First Shield - lots of brass build up?

[Huntrocketman]

Remember,
many gun retailers will let customers shoot/try guns they have on display.
Could've been several people have shot that gun already.

Does that hurt anything? Not in my opinion.
10-50 rounds through a gun isn't going hurt anything.
If it did, I wouldn't be buying that particular make/model in the first place.

 

[qkarl]

When I bought mine at the LGS, it looked like that and it was pretty dirty too. Also the plastic bag that guns come in was missing. Not too happy with myself especially since they charged $100 more than I could have got it online.

 

[xshinyax]

Mine looked like a used and the magazines marked like yours, too. It had more-than-one-fire look. It was definitely not cleaned after test fires because I had to clean and lube the gun as it was pretty dirty.

I suspected a used gun at first, but I guess it is pretty normal for S&W Shield.

 

[SundownIII]

Could come down to what is defined as "new".

I was in a LGS/range in Charlotte, NC last weekend. A really great facility. Son was with me, so we got in a couple hundred rounds of shooting.

What I found unusual was the number of rental guns available. Just about anything your heart could desire was available. The other thing was their "return policy". If you didn't like the gun you purchased, you could exchange it for another for a "$25 restocking fee". This really hit home for me when I thought of the number of new shooters who show up for our "Concealed Carry Classes" having just purchased the "wrong gun" and are now hung out to dry (poor trade in value).

This leads me to the question I have for the OP. Does your LGS, where you purchased your shield, have a range? I don't know what the "local policy" is, but could your shield have been one of the guns available for rental? Since the gun never changed ownership, can it still be sold as NEW?

Frankly, it would appear that your Shield has more than the "factory firing" down the tube. When all is said and done, I'm not sure this is such a bad thing. Think of it as someone else just did an initial "break in" for you (at no cost to you I may add). You get a working gun with all new gun paperwork.

Only you can determine if you're happy with your purchase.

 

[Decipher]

The comments about whether it hurts the gun are true. I don't think that's the argument, really. What bothers me about this case is that they sold the gun as "new" and at the new gun price. They misrepresented the weapon and its condition. They should have sold the weapon as "used" or as a "demo," either way offering a discount over new.

I'm pretty anal so I'd prefer to run the gun in the way I want to, including a thorough cleaning and proper lubing prior to its first use. Did it hurt anything? Probably not.

 

[bobsbbq]

I had the same questions as mine came from a LGS and I noticed some of the same things you pointed out. Mine was on display on top of the factory box. I decided to just accept it and move on. After hearing the replies in this thread I think it was new, it didn't have a lot of oil like my Bursa did though. I'm Happy and that's all that matters.

 

[hokiefyd]

They misrepresented the weapon and its condition.

That's a strong claim, and not one of us here can substantiate it either way. I don't think it's "unquestionably used". Both of my M&Ps were bought new, and both were very dry and, frankly, looked similar to the subject firearm here. The only thing that might look different to me is the brass on the breech face, but as someone else has posted, breech faces don't wear to a bright brassy color -- they wear dull, even after 60k rounds.

 

[Prasko]

Mine came with so much copper fouling in the barrel, I had to soak it for days.

They test fire, adjust for function, test fire, rinse repeat.

You are NOT buying a cell phone, it's not going to come pristine out of the box. It's going to be dirty, filthy, and cruddy.

Clean, lube, shoot the **** out of it. If it functions, then you're good to go.

 

[Sancosys]

Thank you all for the responses. I took it to another local shop to see what they thougt. It seems all is well, I was able to compare it the a factory shield they had in stock and it looked fairly the same. Now here comes the fun part ... Time to go shoot that sucker!

 

[Arney]

Just looked at my new shield that I put only 50 rounds through it so far. It has the same rail wear marks on the base of the gun. Nothing on breach but I do remember cleaning it and it may of had some brass residue.
Just a observation.....

 

[hokiefyd]

Thank you all for the responses. I took it to another local shop to see what they thougt. It seems all is well, I was able to compare it the a factory shield they had in stock and it looked fairly the same. Now here comes the fun part ... Time to go shoot that sucker!

Thanks for the follow-up. Yep, I think you really did buy a new Shield.

Yes...time to go dirty it up!

 

[Smith Wesson]

Every blue moon i take my mags apart and clean them.. but for normal cleaning i just wipe down the follower.. but the pictures look great.. just how mines looked..

 

[MSG Glenn]

Just a thought but it sure looks like your pistol was shot more than the one test round. When I bought my new M&P40C it was pristine with a very small bit of preservative inside. I imagine that's the way it would look after a first trip to the range but mine never did. If it was caused by a lot of test firing I think that's a good thing. UNLESS it was a rental gun. Even that's not a bad thing.

 

[Magload]

You might never know but since you have to fill out the transfer form is there a way to track the serial number to see if it had been owned before? As in someone bought it, had problems, didn't know about this forum and the help we could provide, so took it back.

 

[ca survivor]

I didn't read all the responses, but that gun had more then 50 rounds thru it, the magazine marking is a standard procedure at S&W.