Is there a lighter spring that will make the slide easier to jack but will not cause a functioning problem? Sure hope there is.

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Mighty 90's,Trying 4 a 100!

The conventional wisdom is that the spring will lighten up with use. That has been my experience, too. Maybe 500 cycles? Much easier now.

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Some collect art; I shoot it!

I would not replace this spring for fear of causing a failure during a deadly encounter. My Shield 9MM has had around 500 rounds down range but I cannot tell much difference in the stiffness of the slide, still pretty hard to rack compared to others. That said there are several ways to rack a slide and you may be able to get more info in a Youtube search.

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Old Cop
LEO (Ret.)

Look on ssguiderods.com


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Mine is still hard to get back to the slide stop manually and doubt it will ever get easier. I shoot full power defensive ammo and I need that heavy spring. You could get a lower pound spring and try it; they are cheap.

I wouldn't change it. If I had difficulty racking a particular 9mm handgun due to age or disability, I would likely find a different gun, even moving down to a .380 if need be.

These small short barreled semi autos have to be just about right as far as spring tensions are concerned for them to function properly. They won' tolerate much change! My suggestion for you is this: Lock the slide open on your Shield and put it on the shelf for about three days (or a week!). While you do this, load your magazines to full capacity and allow them to sit for the same period of time. This will accelerate the process of breaking in the springs just like shooting a few hundred rounds with the gun. It will make it easier to compress the springs to open the slide as well as to load the magazines.
Your Shield will never be as easy to rack the slide on as a larger semi auto. My wife can rack my full sized M&P just fine but she struggles with her Shield, even after several hundred rounds have been fired through it. The larger gun is easier to get a good grip on and the recoil spring does not stack up toward the end of the rearward movement. Plus, the distance between where the slide lock will catch the slide and hold it open and the place where the rearward movement of the slide stops completely is very short. Try leaving it locked open for a few days and see if that makes any difference. I'm betting it will! Good luck!

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So long ... Ken

Many people report that those stainless guiderods from ssguiderods.com make the slide easier to rack...but my concern is that if the gun is under-sprung, you might have malfunctions or the frame might end up being damaged.

You might want to look at the new pistol that S&W has out now...the 380EZ, I think it is...there are a couple of threads here on it. Supposedly it's much easier to rack the slide, and having a longer barrel than other small 380s the ballistics are better.

Thanks for all of your replies. I will lock the slide open and leave it for a week or so and will also load the mags. I gave my grandson and great grandson all of my guns except two and then I added the Shield.
One of the guns I parted with was a very nice 6906 and I know it was easier to rack than the Shield. If the Shield does not get a lot easier they are going to have a Shield and I will have a 6906. I have a snub nosed 38Spc. for carrying if it comes to that. My semi-auto carbine is 9mm and I really want a handgun in the same caliber.

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Mighty 90's,Trying 4 a 100!

I have the Shield 9 (1.0) and it is no longer difficult to rake or take down. It was for quite a long time! After 600-750 rds. it got a lot easier. I now have over 3,000 through it and it is soft to shoot, mags load without a mag loader and I like it so well, I bought a Shield 45! It too is a Gem. I'm 86, but 7-years your junior.
Happy Birthday on your 93rd.. (just two weeks away) And keep shooting!

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It's The Carbonaro Effect!

I've got around 800 rounds in my 9 (1.0) and I still can't get a full 7 round mag to insert after chambering a round. The 8 round mag will go in though.

The last time I tried with the 7, I slammed it home a couple of times and then I pinched my hand and said screw it.

I know this is a different issue, but it seems these guns are tight in more ways than one.

As has been noted, when you shorten the slide assembly, the slide gets lighter, the travel gets shorter and the spring rates have to go up to keep slide velocity within the design envelope. If you reduce the spring rates, you risk frame damage in recoil and failures to feed.

There is one way to allow you to operate the slide with little difficulty. Find some surface on the slide (above the barrel at the muzzle, forward edge of the rear sight, back edge of the ejection port) that you can rest on a hard surface and use both hand to push the frame forward to rack the slide. In an emergency, the front sight can be used, but it's not a good idea on a regular basis.

Frankly, I've never understood why shortening the slide/barrel is the first thing done in making handguns more compact. Except for pocket pistols, the butt is usually the concealment issue.

I have been using the replacement spring/guide rod from ssguiderods.com for over a year. Have probably put 1000 rounds or more through the gun with no malfunction.
Hope this helps...

Thanks everyone. I worked with it last night and probably racked it about
twenty times. I am going keep working on it because I really want to keep it. It fits my small hand better than any gun that I have owned. I cannot get the slide locked though, I need another hand. I will have one tomorrow because my grandson is coming over.

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Mighty 90's,Trying 4 a 100!

What I do is, I put an empty mag in the gun, then rake it. It will lock back! Then you can break it down if you want.

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It's The Carbonaro Effect!

Thank you very much. I will try that.

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Mighty 90's,Trying 4 a 100!

You might try this. You can push with your strong hand better than you can pull. Now this is more for racking than getting the slide back to engage the slide lock.
Hold the Shield close to your body and instead of pulling the slide back push it quickly.
You might go to wrightshooting.com and look at his TacRack. It's
easy to install (replaces the plate rear of slide). I have one on my
Shield. $29.99
Looks like it came with the pistol.
Most suggestions about keeping tension on springs really don't do much. Spring steel is designed to hold it's tension. Now you might find some small amount after a thousand rounds. That's more expensive than a TacRack.
Maybe investing in it may allow you to be happier with your Shield.
Stay safe.
Poli Viejo

I installed a DPM recoil reducer spring system in my S&W MP Shield .40 . This consists of actually three springs. The spring is much stronger in order to reduce the recoil and allow fast shots. The slide doesn't seem to be any more difficult to rack even though the system reduces the recoil.

Double tap is significantly more rapid.

I also had problems racking the slide on my Shield PC 9mm. I purchased some GT-5000 Grip Tape for guns. Placed a strip on both sides of the slide over the serrations. Solved my problem and I am now able to get a firm grip on the slide and easily rack it. I had actually stopped carrying the gun because I could not rack it. Now it is my daily carry.

i've done this on the 7 as well. i think it's bound to happen more at the range from muscle fatigue with cycling the 7 back to back.

i've had this on my shield for a few months now and by design the wings aren't long enough to rack with fingers, maybe a stiff carry belt.

i actually bought some guntape for other grip projects and with the extra sheet material i added grip on both sides of the serrations as well. complete night and day difference in racking the slide. compliments the TacRack function as well.

ancient-one, i would recommend the guntape test first. if you dont like it, it will take less than 60 seconds to rip it off to stock. i've waited years to experiment with talon grips on my glocks and im glad that i didn't wait with my shield9.

The gun is in a drawer with the slide back and is going to stay there about 10 days. I will get some Grip Tape and put one before I try working the slide again. I just kept at it until I got it locked back. I am starting to work on regaining some arm and hand strength. I don't want that little piece of metal to whip me.

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Mighty 90's,Trying 4 a 100!

My 9 had the same issue.A Wolff mag spring solved the problem.
Clark

My wife said that tighter is better and I think she is right! Lol
It just works better that way

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S&W BG380, S&W 915 9mm

Things get much easier after 2500/3000 rounds. Have over 9000 rounds thru my 9mm and even an 84 year old like me can handle it. Just use the heck out of it. Trigger gets much better also.

ssguiderods.com states that it does NOT recommend use with +P ammo!

The new S&W 380EZ says the same thing.

Hope you find a solution and keep shooting. There are some good suggestions in the above post. I am having the same issue and happened on the Glock Store video that showed different ways to rack a slide. I use one of the methods and it made it a lot easier.

Be SAFE ! P.S. I am carrying a 38 Spl 2” revolver and the shield is in the safe because I have trouble racking the slide. I’m getting to old for this! I have given some thought to the 380 EZ shield.

Good luck!!!

You can get a lighter spring, probably at Wolf's Springs, but you'll have to shoot lighter ammo. If you are already shooting lighter ammo, you may be ok if you stick to it. They aren't cheap, but I think it would be worth getting several springs and trying them.

I was tempted to put a lighter spring in my third gen, but I just got a spare original spring.

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"He was kinda funny lookin'"

I would not change the spring. I believe that cycling the action (lots of rounds down range) will do more to lighten things up than locking the slide back. It's a physics thing.

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State of Jefferson
Jim

If your recoil spring is significantly lighter after only 500 cycles, it's not tempered properly and should be replaced. Any spring that loses power that quickly will fail very soon.

However, I don't think it's the spring getting lighter. I submit that it's you gaining experience, strength and familiarity with your gun.

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Freedom isn't free.

My unlearned suspicion has been alluded to above: The less traveling mass of a smaller, lighter slide requires stiffer springs to insure reliability. I wouldn't change things before I really decided that I cant train-up to my gun. Same goes for mag springs. The feed has to match the slide cycle, so both are supplied with stiff springs. My wife simply cannot operate the Shield. I have gotten used to it - even the stock trigger, and now am quite competent with it. I recently purchased a 2.0 Compact and will be taking it to the range tomorrow. The slide is very much easier to operate and the trigger is better. Also, the slide release latch is easier as well, which is a function of the tension of the slide spring. Very tough on the Shield. I like the Shield, but after 4000+ rounds it is not any easier and is as broken in as it's ever going to be. It is what it is: an up close and personal defense weapon, not a competition piece. My motto is Train Up. Looking forward to heating up the 2.0.

I bought one of the SS springs and later noted on that site not to use +P ammo. Tossed that spring. (Did make easier racking)
My wife just bought the Shield 380 EZ. Very easy to rack. The info about the mags being easier___that thing becomes a bear to compress after loading just a few rounds.
Other than that__Smith & Wesson's design engineers may have produced a piece of firearm art! May be the best 380 ever for the ladies. I've noted the distance between the grip and trigger is shorter than usual too. Excellent trigger. Her's 5.5 to 6 lbs and crisp.
And, with Underwood 380 +P Xtreme Defense ammo the 380 may no longer be a marginal SD pistol. They use the Lehigh bullet and load their ammo hot.
Stay safe.
Poli Viejo

The suggestion about using an empty mag to lock it back is a first rate one. It is a decent way to overcome the problem you are describing. FWIW, one of our Corporals bought a Glock 42 for his itty bitty (sub 5', tiny) wife and it has done very well for her. Beats strong language and a wish.

The other thing to remember, and you have started to address that, is that with increasing age often comes a loss of muscle mass and strength. The loss of mass is why one should lose weight (maybe a pound a year) if they are not highly active. To a great extent, the loss of strength, which is related to the muscle mass loss is not purely a function of age. It is also partially (largely?) a function of reduced exercise and can be held off if one stays active. (This is of course easier if one has always been active.)

I have lost a bit of strength in the last 18 months because of slower recovery from injuries, but otherwise, was in the upper levels for a guy pushing 60. (I have to have my suits custom made due to the extreme difference between upper body size and lower; far greater than the usual 6" or so difference.)

I also see some folks in the 70s and 80s at my gym who are still VERY strong - I know at least one guy who is 82 IIRC and he is stronger than I am by a good amount. My co-author is 76 and can bench press above the record for his age/size class by a good amount (and far more than I). DO NOT go bananas with trying to recover your strength - we are not as resilient as we were in our 20s. Start pretty slow and easy and work up at a slow pace.

Make sure your general diet and exercise habits are sound; do a good bit of walking (get a dog!) unless you already have a very good base of more intense exercise. I had to quit running due to the pounding, but do ride rather hard on an exercise bike 4-5 times a week plus a couple days of weights at the gym. I'm on my 5th bike in about 15 years; I broke all the previous ones and had to spend a bunch on a better quality one which is still showing some wear. Start with a few pushups every other day, and add in a relatively light grip strength workout (like one of those spring loaded ones). IIRC, Moore is a relatively small community, and you may not have easy access to a good gym with qualified trainers; if you do the research and find a place, join up and make use of it. Your overall quality of life is likely to improve if you work at it in a prudent manner.

For those members not yet 40: start now. Starting by 20 is a good practice for having a good foundation and habits. Trust me on this.

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NHI, 10-8.

The SSGuide Rod is a single stage/rate spring compared to the OEM double stage/rate spring. While I didnt scale them or measure them in any way there is a NOTICABLE difference.

========================

Tried the SSGuide Rod with spring, didnt work for the wife.

While this helps greatly with the racking, locking back type issues that the weaker handed may experience we determined that my wifes wrists were not strong enough to back the recoil properly and she went from -0- failures to a 50% failure rate on FTL's sooooo back in went the OEM spring that provides more pressure to return the slide to battery.

I WOULD state however that it worked perfectly for me with no problems at all.

She is small in stature 55 with mild arthritis.
Im 6' 225 and fairly large handed.

YMMV

Yep, even my tiny Thai wife can rack the slide of my Shield easily after she learned this technique. It was like a light bulb popping on when she did it. She now has no problem with basically any gun she picks up. I rack slides this way too for the most part.