Admin Edit-
The OP here is understandably upset after a catastrophic failure. Cut him a little slack.
It is completely out of line to label him a troll without obtaining the facts of this event. That is not how we roll here.

If you have something useful to say that is on-topic, and IF you understand and can use common courtesy, have at it. If not, stay out of it.

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the original post-

Second time at the range. Under 100 rounds through a brand new gun. Had to pull metal out of my brothers hand. They know this is a problem and keep selling these things.

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	IMG_0757.jpg (37.1 KB, 3285 views)

Just curious, what was the production age of the pistol? Had you cleaned and inspected the pistol before shooting it the first time? And what ammo were you firing when this happened to your brother?

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Regards from THE Old Fart

It is a post recall gun, I don't have the date in front of me. The gun was cleaned and inspected before the first firing and cleaned after the first firing. I take very good care of my guns.

The rounds were factory reloads in brass casing.

I can't tell. Is it a .40?

The word "reloads" changes everything.

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Dave

I suspect this is going to be a problem with the reloaded ammo, not the gun.

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Cliff
CCSO, FPD ret, USN ret.

No offense, and sorry you had a problem, but as a guy who has fired dozens of pistols, 10's of thousands of rounds, that picture isn't representative of a S&W "problem", in my opinion, it is clearly an ammo problem. I'd send this pictures to S&W and to whoever you bought your "factory reloads" from. I'd also be interested in knowing the brand of the ammo, the caliber, the bullet weight and material.

Again, sorry you had a problem and your brother was hurt, but your post is targeted at S&W, when I'd be willing to bet that it was not a pistol defect that caused that damage.

You're right. I missed that in the second post. Most likely the ammo, not the Shield.

Looks like a squib load did that gun in to me.

couldn't a squid load/lodged bullet do this too?

Also sorr to hear about the occurrence. Those pics though, seem to be very indicative of overpressure ammo (unless there was a squib, followed by another round).

What caliber Shield?
What Brand, caliber and weight of reloaded ammo?
Were you slow firing, or rapid firing? (rapid fire indicating if it could have been a squib immediately followed by a 2nd round that blew the gun, or slow fire indicating a single round kaboom)

I have to agree with the others . Looks like a ammo issue. Please update us on what you were using ,from who and cal etc!

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9mm Shield

Looks like your brother cleared a failed to eject(sqibb) and fired the next without checking the bore.

I too would like to hear about the ammo being used.

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John

I hope he returns to this thread and gives us more info on the pistol and ammo and this isn't just a drive by "mad at S&W" post and thread. I also wonder if there were a squib followed by another round shot in it to do this.

On a separate but related note, is that a MIM barrel? It looks to me like normal barrel steel in the barrel closeup pic.

Hope your bother is okay.

The first thing that came to mind when I saw the pics was that it may have involved an "over-pressure event", meaning an obstructed bore or something involving bullet setback, improperly loaded cartridge, etc. It certainly wouldn't be the first time a shooter didn't realize a short-loaded/squib round had left a bullet lodged in a bore, either.

The moment I read the words "factory reload", I thought of "remanufactured ammunition", and the potential for the wide range of what that might involve, QC of components & methods, etc.

This is a conversation you ought to be having with S&W and whoever made the "factory reloaded" ammunition. S&W will give you instructions for the shipment of their product, and probably the ammunition (shipped separately, for their testing & evaluation) and may work with the manufacturer of the ammunition.

Call them. If I recall right from previous years, they may be returned from holiday break next week.

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Ret LE Firearms inst & armorer

Waiting to hear from the OP.Agree on the reload issue.

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Blessed be the Lord,my Rock

I too want to know. 9mm or .40?

The gun was not being rapid fired, in fact very slow target shooting. With all due respect, and after being called a troll, have you ever seen a chamber and slide completely exploded? That is what I am trying to find out here.

I have been reloading my entire life and I have never seen anything like this. You cannot fit enough powder in a .40 shell to blow every piece of the firearm apart.

Hmm... I completely overlooked asking this in my earlier reply...
What do you mean when you write that they know about this, but continue selling them?
While there are Hundreds of reposts/retellings of the dreaded Shield40 kabooms, they all traced back to a handful (less than a Dozen) actual occurrences and out of that handful, 2 or 3 never reported back on what caused them and the rest ended up being .40 cal Ammo related (1 by MagTech, which they wrote a check for replacement... and a couple by Buffalo Bore).

So again... What validates your statement that S&W Knows they have a defective pistol, but continues to sell them?

What is the acceptable amount of exploding pistols for a company like S&W? Could you provide citation on your numbers? And you can name another pistol with this issue?

This is unusual and most all of the post say S&W deflects all blame. I'm NOT trying to bash S&W, please understand that.

I am life long shooter who has never seen anything like this. Just looking for answers or I would be in a lawyers office, not in a forum. I'm not that guy.

Thank you for your help.

Thanks for posting again! FYI I agree you being called a Troll was uncalled for! I saw this thread as someone looking for a possible answer and yes pissed at S&W. I would be at first myself and want to find out what happened! Again please keep us updated! Also WELCOME to the forum.
Rich

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9mm Shield

Thank you, Rich. Greatly appreciated. Just an avid shooter trying to diagnose a problem and avoid future issues.

Search this Sub-Forum for Shield 40 Kaboom (or similar search words) and you'll find the thread where one of our members took the time to research every Shield catastrophic failure thread he could find.
Beretta and Glock are just 2 that seem to come to mind and even they seemed to have been mostly ammo related. There are most likely a FEW more Brands that have experienced Catastrophic failures.

So we have established this was a .40 yes?

Your welcome. I too love to shoot and when I hear of a issue I like to know all I can, so I learn something new,can pass on good info and hopefully not blow myself up lol. Glad your brother wasn't hurt too bad, Good luck in finding your answer!

Rich

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9mm Shield

Easy. 40 cal. Glocks kaboom with regularity due to an unsupported chamber.

To confirm, the pistol is a .40

Thank you.

Welcome to the forum.
Manufacturers of handguns have no control over what gets crammed in the "factory reloads" that owners buy and use. Glocks, Kimbers, and all the rest have blown up, some to bits, with bad ammo or uncleared bores from squibs. A simple search will enlighten. Just google "blown up .40" "blown up 1911" etc.

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Halfway and one more step

Oh I've seen many over the years, all from the "perfect" plastic gun. Most in 45 cal and a lesser amount in 40, no 9mm.
Beside the "reloads" problem , How the chamber supports the casing has alot to do with the amount of damage. I think all the gun companys have taken measures to try and make the chambers on their plastic guns support the casings better, without affecting the loading cycle.
I dont see a bulge in the barrel so probably the case blew out.
Ive seen this happen, even with an obstructed barrel ,in many " ALL" steel guns and the most Ive ever seen, is the barrel had to be replaced,and complaint about unburnt powder in the face( GLASSES).
I dont reload yet, so MAYBE I would shoot my own reloads, BUT personally I wont shoot any reloads in any of my plastic guns, my hands are already messed up enough. Glad your brother is ok, some havent been that lucky.
I would still send in all the parts/ammo to S/W so they could evaluate it, May do you some good. Good Luck Bob

Was going to comment on the below response , but whats the point...

You ever consider of the 99.99999% of perfect of guns they make I may have the one defect? Good work being an apologist thought, hope they are paying you.

Sorry for your trouble and your pain but the gun is not at fault. If you do not reload your ammo yourself, do not use reloads produced by anyone. What you seem to have is a definite case of too much powder in your reloads.

It WAS a .40.
Sure appears to be an obstructed bore event. There is no way a singlular part defect could caused that much damage.
I know it`s a troublesome thing to have happened and I hope you figure it out.What ever that reload was, dont go near it again.
Jim

First of all, I am sorry to hear about this unfortunate incident. I traded in my Shield 40 for a Shield 9mm. I was uncomfortable shooting 40 cal in a Shield after reading a few Kaboom reports. The 9mm Shield has been flawless. With that said, I would NEVER shoot reloads in a Shield 40.

Says right in the manual.

"WARNING: DEATH, SERIOUS INJURY AND DAMAGE CAN RESULT FROM THE USE OF INCORRECT AMMUNITION OR BORE OBSTRUCTIONS. NEVER USE RELOADS OF ANY KIND."

So, did your brother have a failure to eject before firing the disastrous round?

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Foster Positivity.

"......have you ever seen a chamber and slide completely exploded? That is what I am trying to find out here." Yes, numerous times in the past nearly 60 years! Almost invariably a result of an overload!

"You cannot fit enough powder in a .40 shell to blow every piece of the firearm apart." I have no idea where you get this idea, but, yes, a .40 S&W can be loaded with enough powder to destroy a pistol! It all depends on what propellant type is being loaded.

Added: JW4286,

I assume you have a degree in Metallurgical Engineering, and have performed all appropriate lab tests on the "remains" to support your allegation? Thought not!

Your photo of the barrel, inspite of the conjecture by several(!), shows absolutely no evidence of an obstruction contributing in any way to this failure! This was strictly an over-pressure event. See your own photo attached. There is no evidence whatsoever of bulging as there would be with an obstruction of any sort!

Attached Images

IMG_0757.jpg (37.1 KB, 353 views)

I understand the reload issue. I have seen many pictures of blisters and other problems. I have not see one where the entire firearm was destroyed, as in this case.

Again, just looking for answers. Pictures or links to similar events are greatly appreciated.

In case you haven't done this already, set aside the ammo and make sure you send some to both S&W and to the ammo producer. They will likely test for pressure levels and may learn something from this incident.

Your assumption that a .40 S&W can't be loaded to unsafe pressure levels is incorrect, they can definitely be overloaded to the point of a catastrophic failure. In your case, I also think that's what happened to your brother. However, you should talk to him and rule out the possibility that a squib load left a bullet in the barrel, followed by a round that was loaded within the normal pressure levels.

S&W will take this seriously, but you need to keep an open mind, as they may conclude that it was an ammo issue. If they really believed they had a safety issue, they would try to resolve it. As others here have stated, if we believed there was a widespread issue, Shield owners would stop shooting them.

Please keep us updated on this thread as to the outcome.

Edit: When I had a squib in my Kahr, it made it just about as far down the barrel as yours would have needed to cause a barrel failure in that location, but without any bulging I think it was an overloaded round, not the squib scenario. I heard and recognized my squib, and it was new ammo from one of the big American factories, so it can happen to anyone. In about 50k centerfire rounds under my belt, that's one factory ammo failure, zero for my handloads. So far.

There was a guy that posted on here about his Shield 9mm blowing up, so the 9's are not explosion proof.

Don't know why the 40's get a bad rap, the 40 and the 9 run at the same pressure.

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John

I'll reopen this thread after I take out the trash.
Stay tuned.

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Regards,
Lee Jarrett

The OP here is understandably upset after a catastrophic failure. Cut him a little slack.
It is completely out of line to label him a troll without obtaining the facts of this event. That is not how we roll here.

If you have something useful to say that is on-topic, and IF you understand and can use common courtesy, have at it.

If not, stay out of it.

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Regards,
Lee Jarrett

Having seen several catastrophic failures, this is obvious to me that there was an obstruction in the barrel.

The M&P barrels do not fully support the case. An over pressure round will blow the magazine out of the bottom and crack the frame starting at the middle.

This most likely will not be covered under warranty. Time to buy another gun.

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Life Is A Gift. Defend it!

I had an early Shield in 9mm that blew out the magazine and bulged the frame. Geco fmj factory 124gr bullet.

Of all people my atty was shooting it at the time. Gun seemed Ok but slide would not lock back (did not shoot it again) Mag seemed Ok. Sent the gun to Smith and after while they sent it back same condition. Sent it back and local dealer with some clout got it exchanged for a new one. That one is Ok and my Atty even bought it from me.

I maintain it did not go into battery and fired when it should not have. It stung the shooters hand and blew out the magazine but no other visible damage. The fired casing blew out just in front of the web and the gas was directed down the magwell.

I don't see how you could get enough powder into a 40 or 9mm case to destroy a gun that bad. Definitely get ahold of Smith and Wesson maybe they will help.

I'm glad you came back to explain some of the details. While we're waiting for you to hear (I assume) from S&W, how about specifically filling us in on the details of the ammo (make, weight, etc.), so we can avoid it, in case it was the problem.

I too would agree that this handgun failure was the result of ammunition that was either dangerously overloaded or the result of firing a live round after a squib load went unnoticed, leaving a bullet in the barrel.

It's not your fault or the gun's fault. It takes years to become thoroughly experienced with any endeavor and if a squib load is involved, failing to check the gun after an unusual report is largely the result of inexperience, not incompetence.

We have a simultaneous failure of all three major components- barrel, frame, and slide.
That is obviously from an extremely overpressure event.

I don't think it is from a squib. The pressure in that round was so high, I'm wondering if it was merely a double charge, or much more potent than that.

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Regards,
Lee Jarrett

Sorry for your troubles and glad no one was seriously injured.

On a practical level, speak with S & W customer service and relate the incident to them as neutrally as possible. They will want to inspect the gun and likely the reloads. Their response may range from an outright replacement, to offering a new one at a discount, all the way to denying your claim because reloaded ammunition was used. Please let us know what happens.

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Alan
SWCA LM 2023, SWHF 220

I'm wondering if this is a case of a shooter doing the tap rack immediate action drill that is taught in gun fighting classes.

Great reflex to have if someone is trying to hurt you but really bad when there isn't a threat and there is a problem.

I question the ammo, either the shot before or the shot that took it apart.

I bought some 'factory reloads' a long time ago and quit with them right then. Some were like toy caps. Others were definitely +P and I never knew which one.

I believe that the 'factory' was a guy in a garage with an electric progressive press. I'm not saying that's the final work, but I'd sure blame the ammo before the gun. I need to find out more about the track record of the Shield, but I know that a million of them are out there, and I've heard of some problems but I haven't heard of a catastrophic event as that. Considering the extensive damage done even to the magazine and totally blew out the barrel, I believe it was a double charge, or more, of fast powder. Even a too hot load wouldn't blow a gun to pieces like that.

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"He was kinda funny lookin'"