hello forum
new member and brand new S&W owner , as of today.
I picked up a Shield 9mm , as it came highly recommended by some of the LEO guys at my local range.
I purchased the firearm specifically for EDC / summer carry. My other guns consist of Beretta Storm Compacts & M9's , as well as a G42 for the boss as she likes the small footprint.

so...right outta the box I am experiencing substantial difficulties in activating the slide stop. My intent was to clean the clean prior to usage, the usual. This is certainly not my first rodeo , nor am I a 98lb weakling. But I could not get the slide stop to catch. finally I did get it working , and I broke down the gun. It was dry as a bone. I cleaned it , lubed it as directed, and put it back together. Still having major issues w this GD slide stop.
I have been reading many user related issues w the Shield, so....is there a legit break in period, thoughts?

Welcome Chief.

Absolutely there is a break-in "period" Seems to be in the 3-500 round range.

Yes. For some reason the 9's come bone dry. The 45's come litterally dripping wet. Strange.

Lube her up good and shoots da******* out of it. Very tight guns new. It will loosen up.

Dry fires...good. Rapid racking while sitting in the easy chair...good. Also, leave those mags loaded up.

Welcome to S&W Forum! Yep Dad_Roman said it give it time and some more range time.

My second Shield 45 had a sticky slide release. I cleaned and lubed and dry fire practiced and it loosened up nicely.

I have 350 rounds through mine now and she is loosening up. I've cleaned it a couple times and practice dry firing and racking the slide. But when I picked mine up it was oily from the dealer.

The recoil spring needs to be broken in, also the mags. I had the same issue with my 45 even trying to rack the slide with a fully loaded mag was extremely hard, after 100 rnds started to loosen up.


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M&P 9, Shield9.

I think you'll find the slide stop functions well. You'll notice when the slide is off the slide stop moves freely.
The problem you're likely having is when racking the slide back with this Shields you need to give it one hard push another 1/16 of an inch and then the slide stop will engage.
Of all of my pistols my two Shields are the most troublesome in this respect. I have a couple thousand rounds through both of mine and no improvement.
This is a common complaint about the Shield pistols.
Try that extra hard push.
An option is go to Handi-Racker.com. You can place the muzzle end into a slot (While the pistol is facing straight down) on the bench top__push down and that'll get you past that problem area.
I suspect pushing against a wall would work with the racker too.
"Breaking in" won't happen.
Poli Viejo

Thx for all of the replies & advice

after some detailed one on one time w the Shield , I discovered that its the usual case of "Its the Indian, not the arrow".

the fix was to simply rack that *** , like you mean it , and the issue is resolved.
great timing that I also recd an ammo shipment from Buds yesterday, and a planned PTO work day today!

That has been my experience exactly. I have 2000 rounds through my current (fourth) recoil spring assembly in my Shield 9, and it's still pretty stiff. My Handi-Racker has been very useful, especially when reassembling it after a field strip. In the absence of a Handi-Racker, there is an alternative procedure. If you have a horizontal surface like a workbench that you don't mind getting dinged, place the front end of the slide facing downward on the edge of the surface, leaving room for the barrel to extend downward past the edge. Only the small area of the slide between the top of the slide and the barrel will be making contact with the surface, so it's kind of tricky. Once you're in position, push down on the grip with all your weight, and the slide should go back far enough to engage the slide catch. Be prepared for the Shield to slip off the surface, though, because of the very small area of contact. A 2x4 or some similar piece of wood can be used on a surface that you want to protect, and if you cut out a notch that's the correct width and height, you can make your own simplified version of the Handi-Racker.

Finally, although it may be too late for Chief Wiggums, my Shield .45 is much easier to rack, and has been since Day 1.

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What, me worry?

Welcome A Board glad its working out

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Spin The Wheel

Crazy....I just bought 5 9mm Shields from Brownell's and all 5 had an abundance of oil (on the outside) being new guns for customers, I have not broken any down to inspect. Possibly the oil on the outside is just shipping prep.......?! I'll warn my buyers about it.

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CERAKOTE Svcs.
Class 01 FFL

Nice. Maybe the older runs were dry but the newer ones they have gone to "soaking" them like the 45's.

They may be using a dissipating oil as a rust preventive oil. As far as the lube properties of this type of oil think in the terms of water not very good. This is why I always clean and lube before shooting.

As one always should!

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CERAKOTE Svcs.
Class 01 FFL

New Shields are tight and have some hard core springs...mag springs,recoil springs. Load your mags and leave em that way...it will help. Lock the slide back and store it that way....till it feels like its loosened up a bit. Better yet shoot,shoot,shoot it....its a great little gun.

I don't know how Hickok45 does it, but he makes it look easy. Must be one strong old man. Watch how he racks the slide back, out at arms length, with no effort.

M&P Shield - YouTube

He is a huge dude. 6'8". And I'm sure he has a lot of practice.


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quick update
since my purchase on 5-24 , I have run 550 (exactly) rounds thru my Shield.

It has loosened up, big time...
I did take much of the advice listed above thx guys. (leaving the slide locked overnight) $$ suggestion..

In summary, I'm digging this gun.
Its fun / easy to shoot, easy to maintain , very concealable , very wide holster selections, great price tag & a $75 backend rebate. This is a perfect summer carry firearm for me...

Your quite welcome....and at 500 rounds, you have arrived

My new Shield 9 should be shipping out to my FFL this week.
I'm curious if it's gonna come in "wet" or "dry" (doesn't really matter; it will be cleaned/lubed before shooting), and I'll definitely be following all the good advice in these posts regarding magazines, springs, etc. Looking forward to shooting this gun. Many thanks to all those that posted responses to the OP, Chief Wiggums, as it also helps lurkers like me....

I apologize if this has been addressed previously, but I couldn't find it during a search. If a qualified individual purchases a new Shield pistol through a LE dealer under the LE / MIL / First Responder discount program, does this purchase still qualify for the $75 rebate? I checked the fine print, and it doesn't address it.

Thanks in advance.

I don't know, but I would apply for the rebate....... what's the worst that can happen?
They tell you your not eligible.

Thanks... I'm not sure how I accidentally plopped that question into this thread instead of starting a new one... which I will do now. Maybe I'm getting old and confused. ;-)

I used to have a 85 V65 Sabre! Got taken out by a Bambi.


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I bought a 9mm Shield a month or two ago and have what appears to be the opposite problem. I find it extremely difficult to release the slide lock. I haven't been keeping track of the rounds but don't imagine I've put more than 100 thru it yet. We'll see what happens.

Just for fun and to do my part in keeping S&W in business, I bought another one yesterday at a gun show. That one had enough oil on it to run my GMC for a season. Also picked up a Bodyguard and it appeared bone dry. Ran a paper towel over guts and it came out dry & almost clean.

It has been my experience that, with few exceptions, all autos require a break in period. When with SWAT on a So Cal Sheriiff's Department back in the 1970's, we were issued brand new Colt Mark IV Series 70's as our primary. Nothing but issues. Smoke stack, slide release, FTF, and others. Yes, shooter error was much as fault as well, but as time passed, they improved, and improved, and improved to the point that limp wrist, light grip and even two finger fun test......they fed every time. They are all different, our department patrol Glock 40's needed 100 rounds maybe, the Colt's 500, and others I imagine more or less.

My rule of thumb....500. The LAST thing your want, ever, is a FTF when you need it most. Plus, with 500 through it, you should be instinctively familiar with it as well. That is perhaps even more important! Jim