45 Shield - Is this a problem?

[justsaymo]

I've had this pistol for a little over a year and it probably has 300-500 trouble free rounds through it. The button on the front of the recoil spring assembly is protruding more than it had originally. It is running fine. Is there away to adjust that or is it defective?

 

[Murphy's Law]

I don't have the 45 Shield......but do have the Shield in 40 and what you speak of is definitely flush and would think it would be the same on your 45. Others will chime in that have the same cal.

 

[swsig]

Yes, it looks like a problem. The same thing happened to me with my Shield 9. The front retainer disk of my recoil spring assembly (RSA) came loose just as yours has, and my RSA flew apart upon its removal from the slide. It was not repairable. The only thing holding your RSA together now is the combined fore and aft pressure from your slide and barrel lug. If you take your RSA out of the slide, be sure to wear safety glasses, because if your RSA flies apart, it will do so violently, and that front disk will become a high speed projectile. Call S&W customer service asap and describe your problem. They are very familiar with it, because they had a batch of these about three years ago. They'll send you a new RSA right away. Good Luck!

 

[Doogie85]

Don't know if what you have going on is a problem or not, but it's flush on my Shield 45.

 

[RobzGuns]

If in doubt, call S&W CS, tell them you need a replacement RSA for your Shield45 (you do NOT need to go into detail).
If they have them in stock (I haven't heard of any RSA shortages going on), they will send you a replacement, most likely, for no charge.

If the picture is of your Shield locked back, that apparent small gap between the disk and the inner rod, should not be there.

 

[jstanfield103]

Definitely be calling S&W on that.

 

[markyboy57]

Call and get a new one, mine broke the same way. This is a weak point in this model. I will not carry this gun because of it. Which sucks, because otherwise it is great.

 

[Harper]

On a similar note, i just got my Shield 45 about a week ago and was surprised at how loose the RSA fits when placed in position. It styas put okay, but I am used to having to compress it in my Shield 9 to fit it in its little slot on the barrel. This RSA on the 45 just slips right into the notch with little or no compressing.

 

[SATX]

Call and get a new one, mine broke the same way. This is a weak point in this model. I will not carry this gun because of it. Which sucks, because otherwise it is great.

Mine broke too. It shot fine at the range but came apart when I broke down the gun to clean it. This has been a problem for a while now, you’d think S&W would have changed something to fix the issue by now.

I called them up and they sent a new one.

 

[Bozz10mm]

It looks like that retaining "button" is working it's way out. That is where mine came apart after only a couple hundred rounds. I talked to S&W customer service and they sent a new one. No hassle, no charge.

 

[Popeye77]

Mine is flush also

 

[justsaymo]

Thanks for the responses and advice everyone.

I called S&W they said they'd mail me a new RSA. Quick and easy.

 

[Real Old Navy]

DO NOT SHOOT THAT GUN! RSA Recoil Spring Assembly...also Guide Rod. If like on my Shield 9mm 1.0 it is a polymer rod (captured spring)...The first thing I did to my Shield 9mm was change out the polymer RSA for a SS Stainless Steel Guide Rod(brand name) which is a uncaptured spring... the rod is threaded stainless steel and the button is an allen head. I changed out my RSA even before I fired my gun for the first time...just didn't like the idea of a polymer guide rod (RSA)...And Yes I knew about the captured versus the uncaptured problem. There are a couple of different brands available. Made it easier for me to rack the slide also. Some guys say not to go with a weaker RSA as it wear's other parts of the gun out faster...maybe maybe not....guess it would depend on the ammo you shoot. And YES I think it's a design flaw that S&W is well aware of...which is why they'll send you a new one ...quick! But they need to re-design the RSA.

 

[edubbie]

My Shield 45 is flush also. I was not even aware this was 2 pieces. Is the end piece pressed on or screwed on?

OP's pic:

 

[edubbie]

SS Stainless Steel Guide Rod(brand name) which is a captured rod... the rod is threaded stainless steel and the button is an allen head.

Yes I knew about the captured versus the uncaptured problem.

Navy, can you explain captured vs uncaptured?

 

[SATX]

You can’t slide the spring off of the guide rod on captured spring.

 

[Real Old Navy]

Correct....on an aftermarket uncaptured RSA (or recoil reduction system) you can change out the spring which will effect recoil On the S&W OEM the button is press fitted in and the spring cannot be changed...and the more you shoot the sooner that button starts pulling out The aftermarket recoil reduction rods come with spring pressures anywhere from 15-22lbs (the one's I've seen). some come with more than one spring for different pressures. Some say if you use a recoil reduction system the decreased spring pressure allows the slide to slam back harder on the other internal workings of the gun wearing them out quicker. I don't know if changing to a Recoil Reduction Guide Rod System (RSA)voids the S&W warranty or not....I would venture to say it does. But...I just think S&W could have come up with something better than a polymer Guide Rod with a pressed in spring retainer. Also some of these Recoil Reduction Sytems are dual springs some are single...I don't think any of them have a pressed in spring retainer into a plastic rod. Have I totally confused you, sorry I moonlight as a rocket scientist sometimes.

 

[swsig]

As one who has had considerable experience with defective Shield RSAs, I certainly concur with the need for a redesign. If you're interested, you can read the story of my maddening/amusing adventures in Shield RSA-Land here:
Shield RSA one more time

I'd hoped that once the RSA crisis had subsided in 2016, that would be the end of it. I'm saddened to see that there are still Shield owners having problems. There is nothing wrong with the principle of the dual-spring retained RSA concept. My SIG P320 9mm/.357SIG uses RSAs that are very similar to the Shield's, yet there are few complaints about them from SIG owners. My P320 has 4,500 rounds through it as a 9mm, and 4,500 rounds through it as a .357SIG, both with zero issues with RSAs (or otherwise). To be fair, my Shield .45 has 5,800 rounds through it with no RSA issues either (so far). The main problem with the Shield RSA is the retention system for the front retainer disk. Far too many of them have popped off. My suggestion is that S&W purchase a P320, take apart its RSA, determine how it's held together, and redesign the Shield's RSA accordingly. Alternatively, they could just buy them from SIG. Whatever S&W does, they should make it a priority to bring to an end a problem that has existed since the Shield was introduced.

 

[markyboy57]

The problem is the button is pressed in. The pressed in section is knurled and that is all that retains it. They could spot weld it when assembled and it would never come apart, or put the end through a washer and peen it over like a rivet. I think it's great that they replaced it so fast, but if they keep breaking, what good is that! I bought the gun for CCW, not one to bring to the range once in a while because you can't rely on it. My 6 glocks have never failed this way. I would never hesitate to carry one of those. It really sucks because otherwise this is a great pistol, small, accurate, easy to conceal, plus comfortable to shoot. This really disappoints me. I think they are really dropping the ball on not doing a redesign on such a small and probably very cheap part. They probably will lose more in replacing the stupid things than just fixing the problem. They redesigned the whole line with the model 2.0, yet did not fix this. Sorry for the rant, just really bothrers me seeing a good company making a poor decision. Especially since these are probably their best selling firearms.

 

[Rastoff]

If like on my Shield 9mm 1.0 it is a polymer rod (captured spring)...

Weird. I've never seen a polymer recoil spring assembly (RSA) in a S&W. None of mine have them. Do you have a very early model Shield? The RSA rod in my Shield is steel.