I've looked around online trying to find a replacement barrel for my M&P shield 9mm. I want it to try & sort out my bulged brass problems. the gun has been back to S&W twice for the same problem. they "modified" the barrel the first time & replaced it the second. you can check out my other post about these issues.
M&P Shield 9 going back to S&W. Again

final outcome is that even after replacing the barrel, my shield still bulges some of my standard pressure loads, & about 30% of any +P SD load.

If there's a company out there making aftermarket barrels for the shield, I'd like to try it & see if my bulging issues go away.

I can't trust it at this point, because my last shot at the range last time bulged so badly that it stuck in the chamber, requiring disassembly & a brass punch to clear the jam...

Sorry but the two main makers of aftermarket M&P handgun barrels, KKM and Storm Lake, do not yet make barrels for the Shield.

Bob

yeah, that's what I'm afraid of. I love my shield, except for the bulging issue. until that last shot, it had never jammed in any way over 500 rds. It shoots where I want, even when firing fairly rapidly, & I'm used to the M&P trigger, so it's a win-win, except for the little issue of worrying about a KB on my hands. dealt with one of those before, not my cup of tea...
what are the chances of S&W fixing the problem on the 3rd trip? what else can they do but give me another gun? & from reading about others having this same problem, even that might not fix it...

posted this over on my initial thread about my Shield issiues, but figured I'd post it here too for those looking for barrels specifically.

Good news, Both KKM & Storm Lake are releasing Shield barrels this year. I emailed both, & KKM said sometime this summer, & Storm Lake said sometime this year. Storm Lake did say that their barrel will be fully supported, & should fix the bulging brass issue... I would assume the same for KKM, but they didn't specifically say anything along those lines. I'd rather not spend $175 on a new barrel for a $375 gun, but if it fixes my issue, it's worth it!

Could the bulging brass be a head-space issue? Specifically, I wonder if there is free-play between the breech and shell that would allow the shell to move aft and expose more of the case.

I doubt it. seems like S&W would have fixed that on the gun's first 2 trips back...

Does your pistol do that with brass cased ammo, I have had not much good luck with aluminum stuff. I have a .40 carbine that splits aluminum right in half, but shoots brass all day long. You may have an ammo problem not a gun problem.

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I haven't shot any aluminum cased ammo. the pics are of nickel plated brass, but it bulges regardless of brass manufacture, plated or not.

Interesting...makes you wonder if the barrel was actually replaced.

Odds are against the same problem with two different barrels. And in a 9mm to boot.

Unless they re-finished the barrel, it was replaced. If you read through my other thread about this, we came to the conclusion that S&W is just running the ragged edge as far as case support in this gun. At least that's how it seems to us.