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Originally Posted by sierra255
S&WForty,
I use Speer Gold Dot's in my Shield 40 and have put many a round through it. Last year I participated in a ammo evaluation for LE and we shot all the major ammo brands at all sorts of targets including gel blocks and water buckets.
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Let me jump in here and ask a question. Was the "short barrel" version of Speer Gold Dots shot in addition to the regular? I've read references to the "short barrel" version a few times lately. I am curious how much less effective the std variety is in a 3" barrel Shield.
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Speer GD's finished #1 in the 40 cal. and the 9mm catagory. Perhaps I am just lucky, but I have never had a G Dot fail in my shield. I am no gunsmith, but if I was having this issue I would visit one that you feel confident in just to be sure that something is not right with the shield. Have you contacted S&W? I did on another matter, and found them very helpful............Sorry to hear of your issue, as the Shield is a great weapon in my opinion. Keep us posted on your progress.
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I haven't contacted S&W yet. Aside from one FTE that I am pretty sure was due to a weak grip (I was shooting a little too quickly and recall letting the pistol lift a lot), it has performed fine other than this Speer GDot issue.
I have shot about 300 rds of WWB FMJ 165 gr and 100 rds of Federal Champion FMJ 180 gr. I haven't noticed a different kick between 165 gr and 180 gr (I definitely could feel a difference with my SW99s).
I have wondered if the Speer 180 gr rds kick more and does that cause a shift of the rds in the mag (gun kicks back, rds would shift forward). Next time I go to the range, I will make sure the rear of the rds are flush with the back of the mag and remove the mag and look for any movement after each shot.
Maybe the first 50 rds of Speer GDots did fine due to the mag spring still being factory fresh and so stiff. Or maybe my UpLula used in a hurry was not placing the rds flush with the rear of the mag. I'll watch it more closely before contacting S&W.
I will be sure to post any progress or updates.