When I purchased my 9 Shield, it was missing the owners manual. I contacted S&W via e-mail, and they sent me a link to download the manual. I can't believe they are too cheap to send me a real $2 owners manual! What's everyone's thoughts on this?

Did you specifically ask for a paper copy to be sent? If not, and since you emailed, they may have thought that was the most expedient way to answer your needs.

Was the Shield brand new?
If it wasn’t I wouldn’t think it’s S&W responsibility to provide a paper manual.
If it was brand new then they should.


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Unless you specifically asked for a paper copy, I don't think you have grounds to complain. Just my thoughts.

Shouldn't have to ask for a "real paper one" in my view.

No, but if they didn't understand that he wanted a paper copy, then they would have just offered the quickest way.

OP, just contact them back and ask for a paper copy.

Was the link to the wrong manual? What's wrong with the electronic version? I guess I don't get it. I mean, this is the 21st century. I'm more surprised they include a paper one at all.


The best part about this is you used electronic means to complain you didn't get a manual and then when they didn't send you a paper one you use an on line forum to complain about it. Maybe you should hand write a letter?

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Freedom isn't free.

Have you called them back to request what you would like to have as opposed to the electronic copy? Or have you just come here to complain. No one here can fix this for you. Some might sympathize or agree and others might not. But that's all you can get here and that won't solve your problem. I'm not trying to be impertinent or impolite, but you need to call or contact them and tell them what you would like. I'll bet they will try to take care of your request. What we think about it doesn't really matter, does it?

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So long ... Ken

I personally keep the paper manual in the box and have a PDF on my phone for my guns and anything else I may need while out... You're being petty.

I may browse through a manual once. Then it goes in a shoe box with all the other manuals. It's not like I need to keep referring back to it every time I use the firearm. Electronic version works for me too.

You bought it without checking to see if it had a manual? Not S&W’s fault.

Also discussed here:

Paper manuals?

I prefer the electronic manuals...I can put them all on my laptop, and look at them without digging out the paper copies. To be honest, most of the time I don't even look at the manuals, much less read them for detail. I get more info from YouTube and online forums.

The last few products I've bought (not guns, but appliances, etc) didn't come with a manual at all...just a link to download a manual if desired. It's the wave of the present!

Download an electronic copy of the manual and see if your argument is even worth it. Today's manuals are such a waste of time. 90% of the manual is liability protection for the manufacturer and disclaimers.

You could pick and choose the important sections of the manual and print them out. I doubt that the relevant text and pictures will add up to 10 pages.

Only takes a few hundred requests to add up. Paper, postage, secretary's time. mail room time,printers time. Before you know it it adds up. Its a business after all.

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"I'm feeling MUCH better now"

You have a good life if this issue really shows up on you "does this really matter radar", just saying!

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Bob P.

I don’t blame him for wanting the actual manual. How many times do we ask a seller “Does it have the box and papers?” The guy wants his papers.

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“What you got, ain’t new.”

I think that's much more of a concern when buying a gun that is old or not in production anymore, and certainly so if it's a real collectible. If I was buying a current production gun, I'd prefer to have the box, true, but I wouldn't be concerned about the manual since I could easily get one online. I wouldn't even worry too much about the box on a current production gun, especially from S&W or Ruger, since the boxes are readily available...and they will send you a new one for free (I have gotten them from both companies myself.)

All the old collectible guns we obsess over now were new and uncollectible guns once upon a time, like the OP’s Shield. He should have the manual if he wants it, not a link to where he can print it himself.

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“What you got, ain’t new.”

I see both sides but I wouldn't call them " cheap" I would say it is being prudent with their stock holders money. A penny saved a penny earned as they say.

Shoot that is nothing

They stopped giving a free screwdriver with every revolver also

^^^^^^^

Those weren’t “screwdrivers”, they were “sight adjustment tools”.

Why not just download and print the manual? Not sure why this is an issue. I'm guessing the OP is up there in age, and is suck in yesteryear. Many businesses are going paperless now days....

Well my thoughts are.....If you have time to be online then you have time to download it for free off of S&W's website.

if you really want to be adventurous, then you can print out the PDF file. And if you do it right, eg. both sides of the paper, crease the middle, fold them, staple them and viola! Now you have an identical paper booklet.

Extra bonus points if you print them on a color inkjet printer so the large red warnings throughout the booklet can really stand out

I don't blame him for wanting a manual. Every gun I have ever sold, either to an individual, or a dealer ---- they always want the box and the manual! Dealers even give more for it with a box and manual!

Hope he calls Smith back, and makes it clear that his new gun was missing the manual, and he wants an original manual ---- and that they send him one!

MHO - you should always get what you pay for, and not settle for less!

Did he buy the gun online? Did he have time to examine it and the lack of a manual with a new gun?

Personally, if this were at a dealer, I'd say "get me another one from your stock". I did that with an SW22A-1 when I saw that the sights were crooked. If there were no more in stock, I'd walk.

For $2, if it were that important, bite the bullet and pay for it and then chock it up to experience and remember to check for everything that should come with the gun and be willing to walk away if it meant that much to you.

I just spent $18 ($13+SH) for a broken slide lock assembly that I could have gotten fixed for free at S&W, but in the 4 days it took just to get a response from them saying I'm required to return it to the factory to have them replace it, I bought one online and replaced it myself (and the gun got a detailed cleaning in the process).

Yeah...the tupperware guns of today will become the collectibles of tomorrow.

Is the Shield 9 a 1.0 or a 2.0? Reason for asking is that I have 2 manuals for the 1.0 I'd be happy to send you one free if you need it.

Our grandchildren will ask themselves, "They really shot plastic guns ?"

I don't think so Tim, they will be shooting plastic guns wondering why we liked the metal ones.

And saying, "I'd give you top dollar, but you don't have the old printed owner's manual!"

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“What you got, ain’t new.”

Yes it is the 21st century but the owner's manual provided with a new gun is a more convenient size and more durable than the typical printer output.

So...in my view he should have specified what he wanted and I'm 99.9% sure S&W CS would have mailed him a hard copy.

Along this line, I recently had some sprinklers put in at my house to the tune of $1800. They didn't give me a manual for the electronic controller and first gave me an electronic link which happened not to cover the applicable controller.

Having paid the bill in full, I didn't think it unreasonable for them to print out the fairly lengthly manual for me. Don

I'll say this ... I've had several contacts with the "younger" generations over the past few years that indicate to me that they have no use for paper! They do love to scan, photo, or otherwise have digital copies of things they consider important (which amounts far fewer things than I have always considered important for me to have!) But you gotta understand that I still have the receipt for my senior class ring! Not sure I could find it, but I ain't ever throwed it away! Shoot, I even have many paper manuals for things I have not owned in some time.

I ain't sayin' this is right or best, just sayin' it's how I am wired! I also have a refrigerator and a couple TV's that did not come with a manual but have them available on line so you can get a digital copy. Gripes me to do it, but the digital copies serve the same purpose. Of course, I know get greasy fingerprints on my laptop (which fewer and fewer young folks even own these days) instead of on the paper manuals that are used for reference when I'm trying to fix stuff before having to break down and call someone who hopefully knows what they are doing!

No solutions here folks, just saying how I am so anyone who feels the same way knows that I sympathize!!! This world and it's technology (which I mostly appreciate and use) has left me pretty far behind the curve, and that maybe I was born about 50 years too late!

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So long ... Ken

Honestly, I have never really looked at any gun owners manual for more than a minute and they never come out of the box after it’s tucked away. I think this is true for most folks, and makes it a waste of resources. I would be ok if they stopped including printed manuals.

After about the second page of bold RED print, I lost interest in the owners manual.

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John 3:16 .

My Shield is a 1.0. It's the 9mm.

There ya go - ain't it lovely how we help one another!

What's all this talk about manual? I thought it was a semi-automatic...?

Hi op, was it purchased new? If at a local shop they may cover it for you. If used then sure SW did the basics by sending you a link. But enough owners on here (myself included) have contacted then asking for a specific part and it was sent at no charge. Just have to specify what's needed.

You're smart if you scan all important docs nowadays, including receipts. The clerk at Home Depot told me the "new ink" they are using on their printed receipts fades after a couple years, so you end up with NOTHING.

I wanted to return something there last week and the only reason I found the receipt was because I took a pic of it on my phone and emailed it to my laptop and saved it in my receipts folder. Just name the file properly and you can find it instantly. This is 2018 people!

Ink does fade from receipts over time, this is nothing new.

And the grumpy old farts of the future will be complaining about how the plastic in that day just doesn't have the quality of the plastic they used in the old days!

Don’t forget the collectable lock!

Both of my Shield manuals or whatever are still in the boxes. Never looked at "em".

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S&W Accumulator

I e-mailed S&W again, and they are sending me a paper owners manual. I guess I should have requested paper to begin with. My bad. Thanks for all of the negative feed back. It made me feel so much better. I pity your children if they come to you with a problem! I guess all of us can't be perfect, good thing some of you are! What would this world do without you?

You're welcome kid. If I were your parent, I'd say put on your big boy pants or go to your room and sulk it out until you grow up.
With an attitude like that and not even saying "mia culpa, S&W are not really cheapskates" you deserve the darts.

Have a nice day
Hope you feel better.

I pity you if you think missing a manual from a gun is a problem. If you just look around you in this world, there are people who are hungry, sick, homeless, and who couldn't begin to afford to buy a gun, much less have the means (internet connection, phone or laptop, etc) to complain about not getting a manual to go with it. These people have real problems.

I also pity you if you think the comments here were negative...if you want to see what negative truly is, just read or watch the news. The things that people say to one another, or about one another, is just mind-boggling. I've been on forums where there were no rules, or very few, and discussions there quickly went into the gutter, with challenges to meet to fight, and all sorts of filth. This forum is like Sunday School compared to some out there. Just because some here disagreed with you doesn't make the opinions negative.

Kind of expected more from a U.S. Marine. Thought they took pride in being problem solvers. Just say'n.....

The first person you should have asked for a missing manual is the dealer that sold you the gun in the first place. It is incumbent on him to make sure that all items are included in a new gun sale. It is the dealers responsibility to contact S&W if any items are missing from the packaging! S&W did not sell you the gun, your dealer did and made a profit doing it.

S&W extended you a "courtesy only" by sending you an e mail copy! Why are you kicking a gift horse in the mouth?

If you read your original post it specifically asks "what are your thoughts on this?" You asked for and received opinions...some sympathetic and some not. What are you complaining about?

As for children...parents are not friends, they are teachers. You seem to have missed the lesson on "humility". (def.- freedom from pride or arrogance.) This, of course, is JMHO and you are free to ignore it but thankfully my children did not.

I was a corpsman, and spent two years with a Marine unit...plus my wife has three brothers who were Marines. In my experience, Marines are problem CAUSERS rather than solvers!