New Shield .40 will not feed rounds consistently.

[Virgil]

How much did they give you for the trade?

Not nearly as much as I paid them for it two days prior due it being a used gun. But in my opinion the loss of $$ was worth it vs having to send it in multiple times. I will not be buying anymore Smith Shields or M&P's for that matter until they get all the bugs worked out of them. I know there are bad reports out there on every brand of gun but I have to go on what my experiences have been and so far my experience with my three Glocks have been very positive. I have a 2nd gen model 22 that has over 6,000 rds through it with 0 malfunctions. I have a model 27 with a little over 1,000 rds through it with 0 malfunctions. I now have a model 36 with 300 rds through it with 0 malfunctions. I can't argue with that kind of reliability.

 

[Lt Inf Scout]

I have experienced the same feed problems. Polishing the ramp did not help. I took the gun and a pair of pliers to the range yesterday . After a nose dive I removed the rounds from the mag and used the pliers to SLIGHTLY opened the front of the cartridge hold down rails on the top of the magazine. This raised the angle of the cartridge as it comes out of in the mag. It took several cycles of test and bend until I had no jams on the ramp. However I did have the slide lock back once with one round still in the mag. Ammo was Winchester S&W 40. I will need a lot more range time to see if this worked, or if one fix created another problem.

 

[tblt44]

Mag issue.
When i lock my mag in my 40 it pushes down in the mag a little and if i remember it sits closer to the center of the barrel than yours.your mag should not push the nose downward

 

[Stratajema]

OP, this is very interesting thread and there have been some really great suggestions. (except for the ones saying to polish the feed ramp which is a B.S. recommendation for your problem where the bullet is hanging up before touching the feed ramp.)

Since none of the suggestions worked for you and S&W replaced your barrel, then I strongly suspect you have a slide velocity issue that is causing the problem.

Some of my suggestions:

1. Check for smooth slide movement with the recoil spring assembly removed from the gun and with all grease and oil removed from the slide rails and slide slots.

2. Do not use a dry lube like Froglube on the slide rails. Use a light viscosity gun grease (not oil) on the rails and apply it sparingly.

3. Replace the recoil spring assembly, which S&W did not replace when you sent your gun in. The quality of the recoil spring assembly used in Shield pistols is pure sh*t. There has been plenty of discussion about this fact in other message threads: http://smith-wessonforum.com/smith-wesson-m-p-pistols/352504-shield-slide-hang-up.html

4. With all of your magazines side by side, compare the shape and angle of the feed lips for consistency. Measure the gap between the feed lips. Also measure the distance from the top of the feed lip to the top of the magazine catch hole to see if it is the same on each magazine. You are looking for anomalies in the measurements.

5. Make sure the magazine follower moves freely throughout its travel in the magazine and is not getting hung up on a burr or on the sidewall of the magazine. Since your problem is occurring across more than one mag, this is not likely the source of your problem but it may benefit someone else having a feeding issue.

6. Do not use Hornady Critical Defense (with the polymer tip) in a gun that has a history of feeding problems. Use Gold Dot Short barrel ammo or Federal HST, which also have superior ballistics to Hornady.

 

[Nomadic Vagabond]

6. Do not use Hornady Critical Defense (with the polymer tip) in a gun that has a history of feeding problems. Use Gold Dot Short barrel ammo or Federal HST, which also have superior ballistics to Hornady.

Do you think the polymer tip is somehow to blame? Curious to know the mechanics behind why you might think that.

 

[Stratajema]

Do you think the polymer tip is somehow to blame? Curious to know the mechanics behind why you might think that.

Yes, the polymer tip can be expected to interfere with feeding, particularly in a gun that has demonstrated nose-down feeding problems with plain'ol target ammo.

In any case, Hornady self-defense ammo would not be my first choice in a short barrel gun. The best choice based on ballistic performance is probably Federal HST ammo.

 

[Nomadic Vagabond]

Yes, the polymer tip can be expected to interfere with feeding, particularly in a gun that has demonstrated nose-down feeding problems with plain'ol target ammo.

In any case, Hornady self-defense ammo would not be my first choice in a short barrel gun. The best choice based on ballistic performance is probably Federal HST ammo.

Thanks. I picked up a few boxes of Speer Gold Dot Short Barrel 180gr. JHP recently but have yet to test them at the range. Do you think those would bode as well as the Federal HST?

 

[Stratajema]

Thanks. I picked up a few boxes of Speer Gold Dot Short Barrel 180gr. JHP recently but have yet to test them at the range. Do you think those would bode as well as the Federal HST?

From watching well run amateur tests of 9mm ammo, the Federal HST may have more reliable and consistent expansion than the Speer Gold Dot's when fired from a short barrel gun into denim covered ballistic gel. The reason probably has to do with the HST's being unbonded verus the Gold Dot's bonded bullet design.

The Gold Dot's performance seems to be more dependent on velocity than the HST, hence the need for Speer to create short-barrel specific ammo with a faster burning powder. I always found it very strange that Speer does not specifically state in print how its short-barrel ammo is different.

Watch these videos and you will see what I am alluding to:

Speer Gold Dot 124 grain standard pressure ammo:
Ammo Quest 9mm: Speer Gold Dot 124 grain tested in ballistic gelatin test review - YouTube

Federal HST 124 grain standard pressure ammo:
Ammo Quest 9mm: Federal HST 124 grain tested in ballistic gelatin test review - YouTube

Speer Gold Dot 124 grain +P short barrel ammo (listen especially to the 8 minute mark in video):
Ammo Quest 9mm: Gold Dot 124-grain +P, regular vs. short barrel in ballistic gel - YouTube

 

[FrankC2014]

I am also having a feed issue with my Shield 40. Although I have not had ANY failures in 380 rounds or so with Federal 180, WWB 165 and 165 Critical defense. My shield appears to be sending the round into the top of the chamber first denting the bullet. It is also chewing up the followers. Posted a thread the other day on the subject. Sent pics to Smith and waiting for reply. Live in a not so free state and just installed the apex and Ameriglo's Looks like I will have to swap apex before sending back.

 

[Widowmaker303]

I'm having a similar issue with my extended magazine primarily but I'm not sure if it's the same problem. I've had the gun jam with the angled downward toward the nose and the casing catch on the lip of the magazine when trying to push it out as shown in the images posted. However, I'm also experiencing the magazine jamming where, once I do get a round out (by hand), the rest of the ammunition gets stuck for a few seconds (at least) then the spring force snaps it to the top where it's supposed to be. [/ATTACH]Even then though, it sometimes has a nose down orientation and isn't tight against the stop at the top.

I think I was able to fix it but I can't tell if it's the same issue you're having. After taking the magazine apart and inspecting the pieces I noticed a wear mark on the side of the follower shown below. (this might be normal but I hadn't noticed it, I checked the 6-rd mag. I have and it had it too but I haven't had any issues with that one.



I then tried to feed some rounds into the magazine holding the spring in place by hand to control the force pushing on the rounds. I found that the first three round went in okay but the fourth was more difficult, I took everything out and the first round loaded was stuck between the guide creases in the sides of the magazine. I also noticed that the magazine was distorted a bit (not sure if this contributed but I bent it back anyway) where the sides weren't perpendicular to the front and back. it wasn't much but it was there.

I bent the magazine back to square and tried to bend the sides out a bit just at the top near where the magazine thins down to give the ammo some clearance. It seems to have helped as I can load and unload the magazines MUCH more easily and I've emptied the magazine several times by racking the slide. I haven't had a chance to get to the range yet but I'll post back if I have any further problems.

Hope this helps.

 

[Obamas_Bitch]

My shield hates WWB 165 grain ammo.it causes a failure to eject issue. Other of ammo, I have had no issues with yet.

 

[Sigsavvy]

I have a .40 Shield and have not shot it yet but I do have an issue where my slide will stop short of full travel back. This causes me no end of headaches when I try to reassemble the gun but can't lock the slide back. I believe this is due to the lousy RSA in the Shield. Anyway, what I'm wondering is if the slide isn't cycling all the way back, but just far enough to eject the spent casing maybe the bullet in the mag isn't travelling all the way up to be positioned properly when the slide picks it up. This would be due to the slide cycling forward sooner than usual. That, I would think would cause the round to potentially catch on something since it wasn't properly aligned. I have been worrying about cycling issues if my slide decides to not travel all the way myself. Just a thought.

 

[Dvan34]

I would hesitate to attempt to modify anything at this point, it just might invalidate your 'life-time' warranty. Contact S&W on the phone and get their advice. One other possibility- When you insert the mad do you slap it in with your hand to assure that it seats properly?

 

[Bkreutz]

I have a .40 Shield and have not shot it yet but I do have an issue where my slide will stop short of full travel back. This causes me no end of headaches when I try to reassemble the gun but can't lock the slide back. I believe this is due to the lousy RSA in the Shield. Anyway, what I'm wondering is if the slide isn't cycling all the way back, but just far enough to eject the spent casing maybe the bullet in the mag isn't travelling all the way up to be positioned properly when the slide picks it up. This would be due to the slide cycling forward sooner than usual. That, I would think would cause the round to potentially catch on something since it wasn't properly aligned. I have been worrying about cycling issues if my slide decides to not travel all the way myself. Just a thought.

If you haven't shot it yet, how do you know you have an issue? The forces acting on the action are very different when firing a live round than when manually cycling the action. I wouldn't worry about it until you actually have a problem when operating the pistol. Things loosen up as the pistol us used in live fire, dry fire and cycling the slide by hand doesn't do much in this aspect.

 

[Sigsavvy]

While I do agree that manually cycling the slide vs live firing would be different I also feel that there is no way that the slide will travel all the way back when the conditions are such that the slide simply stops before full travel. I have leaned on the gun on the edge of the counter and even used a rubber jar opener grip thing on the slide to get a better grip. The slide simply stops short. It is a hard stop as well, not just that the spring is too hard to compress any further. I do feel it's the RSA binding or catching something while compressing but obviously it's hard to prove. I should mention that this happens about half of the times I disassemble and reassemble.

After explaining in depth the issue with S-W they are sending me a new RSA. All that said, I do hope that (if the new RSA doesn't solve the problem) that shooting it will correct whatever is going on. Other threads on this forum seem to suggest that it sometimes isn't fixed with a new RSA...fingers crossed. So my comment was me wondering if the OP has the same issue and whether the slide is picking up the next round before the gun fully cycles. Unlikely I know but I have been wondering what will happen if I fire the gun and the slide doesn't cycle all the way back.

 

[unclebob]

more warranty work done by the customer...
Very sad....

 

[Sigsavvy]

I hear you. I do need to mention that after following up with S-W on where the replacement RSA was they offered to take the pistol back in to evaluate. I prefer to see if the new RSA helps before sending the gun back.

 

[rennub47]

It's the magazines!

I, and others, have this problem as well. The problem is not an unpolished barrel ramp. It is the junk magazines S&W has provided. The rounds are stopping on the front edge of the magazine. When this occurs, jiggle the barrel and you will see that it is properly loose and not "bound" up by the cartridge. If you pull back on the slide slightly, the round will pop up and feed. This happens to me about every 3rd magazine on my 40cal shield. Very upsetting! I called S&W and talked to a "so called" technician. I think I woke him up from a nap. The guy was rude, disconcerned and showed no interest in my problem. He basically denied that there were any problems with this gun and it must be something I was doing wrong. The followers in these mags are too loose, they can "rock" forward and back allowing rounds to tip-down on to the front edge of the magazine. I'm very disappointed in the gun, I was counting on S&W's reputation that I've always relied on with their revolvers. I know, I know...some of you are going to say, "I've never had a problem with mine, it works perfectly, etc. etc." Well, that information doesn't help those of us who do. As for the technician I spoke to, I'm writing a letter to the Customer Service Manager Kate Fredette, 2100 Roosevelt ave., Springfield, Mass. 01102

 

[George9]

I don't know if this would help you or not but I had the same issue with some cheep 1911 mags. I took out the follower and spring and working at 45degs from the inside front edge of the mag with some emery cloth on a spent round..When the round dives a bit it will now slide George

 

[Brandon1987]

Feeding problem.

I picked up my Shield 40 a few days ago. I haven't had the chance to shoot it yet. But i have been racking the slide to make sure it feeds round properly into the barrel. The rounds most of the time get stuck at an upward angle and don't sit into the barrel correctly. The feed ramp seems to be fine and I stripped the gun down to check for any problems with interior parts but all seems to be fine there. I'm wandering if this is a magazine issue and if the magazine springs just need to be broken in first. This happened to both magazines initially but now it really only happens with the extended magazine. Any help or advice will be greatly appreciated. Thank You.