeah...I keep holding my breath, thinking "this is too good to be true..."

As for the cracked frames, perhaps that is a hold-over from some other M&P models. I know that in one video, Hickok45 was reviewing a M&P 40, and it developed a crack in the frame.

On the contrary, when a North Carolina police department tested the M&P9C against the Glock to determine their carry piece, by using sustained fire, i.e., one magazine after another as fast as they could go, it was the Glock that experienced some melting while the 9C continued to perform under this kind of testing. Needless to say, they chose the M&P9.

Hey marshal tom, where did you get your shield? Im just up the road in gunnison and cant seem to get ahold of one for myself.

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MP40 442 SHIELD9 SHIELD40 MP22

The guy is full of sheep dip. Don't waste your time by ever talking to him again. Ever.

I wouldn't believe him. He's full of ****. Either he has none in stock to sell or he is a typical Glock ***..I have a buddy that is like that. He believes every bad thing that he reads on the web about other guns but when it's a Glock problem he says that it's just internet rumors...bizarre!!

After googling a bit I found the report, but it was on the M&P 9, not the shield.

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642-2/LG-105,M&P 9 & 40 Shield

I don't think it's the frame that is cracked, just the story teller's head.

So, only Glock owners are biased towards their favorite brand, right?

Much like any other product, every now and again something will fail. Just shoot and don't worry, if any problems do emerge Smith will take care of you.

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Wheelguns 'n 3rd Gens.

Sounds like LGSBS.

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VIVERE MILITARE EST

Most of what I hear in "gunshops" from both customers and emplyees and owners is just plain wrong, and sometimes silly or occasionally dangerous.

Most Glocks are fine, and so are most S&Ws. Both occasionally have problems. The guy who said this was probably a bully on the school playground or the type to kick sand in your face at the beach.

Went to the range today with my 40S&W shield and had the frame crack. So far I have shot probably close to 500 rounds and today it cracked. It was shooting fine then all of a sudden it would chamber a round but wouldn't cock. At first it would cock if there was no round, but when I put one in it wouldn't. After trying it a few times it quit cocking completely. There are multiple cracks in the frame.

The one of the trigger there is like a 3 way crack behind the triangle piece in the trigger guard. In the mag well there is a large crack near the mag release.

There are more cracks but those photos keep failing when I try to upload them. I will keep trying to get them up.

Attached Images

	IMG_20130124_161230_367.jpg (38.6 KB, 474 views)
	IMG_20130124_161249_712.jpg (26.0 KB, 408 views)

Here are the other two pictures. You can see the cracks pretty well in these.

Attached Images

	Frame 1.JPG (46.5 KB, 485 views)
	Frame 2.JPG (69.0 KB, 469 views)

When i crack the frame on either of my 2 Shields, i'll be the first to let you guys know.

Everyone knows i like shooting video and proving what is and isnt a BS story.

Well I am not saying the gun isn't good. I love the shield. Have since the day I got it. Shoots great and feels great. The guns frame did crack in multiple places though. I contacted S&W and will send it in to get fixed. I will post up once I get it back.

any updated on your shield? I just sent mine in this week for the same thing and am wondering how long the turn around time is.

I have not heard of this issue.

Remember, assume that any opinion offered at the "LGS" is a lie until proven otherwise.

My response would have been: "I heard that Glocks have KABOOMS because of unsupported chambers." OR "Did your Glock have to go back because of the out of spec frame rail issue that caused a HUGE frame replacement a few years ago?" OR "Was your Glock one of the ones pulled from service by LAPD because of light firing pin strikes?" OR "Does your 9mm Model 19 have the "phase 3" malfunctions experienced by NYPD which caused Glock to put a service trailer at their range to modify about 30,000 guns - don't you find it strange that they did not think the safety of the rest of us was important enough to offer that slide modification on commercial guns?"

I guess you see my point. Glocks are generally fine, but they have their issues too. It is rare to find a well-informed guy behind the counter at the "LGS."

If you get a Shield and have any issues, S&W will fix it without question. I doubt, however, you will have issues.

By the way, I like Glocks and Glock will fix their guns also. If the guy at the "LGS" would only acknowledge that Glocks occasionally fail too.

Now I am really glad I have the 9mm shield instead of the .40.

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44 Garrett Defender Ammo 4 me.

Hey Marshal,
I, too, am from GJ and recently picked up my Shield 9 from my fave LGS (initials JOS) where 9 arrived with a wait list of 34.
Only 100, or so, downrange with no issues.
The staff at JOS has heard on no issues and remind us that S&W has a warranty second to few!!
Stay in touch.

I understand that few encountered frame's crack with the Shield 40, but did it also happen with Shield 9 ?

Thanks

Isn't the frame exactly the same on the 9&.40? Smitty you might know better. But if so would it be the pressures in .40 causing it? If so wouldn't the 9 also experience the same effects after longer periods of time?

And Rx7- what rounds were you using?

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-Dik

Frame is the same, but .40 is a high-pressure round. That's why I shoot 9mm.

I got a 9mm Shield and I'm really not concerned at this late date about cracked frames. Materials and workmanship seems covered by any warranty with S&W. Normal use. If that particular person hadn't said anything to you about "one of those huh" this thread wouldn't be here right now. Not going to worry about what some biased ******* said.
Everyone appreciates the effort made to let everyone know about a possible problem. I wonder if that guy has even seen a shield.
R

So apparently the LGS guy was right.

If he was buying a Glock, maybe he would have said stuff that's wrong with Glocks and so on.

3

I don't have a shield and don't intend to get one, not that I have anything against them, I believe they're good guns, just don't need one. That said, I have heard the same thing about cracked frames, and other problems, but just like other rumors, if I don't see it, I don't believe it. Oh yea, I do love my Glocks.

I am close to 1000 rounds on my M&P Shield 40. I went through about 75 rounds today outside. So far no cracks yet. Ill have to keep an eye on it.

LOVE the gun.

I think it's just one of those "Whatever you have isn't any good" people

Wow, that's a new one. Can you give us some details? Has anything unusual happened with the gun such as solvent exposure, unusually high pressure reloads, etc? Have you pistol whipped a bull rhino with the gun?

Let us know how S&W takes care of you. I am sure they will make it right.