Any known reason for an apparent shortage of Shields?

[Lost Lake]

My brother had a hard time selling his XDS at the show with me and we both had to take a big lose. I only got $275 for my 2 month old Shield 9mm and he got $300 for the XDS. Cheap made pistols don,t hold there value. Used Glocks were getting $375-400 and they seem to hold value better being better made with a good track record.

Ouch!

Ooooo!

Wow!

"Cheap made pistols" -- Ooowww!!!

I'd have taken your cheap Shield for $275, but I'd have chuckled and called you a 'sucker' as soon as you were gone...

I sold a Shield for $600. I buy them for $335. If I can buy one for less than $300 I'm all over it like a cheap suit.

So far I think the Shields are very well built. I have an issue with their reluctance to return to battery, but aside from that they are a solid $400 gun.

I'd say they are economy guns, but very well made.

.

 

[S&WForty]

To take $275 for a pistol that in many areas still has people waiting in line for it is well...

The Shield and XDS are both fine pistols. As with any mass-produced item, they all are not 100% perfect.

 

[kodiakpb]

My brother had a hard time selling his XDS at the show with me and we both had to take a big lose. I only got $275 for my 2 month old Shield 9mm and he got $300 for the XDS. Cheap made pistols don,t hold there value. Used Glocks were getting $375-400 and they seem to hold value better being better made with a good track record.

You got taken to the cleaners for $275. I'm sure whoever bought it appreciated it.

 

[Smitty357]

My brother had a hard time selling his XDS at the show with me and we both had to take a big lose. I only got $275 for my 2 month old Shield 9mm and he got $300 for the XDS. Cheap made pistols don,t hold there value. Used Glocks were getting $375-400 and they seem to hold value better being better made with a good track record.

Glocks hold great value for plastic guns. But thats about the only thing u'll here me say thats remotely close to "good" about them.

But they dont hold value like good ole revolvers and nice made 1911's. But then again trying to compare a Block to old revolvers and 1911's is like trying to compare apples to oranges. They just dont make em like they use to. I personally could never trust a company who doesnt know how to build a revolver or a 1911 for that matter.

 

[kodiakpb]

But they dont hold value like good ole revolvers and nice made 1911's. But then again trying to compare a Block to old revolvers and 1911's is like trying to compare apples to oranges.

True

They just dont make em like they use to.

Not true, what you have is the advent of the Information Age (ie. Internet), and influx of new/casual shooters who don't know how to properly handle a polymer pistol. I'm not saying there are no problem Glocks today, but it is blown way out of proportion due to the above. Availability, brand recognition, coupled with price point means more of those weapons in the hands of new/casual shooters. Every manufacturer has problem weapons.

I personally could never trust a company who doesnt know how to build a revolver or a 1911 for that matter.

That makes no sense as you have readily admitted that they are "apples" to "oranges".

 

[N4KVE]

You got taken to the cleaners for $275. I'm sure whoever bought it appreciated it.

He didn't say who bought his gun. If he sold it to a dealer, he did well, as a dealer pays $325 for a new Shield. If he sold it privately for $275, someone got a great deal. GARY

 

[rags]

ci·vil·i·ty
səˈvilətē/
noun
1.
formal politeness and courtesy in behavior or speech.
"I hope we can treat each other with civility and respect"
synonyms: courtesy, courteousness, politeness, good manners, graciousness, consideration, respect, politesse, comity More

Carry on...

 

[Riflemann]

I ordered and paid in full for 2, 40 Shields last summer, they came in 5 and 7 months later. I paid up front to go to the top of my dealers list, when both guns came in, they were showing them to other employees and customers that were in the store when I came to pick them up since no one had seen any before. I really like this gun and carry it 95+% of the time.

 

[SmurfHunter]

He didn't say who bought his gun. If he sold it to a dealer, he did well, as a dealer pays $325 for a new Shield. If he sold it privately for $275, someone got a great deal. GARY

He got had regardless of who he sold it too. He could have made a lot more selling it privately away from the show.

 

[k31scout]

I bought my Shield and an RIA 1911 on gunbroker because they were never available locally. Paid $389 +$35 shipping for the NIB Shield a couple weeks ago and had it in 2 days. The dealer had 7 of them all listed at the same buy it now price. I bought an extra mag from S&W the same day. I had been on a local shops waiting list for over a year.

 

[AwfAxis]

Put 100 through my shield last night. Not one problem. Heavier trigger is something I need to work through, but the groups were consistent. I need to drift the sight a bit, but other than that, perfect.

I found it controllable with or without the extended magazine. I was surprised since I visualized it being hard to control without my pinkie in command. Live and learn.

 

[Lost Lake]

Back to the original question:

Why are Shields seemingly hard to find again?

Could the 'recall' or safety alert have anything to do with it? I thought someone posted that all Shields on the shelf were to be pulled until they were safety inspected. Maybe that created a blip in the flow of guns. Or maybe S&W retooled something and paused production...

.

 

[BuckeyeChuck]

There is a shortage, but not as much as one might think. The wait for a 9mm Shield as far as the dealer is concerned is weeks, not months. Often, a gun store will just sell what they just received to whatever customer happens to be standing there when it is unpacked.

That means money NOW as opposed to waiting around for someone who ordered it to get there, look it over, gripe about something, refuse to buy because of buyer's remorse, or because of another expense that the gun money got used on, or because they found one somewhere else.

Then the store has to call the next guy or gal, wait for them to come in and go through the same tired routine again. Why do that when there is a customer with cash standing right in front of the register? Presumably, the customer who ordered and never got a call is never the wiser, and just thinks they are that hard to get.

At my LGS, we pay full price for our order when we place the order. This is a simple and effective solution to the problem of "Why call when there is money right in front of you?" I already paid, so I'd better be at the head of the list. Turns out, I was. Or at least, I was on the list of those who would get gun regardless of who was standing there when it was unpacked.

I waited about 12 weeks for my Shield 9 to arrive.

 

[oldbill]

Lost Lake

Could the 'recall' or safety alert have anything to do with it? I thought someone posted that all Shields on the shelf were to be pulled until they were safety inspected. Maybe that created a blip in the flow of guns. Or maybe S&W retooled something and paused production...

That is essentially what I was thinking when I asked the question.

Even the online shops that normally have them are out of stock again.

 

[JohnBTCB]

Check the for sale section on this site. There is an ad with several for sale at a good price.

 

[oldbill]

Buckeye Chuck

At my LGS, we pay full price for our order when we place the order.

My LGS will not take a deposit, or payment, up front. I offered, they responded that it would not make a difference and would not take a payment. About April, I had a request in for a M&P 9 FS. It came in when I was out of state. They called and left a message on my Cell phone. I called them back to confirm that I still wanted it, but was out of state and would not be back for another week. They responed "No problem" we will hold it for you. They did.

 

[omastekola]

Yesterday I bought a Shield 40 at a gun show in Franklin Wisconsin. $399.99 Now I have to wait for the background check to be done. They should call me on tuesday. Saw several 40's and 9's while we were there. They were going fast, or so I was told. I find the background check to be irritating because I have several weapons, and 2 different CCW's, and still the check has to be done. I'm 64 years old, and this was my first gun show that I have gone to. I was told by a different dealer that 40 ammo at this time is cheaper than 9's. He admitted that it didn't make any sense to him, but that's the way it is at this time.

 

[rbuzz]

I'm kind of puzzled. I know the Shield has been in great demand and hard to come by but I've run into something that I am having a hard time understanding. First of all, I know the 9mm has been a little harder to find than the 40SW Shield, but both have been in short supply. Why is it whenever I find a NIB 40 Shield in stock, it has a manufacturing date that is 4 to 5 months old or older? It seems that if these things were so hard to get, they would be selling immediately. Why are they apparently sitting around for months?
From my experience with the purchase of several M&P firearms, rifles and handguns in the last year, because of the uptick in sales generally lack of availability means that they guns that you find for sale are usually recently manufactured. The M&P rifle and 2 M&P handguns that I recently purchased had a manufacturing date of only about a month prior to the date that I purchased them. What would account for a gun as popular as the Shield to have a manufacturing date several months old? I realize that if the seller is selling at an inflated price that may happen, but in every case that I have seen, the Shield is advertised at a reasonable price. Any ideas?

 

[solidtactical]

Most of the manufacturers only sell to dealers through a distributor like RSR, Sport South, or Chattanooga Shooting Supply. It takes time for product to move through these layers of distribution.

 

[S&WForty]

A lot or should I say nearly all of those posting in one of the Shield threads have test fire dates that are 2-4 weeks prior to their purchase date. It is odd to find one that appears to have sat around for a while!