Are the Shield RSA's fixed now?

[bigwheelzip]

I'd hate to jinx them, but has anyone else noticed that posts about the Recoil Spring Assembly failures on the Shield have ceased?
Considering the deluge of failure posts in the past, it seems that something must have changed for it to be so quiet now.
I have an RSA that replaced a failed one, and it's heartening to think that maybe its somehow better than the one that failed.

 

[Radco]

Good question. I am still on my Stock 9mm Shield RSA but do have a back up! And no I have not read any complaints on the RSA lately! BUT know you bought it up we will be flooded lol

 

[markmiela]

Bought a shield back in February. Do not see any issues with mine.


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[Spartan 2]

Bought mine 3 months ago. 375 rounds through it with no problems.

 

[martybee]

I bought mine in May of 2015; Have put over 2,200 through it with no issues. The RSA is as it was when I first got my Shield9. There is no sign of any damage what so ever.

mb

 

[coachray]

400 rounds through mine and so far so good

 

[Deadbug]

I bought mine in May of 2015; Have put over 2,200 through it with no issues. The RSA is as it was when I first got my Shield9. There is no sign of any damage what so ever.

mb

No issues here either: over 5,000 rounds on the original RSA without a hiccup. I swapped it out a couple of months ago with a new factory RSA (group-ordered last year with Robzguns--thanks Rob)
I keep the original (still looks good-as-new) as a spare now in my range bag. I do notice that the OEM replacement is much stiffer than my well-broken in original RSA.

 

[RobzGuns]

Bought mine in Apr 2012, with over 10K rounds and still using the original factory RSA. I do have a replacement, waiting for that day when the RSA gives up.

But yeah... It does seem like there are fewer complaints. While I don't know if S&W makes their own RSAs, or if they are farmed out to someone else... They must have had a bad batch that got dumped (mixed) into the 'parts tub'.

 

[exdetsgt]

Bought mine last year, no issues. I just make sure it's properly positioned before re-assembly. Don't know how many rounds through it as I don't keep track.

 

[bigwheelzip]

But yeah... It does seem like there are fewer complaints.

Not just fewer, but none at all lately. For a while, every few days there was a post about an RSA failure. One thread was from a guy who bought three Shields, and he posted pics of two of the RSA's that were broken straight from the box, unfired.
I'm glad that's in the past now. I was reminded of it because of two recent threads about Shield mag springs failing by folding up. Weird.

 

[PHolster]

I have over 6500 rounds through mine on the original RSA. No issues.

 

[swsig]

It's good to see that S&W apparently has the RSA issue solved. I bought my Shield 9 in May of 2015, and was one of the unlucky ones who had a bad RSA straight out of the box. The replacement was also bad (fell apart after one use). It took S&W three months to get me a good one. I now have two good RSAs, and my Shield has run well with both. It has over 4500 rounds through it, with no problems in the last 800 or so. It is still somewhat ammo sensitive, but has worked flawlessly with Lawman 124 FMJ, Speer Gold Dot 124+P SD, and Hornady Critical Duty 135+P SD rounds.

For a detailed account of my aggravating (but now somewhat amusing) experience of trying to get a good RSA for my Shield, you can read the following thread: http://smith-wessonforum.com/smith-wesson-m-p-pistols/432397-shield-rsa-one-more-time.html

 

[bigwheelzip]

I It took S&W three months to get me a good one.

My RSA also failed during the "Great RSA Drought" and also took three months to replace.
Saw the wisdom of having multiple guns for carry, in case one gets sidelined for an extended period.

 

[swsig]

My RSA also failed during the "Great RSA Drought" and also took three months to replace.
Saw the wisdom of having multiple guns for carry, in case one gets sidelined for an extended period.

That's what I did with my M&P 40c while my Shield was down. And guess what, my 40c has now become my permanent EDC. I got used to the 40c's greater bulk and weight, and carrying it now doesn't bother me at all. I also shoot it more accurately than I do the Shield, and with a magazine capacity of ten .40 cals vs. eight 9 mms, the 40c's advantage gets even greater. Finally, while the Shield has now become quite reliable, the 40c has had only one FTE and one failure to feed in 7100 rounds. I do carry the Shield on occasion, but the 40c's greater accuracy, hitting power, capacity, and reliability makes it my preferred EDC.

 

[getoff]

mines doing fine about 1500 into it... do however have a back up RSA just for you know whats and giggles.

 

[Shield9mm]

I have two shields both function without issues. I didn't know there was an issue with the RSA.

 

[bigwheelzip]

... while my Shield was down. And guess what, my 40c has now become my permanent EDC.

Yeah, same here. Shield went from EDC to back-up duty, after I got the replacement spring. Still, I'm glad the defect batch is in the past.

 

[SaintsDad]

I just picked up a brand new 9mm Shield to go with my FS and when I stripped it for its first cleaning I expected to see a polymer guide rod. But to my surprise it's steel. Build date is April 2016. Nice.

 

[Radco]

I just picked up a brand new 9mm Shield to go with my FS and when I stripped it for its first cleaning I expected to see a polymer guide rod. But to my surprise it's steel. Build date is April 2016. Nice.

Really thats good to hear. I got my 9mm Shield early this year and it was plastic ! I have not had one issue so far! Guess they finally figured out that it is better to spend a few extra pennies on their top seller

 

[shakyshoot]

I've never had any trouble with the RSA. I could be totally wrong, but I've always felt that at least some of the trouble was caused when people install the spring crooked on re-assembly. Then it jams the pistol, gets broken, etc. The good news is that on the Shield 45 there's a groove at the bottom of the barrel that creates a positive detent for aligning the spring. Hopefully this is a change they'll make to the 9mm and .40.