Have a new Shield 40 I picked up earlier this summer, and am just now getting a chance to put it through her paces.

Slide release on this model is super-tight...to release slide, I have to put pressure on lever and pull slide back to release it.

Anyone else have this problem? Is this just a "new-so-everything-is-tight-as-hell" problem, or should I be calling Smith cust svc?

I'm going to put a few hundred rounds through it at the range, so maybe it will resolve before I get back?

Red

Its common with all M&Ps. I remember looking at a M&P40c a year ago, and noticing it at the gun shop. It made me opt for a used Glock. A few months back I was in that same small gun shop looking for a Glock XD or M&P. The people who work there tend to be very rude, and pissed me off that day so I left and went to Academy. At Academy I checked out a M&P40c to find the same situation, and decided it wasn't a defect but something that needs to break in. They do break in.

Actually, it's a slide lock and not really intended to be used as a release. However, it should loosen up over time. Racking the slide by pulling it back and releasing is the recommended method.

This is my first venture into MPs, so glad to hear it should break in.

@shield, thanks....any idea on the thought process on a design that seems to require 2 hands to bring to battery after changing mags.

Don't know why S&W designed it that way. Manual says to release, pull back on the slide. They do not indicate using the slide lock for release. You will find pros/cons on either method in various forums. I rack the slide.

Well, it takes two hands to change the mags.....

It is my guess that you are locking it back and trying to release it using the slide lock and a EMPTY mag in in the gun.

It will release much easier with either no mag or a loaded mag in the gun using the slide lock.

@RobsTV...in most shooting conditions, u r correct.

Ran 500 rounds through, release/lock loosened a LOT. Very accurate, but I need to make some mods...sights not my fave, trigger reset is long.

I agree about the sights. There are few mfg's making them specifically for the Shield as of yet. I fixed the trigger with an Apex sear.

There is no slide release on the Shield only a Slide lock. I suggest you read your owner manual and take a firearm safety course.

one option right now is XS Big Dot sights. IMO, they are an improvement over the stock sights.

i just installed them on my shield (and my M&P 45 FS).

going to the range tomorrow and will prob start a thread with my impressions afterward.

P.S. i was trained to not use the slide stop to release the slide

__________________
NRA life member

slide stop not a slide lock

Did that Apex sear kit help with the over-travel? Either that or the long reset was messing with me on shots 2-6, and it could have been both.

I slingshot for most practice/target firing, but there's a reason the slide lock has an external lever (call it a release, stop, or lock, its semantics imo) and many scenarios where one would need to have trained muscle memory to use it quickly.

Realize others have different opinions, all of which are cool with me.

I use the slide release as a slide release unless I'm admin reloading, however mine is an FS. Glock's slide lock is too small to use as a release. YMMV. [/hijack]

Wow, that was kind of snappy for someone that you probably don't know don't you think?

And there are situations where you may only have one hand available to do a reload and if you ever attend a police academy or even a professional firearms academy they will teach you what that may be.

Perhaps you only shoot strong hand and never practice weakhand. If you do practice weakhand, why do you? Think about it

LOL!

Yup.

Somebody maybe he is having a bad day. We all have bad days... Now I'm going to go start a new thread to see if anyone has ever had the white dot fall off their M&P.

Yeah that is how I do it with my 40c by pulling the slide back and releasing it., But It does loosen up over time, nowadays the slide will come forward with a good rap on the magazine during a reload.

Nope not intended to be a "snappy" comment. Its a good idea to read the owners manual for any firearm you own as firearms vary. The slide stop was not intended to be used as a release. Smith and Wesson recommends racking the slide to chamber a round. Its not a good idea to try and force you gun to do things its not intended to do.

And for your info I have not attended a police academy or any other formal training but at least I know how my gun was intended/designed to operate.

That is true its a good idea to read your owners manual, but the real snappy part is telling the guy he needs to take a safety course, when he is US ARMY. I think he has had some training don't you? Does the 1911 have a slide release? Does the Berretta 92FS have a slide release? Does the M4 have a bolt release? I agree with you on the reading the owners manual, but its not like he said "I had a misfire so let me look down the barrel and pull the trigger again."

In the category of 'knowing-how-a-firearm-was-intended-to-be-used', the July 2012 issue of G&A has a full page ad for the Shield, in which the "flat profile slide release" is touted. Assuming its not a typo (a dangerous assumption no doubt), S&W itself may be a little "murky" on the purpose of this particular lever.

That said, we can never take too many courses on firearms use/safety.

If you haven't taken a police/security firearms course, give it some thought, even if you're not LEO/military. It will open up a whole world of techniques and possibilities and tactics that the basic courses and manuals don't even hint at. They can be pricey, and often a serious time commitment, but I promise you'll walk away even more proficient with your firearm.

(For example, I learned in one of my many courses that throwing a Colt pistol at the enemy is often more effective than actually firing one at him.)

Red