S&W MP40 shield. Slide stop issue

[JG_in_va]

Just got my MP40 shield a few days ago and I am having a really hard time releasing the slide stop. I get that it's a new gun and my Sig was hard at first but after a few times it got easier. So far that is not the case with my shield. I have to use both hands sometimes to release it. Anyone else? Any suggestions?

[thanselm]

I usually find that it's easier to slingshot the slide than it is to try to manipulate the slide stop button.

[modraker]

I had the same problem when I first got my Shield 40. I couldn't even lock the slide manually. After about 200 rounds, it got easier. Now, I'm at the 400 round count and it's no longer a problem. As 'thanselm' indicated, it would also be better if you treat it as a slide lock rather than a slide release.

[Rastoff]

The Shield is really small. This means that everything is closer and tighter than other guns. It will take a few manipulations to get everything working as smoothly as you'd like.

Keep working it with no magazine in the gun. It will get better.

Yes, it's a more positive technique to sling shot the slide, but it should work with the slide stop. So, give it a little time.

[DocSunShine]

sling shot

[S&WForty]

While I waited many weeks for my Shield, I read every thread posted about them. That's when I learned S&W intends for that little part to be a Stop only and not a Release. I had to treated them all as slide releases on my other pistols, but I've been a slingslotter since day one with my Shield.

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[kodiakpb]

Power stroke the slide (hand over top of slide).

[robkarrob]

I would think that if you round the top edge of the stop a little, and polish the surfaces it would release easier. It is called a slide stop, and not a slide release. The lever is small and it hard to put enough pressure on it to release with just thumb pressure.

Bob

[RobzGuns]

Stop doing the 'Hollywood Rack' and power rack it, just as if you were practicing a tap/rack malfunction drill.

[TahoeDust]

Think the .40 shield is tough, try a new XDs .45. It is a bear.

[SmurfHunter]

Just work it. Mine is great now

[Haliwa04]

I purchased my Shield .40 almost two months ago, and I haven't had any issue with the slide lock other than it keeps getting surface rust on it. When I carry it, which is not very often, it is in a holster or a cargo pocket. When I get home each night and put the gun up, I wipe it down with either Barricade by Birchwood Casey or a little of Hoppe's Elite Oil. Lo and behold every week or so, here I am cleaning surface rust off of it. Should i contact Smith and Wesson? Is there anything they can do that would not require me sending the gun off? Sorry to hijack the thread.

[Jyezahn]

Originally Posted by S&WForty

That's when I learned S&W intends for that little part to be a Stop only and not a Release.

So, you read this directly from Smith & Wesson, right?

That means that page 18 of the owner's manual is wrong:

WARNING: UPON FIRING THE PISTOL OR RELEASING
THE SLIDE FROM THE SLIDE STOP, THE SLIDE MOVES
REARWARD OR FORWARD WITH SIGNIFICANT FORCE
AND SPEED. TO AVOID INJURY, BE SURE NO PART OF YOUR
BODY IS IN THE PATH OF THE SLIDE’S TRAVEL.

[TahoeDust]

Originally Posted by Haliwa04

I purchased my Shield .40 almost two months ago, and I haven't had any issue with the slide lock other than it keeps getting surface rust on it. When I carry it, which is not very often, it is in a holster or a cargo pocket. When I get home each night and put the gun up, I wipe it down with either Barricade by Birchwood Casey or a little of Hoppe's Elite Oil. Lo and behold every week or so, here I am cleaning surface rust off of it. Should i contact Smith and Wesson? Is there anything they can do that would not require me sending the gun off? Sorry to hijack the thread.

Pics or it didn't happen.

[Haliwa04]

Originally Posted by TahoeDust

Pics or it didn't happen.

You can tell where I've cleaned the slide lock a few times, and it is now shiny instead of black like the rest of the controls.


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[hpfenning]

Originally Posted by Jyezahn

So, you read this directly from Smith & Wesson, right?

That means that page 18 of the owner's manual is wrong:

WARNING: UPON FIRING THE PISTOL OR RELEASING
THE SLIDE FROM THE SLIDE STOP, THE SLIDE MOVES
REARWARD OR FORWARD WITH SIGNIFICANT FORCE
AND SPEED. TO AVOID INJURY, BE SURE NO PART OF YOUR
BODY IS IN THE PATH OF THE SLIDE’S TRAVEL.

That just says that "releasing the slide from the slide stop" causes the slide to move forward. It does not recommend using the "slide stop lever" to release the slide.

Page 17 of the same manual states:

• To make sure that the magazine is fully and securely inserted,
apply some removal pressure to the exposed portion of the
magazine floorplate.
• Pull the slide to the rear and release it, allowing it to carry fully
forward. This strips a cartridge from the magazine and seats it
in the chamber of the barrel.

[TahoeDust]

Originally Posted by Haliwa04

You can tell where I've cleaned the slide lock a few times, and it is now shiny instead of black like the rest of the controls.


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That's pretty crazy. Is the slide lock not coated like the slide? I have spent a lot of time on M&P forums lately and have never heard of this happening.

[hpfenning]

Originally Posted by Haliwa04

I purchased my Shield .40 almost two months ago, and I haven't had any issue with the slide lock other than it keeps getting surface rust on it. When I carry it, which is not very often, it is in a holster or a cargo pocket. When I get home each night and put the gun up, I wipe it down with either Barricade by Birchwood Casey or a little of Hoppe's Elite Oil. Lo and behold every week or so, here I am cleaning surface rust off of it. Should i contact Smith and Wesson? Is there anything they can do that would not require me sending the gun off? Sorry to hijack the thread.

I have heard that the Hoppe's Elite Oil is water based and has caused rust. You may want to use a different "non water-based " oil.

[Haliwa04]

Originally Posted by hpfenning

I have heard that the Hoppe's Elite Oil is water based and has caused rust. You may want to use a different "non water-based " oil.

I think it was coated when I got it, but it was fairly thin.
I've also used barricade from Birchwood Casey and rem oil. Still same thing. I used hoppe's on every other firearm I own and none have rusted. I emailed s&w about it, hopefully they have an answer.

Edit: If the Hoppe's is water based, what good is it for metal parts? Any good non water based oils?
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[RobzGuns]

Originally Posted by hpfenning

That just says that "releasing the slide from the slide stop" causes the slide to move forward. It does not recommend using the "slide stop lever" to release the slide.

Page 17 of the same manual states:
• Pull the slide to the rear and release it, allowing it to carry fully
forward. This strips a cartridge from the magazine and seats it
in the chamber of the barrel.

^^^This^^^
If they intended the Slide Stop Lever to be used, I believe page 17 would have added be something along the lines of other Brands' manuals that state: 'If slide is already back, press down on the Slide Release Lever and...'.
But hey... It's debatable... I could be wrong.

[Rastoff]

Originally Posted by hpfenning

That just says that "releasing the slide from the slide stop" causes the slide to move forward. It does not recommend using the "slide stop lever" to release the slide.

Page 17 of the same manual states:

• To make sure that the magazine is fully and securely inserted,
apply some removal pressure to the exposed portion of the
magazine floorplate.
• Pull the slide to the rear and release it, allowing it to carry fully
forward. This strips a cartridge from the magazine and seats it
in the chamber of the barrel.

You're funny. Using your own logic, the statement you posted doesn't mean that pulling the slide is the only way it can be done. It simply states that pulling the slide to the rear will strip off a round and make the gun ready to fire. It doesn't say that pressing the slide stop is wrong.


Haliwa04,
The slide stop should not rust like that. Call S&W and they will probably send you a new one. It should have the same Melonite treatment as the slide.

Water based oil? Man, you guys are off your meds. You can't have a water based oil. Further, that particular oil is intended as a protector. Putting water in it would eliminate any ability as a protector.

[Haliwa04]

Originally Posted by Rastoff

You're funny. Using your own logic, the statement you posted doesn't mean that pulling the slide is the only way it can be done. It simply states that pulling the slide to the rear will strip off a round and make the gun ready to fire. It doesn't say that pressing the slide stop is wrong.


Haliwa04,
The slide stop should not rust like that. Call S&W and they will probably send you a new one. It should have the same Melonite treatment as the slide.

Water based oil? Man, you guys are off your meds. You can't have a water based oil. Further, that particular oil is intended as a protector. Putting water in it would eliminate any ability as a protector.

E-Mail sent last night. Will call in a couple days if I don't get a response. I had a bad experience with s&w customer service. But that was back in January and was handled by a ****** local gunsmith that broke the gun and sent it off without permission. But, I'm going to give them another shot, hopefully it was an isolated incident, and the guy I dealt with was fired for breaking protocol(offered to ship a revolver to my doorstep, no ffl). I'm going to use the search feature to see what everyone uses for lube. Thanks guys.

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[Rastoff]

A guy from S&W offered to ship you a different gun without going through an FFL? Wow! If S&W knew about it I can't imagine they wouldn't fire the guy. That could get the whole company in hot water with the BATFE.


Hmmm, that gets me wondering. A repair shop can ship a gun back to its owner after repair. I wonder if they can do the same with a new gun if the old one wasn't repairable. I don't think they can, but I feel a new thread coming on...

[Haliwa04]

Originally Posted by Rastoff

A guy from S&W offered to ship you a different gun without going through an FFL? Wow! If S&W knew about it I can't imagine they wouldn't fire the guy. That could get the whole company in hot water with the BATFE.

No, same gun. It was shipped from the gunsmith to s&w, and it was there for 3 months. The guy said the gun was ready, and they would overnight it to my house. Two weeks later, nothing. So I called again, and the woman got a manager on the phone and I explained what happened. The gun hadn't even been looked at, I was advised that them shipping to me directly would be against the law, and they pulled the gunshops ffl stays with s&w for breaking my gun and sending to them without my permission.


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[Rastoff]

Originally Posted by Haliwa04

No, same gun. It was shipped from the gunsmith to s&w, and it was there for 3 months. The guy said the gun was ready, and they would overnight it to my house. Two weeks later, nothing. So I called again, and the woman got a manager on the phone and I explained what happened. The gun hadn't even been looked at, I was advised that them shipping to me directly would be against the law, and they pulled the gunshops ffl stays with s&w for breaking my gun and sending to them without my permission.


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Oh, that's different. It's completely legal for them to ship you your own gun back. It doesn't matter that it was the gun smith that sent it to them. As long as you can prove ownership, they can ship it to your door.

The issue comes when there is a change in ownership. That was not your situation.

[Haliwa04]

Originally Posted by Rastoff

Oh, that's different. It's completely legal for them to ship you your own gun back. It doesn't matter that it was the gun smith that sent it to them. As long as you can prove ownership, they can ship it to your door.

The issue comes when there is a change in ownership. That was not your situation.

Oh, OK. They still made a huge fuss about it and it went back to the gunsmith and the gun shop. They tried to act like they didn't have it when I went to get it. Had it scooted back behind a counter. It was a 642 airweight prelock. I only paid $300 ($200 of that my friend owed me). I didn't understand the big deal until the guy I deal with told me they hadn't been able to keep on in the case. The last one I saw in there, they wanted $550 for used, and I do mean used.

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[Rastoff]

I trust you've found a different gunsmith?

I've had nothing but good dealings with S&W customer service. They've always paid for shipping and worked quickly. I hope things go better this time for you.

[Jyezahn]

Originally Posted by hpfenning

That just says that "releasing the slide from the slide stop" causes the slide to move forward. It does not recommend using the "slide stop lever" to release the slide.

An absence of recommendation, does not constitute a non-recommendation, nor a non-intention.

So, with this warning in mind:

WARNING: UPON FIRING THE PISTOL OR RELEASING
THE SLIDE FROM THE SLIDE STOP, THE SLIDE MOVES
REARWARD OR FORWARD WITH SIGNIFICANT FORCE
AND SPEED. TO AVOID INJURY, BE SURE NO PART OF YOUR
BODY IS IN THE PATH OF THE SLIDE’S TRAVEL.

What part of your body would get caught in the slide if you're pulling the slide back with your other hand and letting it go? The way the warning is written, (presumably, though I could be wrong) it addresses making sure your fingers are clear of the ejection port when pulling down on the slide stop. Otherwise, why waste the verbage, "or releasing the slide from the slide stop", and instead write, "or chambering a round". Point is, S&W does not specifically deem the slide stop to be only a stop, and not a release in anything that I've read from them. You said you've seen it... I just want to know where?

[Haliwa04]

Originally Posted by Rastoff

I trust you've found a different gunsmith?

I've had nothing but good dealings with S&W customer service. They've always paid for shipping and worked quickly. I hope things go better this time for you.

Yep, myself. I've taught myself to either not break it, or if I do break it, know how to fix it. Several books and long nights of detail stripping, cleaning, polishing, etc and I can take apart most handguns and some long guns apart to the itty bitties no problem. I now know to never ever ever take the side plate off of a revolver unless I have to. I also bought, built, refinished, and sold a Norinco 1911 just to get that under the belt. I trust s&w will handle this situation a lot better since the panic is dying down and I actually own a couple of their newer firearms.

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[Rastoff]

Originally Posted by Jyezahn

Point is, S&W does not specifically deem the slide stop to be only a stop, and not a release in anything that I've read from them. You said you've seen it... I just want to know where?

It's the note on page 17 that he and everyone else is refering to. He quoted it previously. The claim is because S&W said to pull back on the slide to chamber the first round, that means we shouldn't use the slide stop to release the slide.

It's not true, but that's the claim.

[Jyezahn]

Originally Posted by Rastoff

It's the note on page 17 that he and everyone else is refering to. He quoted it previously. The claim is because S&W said to pull back on the slide to chamber the first round, that means we shouldn't use the slide stop to release the slide.

It's not true, but that's the claim.

I read that, but we all know that's not all inclusive. Same could be said for those of us who do not use the sear deactivation lever to field strip, and pull the trigger instead.

Let's not forget these two warnings on pg 22:

WARNING: DO NOT ALTER, MODIFY OR REPLACE
ANY OF THE PARTS OF YOUR FIREARM UNLESS
THIS WORK IS PERFORMED BY A QUALIFIED GUNSMITH USING GENUINE SMITH & WESSON PARTS. IF YOU
DO OTHERWISE, IMPROPER FUNCTIONING MAY OCCUR
AND SERIOUS INJURY MAY RESULT.
WARNING: NEVER DISASSEMBLE YOUR HANDGUN
BEYOND THE FIELD STRIPPING PROCESS OUTLINED IN THIS MANUAL. NEVER MANIPULATE ANY
INTERNAL COMPONENTS BEYOND WHAT YOU ARE
SPECIFICALLY INSTRUCTED TO DO IN THIS MANUAL
SINCE THIS MAY AFFECT THE RELIABILITY, FUNCTIONING
AND SAFETY OF YOUR HANDGUN.

S&W specifies these two things because it could affect the way the gun was INTENDED to function. Nowhere does S&W specify that the slide lock SHOULDN'T be used to release the slide, yet in my first post, it can be said that they DID address it's use in the release of the slide.

Neither here, nor there, not a big deal, but one would also question the texture of the upper part of the slide lock lever, if it was meant by S&W to NOT be used to release.

Each to their own, I guess.

[Rastoff]

I completely agree with you. I was just telling you where he got the idea from.