Looking for comments, as in what would you do. I have a .45 Shield. The last time I took it to the range, in somewhere less than 100 rounds the slide locked back in the middle of a magazine three different times, using both magazines. I was shooting 230 gr FMJ, new, not reman or handloads. Neither my shooting hand or support hand were anywhere near the slide lock lever. The slide was not attempting to come forward to strip a new round off the magazine, and jammed. It just locked back, same as if the magazine was empty. Each time, for what it's worth, I couldn't release it using the lever, but it easily released and went forward normally when I sling shotted it. Each time the gun functioned normally through the remainder of the magazine.

I called S&W, and they immediately said send it in. When I got it back, the only notation on the repair was they replaced the barrel. I thought that was odd, but I'm not a gun smith.

I took it to the range today, with three boxes of three brands of 230gr FMJ. The slide lock happened once, same as before, with Winchester white box ammo.

Not sure what to do. When it happened before, I didn't note the brand of ammo, but all three slide locks may have been with Winchester.

My EDC is a .380 Bodyguard, which has gone many hundreds of rounds without a malfunction. I have a Hi Power I bought new in the mid 70's with countless thousands of rounds without a single failure, ever, on factory ammo. Also a full size M&P in .357 SIG that has never malfunctioned. I add all that to say I guess I don't have confidence in a gun that doesn't work perfect. The Shield wasn't bought to be a range gun. It's for home defense and sometimes concealed carry. I don't want to give up on it, because I like the gun and I shoot it very well.

Curious what others would do. Keep shooting different brands - see if it only happens on the Winchester white box? Send it back to S&W again?

You'll probably get a variety of suggestions but I would see what happens
with ammo other than Winchester white box. If it malfunctions with
other brands of ammo too I would send it on down the road.

While I have not had this issue with my Shield 45, I’ve read where it helps to be absolutely sure the rounds are all seated firmly against the back of the mag. This is supposed to help eliminate the nose of the rounds bumping the slide stop. So maybe give that a try.

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NRA Life Member, Patron

Thank you, MS. Yes, I made sure to do that with every magazine. Also, if it's even relevant....no limp wristing.

If that Shield 45acp was mine, I would keep calling the factory and sending it back until they fixed it. I would not send it down the road as you are just passing frustration to some other shooter.

The answer is simple...

stick with the Hi Power.

Sorry, couldn't resist. .

I would send it back again and let S&W worry about it. Hope you get it sorted out.

See if it also happens with hollow points. If not, check the lengths of the FMJ rounds you are shooting. I know...even though they are factory loads.
Something that has always been a glitch with mass produced 1911s is the nose of a bullet touching the slide lock and moving it into the lock position.
I agree that replacing the barrel is not likely to solve this problem. The ammo or the slide lock itself are likely the cause. Full disclosure: have not shot FMJ rounds in my 45 Shield.

IMHO, THIS IS A REASONABLE APPROACH. I WOULD ALSO EXAMINE YOUR MAGAZINES FOR ANY ISSUES......

IT IS UNFORTUNATE THAT THE INSTANCES OF S&W PRODUCTS HAVING TO BE RETURNED TO THE FACTORY, FOR THE SAME PROBLEM, MORE THAN ONCE, IS BECOMING COMMONPLACE. THIS APPLIES TO THE HIGHLY TOUTED AND EXPENSIVE GUNS FROM THE PERFORMANCE CENTER, AS WELL AS GUNS OFF THE REGULAR PRODUCTION LINE .....

IMHO, THIS IS SYMPTOMATIC OF A LOSS IN PRIDE OF WORKMANSHIP, AND THE SHIFTING OF THE RESPONSIBILITY FOR QUALITY CONTROL, TO THE END USER OF THE FIREARM......

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'Nam 1968-69.DAV,VFW,NRA Inst.

in several (non-S&W) guns I've owned, when I've had premature lock-back, it was due to rounds that were a little out of spec (not a surprise with WWB), or a slide stop that was a little out of spec.

Clean the part of the slide stop that interacts with the follower thoroughly, and the next time you shoot it, check if you can see any mark from the bullets nudging the slide stop.

With one of my first CZs I was getting premature lock-back, and I took the gun and ammo to my gunsmith. He noticed marks from bullets on the tab, and sanded a bit of metal off the area when there were marks. I learned from that and check that first when I now encounter the problem -- which has only happened once, since then with a different (not a CZ) gun. Sanding the tab solved the problem with the CZ.

But be sure to try something other than Winchester White Box before you make changes to the gun. If it only happens (and then intermittently) with WWB, you have a clue.

Some folks swear by WWB, but I've always sworn at it.

Yup.........

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CERAKOTE Svcs.
Class 01 FFL

Thanks for the advice, everybody. I used my calipers to measure the overall length of the three brands of cartridges I was shooting. No difference.

The gun is going back to S&W today.

I've run at least 4-500 rounds of white box 230 FMj without a hitch I doubt it's the ammo. Limp wrist maybe?

No limp wrist.

How new is this gun and how well was it lubed ? Perhaps a break in is necessary ? I'm guessing since I have never owned one.

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1st smiles,lies.Last,gunfire.

My .40C went back twice for the same issue. They replaced the slide on the second go which fixed the issue. Oddly enough, mounting my TLR-3 caused the issue to reappear. As soon as it was removed- went back to normal function. Another person in my agency also had a .40C go back for the slide lock issue.

My Shield 45 did the very same thing three or four times in the first 100 rounds...I sent it back to S&W and they said that they replaced the slide lock. The first 100 rounds fired were factory ammo 230 gr round nose. After S&W worked on it I fired 100 factory 230 gr round nose and 50 of my 230 gr reloads. So far so good.

I haven't heard from S&W yet. FWIW, the gun was clean and lubed.

Please update us when you get it back.

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Loving retirement!

Out of the box my slide lock was a bit sticky. Just take it off and either lightly sand it or use polish compound. I did that and re-installed and it's good to go. Takes 10 minutes.

Any resolution to this problem after you sent it back twice??

UPDATE. I got my Shield back from S&W, for the second time. The repair ticket said they replaced the barrel locking block and slide stop. The ticket also said the gun passed range testing, and they sent me a free 7 round magazine. I assume it was the one used in the testing, since it had been used.

I took the gun to the range last week, along with 3 magazines. Stupidly, I didn't think to take the 7 rounder they had sent me that passed the range test. Again, three brands of ammo, and used all three magazines. Went through a little over 100 rounds, and had probably a dozen failures. Now, the slide was coming forward a hair from the lock position, but the cartridges were not coming up off the magazine. It appears they were hitting the feed ramp. Twice when it happened, I stood there with the gun pointed down range, and within 30 seconds the gun suddenly took the top cartridge and went into battery on its own. Several other times, I lightly tapped the bottom of the grip on the bench, and it immediately took the top cartridge and went into battery. I made it through full magazines several times, but on some other magazines I had that failure two or three times. So now it seemed like a magazine problem. But again, I am not a gunsmith. Just a 40+ year handgun shooter.

I called S&W, and this time got a very pleasant woman in customer service. She e-mailed me a return FedEx label, but she also asked me to take the gun back out with the 7 round magazine they had used. I did that today. I started with the original 6 rounder, and on the third mag full I got the same failure described above. So I switched to the 7 rounder they had sent. No failures, through maybe ten or fifteen full magazines.

Not sure what I will do. It seems unlikely to me (and to the woman at S&W) all three magazines had gone defective. (I took the one used today apart, and all appears fine. These are all S&W factory original magazines.) I'm going through an awful lot of rounds trying to figure this out!

I have no idea why last week the gun failed so many times, and today only once in about the same amount of ammunition. Same three brands of ammo.

Again, FWIW, I'm making sure the rounds are fully seated in each mag by tapping it on the bench, then making sure each mag is fully and firmly seated, and finally, no limp wristing. This is the first semi auto to give me problems.

if it works with the 7 rd mag, maybe resell it with the good magazine and buy something else, I would never keep a gun with so many problems

these dont need a break in, they should work from day one

[QUOTE=hyena;140174063]Looking for comments, as in what would you do. I have a .45 Shield. The last time I took it to the range, in somewhere less than 100 rounds the slide locked back in the middle of a magazine three different times, using both magazines. I was shooting 230 gr FMJ, new, not reman or handloads. Neither my shooting hand or support hand were anywhere near the slide lock lever. The slide was not attempting to come forward to strip a new round off the magazine, and jammed. It just locked back, same as if the magazine was empty. Each time, for what it's worth, I couldn't release it using the lever, but it easily released and went forward normally when I sling shotted it. Each time the gun functioned normally through the remainder of the magazine.

I called S&W, and they immediately said send it in. When I got it back, the only notation on the repair was they replaced the barrel. I thought that was odd, but I'm not a gun smith.

I took it to the range today, with three boxes of three brands of 230gr FMJ. The slide lock happened once, same as before, with Winchester white box ammo.

Not sure what to do. When it happened before, I didn't note the brand of ammo, but all three slide locks may have been with Winchester.

My EDC is a .380 Bodyguard, which has gone many hundreds of rounds without a malfunction. I have a Hi Power I bought new in the mid 70's with countless thousands of rounds without a single failure, ever, on factory ammo. Also a full size M&P in .357 SIG that has never malfunctioned. I add all that to say I guess I don't have confidence in a gun that doesn't work perfect. The Shield wasn't bought to be a range gun. It's for home defense and sometimes concealed carry. I don't want to give up on it, because I like the gun and I shoot it very well.

Curious what others would do. Keep shooting different brands - see if it only happens on the Winchester white box? Send it back to S&W again?[/QUOTE

I AM NEITHER A GUNSMITH, NOR AN ARMORER, BUT I HAVE BEEN A SHOOTER, FOR OVER 60 YEARS. I HAVE OWNED 3 OR 4 JAM-O-MATICS, THAT I COULD NOT TRUST, OR FIX.....

IMHO, THE CONDITION THAT YOU DESCRIBE, IS NOT RELATED TO YOUR BARREL. IT COULD BE RELATED TO THE MAGAZINE OR THE AMMO---BUT NOT THE BARREL. I WOULD RETURN IT TO THE FACTORY AGAIN.....

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'Nam 1968-69.DAV,VFW,NRA Inst.

Definitely send it back to S&W again. After all the hassle sending it back multiple times, I would be asking S&W for a new gun.

I had the same issues as the OP. Mine also made two return trips to S&W. Tried new magazines, new followers, and Wolff extra power magazine springs. The FTF issues persisted. It wasn’t reliable for carry. I sold it to a shooting buddy who was fully aware of the issues.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Did you know.....All caps is like "YELLING". Considered not good forum etiquette.

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CERAKOTE Svcs.
Class 01 FFL

Let somebody else shoot it . . .

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Wisdom comes thru fear . . .

And how if your buddy making out with the problems? Did he get it corrected, or is it still acting up?

I agree with Muss. Have you had any other experienced shooters try it out?

Given his Forum name, I assume one eye joe has some kind of vision problem so that typing in all caps is easier for him. I'm inclined to give him a pass.

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What, me worry?

He hasn’t brought it to the range since I sold it to him. AFAIK he still has it. He bought a G19 and has been shooting that at our weekly range sessions.

The 45 Shield was the perfect carry weapon for me. It just wasn’t reliable. I may wait a year or so and buy another copy to see if the bugs have been worked out. Mine was from the initial run and wasn’t marked as a 2.0.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

Actually, it's VERY possible that all three of your original mags have issues. The original mags mine shipped with had the old followers and I had to replace them before they would work properly. There are several threads on this. Seems pretty obvious it's a mag issue, since the new mag they gave you is working perfectly. When I read your OP, it sounded like you were having a slide locking issue. But it's sounding more and more like a magazine issue in your case.

First, double check your mags carefully and make sure the followers look like the one with the arrow in the photo, then report back.

I believe he is old and doesn't know any different. I wish people would stop trying to impose their opinions on others . . .

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Wisdom comes thru fear . . .

First - Muss: No, I didn't think to have my buddy shoot it last week at the range, when it malfunctioned so often. Should have.

Florida - I took apart both my 6 round mags. Would rather avoid taking apart the 7 rounders because when I did once before I had a heck of a time getting them reassembled.

Anyway, here's a photo of the follower from the 6 round mag that came with the gun. I see one difference from the one in your photo. It would help if I knew what differences I'm looking for. Do you have a photo of the "bad" followers that came with your gun?

Also, without disassembling the 7 round mag S&W just sent me, I can't tell any difference looking at the shape of the follower. Again, that's without taking the mag apart.

EDIT _ Wait. Duh. I see where you were pointing with the arrow. I'm looking for that little stepped notch in the front corner of the follower? This is weird. Of my two original mags that shipped with the gun, the follower on the 6 rounder has the notch, and the seven rounder does not. Of the two extra mags I bought, that's reversed. the seven rounder has the notch and the 6 round mag does not.

Attached Images

Shield mag follower.jpg (102.1 KB, 59 views)

Yep it's the little notch in the front corner. Well, like I said, I think this is a magazine issue. Use the search tool and you will see this is the very thing that brought me and several others to this forum originally. When you get the mag issue sorted out, you will be on your way. S&W sent mine for free.

The original followers were problematic. The notch prevents the follower from releasing the magazine. I still sand smooth the followers. Mine had mold marks that dragged in the magazine. I also polished the inside of the magazine to make it as smooth sliding as possible.

Dont be skeeeered....I made ya a video...

...and I have 2 Shield 45's. Both run great. Dont give up.

My advice is to trade it for a Glock 30S,thats what I did after sending it to S&W 4 times. S&W even replaced the gun and I still had problems.At the range fired 340 Rounds,had 17 slide locks and Magazine dropped out 6 times. I bought it because it is Made in U.S.A. and S&W reputation. I looked at the Glock 30S and the S&W 45 Shield and choose the Shield,very disappointed. I love the Glock ,have not had any issues with it.

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Grumpy

Any chance that the shooter's hand is somehow nudging the slide stop/release?

I just figured he's deaf.

Re: YELLING.

A better reason for using upper and lower case letters in the messages is that we recognize words as "word groups" or word shapes, and upper and lower case letters let us read these "groups" more easily and recognize what the word group means more quickly. And that's even MORE TRUE for people with eye problems.

No so much as an opinion, Muss. It's common knowledge and practice in most every forum I frequent. I had to learn it, as most everyone else does. Not just one man's opinion. It's convention.

However I do respect YOUR opinion of "..trying to impose their opinions on others..." and your right to it...

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CERAKOTE Svcs.
Class 01 FFL

I don't have this gun, but I think I saw a You Tube vid on sanding off a little bit of the corner of the follower for those particular magazines. Look real close at the 3 6rd mags and compare them to the 7rd mag S&W sent you.