40 shield kabooms

[greg_r]

Purchased a 40 Shield. Was looking for a Taurus PT 740 slim. Bought the Shield spur of the moment. It felt better in the hand. Picked up a MTR Leather IWB holster and 2 extra magazines. This has become my favorite and is my EDC.

Now my concern. It seems that every time I come to this forum I hear another story about a 40 Shield KB. Seems like I have never heard of them anywhere but here. Only WWB and PMC through mine so far and no issues, total about 250 rounds.

I reload for all my other calibers, but this has me cautious about even buying dies for 40 S&W.

Kind of thinking I should have bought the Taurus.

 

[tim c]

I have the 40 and 9 shield and reload for both i have at least 2000 rds through my 40 no problems.Dont believe everything you read. I called s+w and they said nothing to worry about it has been mainly bad ammo problems.

 

[tim c]

remember there are a lot of manufacturers that compete with S&W and have lost sales since the shield came out. (just a thought)

 

[greg_r]

remember there are a lot of manufacturers that compete with S&W and have lost sales since the shield came out. (just a thought)

Yep, another manufacture lost my sale!

 

[tim c]

you won't be unhappy with your purchase. i love mine

 

[Ksimons]

I have been reloading for my FS .40 for about a year and just picked up about a month ago a shield .40 and plan to use the same reloads in it. It would be next to impossible to double charge a 40 as it would be falling out the top. That said I always check my loads on a regular bases. Also weigh my finished product..

 

[Waywatcher]

Just proceed carefully with reloading. Any reloading should be done with attention and care; .40 is less forgiving but also more rewarding.

I've had good luck using the Redding G-Rx die before resizing, using a medium burn rate powder (Power Pistol at close to starting loads), and about half-a-thou of taper crimp (barely perceptible with calipers.)

 

[timn8er]

"Now my concern. It seems that every time I come to this forum I hear another story about a 40 Shield KB. Seems like I have never heard of them anywhere but here. Only WWB and PMC through mine so far and no issues, total about 250 rounds." greg r

Something else you should consider is that these incidents are constantly being rehashed, creating a kind of pseudo snowball effect. The more its talked about, of course, the more momentum it gains. For instance, someone skimming through the posts sees "40 Shield Kabooms" & thinks wow, there's another one, & keeps going. I think that is one of the reasons that people's perceptions of the 40 Shield is negative, even when there are so many, including mine, that function without a problem. Anyway, that's my opinion, & I'm open to discussion.

 

[DocSunShine]

Don't use bad reloads, every instance of kabooms was caused by reloads or "custom" loads such as double tap, underwood or buffalo bore. Use factory loads (federal, Winchester, etc) and it would be extremely bad luck if you ever had a problem.

I have 100% faith in my .40 Shield, the kabooms and mag drop issues never effected my .40 shield or the owners of 3 other .40 shields I know well.

 

[greg_r]

I plan on using unique and cast 165 gr trunicated cone if I do reload for mine. Loads would be mild, just enough to cycle the action. Unique should fill the case to the point that an overcharge would overflow. I use unique in my 38 and 45 and have quite a bit of it.

 

[Rastoff]

I called s+w and they said nothing to worry about it has been mainly bad ammo problems.

Did you expect they would say anything else?

Don't use bad reloads, every instance of kabooms was caused by reloads or "custom" loads such as double tap, underwood or buffalo bore.

This is not true. At least two that I know of, happened with regular factory ammo; Winchester and Federal.

This is part of the problem with these kinds of things on the internet. People read some of the issues and make assumptions. I only care about the truth which is very hard to pin down. There are far more trouble free Shields than ones with problems. Even the ones that did have problems haven't caused any serious injuries. I wouldn't worry about it. Go enjoy your gun.

Also, from a reloader's standpoint, I have more faith in my reloads than any factory load. I control how their made so, I know they are done right.

 

[mailman390]

Check YouTube....there are many issues with the Taurus PT 740 slim extractor......I had one on order before I read a ton of reviews.....canceled my Taurus order and bought the Shield in 9MM. Couldn't be happier!!

 

[Smitty357]

U should take a trip over to some of the other manufacturers forums and u will hear the Kaboom stories also. Fact is, every manufacturer has had Kaboom problems. So the Shield isnt the first and i highly doubt it will be the last. Anything mechanical is prong to failure. If u are scared it may fail, u should go back to throwing rocks at the bad guys.

I've had my Shield .40 since the day they came out. I'm sure i have well over 10k rounds down range with it. And the weirdest thing is, it still shoots just as good as it did when it was new.

But to be fair, i'll say I did have a Glock that went Kaboom once. And i still own a Kimber 1911 that gives me fits. But just because the Glock went Kaboom before and my Kimber FTF and FTE pretty often. I still wouldnt hesitate to buy another one if my pocket book felt the need.

 

[Rastoff]

I've had my Shield .40 since the day they came out. I'm sure i have well over 10k rounds down range with it.

Wow, that's about 700 rounds a month. You shoot a lot.

 

[Smitty357]

Wow, that's about 700 rounds a month. You shoot a lot.

My ole lady likes to shoot, lol. When the woman is happy, the man is happy

I never was into these small pistols that much. I've always been a 1911 fan (still am). But my Shield has surely found its place in my family. I still bring a few of the ole pistols to the range with me. But 90% of the time we are running SD drills. So u could say i'm shooting my Shield lots.