How can the Shield be uncocked without dry firing. After cleaning I've tried releasing the safety and holding the trigger back and closing the slide but it still stays cocked. What is S&W take on dry firing the Shield? I don't like putting guns away still cocked. Thanks.

I don't think it hurts to dry fire the shield as it is a striker fired pistol. I see people doing it all the time. Correct me if I'm wrong.

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M&P Shield 9mm

The only way to release the striker is to pull the trigger. You can dry fire the shield till your finger bleeds, not gonna hurt it. It's not necessary to release the striker if the gun is going to sit awhile, that won't hurt anything either. And I'm not sure but the correct term here is 'cocked', more like in battery.

Thanks for the replies. I'm old school (75) in my day it was called cocked.

Lock the slide to the rear and lower the sear disconnect lever. Let the slide forward. If you want the sear disconnect lever back in place, insert a magazine.

But it's a waste of time. The gun will not fire accidentally and it does not hurt to dry fire. I have been a certified M&P armorer since 2008 and was responsible for @ 400 pistols. Now I'm at a smaller facility and only baby sitting 18 (+ my personal pistols). Or contact S&W for further questions.

You are correct, dry firing is fine for most centerfire pistols both hammer and striker fired, and a lot of people use it as a way to practice trigger control and such.

Dry Firing the Shield to release the striker won't hurt it. Neither will leaving the striker set (cocked) for indefinite periods of time.

When doing club matches, after the timer is stopped, we always end with the RO inspecting the weapon to ensure that the gun is empty, point it down range, dry fire it and holster it, before leaving the 'stage'.

I've gotten into the habit of doing this with any pistol I'm not carrying, at the end of every range session. My Wife, OTOH, has the habit of leaving every pistol (that she's not carrying) with the slide locked open when she puts them in her bag, ensuring that there is not a round in the gun. Neither way will mess up the springs of a Shield, or other Striker Fired pistol.

Correct, unlike spring compression which may occur with hammer fired pistols, leaving a striker fired pistol in battery (cocked) for indefinite periods is OK

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M&P 9mm 5" Pro
M&P 9mm Shield

Yes you can, straight from S&W.
Dry firing helped smooth out my trigger without spending a lot of money. I have more dry fires, 900ish, than actual rounds through it, 700ish.
You should have no worries dry firing.
FAQs - Smith & Wesson

I keep my Gen II Glock 23 stored w/the striker cocked too. It was my service weapon and was retired w/me in 1997 and it still works great.

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Old Cop
LEO (Ret.)

I dry fired my M&P40C a couple of hundred times before I got to the range. I wanted my muscle memory to tell me when the trigger breaks at the point of firing. According to the guy I talked to at S&W he said that was perfectly fine. You ain't gonna break anything & by itself will take a small amount of stiffness out of the trigger & it could make it a bit smoother without going through a ton of ammo. That plus polishing the trigger bar made a fairly good trigger into a very good trigger (in my opinion) for SD & the range.

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Former USN, Retired US Army

My Shield has been dry fired 8 bazillion times (more or less). Still never fails to load, fire, or eject. No parts were harmed during this endeavor.

If you have ben told once, you have been told a million times, DO NOT EXAGGERATE!!!

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BUD

That's all...?
LOL

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M&P 9mm 5" Pro
M&P 9mm Shield

I leave ECI in all my guns and they are in there anytime I am not on the line with it. Ok before someone says something I wouldn't use one for CC. I said I was old, not dumb.

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USN Retired/VN VET
M&P X5

Is that +- 1 bazillion or 1 gazillion?