What's going on with the Shield?

[Sierra117]

So today I picked up a new in box Shield 9mm. No satefy or mag disconnect. Test case shows 7/16/14 serial # HTZ1xxx and I was so excited to finally have a Shield. From everything I have heard from owners I know, all the stuff I have read, the Shield is such a great gun. Awesome! Right?

So I jumped on the forum to read up and seems like there is love for the Shield but there is a good amount of negative too and complaints of S&W customer service. I felt a bit discouraged.

Of course I haven't got it to the range yet and that is where the proof is in the pudding. But are there really that many issues being reported or is it more exaggerated?

 

[tectrry]

I've had my Shield for a few months now. I love to carry it but I still don't shoot it as well as my full size or compact. The gun itself has no problems as far as I am concerned but putting enough rounds down range should be all I need to be as comfortable with it as my other pistols.

 

[mustangman]

You should probably shoot your gun before you feel discouraged. Put some rounds through it, see how it performs, and form your own opinions. Mine is a 40, but its been flawless, 600 rounds and not one issue. Have fun and be safe.

 

[SoCalDep]

I taught a certification course for the Shield a few weeks ago. Three shooters plus our newly delivered range Shield and no malfunctions (probably around 150 rounds through each gun) including purposely limp-wristing all four pistols. I've seen two Shields go over 15,000 rounds each (one over 18,000 rounds) still shooting reliably with no breakage.

I just purchased a "no thumb safety" Shield but haven't had a chance to shoot it yet. I'm back to work tomorrow and will put some rounds down range and see how it goes. I predict no problems.

Yes, there are occasional problems with any mechanical device. There is a thread here with a picture of a slide that makes me cringe just looking at it. That said, in my experience the good far outweighs the bad. Shoot your gun and I'll bet you'll be as happy as all your friends.

 

[Well Armed]

Pick popular firearm, and then go to the firearms/manufactures related forums. You'll find the same amount if not more of negative complaints. Some are not warranted, and others are an anomaly. It comes with the territory.

S&W have been around for decades and have sold many Shields. I do not think they'd still be profitable or still in business if they routinely put out bad products, and their CS was as bad as some claim...

 

[NoogMan]

You'll only hear about the negatives...rarely the other 99% that love their Shields. The wife and I both have/carry Shield 9's. Had a few FTE/Stovepipes on both guns in the first few magazines, since those first 2-3 magazines and 1500 rounds later, they have been flawless. I had cleaned and lubed both guns well right outta the box, but these little monsters are tight when they are new, so I didn't panic when there were a few failures at first.

Love the Shields so much, I ran out and bought a M&P 9 full size! Now I want a 22 compact to add to the growing collection.

 

[RobzGuns]

Wait... You bought a new pistol you haven't tried before and THEN jumped on the forum to research it for negatives???
That seems kinda backwards, doesn't it???

As mentioned, pick a gun forum... ANY Brand Specific gun forum and you'll see mostly negative information.
Some EARLY 40cal Shields had a few hiccups/growing pains back in 2012, but those problems have passed.
There have been next to no complaints about the Shield9.

You'll probably find that the slide is very stiff due to the new recoil springs. This will loosen up after a while.
Speaking of the Recoil Spring... Field strip and assemble it multiple times By The Book (manual) before your first range trip to make sure you can get the recoil spring properly aligned. It's not a big deal, but there are numerous complaints about not being able to get the slide to lock back, that most often relates back to not getting the recoil spring seated properly.

Clean it well, lube it lightly (again, per the manual) and go put a few Hundred rounds down range. It's a good little pistol.

 

[Sierra117]

Wait... You bought a new pistol you haven't tried before and THEN jumped on the forum to research it for negatives???
That seems kinda backwards, doesn't it???

As mentioned, pick a gun forum... ANY Brand Specific gun forum and you'll see mostly negative information.
Some EARLY 40cal Shields had a few hiccups/growing pains back in 2012, but those problems have passed.
There have been next to no complaints about the Shield9.

You'll probably find that the slide is very stiff due to the new recoil springs. This will loosen up after a while.
Speaking of the Recoil Spring... Field strip and assemble it multiple times By The Book (manual) before your first range trip to make sure you can get the recoil spring properly aligned. It's not a big deal, but there are numerous complaints about not being able to get the slide to lock back, that most often relates back to not getting the recoil spring seated properly.

Clean it well, lube it lightly (again, per the manual) and go put a few Hundred rounds down range. It's a good little pistol.

I am familiar with the M&P line. Just didn't own a shield till today what I was saying is I was a bit dismayed at some posts I read regarding the Shield. Sure I know ANY gun can have issues and have see that. I find this site a great resource but was just surprised at some of the negative comments.

I did strip and clean it. No issue at all. No problem getting the guide rod assembly back in place. Didn't see any obvious quality problems etc. looks great.

The thing is I got this for my wife primarily. She liked the feel of it but I have a j-frame I love to carry and wants an Airweight. Which is fine because that means I will keep the Shield for myself.

Appreciate the input folks

 

[Dr.um]

Do yourself a favor, do not look to the Internet for how you feel about your new pistol. Experience it yourself and then, if the slightest thing is wrong or dissatisfying to you, you have the option to go loud and tell everyone how stupid S&W must be to have let this fun go out and so on.

Otherwise, you could do what we all did in the old days, before the electronic highway of information that Al Gore invented. We shot our guns and enjoyed that pride of ownership that can really only be had in relative ignorance....before someone else tells you that you just bought junk.

Good luck with your pistol. Like 99.99% of every other Shield out there, it will shoot and shoot and shoot without one single complaint (other than the high cost of ammo)

 

[BigCityChief]

I have both a 9MM and a .40 Shield. They're more than adequate as SD pistols. Good luck with yours.


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[epj]

I have 3 Shields, two 9's and a .40. No problems. Keep in mind these are mass produced, moderately priced plastic pistols. They don't have the fit, finish, accuracy, or feel of a hand fitted metal gun. For what they are intended, they perform very well.

 

[HeavyDuty Ken]

My Shields have been among the best guns I've ever owned. Go shoot it and enjoy. As my grandmother said, don't borrow trouble.

 

[Donn]

Got my Shield not long after they came out. Like my other M&P's, it's been like the sun rising in the East, every trigger pull, BANG. The only issues I've ever had was with bad ammo. The gun itself has been money. I know mine's only one and I wouldn't speak for others, but my Shield's been worth every dollar. I trust my life to it, can't ask much more than that.

 

[hoc9sw]

My Shield 9 has been one of the problem children. After the last trip back (and I will say that SW CS has been excellent to work with in each situation), it is at 123 rounds without problem, which did not happen before. I had decided to sell it when it came back this time, but based on the massive improvement, I'm giving it another chance.

 

[highaltitude]

I just said "bye bye" to my Shield last week. I've had it since 2012. First, IMO, you shouldn't post a question like this on this forum without shooting your gun. Shoot your gun and form your own opinion. But, since you asked.. I'll list what I liked and disliked about the gun.

What I liked:
a) Very accurate gun
b) Very shootable
c) Extremely concealable
d) Available holsters and sights abound

What I didn't like:
1) If i happened to knock my shield out of battery with a loaded magazine it would not return to battery.. and therefore would not fire. You would have to manually push it back into battery. Clearly, there is a remote possibility that this would occur. Nonetheless this bothered me. It's been well documented on this forum.
2) In 1200 rounds I personally experienced about 4 FTE's. A couple of other people I had shoot the gun, who probable limp wristed it, had FTE's off the bat. Maybe 7 FTE's total. On my last outing I was shooting WWB value pack and had about 3 FTE's in one magazine. Many will chime in that I was limp wrisint and shooting bad ammo. You bet. My response would be, you never know what situation you may find yourself in and want your gun to work. I do not believe I had a problem gun. It's probably just an average gun similar to the other hundreds of thousands of Shields out there. I will say, I never had a problem with SD ammo or Federal.

In the end, I just lost confidence in the gun. In contrast, my Glock 19 after 1500 rounds and limp wresting shooting every type of ammo, has never failed me. It also returns to battery with no problem. I have 100% confidence in the gun. It's my CCW of choice.

So.. after this long winded explanation, and as a previous Shield Owner.. I offer this advice to you; (1) Do not limp wrist this gun, it will probably FTE on you and (2) if possible, stay away from WWB especially the value pack.

Enjoy your new gun !

 

[webfarmer]

I very much like my 9MM Shield. The only problems were handload OAL too long (with Sierra 115 JHP bullets) and the sight dots popped out. Replaced the sights and shortened the hand loads to 1.050". Also added an APEX hard sear. Voila! It's a keeper. Shoots accurately "enough" for SD. I carry all waking hours and it's light enough to honestly forget it's there. Good luck!

 

[NCW Ray]

What's going on with the Shield?--->It's taking everything I can feed it as fast as I can feed it!!

 

[PHolster]

So today I picked up a new in box Shield 9mm. No satefy or mag disconnect. Test case shows 7/16/14 serial # HTZ1xxx and I was so excited to finally have a Shield. From everything I have heard from owners I know, all the stuff I have read, the Shield is such a great gun. Awesome! Right?

So I jumped on the forum to read up and seems like there is love for the Shield but there is a good amount of negative too and complaints of S&W customer service. I felt a bit discouraged.

Of course I haven't got it to the range yet and that is where the proof is in the pudding. But are there really that many issues being reported or is it more exaggerated?

People post with problems with any product more often than they post with praise of a product, so the general perception of a given product can be skewed if you search online.

My Shield, and I would guess that most, has been perfect since day one. I have 2000+ rounds through it with no issues, none, and so do others. Clean yours, shoot it, and enjoy. If it gives you problems, deal with it, and most likely you will have a positive experience with S&W.

Enjoy the new gun, and remember, before the internet, people bought things and didn't think about all the issues untold millions were having, they simply judged their new product on its own merits.

 

[xcutter]

I traded my Shield 40 two weeks ago for a Shield 9. I have put over 400 rounds through it without a single issue. It shoots much better than my 40 did. I use yo get FTE's every so often with the 40. Probably my fault.

 

[Lycan]

Wait... You bought a new pistol you haven't tried before and THEN jumped on the forum to research it for negatives???
That seems kinda backwards, doesn't it???

As mentioned, pick a gun forum... ANY Brand Specific gun forum and you'll see mostly negative information.
Some EARLY 40cal Shields had a few hiccups/growing pains back in 2012, but those problems have passed.
There have been next to no complaints about the Shield9.

You'll probably find that the slide is very stiff due to the new recoil springs. This will loosen up after a while.
Speaking of the Recoil Spring... Field strip and assemble it multiple times By The Book (manual) before your first range trip to make sure you can get the recoil spring properly aligned. It's not a big deal, but there are numerous complaints about not being able to get the slide to lock back, that most often relates back to not getting the recoil spring seated properly.

Clean it well, lube it lightly (again, per the manual) and go put a few Hundred rounds down range. It's a good little pistol.

I think people sometimes just create posts so they can feel included in a forum.