New M&P Shield not accurate

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rojasj

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Hi all,

This is my first post here. I purchased a new 9mm M&P Shield a week ago. I have been out to the range with it twice. I noticed that at about 7 yards out with 9mm 124 grain ammo it's accuracy is way off. It's shooting about a foot low and maybe three or four inches to the left. I shot both standing and off a bench rest. The sights seem to be very close to centered other than the rear sight being just a hair (and I do mean a hair) to the right. I shot my wife's 9mm Beretta PX4 Storm Compact and I can hit in the general area where I am aiming. Does this mean that there is an issue with my M&P Shield or is there something I'm not doing right?

I do agree that the trigger takes a bit more pull than my wife's PX4 Storm. However, that being said does anyone know of any sort of accuracy issue with the 9MM Shields that needs to be addressed by a trip back to S&W ?
 
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Bozz10mm said:
Mine started off shooting that way too, but now it is right on target. What changed? Lots of dry fire. The more I shot it, the more the point of impact moved towards the point of aim.

It just takes practice. Work on trigger control while dry firing.
Click to expand...

Really? Thanks, I thought it could be something with the pistol. This is only my second time out with the pistol so I'm trying not to jump the gun. If my rear sight is just a hair set to the right could it make that big of a difference that the gun will shoot to the left? When I say a hair I am trying to be as accurate as possible. The rear sight is about a hair or two's width to the right.
 
Some find that finger placement on the trigger is the problem. If you are placing the joint of your finger on the trigger, try using the pad of the finger instead.
 
Don't take it personal.

Shooting Pistols low left is very common for right handed people.
(Low right for Lefty's)

I Also had the same issue.

With a revolver and a modified Weaver stance at 50 yards I'm deadly.

With the small grip of the Shield I Sucked.

I Had to learn the "Thumbs Forward" Grip and stance.
That took a few trips to the range, But I did get it in time.

Turns out the Sights on mine are just fine after all.:)
 
Mine was the same way. Shooting it on several occasions I was low and right ( I'm a lefty). Well, I kept shooting it on each trip to the range. I also have a Walther PPS and for a solid year I shot and compared both. I finally came to the conclusion I just shot the PPS better than the Shield. The sights on the Shield might have been a frog hair off but I think it was more the operator than the pistol. I ended up selling the Shield and keeping the PPS which I hated to do as I really liked the Shield. The PPS was just more accurate for me. I may have to pick up another Shield 9mm and see if I still have a problem. I tried gripping it several ways without success, changed ammo etc.
 
rojasj said:
If my rear sight is just a hair set to the right could it make that big of a difference that the gun will shoot to the left? When I say a hair I am trying to be as accurate as possible. The rear sight is about a hair or two's width to the right.
Click to expand...
If the rear sight is actually off center, go ahead and adjust it, but if (in the future) you plan on moving sights for accuracy, do NOT adjust the rear sight. With the Shield, the Front Sight is what you adjust (it's in the manual).

Most times, shooting low IS the shooter, but there have been a couple instances where 'tolerance stacking' was in fact the problem. (Google it)

Shoot it from a rest, have someone familiar with Subcompacts try it... and if it shoots low from a rest, it COULD be tolerance stacking.
 
A sight shifted to the right would correlate to a point of impact that is also shifted to the right, assuming center sight means center hits.
How's your front sight look?
124gr actually usually shoots higher than 115 but the difference is usually only visible from much further out than 7 yards.
So the point here is, 124gr and a rear sight shifted to the right would actually contribute to a point of impact that is higher and to the right. As you're still low and left, there are bigger things to check off before chasing sights and ammo culprits.
 
Low and left has been a common complaint since the Shield came out and it usually ends up being an operator adjustment. With me it was finger placement on the trigger and making sure the barrel was aligned with my forearm. It was amazing how much more accurate the gun became with each trip to the range.
 
Florida J Frame said:
Low and left has been a common complaint since the Shield came out and it usually ends up being an operator adjustment. With me it was finger placement on the trigger and making sure the barrel was aligned with my forearm. It was amazing how much more accurate the gun became with each trip to the range.
Click to expand...

I get finger placement but what do you mean being sure that your forearm is aligned with the barrel?
 
DJDave said:
Don't take it personal.

Shooting Pistols low left is very common for right handed people.
(Low right for Lefty's)

I Also had the same issue.

With a revolver and a modified Weaver stance at 50 yards I'm deadly.

With the small grip of the Shield I Sucked.

I Had to learn the "Thumbs Forward" Grip and stance.
That took a few trips to the range, But I did get it in time.

Turns out the Sights on mine are just fine after all.:)
Click to expand...

No offense taken. I've only been shooting for two years now and it's not like I can make it to the range once per week. Perhaps once every month to shoot fifty rounds. By the way, I shot both factory ammo and my reloads and had the same results. At first I thought my reloads were too weak.
 
Engine 21 said:
Mine was the same way. Shooting it on several occasions I was low and right ( I'm a lefty). Well, I kept shooting it on each trip to the range. I also have a Walther PPS and for a solid year I shot and compared both. I finally came to the conclusion I just shot the PPS better than the Shield. The sights on the Shield might have been a frog hair off but I think it was more the operator than the pistol. I ended up selling the Shield and keeping the PPS which I hated to do as I really liked the Shield. The PPS was just more accurate for me. I may have to pick up another Shield 9mm and see if I still have a problem. I tried gripping it several ways without success, changed ammo etc.
Click to expand...

I understand and I think it's me. I really like the Shield and it will be my cary gun so I don't want to get rid of it. I do admit that that I was surprised at just how much pressure it takes to make the trigger break. I am used to my SR1911 which is crisp as well as my GP100 which has a heavier trigger pull but is smooth.
 
McE said:
A sight shifted to the right would correlate to a point of impact that is also shifted to the right, assuming center sight means center hits.
How's your front sight look?
124gr actually usually shoots higher than 115 but the difference is usually only visible from much further out than 7 yards.
So the point here is, 124gr and a rear sight shifted to the right would actually contribute to a point of impact that is higher and to the right. As you're still low and left, there are bigger things to check off before chasing sights and ammo culprits.
Click to expand...

Hi McE,

The front sight is perfectly centered. I checked with a caliper and it's dead center. That is why I am hesitant to touch the sights. I am leaning toward operator error. When I state that the rear sight is slightly shifted to the right I mean ever so slightly. Maybe the width of a human hair or two.
 
RobzGuns said:
If the rear sight is actually off center, go ahead and adjust it, but if (in the future) you plan on moving sights for accuracy, do NOT adjust the rear sight. With the Shield, the Front Sight is what you adjust (it's in the manual).

Most times, shooting low IS the shooter, but there have been a couple instances where 'tolerance stacking' was in fact the problem. (Google it)

Shoot it from a rest, have someone familiar with Subcompacts try it... and if it shoots low from a rest, it COULD be tolerance stacking.
Click to expand...

Thanks, hopefully I can run into someone that is shooting well at the range next time I go.
 
Just out of curiosity would anyone happen to know at what distance the shield is sighted in for? Maybe I'm too ft out. I had the target out about 25 feet from me.
 
There are three of with Shields and we all had the same problem. On reading here one of the most helpful tips was tightening up on your grip and then followed by dry firing.
 
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