Hello All,

I'm pleased to say that after sending my Shield 40 back to S&W two times within 30 days the issues I've had have been 100% resolved.

I originally sent my Shield 40 in for FTF issues. They sent it back to me with a polished ramp, replaced guide rod spring, and adjusted trigger pull (I complained it was heavy). Unfortunately, I continued having FTF issues and found that I was also bulging my spent casings - particularly with Hornady Critical Defense ammo.

I sent it back to S&W a second time and they replaced the barrel.

For the range test yesterday, I fired off (100) Federal American Eagle 165gr FMJ, (50) Winchester White Box 180gr FMJ, (13) Hornady Critical Defense 165gr FTX, and (17) Speer Gold Dot Short Barrel 180gr JHP. All 180 rounds fired were flawless and accurate without any bulging brass whatsoever.

My only observation was that the Shield 40 seemed to eject my brass to the 5 o'clock position versus 3 o'clock, but no big deal really.

I called S&W this morning to comment that my Shield 40 was now in perfect working order. For future repair reference, I also commented that the remedy for the FTF and bulging brass issues was almost certainly replacing the barrel and the guide rod spring.

I think I can now trust my Shield 40 to be my EDC.

Hope this helps anyone that might be having the same issues.

glad they were able to sort it out for you..

Now that's really good to hear, congrats. At least they kept at it until they found the problem. Great report.

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Still carrying my S&W 642

Congrats on getting your problem taken care of, and keeping your trust in your Shield.

Thanks for posting to let everyone else know in case we have this type of problem.
Glad yours is fixed!!

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40c FS,9Shield(2)40,9Pro

I'm so relieved it's fixed too - I was about to sell it for a Shield 9 thinking it was just the 40 platform that was screwy.

Yeah, there's definitely at least 2 other members that have had recent identical issues. I hijacked their threads so hopefully they will see this and have the same resolution.

How long did they need to keep it each time you sent it back? Glad they got it fixed!

The first time S&W had it for 7 business days, the second time they had it for 9 business days. I would say that's pretty quick turnaround time. I am not factoring in shipping times or the few days you wait for a return label.

I'm really glad they got it sorted out for you. I received my Shield40 back from S&W last Friday (4/4) and haven't had any free time to go test it out to see if my issue has been resolved or not. I will update my thread with the results as soon as I do.

Note: The repair note this time said they replaced the slide and barrel (first repair said they replaced the barrel and the extractor i think). No clue why they replaced the replacement barrel with another... but hey, as long as it works. Fingers crossed.

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-Adam Christopher

Wow, they replaced the slide? That's significant.

After 4 months of hating it, I'm finally in love with my Shield now.

Congrat's on getting it all sorted out ! btw, what is the build date of your 40 ? if you don't mind me asking.

That's great to hear.


For posterity, why do you believe the recoil spring has anything to do with bulging cases?

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Freedom isn't free.

Late October 2013

Well, my Shield was originally sent in for FTF issues, not bulging cases. Unfortunately, I never took note of my spent casings until I received the Shield back from S&W the first time.

After getting my Shield back the first time, I continued having FTF issues with all types of ammo but also noticed bulging cases only with Hornady Critical Defense ammo. WWB FMJ ammo spent casings were normal. If anything, I think the bulging casings were due to a defective barrel.

My thought is that swapping both the recoil spring AND barrel eliminated both my FTF and bulging cases issue. However, I'm unable to isolate the root cause since I never took note of my brass until the second time I sent the Shield back to S&W.

Oh, I guess I missed the inclusion of the FTF issue in that sentence. My bad. Maybe I should learn to read ALL the words and then I wouldn't have this egg on my face.

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Freedom isn't free.

No, it was a valid question! Had it not been for this forum I wouldn't have stopped to check my brass let alone figure out my FTF issue wasn't an isolated incident.

So did that fix the problem? I am having the exact same issue with mine, and have tried all the magazine mods without any success. I did notice that hotter loads with more recoil generate the problem more than softer recoil ammo. But I want my S&W 40 to be able to use all S&W 40 ammo. I will most likely be sending mine back, just wanted to know how yours turned out.