Ultra tight recoil spring on Shield

2tango2

2tango2

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I took my .40 Shield apart last night for its initial cleaning as I plan on going to the range this morning

It comes from the factory pretty wet. Smells like the used Shooters FP10 to lube it up. Pretty much just wiped down the excess oils and ran a few patches down the barrel with Mil Pro 7. Finished up by lubricating per manual. Used Tetra Grease on rails

When I went to put it back together I thought I was doing something wrong as I couldn't get the slide to lock back in order or flip the breakdown switch back into the locked position Even with putting a magazine in the slide would not lock back I could see that the slide wasn't going back far enough to line up the cutout in order for the flip up to take place

Finally after taken it down numerous times to see if I was doing something wrong I was able to get it to lock back in order to flip switch up.

Now I'm a normal size guy and have a decent amount of strength but this thing is a bear lol. I thought for sure I was doing something wrong

I find also that I have a very difficult time releasing the slide with an empty mag in it. This is when pulling slide back and using slide release button If I drop the mag no problem

I guess the question is, does the Shield spring loosen up with use? I'm about to go to the range and put 100 rounds of WWB 165gr through it

I can see where someone with below avg strength would have a difficult time here. Heck even avg strength people

Does what I'm explains sound normal or do I have jacked spring? Compared to my new FS 9 it is amazing how much stiffer the double recoil spring is
 
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Compared to a full-sized gun, the short barrel double springs are noticeably stiffer, as they must be to work in the shorter space.

I find also that I have a very difficult time releasing the slide with an empty mag in it. (using the slide catch)
Click to expand...
Yep, dang near impossible; don't even try it that way with an empty mag. Drop the slide the correct way by removing the empty mag and pulling back the slide. With an empty mag in place, the follower is pressing up on the slide catch to be sure it locks open.
 
Dropping the slide w/an empty mag inserted will fail every time on almost all autos, they're supposed to work that way. Don't feel bad, this almost drove me nuts until I asked someone w/more knowledge.
 
Oh I know but I'm talking about pulling slide back and pushing down on the release button That is damn near impossible too unless I go hulkamaniac on it lol
 
Only 2 range sessions with my new Shield so far, but it is getting easier to rack, and release the slide.

I think I've put 300-350 rounds through it.

More grip area and leverage with my FS M&P 9mm, plus 2400 rounds down range, and it's smooth as butter. I think the Shield will get better with use, maybe not this good though.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD
 
I read a poster saying that he had used "Frog Lube" on the recoil spring -- I just soaked it with M-Pro 7 clp for several hours before removing the excess, and it seemed to help. I think you're right that it's just going to take several boxes of ammo cycled through it to loosen things up. I enjoy the relatively soft recoil for .40 cal. shooting my Shield. I was concerned that it would be more pronounced in such a small, light gun, but it has been great!
 
Only thing I can think of is ***maybe*** you put the recoil spring in backwards? It shouldn't be that dang difficult to rack.
 
Nope....spring is in right :)

Went to range today and shot 100 rounds

The Shield performed and functioned flawlessly Gotta say though, I found the recoil pretty stout compared to the 9mm Shield I fired a week or so ago. I do have a 9mm barrel on the way from Guns and Gear

So all in all the Shield functioned fine, the nut behind the trigger needs to be tightened though lol

I followed up shooting the Shield with 50 rounds thru my FS 9. It felt like shooting a .22 lol. Love the FS, will grow to love the Shield. Bought a Sticky Holster for it too :)


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD
 
I have a can of lube that I use at my business, since i'm a locksmith. Most people dont realize that locks also need lubrication from time to time because they have moving parts (rotating cylinder, springs, pins, etc). Anyways, down here in Louisiana the humidity is terrible. Most people like to spray graphite in cylinders up north (not much humidity). But down here the humidity causes the graphite to gunk up and over times causes the locks to stick.

Long story short, i have a distributor that sells the lube i use on my locks. I have used this for 10+ years on locks as well as a few of my rifles. The lube (if u let it air dry), dries but leaves a Teflon coating (no graphite) no harmful material and can be used on anything. The coating is basically a protection barrier from ****, sort of like waxing your car. I basically spray all my internals down with this lube and let it dry. After it dries, i then dab a small bit of gun oil on the usual oil places.

Over time ive noticed my guns are much easier to clean. And the internals dont show as much wear on them as they do without the lube. This stuff in my opinion, is a damn good investment.
 
What's odd is I have an XD-S which also has a double recoil spring and I can rack no problem at all

I noticed with the Shield is that sometimes it feels like that one last 1/8 of an inch to get the slide fully back needs well like a double pull like a hitch. Hopefully not a bind but like I said it functioned flawlessly at the range today

Have some liquid Frog Lube....maybe I'll dip the spring in that and then wipe


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD
 
Lubing the spring is not going to reduce the spring tension. Springs are heat treated to maintain the tension, which is good. You don't want to be replacing recoil springs every 200 rounds. Like all springs they will fatigue a little over time. But you not going to see much pressure drop. The stock springs are 16 pounds +/- and after some use they may lose a pound or so. The recoil springs slow down the recoil of the slide, and power the slide forward to load the next round and lock back into battery. The design of the double springs causes extra pressure just prior to full recoil. I have measured the pull, which is close to 16 pounds, but jumps to near 19 pounds at the last 1/4 inch of recoil.

It is a small framed gun with a small slide. It is a little harder to rack the slide back, than on a larger sized gun. Also I can not release the slide lock with my thumb. It is a small release lever and unless I push very hard with my thumb, I can't get the slide lock to release the slide when locked back. It is not worth the extra pressure on my thumb, so I release it by pulling the slide back. Some of my other guns are very easy to release the slide lock, using my thumb.

Bob
 
Last edited:
Shield Stiff

The shield does have a strong spring. But, you should be able to work it. Given that you did not reverse the spring placement, it is stronger than many full size springs. I can release the slide by pushing the slide release button. I am certain with some break in, you will have no problems racking the slide and pushing the slide release button.
 
2tango2 said:
What's odd is I have an XD-S which also has a double recoil spring and I can rack no problem at all

I noticed with the Shield is that sometimes it feels like that one last 1/8 of an inch to get the slide fully back needs well like a double pull like a hitch. Hopefully not a bind but like I said it functioned flawlessly at the range today

Have some liquid Frog Lube....maybe I'll dip the spring in that and then wipe


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD
Click to expand...

I find that my Shield 9mm has a very strong recoil spring also.
My XDS is much easier to rack than the Shield.
I'm heading to the range later this week to see if a few boxes of ammo help. Please keep us posted on how yours works out.
 
KentB said:
I find that my Shield 9mm has a very strong recoil spring also.
My XDS is much easier to rack than the Shield.
I'm heading to the range later this week to see if a few boxes of ammo help. Please keep us posted on how yours works out.
Click to expand...

I've put both my Shields side by side with a few XDS at the range. Although my springs were probably tighter when new, after a considerable amount of use they are now just as easy as the XDS. Even my ole lady and her friends can rack either of the shields without a problem.

With that being said, ive shot a few XDS and i always go back to my Shield. For some reason my accuracy isnt that great with the XDS (maybe its the .45). But i have no problems with .45 in my other pistols. My little brother even sold his XDS because he also wanted the Shield after shooting mine a few times. He literally gave his XDS away because he had no use for it after he got the Shield.

If you guys are having that big of a problem. Maybe you should eat some more Wheaties.
 
lol on the Wheaties heh :D

Good to hear that the spring did loosen up to same as the XD-S. Only 150 rounds through it, a lot more too go downrange ;)
 
I just got my Shield over the weekend and I'm having the same issues you described. I resolved the slide release issue by lightly sanding and polishing the slide release. I also polished the mags to make them nice and shiny! The recoil spring is still an issue but I'm hoping it will fix itself over time. As I pull the slide back it hits a "stop" and then have to pull a lot harder to get it back for the slide catch to engage. Other than that I love it!
 
joebreed said:
As I pull the slide back it hits a "stop" and then have to pull a lot harder to get it back for the slide catch to engage. Other than that I love it!
Click to expand...

Yep, that is exactly what I have noticed. I will say though that after 100 rounds it already seems a lot easier to rack.

A file this under fwiw....as far as releasing the with an empty mag in it, with the 7 rounder I ccan pull back and depress slide release and it goes forward with really not much effort. The 6 rounder requires a lot more effort.....the value of this info? Probably not much but what else can you expect at midnight when I probably should be in bed lol


Really looking forward to that 9mm barrel coming
 
Shield's (I have both 9 and 40) DO seem much tighter, especially for re-assembly, than any other new gun I can ever remember owning. They also DO loosen up and become easier to reassemble with time and lots of range time. Just shoot the h...out of them and enjoy doing it.
 
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