Brand new gun, only thing I did was take the slide off and check for barrel obstructions, put it back together. I have carried the gun some, and am SO glad I didn't have to depend on it for my life. Whatever is going on, it didn't even make a dent in the primer. I racked 3 different rounds in it, and nothing. Click, no bang. Should I take it apart, oil it real well, and try again, or just send it back to Smith? I'm pretty disappointed, and have NEVER had an issue like this with a new gun. Has anyone else experienced anything like this or heard of it?
M&P Shield 40 won't go bang.
- Thread starter 69camfrk
- Start date
Register to hide this ad
Dandecoteau
Member
- Joined
- Mar 9, 2015
- Messages
- 181
- Reaction score
- 165
First thing you should have done was field strip it and clean the packing grease out and lube her up good. If it was me, I would start tinkering with it, well, just because that's how I am. I would take out the firing pin and clean out the firing pin channel. Could be something in there. It's fairly simple. Go on YouTube and look up shield firing pin removal.
Other than that, I would send it to s&w. Only because I dont like to disassemble the frame at all.
Just make sure its lubed good and no obstructions in the channel.
Sorry if I didn't help much.
Good luck and let us know what happens.
Thank god you didn't have to put your life on it.
Other than that, I would send it to s&w. Only because I dont like to disassemble the frame at all.
Just make sure its lubed good and no obstructions in the channel.
Sorry if I didn't help much.
Good luck and let us know what happens.
Thank god you didn't have to put your life on it.
Dandecoteau
Member
- Joined
- Mar 9, 2015
- Messages
- 181
- Reaction score
- 165
This is probably a stupid answer, but was it fully into battery?
SundownIII
Member
That someone would "carry" a weapon which had not been "test fired", tells me everything I need to know....
Yup. That is why I tried 3 times just to make sure. I'm not having a good feeling with this gun for the first time out. I'm one of those people that thinks you should be able to take it straight from the box to the range.
And what exactly does it tell you?
I also go straight from the shop to the range, where I wipe it down and lube it, then put 100 or so rounds through it.
According to your original post though:
... it sounds like you did not even do that before carrying it. Simply because you would be depending on it for your life is reason enough to put a few hundred down range (FMJ & JHP) Verifying that it works, finding out which carry rounds run flawlessly (that it's not a picky eater), etc before carrying.
Looks like you got the unlucky 0.1%-0.01% that doesn't go Bang '1st time every time'. There might be one or two threads of this happening to others... Definitely NOT common (unless the owner rode the slide closed keeping it from going into battery, which is one of the more common reasons).
If this had been me... After taking it from the store to the range and getting 'No Bang'... I'd be right back in the store, getting the manager to try it out.
(But then, my store and range are in the same building)
Hope you get it figured out.
Last edited:
I've only carried it a couple of times as I just bought it a few weeks ago, but I have never had a firearm fail to work brand new. I generally carry my Glock or a 1911 which all have plenty of rounds through them. This was bought on base where all sales are final. It will go back to Smith, but will never be a primary carry weapon. If it is unreliable brand new, who knows what to expect down the road.
rsrocket1
Member
69camfrk,
Ignore the snarky remarks, we all need to learn things at times.
If you are going to use this gun to protect yourself, you should practice with it a lot. If it were me, unless you are in a panic mode and absolutely have to have a defensive weapon immediately, I would never carry a new gun for protection until I was comfortable with shooting it and operating it fully. That means shooting several hundred rounds through it and at least one box of the same bullets I intend to carry in it. On top of that, if the "carry" rounds did not function 100%, I would look for other ammo or find out what causes this particular round to fail in my gun.
In your case, you should first field strip it, clean the barrel and slide (and maybe the striker and striker channel). Then take a new round of your candidate ammo out of the box and do a "plunk test" in the removed barrel of your gun. The round should drop into the chamber fully with the back end of the bullet flush with the top edges of the barrel. (see image below or look up "Plunk test").
If the rounds do not fully drop with a metallic "plunk" sound, the bullet profile is catching in the throat of the barrel and you should try another bullet. You can test this by coloring the bullet with a magic marker, chambering it and looking to see where the ink rubs off. I know that it's wrong for S&W to make a barrel this tight, but it happens some time. My 9mm Shield barrel does this with 0.356" sized bullets so I have to seat them deeper and use a lower charge for my practice ammo.
If the bullets plunk properly, then your problem is somewhere else. Did you rechamber the rounds and try them again? Look at the breech face of your slide and make sure it is clean and smooth and make sure the extractor "hook" moves in and out without binding. You can do this by pushing the back side in with a dowel or pencil because it pivots on that roll pin that you see from the top of the slide.
The most important thing to learn from this is to know what ammo works best in your new gun and practicing with it before trusting your life to it. S&W and other companies sometimes ship their guns with coating of packing grease on them because they never know how long a gun will sit on a shelf. I know that Shield are flying off the shelves, but don't assume a gun will be shipped ready to shoot. Trust but verify.
Good luck and let us know what you find out.
Ignore the snarky remarks, we all need to learn things at times.
If you are going to use this gun to protect yourself, you should practice with it a lot. If it were me, unless you are in a panic mode and absolutely have to have a defensive weapon immediately, I would never carry a new gun for protection until I was comfortable with shooting it and operating it fully. That means shooting several hundred rounds through it and at least one box of the same bullets I intend to carry in it. On top of that, if the "carry" rounds did not function 100%, I would look for other ammo or find out what causes this particular round to fail in my gun.
In your case, you should first field strip it, clean the barrel and slide (and maybe the striker and striker channel). Then take a new round of your candidate ammo out of the box and do a "plunk test" in the removed barrel of your gun. The round should drop into the chamber fully with the back end of the bullet flush with the top edges of the barrel. (see image below or look up "Plunk test").
If the rounds do not fully drop with a metallic "plunk" sound, the bullet profile is catching in the throat of the barrel and you should try another bullet. You can test this by coloring the bullet with a magic marker, chambering it and looking to see where the ink rubs off. I know that it's wrong for S&W to make a barrel this tight, but it happens some time. My 9mm Shield barrel does this with 0.356" sized bullets so I have to seat them deeper and use a lower charge for my practice ammo.
If the bullets plunk properly, then your problem is somewhere else. Did you rechamber the rounds and try them again? Look at the breech face of your slide and make sure it is clean and smooth and make sure the extractor "hook" moves in and out without binding. You can do this by pushing the back side in with a dowel or pencil because it pivots on that roll pin that you see from the top of the slide.
The most important thing to learn from this is to know what ammo works best in your new gun and practicing with it before trusting your life to it. S&W and other companies sometimes ship their guns with coating of packing grease on them because they never know how long a gun will sit on a shelf. I know that Shield are flying off the shelves, but don't assume a gun will be shipped ready to shoot. Trust but verify.
Good luck and let us know what you find out.
Attachments
Last edited:
Dandecoteau
Member
- Joined
- Mar 9, 2015
- Messages
- 181
- Reaction score
- 165
Just send it back to smith and Wesson.
But seriously, test fire a gun before you trust your life to it.
Keep us posted on if you fix it or send it back.
But seriously, test fire a gun before you trust your life to it.
Keep us posted on if you fix it or send it back.
Looks like the seed of doubt has already been planted, so when it comes back, trade it. If you bought it for its size, try the LC9S/LC9Pro... or wait a few weeks and try the G43.
Whichever way you go, definitely shoot it and learn its handling differences (and what ammo it likes best) before carrying.
Good Luck
SundownIII
Member
To the OP
"What does that tell me?"
It tells me you haven't figured out the difference between "being armed" and "being prepared". The comment about "I always carry a backup" also has me scratching my head. Good luck with that when the SHTF.
Yea, I have had a "little experience" with firearms over the years. Three tours in SE Asia (69-71, 5th SFG) and 46 foreign countries in a 22+ year career. And yes, I have used a multitude of different long guns and sidearms to "save my buns".
What I have NEVER done is rely on a firearm that I had not thoroughly checked out and become proficient with. A .40 Shield has become my EDC (replacing a H&K P7M8), but only after firing several hundred rounds to verify reliability and develop the "muscle memory" for that particular firearm.
To take a gun "out of the box", shove it in a holster, and think that one's "prepared" scares the hell out of me.
"What does that tell me?"
It tells me you haven't figured out the difference between "being armed" and "being prepared". The comment about "I always carry a backup" also has me scratching my head. Good luck with that when the SHTF.
Yea, I have had a "little experience" with firearms over the years. Three tours in SE Asia (69-71, 5th SFG) and 46 foreign countries in a 22+ year career. And yes, I have used a multitude of different long guns and sidearms to "save my buns".
What I have NEVER done is rely on a firearm that I had not thoroughly checked out and become proficient with. A .40 Shield has become my EDC (replacing a H&K P7M8), but only after firing several hundred rounds to verify reliability and develop the "muscle memory" for that particular firearm.
To take a gun "out of the box", shove it in a holster, and think that one's "prepared" scares the hell out of me.
I am with you on most of what you say, that said, the range is about 45 minutes from my house, and most of the time I am able to get there with a new gun and get used to it. I carried this one only a few times, but never would've thought in a million years that a gun that was test fired at the factory would fail to work first time out. And I did buy the gun for its size and concealability. But your first post, had me like WTFO. If I lived out in the country, a few boxes would've been through it already. Personally, I hope to never have to draw a gun on anyone, but don't doubt my firearm handling skills. I just grabbed up that gun a few times when my Glock was in the safe, but in all honesty, I should be able to pull the trigger and it goes bang. Heck, it's double action and should work as reliably as my LCP backup gun. So man, don't beat me up too bad! And, thanks for your service btw...Not easy duty you had.
SundownIII
Member
69cam...
Take your Shield and clear all ammo. Leave the mag out.
Point it in the air and drop a pencil w/eraser down the barrel. Pull the trigger. Striker should eject the pencil from the gun. If not, the problem is in the firing mechanism.
If it ejects the pencil, then the problem is most likely ammo related. You said you tried three rounds, but were they all from the same lot? Some bullet profiles can prevent the gun from going fully into battery.
Easy test.
Take your Shield and clear all ammo. Leave the mag out.
Point it in the air and drop a pencil w/eraser down the barrel. Pull the trigger. Striker should eject the pencil from the gun. If not, the problem is in the firing mechanism.
If it ejects the pencil, then the problem is most likely ammo related. You said you tried three rounds, but were they all from the same lot? Some bullet profiles can prevent the gun from going fully into battery.
Easy test.
Tried it, got nothing. Thanks for the tip though. Smith has issued a call tag for it. I'll keep you informed.
Just out of interest check if there is a striker inside. Someone reported about a week ago receiving a gun with no striker installed.
PROnSHIELD
Member
The Shield is single action, striker fired and should have worked reliably...sorry to hear of the issues.
Last edited:
