Got my first S&W a week or so ago. Has been cleaned and lubed, but not shot yet. My issue is with either full magazine inserted with a closed slide, it's very hard to get the mag seated. Then racking the slide is very jerky and requires way more effort than any gun I have experience with. It is easier the fewer rounds that's are in it.

Is this a mag spring issue? Gun issue? I've tried two kinds of ammo. One HP one FMJ. Should I contact S&W?

they will loosen up with time

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what progresses this quickly? Shooting? Sitting with loaded mags?

new mags need to be broken too.. leave them fully loaded for awhile and cycle them get a mag loader well worth it, easier and less painful.


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M&P 9, Shield9.

Leave the mag loaded in the pistol for a few days, and rotate your mags every couple of days. It's perfectly normal for mags to be tight when they are new.

So tight the slide doesn't want to operate even semi smoothly?

Try inserting it with an open slide, then sling-shot the slide. Problem solved.

I have. It's still very jerky.

You should see a marked improvement after a couple hundred rounds. This is pretty common with many of these more compact pistols.

that's normal try with one less round on the mag and you will see it is smooth.


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M&P 9, Shield9.

It's smoother each round I take out. Just hope it gets better with time.

No offense but this is a user issue. A firearm is a tool not a toy. Insert the mag and give it go solid thump on the base plate with the heal of your support hand.

Yeah I'm aware it's not a toy. This is not my first nor only gun. And I can get it seated with effort. More concerned with the slide not operating as every other gun I've handled operated. The slide should, to me, be able to move freely regardless how many rounds the mag has in it. It shouldn't be dependent of not having a full magazine.

This is not uncommon with tiny guns. Because of the lack of mass, they need stronger recoil springs to operate properly. Even with the stronger spring, the lack of mass in the slide might seem to make it not as smooth as a larger gun.

How does it shoot?

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Well, if you don't feel that it is operating correctly, just email or call smith and Wesson, they have responded to my questions within two days usually. Or just shoot the hell out of it and see what happens. Good luck


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To the OP. Many with the 45 Shields (mine too) report the same "dragging" of the slide. This is primarily due to the machining marks left on the under rib of the slide. There has been considerable discussion as to the why...but anyway, it is what it is. The short order answer is that despite this condition and the extreme force it takes to seat a fully loaded mag, they shoot perfectly. That is what matters most, and I don't recall any negative feedback from operation. Well, I should concede that there have been some cases of the guns not performing perfectly out of the box, but I don't believe that they were related to the issues you are describing.

I see that you've seen my question. Well? How does it shoot?

I ask because, in the end, nothing else matters. If the gun fires, loads the next round in the chamber and fires again and this cycle can be repeated until the mag is empty, your gun is fine. It doesn't matter if you feel it "drags" or not.

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