Some of you are aware of the problems that I've been having with my Shield Plus Performance Center which is currently back in for warranty service again. It's been quite the learning experience and during this process, I've joined various S&W fan groups on Facebook, I've spoken with many people about what's going on, and I've dug around online a little more.

Edit: Please note, I'm speaking exclusively about the Shield Plus, not the Shield 2.0, and not any other M&P model.

The more I search, the more I find. As it turns out, many others have been having the same issues as I have, as well as other issues, and some have also had negative experiences with S&W's customer service and also their warranty department, much like I have.

Due to the information about all of this being scattered around the internet and because the various issues appear to be widespread and ongoing, I think it's a good idea to begin compiling a list of them. If you're aware of anything that I've missed, please post below.

Please inspect your Shield Plus. If you've got a good one then it's likely going to be a rock solid performer.

Hopefully Smith & Wesson gets their act together soon. These issues are real, they're caused by a lack of quality control, and in many cases they have the potential to get someone killed, especially if they're relying on a Shield Plus to defend themselves. One of them possibly creates the potential for an uncommanded discharge, specifically the plunger reset issue.


Known issues:


Deformed trigger bar - In this case, the trigger bar fails to fully engage the sear, specifically only the corners of each meet instead of the trigger bar getting underneath the sear, which then prevents the gun from firing, especially after the corner of the trigger bar and/or sear wear down.

Failure to Feed - Some have reported enormous FTF issues with the Shield Plus, even with mutiple magazines to test with. For others the gun eats everything you feed it.

Safety Plunger won't reset - In this case, the safety plunger won't reset by itself after the trigger is pulled. Upon cycling, so far what I've seen is the sear does move the striker out of the way, allowing for the plunger to reset. However, because the plunger won't reset on its own like it's supposed to, the potential exists for it to not reset at all, even with cycling. Possibly that's already happening to people and they don't even know it. This ongoing defect has been reported by people for over two years now.

Inertial trigger saftey dingus prevents a trigger pull - This appears to happen for two reasons. One is because its not designed correctly, flat out, its not. Specifically the pivot point is too low in the trigger shoe and/or because the dingus itself is too flush with the middle of the trigger shoe. Second, in some cases the spring weight for the dingus is too high, which then prevents the nub from clearing the frame in back of the trigger in time. The result is that it requires you to press the bottom most point of the trigger in order to operate. It's a trigger and a deliberate pull should result in the gun firing without searching for a magical sweet spot in the trigger.

Optic wont adjust for elevation - Obviously this applies to optics ready versions. In some cases S&W has milled the slide at too much of a pitch or angle, which then falls outside the range for elevation adjustment on the dot.

Retention pins walking out - This appears to mostly apply to the pin in the trigger shoe.

Can't load last round in magazine - This is due to the spring binding on the follower which prevents full compression. Also a design issue. Shaving plastic out of a certain place under the follower fixes the issue.

Empty magazine won't lock the slide - Stretching the magazine spring fixes the issue until you compress the spring again by reloading the magazine. This might be a heat treat issue on the spring.

Guide rod stuck after reassembly - Let's be honest here, this one is 95% user error however, on the Shield Plus it appears easier to knock the guide rod out of alignment during reassembly than it does on the Shield 2.0

Very gritty trigger - This goes beyond the typical trigger bar and plunger interface. Some have reported that they've found metallic burs and/or machine marks in the hole for the safety plunger and/or striker channel.

Slide stop / slide release issues - This is famously known for being difficult to operate, especially at first when attempting to use it as a slide release. After examining multiple copies of the gun myself, I can definitely say that it's inconsistent from one Shield Plus to the next and my Shield 2.0 works effortlessly as a slide release.

Light primer strikes - While many or most light primer strike issues can be blamed on hard primers in cheap ammo, some copies of the Shield apparently have a weak striker spring. This issue has been validated by taking the rounds from three brands of ammo, including Federal, that failed to fire, putting them a different gun, and they fired. After the striker spring was replaced in the Shield, the issue went away.

Magazine Spacer Split In Half - On extended OEM magazines (more than 10rds) the plastic spacer above the base plate can split in half, even without being dropped.

If I've missed anything, please post below.

I do understand that everything that's man-made has a defect rate and every company has their share of QC issues here and there. With the wide range of issues happening on the Shield Plus, the obvious nature of some, the volume of people having them, as well as the length of time they've been happening, there's just no excuses. The inherent design of the Shield Plus should be allowing S&W to dominate the micro 9mm category, but they're not, and the QC issues are undermining S&W's reputation and are destroying the brand. The poor customer service and outright incompetence in the repair department exacerbate the issue.

Who pee'd in your wheaties? You compiled every internet rumor you could and presented it as fact even though you don't know. You only know what issues you've had with YOUR gun. I noticed you did relate what issue you actually had. You should stick to "just the facts".

Out with it, man. Don't hold back, tell us what you REALLY think!

I am sure reports of your post at S&W headquarters have already caused several suicides...

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Pisgah

I am sticking to the facts and I'm not talking about rumors. When I see videos and pictures from different people who are reporting the same issue, it's hard to say that it's simply a rumor.

I've personally had more than one issue and my Shield Plus is going through service for a fourth time in a row.

I remember when the Sig P320s started having uncommanded discharges, the Sig fan boys and shills were in denial about it, and attacked anyone who didn't say something positive about the Sig P320... so attack away. I don't care.

When these issues happen to you and Smith & Wesson customer service treats you like trash by yelling and hanging up, more than once, then replaces defective parts with more defective parts, and also causes further damage to your gun, you'd lose enthusiasm for the brand as well.

The actual rumors out there are that the Shield Plus is a quality product, that S&W is good at making guns, and that they take care of their customers. Now I know that none of those things are true.

I'll still vouch for the design of the Shield Plus however S&W is failing miserably on execution. As a shareholder of Smith & Wesson, I blame executive leadership.

Your sarcasm is not lost on me. I'm in agreement with you in believing that they don't care... which is the entire problem.

I had problems with my Shield Plus too. I don't trust or carry it. I'm not really a fan of any S&W semiautos other than my Shield 45 PC which also had a problem early on.

Reading your posts I'm reminded of an old saying. "There are three sides to every story. Yours, mine... and the facts". I have no problem with someone relating issues that they experienced. I've had some myself. But your post is full of rumor as in you weren't there. There is a reason why hearsay is not admissible in a courtroom. It's not that these issues don't exist but you tried to paint every v2.0 M&P has having them. Aren't you the guy that threatened to blackmail S&W? I'll bet they love you up there. So what exactly have your issues been?

I'm speaking specifically of the Shield Plus and nothing else. Furthermore this is not a court of law.

I've had many of these issues myself in my Shield Plus, I have other copies of the Shield Plus available to me through my circle of friends, I've gone to multiple stores and examined their copies, I've talked to several dealers, I've examined video from others having these same issues, and I've spoken with many more people who are having the same issues.

When individual people in all corners of the internet are independently reporting the same issues, over and over, for months and years, eventually the claims from those people become credible, especially when they mirror some of my first hand experiences as well as what I've been told by some dealers.

On that note, I've edited my original post and added another to the list. Light primer strikes can easily be blamed on ammo, despite how many people have claimed to have issues, however an individual crossed my path with (what I deem to be) a credible circumstance. Here's the full text of what I just added.

Light primer strikes - While many or most light primer strike issues can be blamed on hard primers in cheap ammo, some copies of the Shield apparently have a weak striker spring. This issue has been validated by taking the rounds from three brands of ammo, including Federal, that failed to fire, putting them a different gun, and they fired. After the striker spring was replaced in the Shield, the issue went away

Meanwhile, I'll edit my original post and find a way to make it abundantly clear at the onset that I'm speaking specifically about the Shield Plus and not other M&P models.

Weird. No problems here. Probably still under 1000 rounds though.

Thats good. You probably have a good copy and like my old Shield 2.0, it'll probably last and last.

Like I said previously, I'll still vouch for the design of the Shield Plus. The problems are arising out of deficiencies in quality control and inconsistencies in S&W's manufacturing processes.

Insert large bag of popcorn!

__________________
SFC, US Army, Retired

Just as a data point, I had a pin prone to "walking" on an M&P. Called S&W, talked to a guy for about 5 minutes who said they would send me a pin to try and if that did not work, let them know and they would send me a return label and take care of it. A few days later a pin arrived in the mail. I installed it and problem was solved.

Your comments about S&W customer service yelling at you and hanging up on you more than once does not fit with my experiences with them over the years, and kind of makes me question your objectivity on the rest of your post.

But I have no personal knowledge of the validity of those claimed problems.

__________________
I see dead people

While I agree with the OP the S&W and the Shield are no longer the picture of reliability and I put them in the Taurus realm in that respect, I believe there has to be more to the story or embellishment with regards to Smith customer service hanging up and/or yelling over the phone. The issues the OP has listed are issues many independent individuals have had. The only non issue is with the slide stop. It's not a magazine release. This horse has been beat to death for about a decade now!

I've owned two Shield 1.0 9mm's, one 1.0 40s&w, two Shield 45s, and a Shield Plus for a total of 6 Shields. The 1.0s were flawless, my Shield 45's recoil assemble spring busted apart on a practically new gun only a few mags in which is unacceptable and inexcusable. Multiple Shield Plus magazines have QC issues, and the slide on my Shield Plus will get stuck locked back. It doesn't matter if their is rounds in the mag or the magazine is removed. The slide will NOT drop unless I pull the slide back while manually pushing the slide stop down. This happens randomly on basically a new gun.

I trust Taurus firearms about as much as I trust S&W firearms at this point. Their new semiautos and revolvers are hit or miss for problems. It's a game of Russian Roulette in whether you'll get a good one or not, but people will still buy them and give Smith a pass based on fanboyism, ignorance, and S&W's legacy. I've owned 6 Shields, 1 M&P 2.0 Compact, and 5 revolvers. I will probably still buy more revolvers, so this isn't me hating or bashing over a grudge or sour grapes. They just have a bunch of issue, and I don't think they care or most buyers care for that matter. They are publicly traded, so they just want to push out as many as possible for profit, and most consumers (myself included) will still keep buying them without holding them accountable with our dollars like we would with other manufacturers.

For me nothing worse than a company not standing behind their product. You make something defective and make it right with the customer is the way it should be.

The Shield Plus with the improperly milled optics slide seems to be a known issue. Smith tells me to contact the optics manufacturer after I explain the issues I have with my Shield Plus. Why should I contact two separate optics manufacturers when their optics worked perfectly on 3 other non Smith pistols?

Smith & Wesson lost a customer for life.

Failure to Feed
Empty magazine won't lock the slide
Very gritty trigger
Light primer strikes

These are issues for magazine-fed handguns in general, not the Shield Plus.

Also, let's do simple math. If we assume at there are 500,000 Shield+ models in circulation, at even a 1% failure rate, that means 5,000 Shield+ models are defective in some way. Out of that 5K, probably 4,500 are issues that are fixed with a replacement parts, and 500 are un-repairable.

The point is all gun makers put out defective products. Glock, H&K, Beretta, Colt etc. Your post assumes that all machines from reputable manufactures are always perfect... which has never been true no matter the industry.

And frankly, melodramatic posts are one thing, but recommending Taurus autoloaders over a S&W Shield is laughable.

I bought 4 handgun over the years at very reduced cost at an area forestry range off of ,, lets say owners that lacked experience in generalor lack the common sense to work thru an issue that could be an owner issue . 3 of those unreliable handguns ran fine after a detail cleaning , lubing were needed and use of a better ammo . One went home for some TLC and came back reliable now for 12 years as a carry handgun for a daughter .

Might have bought others if I did not have a range on our property now. Some that just look uncomfortable I will try to help but it can entertaining at times to just sit back and watch some handgun owners fumble around fill getting PO'd with new to them firearms or cheap junk problems prone ammo and just a lack of skills .

Yea, yea there are problems today and that well known what out some couchpotato running list of possible real problems and or owner issues . Might be best to cover your problems only.

Maybe I'll take a folding chair and go set at that ole forestry range again on a saturday and see if I bump into some mutt that wants to dump a shield plus for half price .

I have a Shield Pkus that’s been my daily carry since I purchased it in June of 2021. After about 1,500 rounds, I did encounter a problem where the slide would not remove for field stripping. This has been reported by others here and I believe it was a problem with the slide stop. The pistol was still otherwise functional.

So I made the phone call, received the return shipping label and sent it off. Three or four weeks later, it came back fixed. That was over two years and 3,500 rounds ago and the pistol has been fine ever since.

Would I have preferred never having had the problem? Of course. But did the company respond in a reasonable and prompt manner to make things right? Yes they did.

S&W semiautos and revolvers have been having more problems than other manufacturers. Yes, other manufacturers aren't perfect, and they might have some problematic firearms slip through that they later fix via warranty, but S&W has been having on going quality control and reliability issues seemingly at much higher rate. Of course they don't have to take things seriously because as you see in this very thread, many gun owners will rationalize and justify their failures as not existing because their example was okay, being over exaggerated, or being normal. It's not any of the latter. What it is at this point is inexcusable.

I've had two Shields so far out of the box with major failures as have many others. There are a plethora of issues that many have been having. Don't even get me started on Smith revolvers because it's agreed upon conventional wisdom that you're VERY likely to get one NIB with QC issues, thus you must handpick them out and inspect them thoroughly. Even S&W revolver fanatics will either refuse to own modern S&Ws, or they'll buy the newer stuff but will even concede that S&W has a bad QC problem.

Those who think this is normal and are making excuses need to raise their standards, and they are a part of the problem as they're enablers.

Where did you find the data? That would be interesting to look at. Thanks.

I’ve noticed a trend over the past decade or so on internet gun forums. On forums dedicated to a particular name brand of firearm, at least half the postings are doing nothing but trashing that particular brand. People seem to adore complaining.

The first four points in this post make me wonder why? Semi-auto handguns should be a mature technology by now. What tweaks are being put into new designs that make them go wrong? Is it because of patent issues, or is it change for change's sake?

As for recommending a Taurus over a particular model of Shield, maybe it has come to that. I recently bought my first Taurus, a TS9. I've yet to shoot it and the purchase was made because this pistol uses an interesting variation on the typical tilting barrel action. Like everyone else on the Web, I was disappointed in the feel of the trigger on receipt. After a bunch of dry firing, the trigger is perfectly acceptable, and certainly better than my M&P 1.0 pistols that have never totally smoothed out with time.


Trigger break-in with low cost, polymer pistols seems to be a thing with a lot of manufacturers. I've experienced it in another brand new pistol, something else I snagged just because it's different. It's what keeps costs down. There are notable exceptions to this. The two Caniks I have both came with good triggers out of the box, and my Grand Power Q100 has a stellar trigger for a $420 pistol.

__________________
Release the Kraken

Pushing the limits on how small and light a 9mm handgun can be seems to be causing a lot of the issues. Particularly if you actually shoot them on a regular basis.

I currently own a couple of M2.0 Compacts and used to own a Glock 19 and a Browning high power. All of which got shot on a regular basis and only failed when fed obviously bad ammo. They were reliable right out of the box and with every type ammo I tried.

My results with small 9mm guns has been mixed.

The Kahr PM9 I bought shortly after they came out worked great for a few hundred rounds and then started dropping magazines to a plastic magazine catch. Kahr sent me a metal replacement and the gun worked for about 500 rounds then started stovepiping or failing to feed. I new recoil spring helped but I sold it to someone that wanted it despite the issues.

The Glock 43 I replaced it with works well unless I try to use 147 grain JHP which occasionally jam on the feed ramp.

I bought a Sig P365 a couple of years after they came out and the initial problems had been supposedly had been corrected. After a few failures to return to battery during the first couple of magazines it worked great for few hundred rounds and theny started to fail to eject. I would get a double feed or the slide would lock back the empty case still in the chamber. Sig replaced the whole upper half of the gun and it has not failed since.

The Sig P365 XL has been reliable but the trigger is gritty and not as good as the other Sig. When new it also had a weird issue where if you try to check what the reset is like by dry firing the gun, holding the trigger back and pulling the slide it required so much force it was nearly impossible to do so. Didn't hurt reliability but seemed wrong. I don't shoot it any better than the smaller P365 and plan to sell it.

My Shield Plus has been reliable but came with a dead tritium capsule and the three extra 13 round magazines it came with would not drop free. S&W sent me a new sight and replaced the magazines but it was still disappointing.

There is a a limit to how light a conventional semi-auto handgun can be. The current micro 9s are pushing that limit pretty hard and are just not as reliable as larger guns. On the other end of the power spectrum larger handguns chambered in 10mm also seem to be pushing the limit. I have considered trying to carry my 2.0 Compact but its heavy enough I always seem to find an excuse not to. Despite the problems I am sticking with the smaller 9mm guns.

I've owned my Shield Plus for over a year and carry it daily. I have countless rounds through it without one failure of any kind. I have utmost trust in the gun.

A week ago I traded my 4 year old Sig P-365 in on the new S&W Equalizer. So far I have about 200 rounds through the gun, again without one failure. The grip safety is a non-issue and I don't even think about it when shooting the gun. It also has less felt recoil compared to my Shield +, even with 135 grain +P ammo.

I traded the 365 because it had a few intermittent issues, mainly failing to lock back on the last round. The other reason is the arthritis in my 80 year old hands appreciate the ease of racking the slide on the Equailizer. It will be my EDC once I get another 100 rounds through the gun. The holsters for my Shield fit the Equalizer and the magazines are interchangeable...another plus for the gun.

The first center fired gun I fired in my life, when I was 12, which was 1992, was a Smith & Wesson model 15 revolver from the early 1970's. Since then (until recently) I've held Smith & Wesson in very high regard.

I've owned my Shield 2.0 PC for going on 3 years and have carried it daily. I have thousands of rounds through it and easily 10k+ dry fires, all with no issues.

I upgraded to a Shield Plus PC for a slightly larger grip circumference and higher capacity. With a few range trips and cleaning after each, I had no issues. With another range trip, I had reached 500 rounds still with no issues so I decided it was ready to become my new EDC. I cleaned the gun and after reassembly, I began dry fire to function check. Something seemed off with the trigger pull and with a few more trigger pulls, the Shield Plus wouldn't fire, just a click and a pop. Something clearly was wrong. I disassembled it and found small bits of metal loose inside.

Long story made shorter...

After examining my new Shield Plus, my Shield 2.0, and another copy of the Shield Plus, I diagnosed the problem as a deformed trigger bar with a piece that sheered off the corner where it meets the sear.

I sent the Shield Plus to Smith & Wesson. They agreed that the problem was a bent trigger bar and they replaced it. When I got it back I immediately realized that the new trigger bar was also bent in exactly the same way.

When I called S&W, this time I encountered a customer service representative who had a bad attitude and hung up on me. So I called again, got a new RMA number, and sent it back to S&W along with notes and a picture of some cosmetic damage from tool marks that were left on my frame from the first repair.

Once the second repair was completed, when they created the shipment label, I immediately got an email from FedEx. I called them right away to see what the repair notes said. The customer service rep, a woman this time, told me that they replaced the striker and firing pin. Once I began to explain that the issue wasn't with the striker, she began interrupting me, raising her voice, and accused me of interupting her. I forget which one of us hung up on the other one.

I called back and got a different customer service rep to get a supervisor involved who then pulled it from shipping and put it through service again. That supervisor escalated it to the supervisor of their repair department who then personally examined my Shield Plus after the 3rd repair was completed.

Upon receiving it after the 3rd repair, they did replace the trigger bar with a good one, but that also comes with a new trigger shoe. I noticed that they didn't fix the tool marks they left from the first repair and that the new trigger wouldn't pull due to a stiff spring in the inertial safety. I called regarding the trigger and tool mark and encountered another customer service representative with a bad attitude who simply wanted to talk over me and yell, and then he hung up.

Afterwards I realized there was another issue which was that the safety plunger wouldn't reset on it's own. Naturally I called S&W again and I also brought up the subject of two defective 15rd magazines..

Despite my Shield Plus getting worse every time they touch it, it's now back at S&W for a fourth time and I've been told that the head of their engineering department as well as the head of their repair department are both working on it in order to make sure that it meets spec before it gets shipped back to me.

The newest, least experienced, and least sophisticated repair tech at S&W should be capable of ensuring that a gun meets spec before being sent back to a customer, but they don't. Furthermore, there should be some type of standards as well as accountability in their customer service department, but apparently there isn't.

The whole situation is unacceptable and inexcusable.

As it turns out, my situation is not unique. Many are having the same issues that I'm having with my Shield Plus and they're also having similar issues with S&W's customer service.

Unless something at Smith & Wesson changes, we'll continue watching a 171 year company with an iconic brand destroy itself. Sadly, we've seen that before.

It's tough to get good help.

That can be resolved (much faster than what you'd think) by firing fast and then hiring slow, based on qualifications and cultural compatibility.

Edit: There are rumors, now perpetuated by the YouTuber named Chuke, of S&W pursuing diversity requirements over qualifications as their hiring practice. With some of the major institutional investors who are involved with S&W, there potentially is a grain of truth to the allegation.

I can only speculate on what's happening, however I do know that diversity based on gender and race can be achieved while maintaining standards of qualifications and cultural fitment. Involvement and outreach in the grass roots of the local customer base is necessary. Too many companies approach the topic of hiring as if they're throwing tomatoes against the wall in order to see which ones stick, which obviously sets the whole organization up for failure.

Based on my professional experience and the experiences I've had with S&W's customer service and repair department, I'd say their problems reach deep into the management culture and dogma of company policy.

There's a lack of accountability, minimum expectations are not enforced, and toxic employees appear to retain their employment with the company. Employees don't seem to be empowered to affect change and they cannot communicate across departments. Information doesn't seem to flow well and appears to get quashed in a very linear chain-of-command style communication path. All of that tends to manifest with low moral and creates an environment where employees just don't care and that's because they can't do anything about the problems they encounter.

There's simply no valid excuses for what we're seeing happen at S&W

But they didn't use a Shield Plus. They'd still be here if they had.

My own has been flawless, although I admit I have only fired 400 rounds or so. All my own handloads. The magazine is tough to load but an Uplula solves that. After several cycles it gets way better.,

On MY Shield Plus, if I lock the slide to the rear without a magazine and no round in the chamber, the slide lock is very hard to use as a slide release. If the gun fires to empty on a empty mag, the slide lock works easily as a release. If I drop the magazine and then eject the round, the release is also very stiff. None of this matters to me since I use the slingshot method.

I don't think you appreciate how difficult it is these days to hire competent, willing to work staff. It takes time to train new employees. This is not confined to Smith & Wesson. Most companies can't find enough workers good or bad. You're living in a dream world if you think you can just fire and hire a problem away. Yes S&W has problems but I'm sure they're aware of them. These issues are more of a society that has deteriorated with far to many people with "I want everything free without any effort" attitude.

If you say so...

In my opinion and in my experience, it starts with good leadership.

They are a mature technology now and I argue that firearms in general are leaps and bounds better today than even 23 years ago. Nearly every budget bolt-action rifle is 1MOA right out the box, quality AR-15s can be built for under $500 with parts significantly better than an off-the-shelf model, and all the major manufactures have polymer striker-fired pistols that can take abuse that would make the 1911/BHP into paperweights.

It breaks down into simple manufacturing defects which are still much lower compared to the good old days before CNC and the fact the consumer is conditioned to expect a $500 price point for a polymer SFA that can be ran over with a tank in the mud, dug out, and then shoot a case of ammo without lubricant. They are outfits that will make you a custom Glock & Wesson & Koch for twice or thrice the prices to remove the trigger slop, but even then it's a wash for what you actually get for glorified parts swappers, not craftsman gunsmiths which generally are not needed for modern firearms.

And in fairness, I have a Shield Plus with the angled optic cut that ran out of elevation on my RDS. My options are call S&W and demand a replacement OR slide that is machined correctly or I spend $90 for re-machined slide and Cerakote on the optic pocket. Either way, in less than a month, I'll have a fixed handgun that cost me $350 and is built so much better than the crud of yesteryear and support unlike the dubious surplus Eastern European service pistols that littered the pages of Shotgun News.

I bought the M&P 2.0 Compact a few years ago from a friend and only use it for LEOSA qualification. No issues thus far but after reading through this thread I’m going to run a lot more rounds through it.

__________________
Old Cop
LEO (Ret.)

The M&P Compact, like the full size, is probably rock solid.

With the Shield Plus specifically, people should check two things. One is to make sure the trigger bar gets underneath the sear instead of just a corner to corner contact point. The other is to make sure the safety plunger can reset itself. To do that, just clear the gun, dry fire, go straight into slide lock, then pull the striker with your finger to see if it moves or if the plunger locked it back like it should.

Probably the plunger/striker block on all striker fired guns should be examined from time to time.

After seeing multiple photos from multiple people, I added another to the list of known problems

Magazine Spacer Split In Half - On extended OEM magazines (more than 10rds) the plastic spacer above the base plate can split in half, even without being dropped.

I believe that's old news that has been fixed a long time ago.

Yesterday in the private Facebook group called S&W Shield Plus a member created a thread with photos of his broken magazine... so it's either still happening or it's happening all over again. Numerous replies claim that the same happend to them.

On July 3rd on the forum called MP Pistol a user created a thread with photos showing the same problem.

Huh. Interesting. I started carrying Shields around 2017 and have had 3 (a) a 1.0; (b) a 4" 2.0 PC .45; and (c) a Plus. The first was flawless, the second never would feed well enough for me to trust it for CC and the Plus took about 150 rounds to break in. After that, it's had no problems whatsoever. I ordinarily avoid "first edition" guns because I don't want to be a beta tester. On the Plus, though, I pretty much ran out and got one as soon as I could.

Of all the problems listed in the OP, though, the only one that I've seen consistently reported on any of the gun sites I haunt (primarily The Firing Line, The High Road, and GlockTalk) is that the last round is hard to load into the magazine. (I have that problem with my own mags.) I have seen occasional mentions of the slide stop being hard to operate, and also of retention pins walking out, but as I said, those have been "occasional mentions," not "consistent complaints."

When did they purchase their examples though? Just because the post is recent doesn't mean that their examples were purchased recently or are recent stock. The July 3rd post you referenced was in 2022. The Shield Plus was released mid 2021. While I heard a handful of people say it happened to them, I recall seeing a thread or video of someone showing difference between the previous problematic mags that split and what S&W replaced it with......

I purchased my Shield Plus when they were doing a rebate back in 2022. I got the Bugout Bundle that came with the extra 13 round mags for a total of four, a bag, night sights, and optic cut. I have pics of the mags I received. I believe S&W was doing either $50 or $75 off or something like that as I only paid like $400.

Some of the mags I received have a flat matte finish and others a glossy finish to them. You can't really tell from the pics, but the two on the right are flat matte and the other two are more glossy. The difference is very noticeable in person.

As you can see, some of the followers crooked and the springs arw showing at varying amounts. This is from the factory.


The polymer follower on the mag on the bottom right only is being sratched and nicked up. The black squiggly line on the top left mag was there from the factory, but I'm not sure what it denotes.


I don't believe S&W manufacturers their own magazines. Most firearm manufacturers outsource magazine production. My guess is that what ever company or companies that was trying to keep up with demand dropped the ball. There's no way S&W can test each and every mag. The fact that the mags I recipe have different finishes (glossy and matte) leads me to believe the mags are being manufactured at different facilities.

Either way, I'm typically carrying my 686+ 2.5", Shield 45 PC, or Kahr K40. I don't trust or carry my the Shield Plus. My Shield 45 has been 100% except for the RSA which I plan of replacing with an aftermarket offering.

Either way, I'm typically carrying my 686+ 2.5", Shield 45 PC, or Kahr K40. I don't trust or carry my the Shield Plus. My Shield 45 has been 100% except for the RSA which I plan of replacing with an aftermarket offering.

The early 2014ish to 2019 Shield 1.0 and 2.0s 9mm and 40s&w had a strong reputation for trustworthiness and reliability. The Shield Plus, not so much. I believe part of the problem was COVID restrictions, being shorthanded, and having unprecedented demand. S&W manufactured over 2 million firearms out of mostly one facility in 2021.

I have had the 2.0 Compact since it was first announced so it's a VERY early one. Several thousand rounds no malfunctions at all and more accurate than my full size. I expect yours will be the same.

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Plastic has no soul

I purchased a 2.0 4" Compact when they first came out too. I've only put about a box or so through it in several years, but I have faith in it. I've completely broken it down as well frame and all, and nothing stood out.

I honestly believe their Q/A on their semiautos started to suffer more than usual when they moved manufacturering facilities and with the increase in demand with COVID from early 2020 until today.

Folks: The striker block is a safety backup to the seer. If, for some reason the seer doesn't catch the striker, the striker block ensures that the striker cannot, in any way, move forward and strike the bullet primer. The striker block MUST operate reliably on its own! It cannot rely on an operating control (the seer) to function to set it! If this was the case, then a malfunction seer would mean that the striker block is also not functional. I've owned several S&W striker fired pistols and the Shield Plus is the first one where the striker block relies on the seer to pull the striker back in order to set the striker block. This is not proper in any way and if this is how the striker block is designed to operate (as suggested by others herein) then this is a serious design flaw! I have sent my brand new, never fired, shield plus back to Smith & Wesson asking them to correct this situation on my gun. One other thing to note is that while I was at the gun store discussing this, they pulled their display model to examine it and the striker block wouldn't set even when the striker was manually pulled back!!

The only way I see a gun could function in your ideal way is if the striker return spring has enough grunt to push back the striker far enough to engage the striker block safety. Is that how most striker fired guns work? Somehow I doubt that is so or you would never get primer wipe.

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Release the Kraken

CouchPotato appreciate your post of Shield Plus problems; similar view points on YouTube.

I'm not a newbie to shooting, over 50 years, as far as handguns mostly K & N frame Smith's and 1911's. My first M&P 1.0 9 mm 4 1/4" barrel, then 5" Pro 9 mm then the Shield 9 mm 1.0. When Covid hit sold them off for the 2.0 upgrades, demand was high so worth it. Those 2019/2020 models were manufactured 2017 thru 2019, quality right out of the box.
Since Covid quality control and S&W customer service continues to struggle even after they relocated to Georgia. How simple can a striker fired pistol be to manufacture an still too many posts guys/gals having to return pistols to the mother ship 2 or 3 times. My brother has spent 2 months on a slide release with customer service and they continue to send him the wrong part, that's poor training/management. I do like the M&P grip, so close to 1911 but until S&W gets their act together won't touch them, too much travel time.

I have a 2.0 M&P 9mm. I had a Gen 1 Shield that I traded for my Shield Plus. I wish I would have kept the Gen 1 just because I liked it that much. All of them have been 100% reliable and I would trust my life with them. I guess I'm extremely lucky.

I have over 2000 rounds on mine, CCW it daily and only have the last round complaint or which is fixed with an emery board. My only unique first world problem is the added complaint that the factory grip textures irritates my skin with using a Vnsh deep IWB holster. Now I just need to determine if an MPO-DS will fit on a non milled model, because of course they released the optics ready model the week after I picked mine up.

Couchpotato,

While your post began 11/2013, what was the final outcome of warranty repairs on your Shield Plus?

Highly recommend Talon Grips. They eliminate the skin irritation but ensure a solid grasp on the pistol. They’re relatively inexpensive and last for years.

i agree!I have a model 500 mag,shield plus,model 66-8 2.75 barrel,model 69 2.75 and 4.25 barrel and no problems with either!

I just upgraded from Shield 1.0 to Plus and I'm looking forward to trying it out soon.

I rented a Plus prior to purchasing this one and I found nothing wrong with that one and hopefully nothing wrong with the one I just picked up.

As best I could, I checked out everything with this one, an optics ready version with night sights. Until I shoot it, hopefully tomorrow, I won't really know if everything works as it should, but I like the Shield in general and switch between my Sig P320 compact for carry. I plan to carry the Shield Plus with the 13 round magazine, as well as the P320. Will install a red dot soon - before spring.

Will post my initial results as soon as I get back from the range but if this one is anything like other S&W's I've owned, I expect nothing but good results.

I've had my Shield Plus 9mm for 3 years ?? maybe more. Being old, time is really flying by. I've shot about 800 rounds thru it with not single malfunction. I've tipped my canoe over in a lake while wearing it and spent a half hour in the muddy water before I could get out. I field stripped the gun, washed it with soapy water, rinsed it off well, put the pieces near a heater to dry over night. Oiled it pretty well, then put it back together. No harm done. I've dropped it on concrete twice. No harm done. It carries and hides well, is super reliable, I like the trigger, and I can shoot it pretty well. It has taken a while to get the magazine broke in so I can stuff all 13 rounds in it but that problem is gone. I'm a happy customer.