I believe I remember seeing this issue a while back. Tried doing a search but came up with nothing.
I noticed that my Shield 9 1.0 spring rod sticks out from the frame a little. I looked at my Shield 45 and it's flush with the frame. When I lock the slide back, I can see where the end appears to be slightly separated from the rod. Is this normal? Is the end screwed or pressed into the rod or is it a single piece? Do I need to send this back to Smith for correction?
Thanks in advance for your help.

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Shield 45, SW40VE, 586, 1000

it is called RSA Recoil spring Assembly and be purchased from Midway , Brownells or Mid West Gun Works if in stock . S&W may send you one for free have one for my Shied . The rod does stick out a little pictures would help

Most of the time, the RSA protruding from the front is due to it having slipped off its 'shelf'.
If this is what happened, the fix is to try and grab the part of the rod that's sticking out with a needle nose plier and swing the rear back onto the shelf, so you are able to remove the slide and inspect the RSA.

If the RSA is damaged/coming apart, call S&W CS and request a replacement. No need to go into detail... Just say 'My RSA is damaged, can you send me a new one?' Once in a great while they may charge a person, but most times, they will send one for free.

OK So looking at it again, it's not that bad but definitely different from my Shield 45 which is tight. No small gap between the rod and the end.

Attached Images

	Shield 1.jpg (48.8 KB, 36 views)
	Shield 2.jpg (47.6 KB, 38 views)

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Shield 45, SW40VE, 586, 1000

Your first pic it’s not fully forward (in battery)

Correct. I took the pic with the slide back a little so you can see the small gap between the rod and the end piece.
The 2nd pic is with the slide fully forward. Note the RSA end is not flush with the front of the slide. On my Shield 45, there is not small gap and the RSA end is flush.

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Shield 45, SW40VE, 586, 1000

Retract your slide like you did in your first photo, and twist the end cap. If it is tight, it's OK. If it's the slightest bit loose, it's not, and you should contact S&W and ask for a new one. A loose cap (it's a press fit) will work free eventually, causing your recoil spring to fly off the end of the rod when you remove the RSA from the slide. (That's a good reason to wear eye protection when you're field stripping your guns.) An exploded RSA is not repairable. I had that happen with the RSA of my Shield 9 1.0. Here is the result:




I hope yours is OK!

Attached Images

DSCN0489.jpg (90.0 KB, 30 views)

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What, me worry?

I went and checked mine. It's flush (even a tiny bit recessed) when in battery. I have 2 spare RSAs, they seat the same way. I bought them because of reported RSA issues. I know S&W will replace them under warranty, but this way I can keep it functioning.

As swsig suggests, verify if the tip is loose. If not, it doesn't stick out that much so I wouldn't worry about it. If loose, contact S&W for replacement.

My Shield fits flush have seen pictures of M&P's were RSA sticks out a little