New here and have my mind set on a shield 9, but I am seeing several threads that make me start to second guess my pending purchase. Are these issues common or am I over thinking this?

Generally you are over thinking it. Only time you see a post is when there is a problem. There have been over a million sold since it came out not that long ago. You don't see the 999,900 other people posting "nothing out of the ordinary happened today".

BTW I don't own a shield so I have no dog in this fight.

You see negative threads on every type of gun out there.

My experience is that the Shield is a great gun for concealed carry. What I've personally seen so far is a gun that has low recoil (9mm version), fast followup shots, a very nice trigger and 100% reliability with decent ammo. It doesn't like cheap "remanufactured" stuff.

If you do experience problems, S&W's customer service is first class. Don't try to fix a problem yourself or go grinding away on a brand new gun. Let Smith fix it.

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USAF, 69-92
Vietnam, 72-73

ANY gun you might buy might have problems. If you like the Shield buy it. If it has problems you can't or don't want to deal with, move on. If it runs good you'll be very happy since it's the gun you want.

As stated above, most reviews are of the negative type. ZERO problems with my plain Jane stock 9mm shield going on 3 years. EVERY production line is going to have a few bad apples here and there.

Ok thanks for the responses. I have seen a hundred reviews on this gun and most if not all are positive. Sometimes forums are the worst and best place to get info.

Watching a hundred reviews will not beat having the gun in your hands shooting it. That's the best review there is!! Good luck in your search.

Its been stated many times, Try to find someone who will let you
shoot theirs or rent one and try it first. Most LGS/Ranges have them and will let you shoot it if youre going to buy from them. Had mine for a few years now and still recommend it to all who will listen.

Already shot it and the glock 43.

Right after I got my permit to carry I went to the range and put 50 down range with the shield and 50 down range with the glock 43. I like them both but the shield felt less recoil has a larger capacity and is less $$$. The grip felt better on the shield as well.

I agree with all the responses to your post so far. I have owned my 9mm Shield for 7 months now and have put over 4,500 rounds through it. No problems whatsoever 100% reliable--a fantastic defensive handgun..it is my EDC, but I enjoy taking it to the range almost every week and put another trouble-free 200 rounds or so downrange with it.

Oh yeah...the original RSA (recoil spring assy) too...never an issue, just always reinstall just like the manual says to do it. Although I did get a spare one to keep in reserve for when it wears out.

Like sshakrr said: borrow/rent one first; I'd add this: along with as many other similar category choices (G43, XDS, LC9s, etc...) as you'd like. It's what I did and the 9mm Shield proved to be the clear winner...by far, and the easiest to shoot and shoot well.

Right now I am waiting for my LGS to get a shield in. They had three last Friday, went Monday and they were gone.

If you live in a "good" state, you can probably find a decent deal on Gunbroker or other on-line sources. I dig supporting your LGS though. FWIW, my Shield has been flawless out of the box; I love it and it suits its purpose very well!

I'm a relative novice (3 yrs.), with a twelve firearm collection of all new guns. Six (50%) have been returned for warranty work. Four were improperly assembled and two were design failures.

The mis-assembled ones I trust once they are repaired. The design failures are still sporting the same failed design, though currently functioning.

My husband and I still have 9mm Shields in our carry rotation, but carry them less, and are shopping for its replacement.

I know over a million are out there functioning fine, and the odds are against a repeat of the RSA failure I have experienced once already.

I really don't. see how you can go wrong. I went with a 40c last year its been flawless. and wont be my last M&P.

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Spin The Wheel

I live in the one of the worst states for guns owners. We are legal criminals in the eyes of our governor and legislature. Not to mention all of our U.S. Senators and representatives as well.

The state is the unconstitutional state of Connecticut.

That sucks. It's easy for me to say "move", but I know that's not always realistic. Regardless, my Shield has been great and I think you will love one. S&W will take care of you either way.

Wife and I have a plan. Our last child is out of high school next June and we plan to move to Florida.

Stuff happens. That's what warranties are for and that's what training is for.

My Shield hung up going into battery after a press check at first. It was tough to manually rack and lock. Loading the last round hurt my thumb, even with my Uplula. Getting the RSA into the "sweet spot" was an exercise in patience.

That was a few hundred rounds ago. A little break-in, some good lube and technique and I'm happy and confident with it.

You will be too!

I hear ya! I'm in CA. I feel we're one notch below ISIS here.

Most of the things you may have read on forums can be spotted or caught during a field strip and inspection Before you put your name on the NICS form.

Tell them you need to inspect it before you buy it. If they won't let you Field Strip it yourself, ask THEM to show you how to Field Strip it and when it's apart, check the barrel for abnormalities (burrs etc), the RSA for that infamous 'Bent Disk' and ask them about proper alignment of the RSA during Assembly. Of course... check the sights and make sure they're centered, try Dry Firing, to make sure they're not trying to sell you a 'Mass Compliant' Shield with the heavier trigger , etc.

My LGS knows I'm not going to buy a firearm that I haven't 1st inspected, so they expect it from me. When I got my 1st 1911, they went over 1911 Field Stripping and assembly differences with me, before we did the paperwork.

But like I wrote... If you take the time to inspect it before buying, you'll avert the problems you've read about.

I've shot dozens of handguns over the years with many subcompact included in that. I bought the shield after shooting it one time. When I shot a friends, I loved it. I was in the market for a CCW and tested a few different out that friends owned...it was my favorite of the guns I shot over a few months.

You'll find negative reviews on every handgun you research.... also, the mad/negative customer will most of the time voice their opinion.... negative, the happy customer almost never talks about how well something went...

I've had my share of problems with my Shield 9, (read about them here: Shield RSA one more time), yet I could still see its potential greatness, so I stuck with it. Now I have the Shield I've always wanted, an easily concealed, amazingly accurate short-barreled gun, with a great trigger.

Many guns designed for concealed carry are not much fun to shoot. That has not been my experience with the Shield. In nine months of ownership, I have fired 3600 rounds through it. While it is definitely not a target pistol, it is a satisfying range pistol which will permit you to become quite accurate at self-defense distances up to 50 feet, if you work at it.

Should you be worried?
I say:

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What, me worry?

I purchased my Shield 9 yesterday, and at a reasonably good price. Guy said they got 5 in that morning, and at noon I was the 3rd one he had sold. I've held the 43, but the Shield seemed much more comfortable in my hand. Haven't had a chance to shoot it yet, but looking forward to it.

Here's what my Shield does at 10 yards standing with no support after 600 or so trouble free rounds of every type of range and self defense ammo i own. this happens to be with Hornady 115g Critical Defense, which I carry.

I wouldn't worry.

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..........

I very much like my Shield 9. Bought a 2nd one for my wife last weekend. She likes it and shoots it well, better than her Sig P238!

I'm responsible for some of the negative sounding threads, particularly the out-of-battery condition it's prone to. Don't let those discussions discourage you, some people are bothered by things that really aren't a bother (like me)!

I've had it about 3 months, and probably have fired 2-3000 rounds through it. I like shooting, and get to the range 2-3 times a week. I've had a very few FTE with Blazer ammo, though I'm pretty sure they were all my fault. I've been working on harder holds, one handed off hand, fast target acquisition, and so on, and thinking more about the sights than the grip. It shoots better if you keep a very firm grip on it.

I called yesterday and they have not come in yet. I will be out of town tomorrow and Saturday so I hope I can have one by Monday.

All good advice. I have a few hundred rounds through my 9 Shield. It's a great carry handgun. I replaced my J-Frame Titanium with it. I just used the CTC Green Laserguard. It's fun to shoot and has an easy recoil. Not bad for a light frame striker pistol...my first.

I wouldn't think twice about buying a shield, great gun from all I've heard.

I just am not crazy about the fit in my hand. I much prefer the 9c and if I want to go smaller I go with the LCP.

And then there's my sp101...

nope, just can't seem to pull the trigger on the shield...

Granted the Shield is a great gun with a large following. I sold mine after a short period because the grip was just too thin. Lots of people add tape but I didn't want to do that. At any rate, I switched to the XDS. The grip on the XDS is just a tad more substantial and I found it much easier to shoot. Suggest you try one before you close the deal on the Shield.

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The XD's are good guns, no doubt. But, like my Walther PPS, I find them to be un-necessarilly blocky, with a lot of sharp,squared edges that seem designed more for looking cool, than for functionality as a compact carry piece. I think what I like best about the Shield is that it's so smooth and flowing, externally.
It almost seems made specifically for comfortable pocket carry, while others like the XD and PPS seem designed with Klingon battle cruisers in mind.
It's one of the things I like about Glocks: They were clearly not built to look funky, sporty and cool, as companies like Walther and HK clearly focus very heavily on. And it's not that I like "ugly" or boring guns, but I've found over the years that I've developed an appreciation for the pure beauty of simplicity and function, in and of itself, in spite of being in a less appealing, more utilitarian package.
(editorial over .)

Can't argue with the Klingon battle cruiser design observation. LOL I will however say I found the XDS carries as well as the Shield.

I've had my Shield for almost 2 years now? Probably 2000 rounds through it. I'm the only one in my group of friends who owns a shield, but when we shoot, they all want to shoot it and nobody turns around, after an empty mag, without a smile on their face.

I'm fairly new to guns. The Shield was only my 2nd pistol purchase, and is still one of only 2 pistols I own. The other is the M&P 22FS for plinking.

I picked the shield 9 because of the thin grip profile. I need that. Bigger grip than a 1911, does not work for me.

My Shield 9 went back 4 times. Getting perfection is tough, but I don't consider less than perfect as acceptable. Makes life in business difficult, but I'll retire soon.

It is now perfect, and has sold several from folks who've shot mine. My range/LGS loves it when I pull out the toys, as they seem to sell something soon after.

I bought a Shield 9 in December, lubed it, and shot 200 round thru it for break-in. It performed flawlessly and shot POA. As the sale was still on, I picked up a second shortly thereafter. I broke that one in shooting my employer's 50 round, 25 yard and in qualification course twice on a cold day with snow on the ground. Again, no malfunctions and it shot POA. I've noticed that the Shields, when new, are very stiff. I've seen the the out of battery condition when riding the slide forewarn after doing a safety check. They go right into battery like they're supposed to when you pull the slide all the way back and let it go on its own. It will go right back into battery like it's supposed to. When you buy a new pistol, take the time to clean out any factory gunk and apply some quality lubricant. It may or may not make any difference, but running it a little bit wet during break-in can't hurt anything. I once bought into the pre-Internet jive that the copper colored stuff inside a new Glock was a lube and the gun was ready to fire straight out of the box. Tried that with a Gen 2 G19. It went exactly 101 rounds before the slide slowed and would not return to battery. Read the instruction manual that comes with a new gun. Follow the easy steps and you may end up with a reliable, pleasant-to-shoot Shield.

Long time Glock (19,17) user, first time Shield User (9mm). My input: Go buy it and enjoy it... with few caveats:

Shield takes time to refine the trigger control. I felt like a complete newbie when my shots were going low and left! Had to REALLY control trigger and change the trigger hold a bit. Now better.

Get ready for first time difficulty racking the slides and locking the slides. It does get looser with use. Use two handed racking ( pull the slide with one hand while pushing on the grip with another hand).

Practice trigger control via dry fire using snap caps. You don't have to eject the snap cap each time, only pull the slide a little until the trigger resets. Be sure to have at least two snap caps in the magazine as having a single round causes the slide to drag a little on the slide lock.

And for me, I needed a better grip material ( like Talon Grip ) as the recoil pushed the muzzle up more than I liked without the Talon Grip.

Yes, be worried. Be very worried.
But do not worry about S&W. Just your own accuracy.