Sadly - Another .40 Shield Kaboom

[Roger S&W]

I think we're all pretty much aware now that there is no such thing as .40S&W+P.
May be you can switch your member name now to CLICK-CLICK-BANG.
Unless you're paying tribute to that awesome band from M town in the early 2000's.

 

[Click-Click-BOOM]

NOT the band... But the song...!!! and I like it so I will keep it lol...

 

[cosme017]

180 grain doesn't make a round +P. It's just a heavier bullet

I don't know why you couldn't fire a 180 grain from a shield. I put a 100 rounds of federal American eagle through my shield.

S&W doesn't say you can't or shouldn't shoot 180 grain ammo from their guns. They advise against +P though.

Lets review the kabooms.
135 gr labeled as +P.. but they claim its with in saami specs.? Yea that sounds reputable..
Unknown weight Corbin old ammo
Unknown weight federal critical 40 old ammo
Unknown weight reloaded federal old ammo
180 gr web from a person who posted twice and was never heard from again. Maybe died from his injuries?




We know of 5 possible kabooms out of how many shield 40s sold? I'm willing to bet you have a 1000 shield 40 owners here on this forum. 5 out of 1000 is like 1/2 of 1%..of all guns going kaboom.

Buy a set of micrometers and measure your ammo before shooting if you are really concerned. If you have any that are shorter than the rest consider not firing it out of your shield.

I have estimated 14,000 reds of .40 fired in 3 years and haven't had a kaboom yet. I am knocking on wood as I type though.

Might want to check out a thread posted today about 180 grain ammunition. Pretty good article. They don't advise a 180 grain.

 

[NCooper]

You do realize that article is 10 years old.

You do realize their argument about bullet set back will happen with any size bullet and not just 180 grain.

Its an interesting article, but I wouldn't hold it as the wholly grail of .40 ammo knowledge.

If you aren't comfortable with 180gr in your shield then dont use it.

 

[konertjm]

Cosme17

Factory ammo is ammo from any reputable manufacture.
any manufacture that claims to be selling plus p .40 isn't 100% reputable.
according to ssami there is no plus p .40.

I personally stay away from the cheap Wal-Mart value packs, they're cheap for a reason. Maybe they're professional reloads or maybe they are seconds. I dont know.

For target ammo I use 165gr speer lawman or federal American eagle.
The speer i buy by the case from cci in lewiston id. So directly from the manufacture.
The american eagle I was getting for free from work u ntill they switched to speer.

For self defense/ duty ammo I use 165gr speer gold dot. For the same reasons above but I dont buy it by the case. I buy two boxes more than I plan on shooting during the year. I also get a few free boxes from work.

The above mentioned ammo works great in my 40 fs(11,000 rds) 40c (2,000rds) & the shield 40 (750 rds)

Slight disagreement with you NC on the Walmart value packs.
No reloads there. All are major manufactures from Winchester (White Box), and Federal. Value packs are defined as 100 round packs.
You can buy the same in 50 round packs.

I have never seen no-name or unknown name bulk packs at Wally world.

I will say that I do not get as consistent of a group with the Win White box or Fed bulk as I do with other quality rounds such as Blazer Brass or Win non-white box.

 

[TTSH]

I personally stay away from the cheap Wal-Mart value packs, they're cheap for a reason. Maybe they're professional reloads or maybe they are seconds. I don't know.

Professional reloads? Factory seconds? Wow! That is a pretty serious charge. Is there any evidence at all that Walmart-sold value pack ammo has caused KaBooms???

Slight disagreement with you NC on the Walmart value packs.
No reloads there. All are major manufactures from Winchester (White Box), and Federal. Value packs are defined as 100 round packs. You can buy the same in 50 round packs.

My understanding is that this is all new factory fresh ammo... as you say, the same as you'd get in the 50-round boxes. If anyone has proof that Walmart's 100-round value pack ammo is any different, I'd sure be very interested in seeing it.

 

[NCooper]

Go back and read my post.

Key word MAYBE reloads or seconds. Didnt say they were. Just my opinion that they are inexpensive for a reason.

I also never said they caused anything. I said I stayed away from them and gave my reasons why. Right or wrong its my opinion.

 

[Zoti]

I know I am a bit late to the party but was this by any chance, the first round out of the magazine?

 

[jdw1951]

No - it was the last round in the magazine. I loaded only 4 rounds in a magazine to try because it was the first time I shot a defense load in the Shield. The first two rounds were slow fire and the last two were rapid fire.

 

[DocSunShine]

180 grain doesn't make a round +P. It's just a heavier bullet

I don't know why you couldn't fire a 180 grain from a shield. I put a 100 rounds of federal American eagle through my shield.

S&W doesn't say you can't or shouldn't shoot 180 grain ammo from their guns. They advise against +P though.

Lets review the kabooms.
135 gr labeled as +P.. but they claim its with in saami specs.? Yea that sounds reputable..
Unknown weight Corbin old ammo
Unknown weight federal critical 40 old ammo
Unknown weight reloaded federal old ammo
180 gr web from a person who posted twice and was never heard from again. Maybe died from his injuries?

We know of 5 possible kabooms out of how many shield 40s sold? I'm willing to bet you have a 1000 shield 40 owners here on this forum. 5 out of 1000 is like 1/2 of 1%..of all guns going kaboom.

Buy a set of micrometers and measure your ammo before shooting if you are really concerned. If you have any that are shorter than the rest consider not firing it out of your shield.

I have estimated 14,000 reds of .40 fired in 3 years and haven't had a kaboom yet. I am knocking on wood as I type though.

Amen, when I read threads like this it lowers my IQ and faith in people until I read a post like this. It's bad ammo pure and simple, you couldn't pay me to run some "+p" .40 ammo from Buffalo Bore, Underwood, Double Tap or any of the other "professional reloaders." Buy good ammo, don't chamber a round 100x and you pretty much won't have a kaboom. It really is that simple.

 

[00stormbringer]

It is safe to say that a 100% Quality Control Record for mass produced products is a myth at best. A KB is always a possibility no matter which firearm or ammunition you use. It is only possible to better the odds by choosing companies with favorable track records. Even a careful reloader may chance upon a structurally deficient brass casing that is undetectable until the case ruptures from the pressure of ignition. I buy a lotto ticket every week and have never won to date, doesn't mean tomorrow won't be my lucky day. I have had squib loads that had to be tapped out the barrel with a wooden dowel, but never a week casing or powder over charge in my entire 30+ years of regular shooting. I worry more about lightning strikes down here in Florida then KB's!

 

[CAJUNLAWYER]

While I don’t want to dwell on the frustration of the difficult protracted process of trying to get S&W to examine my Shield, it has been exasperating. After shipping the Shield via FedEx and 2 months after S&W logged it in, I just received a letter from them that appears to be the same or similar to letters received by the other Shield kaboom owner’s. I may include a photo of the letter later. For now, here is an excerpt: “We have recently reviewed a Smith & Wesson M – 40 Shield pistol, Serial Number HPJxxxx. After a thorough review, we have determined that the damage to this weapon was not the result of a defect in the materials or workmanship of the weapon.” They then offered to sell me a new Shield for $334 “since they value me as a customer.”

Sorry for the long beginning post. I look forward to your comments or questions and will attempt to respond as necessary.

S&W's reply remind me of a conversation I had with an adjuster several years ago concerning a property damage claim I was making involving my daughter. The adjuster after hemming and hawing and talking about deductions for this and that, KBB condition pre wreck and all the other BS while nickling and diming the property damage claim down inquired if there was also a BI (bodily injury) claim that would be pursued and I responded "Depends on how you adjust the property damage claim." He got the message, adjusted the property damage claim fairly and that was that.

 

[Tsb3]

don't chamber a round 100x and you pretty much won't have a kaboom. It really is that simple.

???? Could you elaborate on that statement? Who chambers a round 100x?

 

[Rastoff]

???? Could you elaborate on that statement? Who chambers a round 100x?

I know several. They feel it's necessary to unload their gun every day. Thus, when they load that same round later, they risk set back. Set back can cause an extreme pressure increase when fired.

 

[Cal_Abe]

Cosme17

I personally stay away from the cheap Wal-Mart value packs, they're cheap for a reason. Maybe they're professional reloads or maybe they are seconds. I dont know.

Sorry to jump in here like this. I thought these value packs were values from the manufacture. Your saying that I should be concerned with the 100 Rd winchester white box value I constantly purchase?

Sent from my SGH-M919 using Tapatalk

 

[Tsb3]

I know several. They feel it's necessary to unload their gun every day. Thus, when they load that same round later, they risk set back. Set back can cause an extreme pressure increase when fired.

I see, thank you.

 

[ginzo]

I venture to say any "cheap ammo" from walmart is new, not reloads.

I use WWB 165 value pack all the time. Never had an issue.
I may even try the Remington UMC 250 Value pack next time.

Cosme17

I personally stay away from the cheap Wal-Mart value packs, they're cheap for a reason. Maybe they're professional reloads or maybe they are seconds. I dont know.

Sorry to jump in here like this. I thought these value packs were values from the manufacture. Your saying that I should be concerned with the 100 Rd winchester white box value I constantly purchase?

Sent from my SGH-M919 using Tapatalk

 

[peterthefish]

Sorry to jump in here like this. I thought these value packs were values from the manufacture. Your saying that I should be concerned with the 100 Rd winchester white box value I constantly purchase?

Sent from my SGH-M919 using Tapatalk

I hear a lot of bad mouthing of WWB, Remington UMC, etc.. I've chrono'd some and I'll tell you, the consistency would make most hand loaders, even those who try, blush.

 

[eldoradoplinker]

Mine didn't explode, but. . .

I purchased an M-40 Shield. At the range I was using low pressure target loads and on the seventh shot a catastrophic failure of the brass occurred. I tried a couple of additional shots and it occurred again on the tenth shot. Attached photos show the unusual sidewall failure. The primers appeared normal so I discount the overloaded round argument. I sent the weapon back to S&W, received the exact form letter. I fought with them a couple of weeks, so they dropped the price of a replacement by $100. I still wouldn’t take it and made them send the weapon back. I'm suspect a future recall, but only time shall tell. One thing is for sure, I’ll never buy another S&W again.

 

[AR-Getsome]

I purchased an M-40 Shield. At the range I was using low pressure target loads and on the seventh shot a catastrophic failure of the brass occurred. I tried a couple of additional shots and it occurred again on the tenth shot. Attached photos show the unusual sidewall failure. The primers appeared normal so I discount the overloaded round argument. I sent the weapon back to S&W, received the exact form letter. I fought with them a couple of weeks, so they dropped the price of a replacement by $100. I still wouldn’t take it and made them send the weapon back. I'm suspect a future recall, but only time shall tell. One thing is for sure, I’ll never buy another S&W again.

So.....Did your gun blow up or just ruptured casings? Were these reloads?