Advice on my new shield .40

[Garnet]

Just back from a quick trip to Springfield (I live near Hartford, CT) and dropped the Shield off at the guard gate. Now the waiting begins.

 

[ccpacker]

Trade it for a M&P 40c,9mmc,or 45c problem solved.

Fantastic smart and so intelligent post to a guy having some issues with his gun. Thank you soooo much.

 

[seattle911]

It will be interesting to see if this is a widespread problem with the 40s or is relatively isolated. I shot my new 40 Shield for the first time today (May 17 cartridge fired date). I put 150 rounds through it, including 50 self-defense rounds. Flawless performance and no issues, as of yet, with the mag dropping. Will continue to evaluate before carrying this gun as I am concerned about the reports of mag catch failure.

 

[Shielded]

I seem to think that on this & other threads the .40's are the ones having this prob, correct?

 

[seattle911]

Based on my limited reading, that appears to be the case but I am still uncertain. Would love to hear from more 40 Shield owners who have several hundred or more rounds through their guns and get their input.

 

[CJ.]

I seem to think that on this & other threads the .40's are the ones having this prob, correct?

Which problem? The mag dropping or the slide locking?

If your talking about the slide locking/sticking, I know of a couple of 9's that had the slide problem.

 

[psnyder165]

I have the 9mm Shield, and from the first few rounds I put through it, the magazines would disengage and drop with every shot I fired. This happened with both magazines. I called S&W customer service, shipped it back to them, and got it back in 2-3 weeks, with a note that they replaced the magazine release. I've put about 250 rounds through it so far without another issue.

Despite this one little hiccup at the beginning, I love this gun. It has become my go-to carry gun.

 

[Jchadmullins]

Mine was returned from smith yesterday. I'm out of town until tomorrow. I will let you know how it looks when I get back and what they said they did.

 

[Garnet]

S&W called yesterday. Shield should be delivered Monday. Gal on the phone said they replaced the magazine release catch.

 

[Jchadmullins]

Smith said mine was in spec and sent it back. Must be me??? No problems with my 9mm but the 40 is for sale at my lgs.

 

[Fabius]

Bought a .40 Shield yesterday and took it to the range today. Had mag drop problems with both mags. Mags dropped on probably half of the shots. Very frustrating. I'm a huge Smith and Wesson fan, owning 2 full size M&Ps, a compact and an AR. All have been flawlwess. Thie Shield is, unfortunately, worthless until the mag drop issue is resolved.

I'll try another trip to the range tomorrow, but based on the comments here it doesn't sound like a break in issue. Hate losing the gun for three weeks to fix a problem that Smith should have detected and corrected during development.

 

[Jchadmullins]

Shoot it one handed. Also I assuming you are right handed move your thumb on your support hand up rotating the support hand a bit. No problems when I shot mine that way but I can't be that careful in a defensive situation changing my grip to make the pistol work for me. And that's why I no longer have it.

 

[dbbrooks]

Delay that purchase

Well, I'm really glad I read this thread. I have the 9 and was going to get the 40 but I think I'll wait awhile. Thanks to all.

 

[mbschopp]

Jammed and locked

Fired a few rounds through my new Shield .40 and found it jammed up on a regular basis. Later on I found that I couldn't break down the weapon for cleaning. The slide lock wouldn't engage. Oh well, I heard the S&W warranty repair centers were good. It's on the way for replace or repair and I will hope for the best. It's a sweet little piece and very accurate. I hope they can resolve my issues soon.

 

[Garnet]

My .40 was returned from S&W. Enclosed documentation states "REPLACE MAG CATCH RANGE TESTED/MEETS SPEC". Took it to the range, only had 60 rounds of .40 in my range bag. It fired all 60 with no issues.