Attempting to field strip the 9mm Shield

[Wagonmaster]

Just purchased a new 9mm Shield and trying to field strip it. I have the slide locked open and now the Instruction manual says to lower the yellow sear deactivation lever (visible inside the ejection port) down into the magazine well.
I don't see anything that looks remotely yellow. What am I missing or what should I be looking for? All the rest of the disassembly/assembly instruction looks very clear.

 

[Trons]

I don't do that. I use the "Glock" method. I lock it back, drop the take down lever, release the slide and pull the trigger (after confirming there is not a round in the chamber and there is no magazine in the firearm). Works like a charm every time.

 

[dfhawkins]

Once you have the slide remove via the "Glock" method, look down into the mag well from the top. On the sear side (backstrap side) you will see a yellow dogleg shaped wire which, when rotated down into the mag well will hold the sear flat and keep it disengaged from the striker assembly.

 

[Wagonmaster]

I see the dog-legged wire but undoubtedly the guy with the yellow paint wasn't at work that day. So at least I am looking at the right thing. Thanks for both sets of instruction. I'll give it a whirl. Sounds about like the disassembly of my Kahr CM9, pulling the trigger as the slide is removed.

 

[rwsmith]

Mine ain't yeller neither....

Threw me for a while, too. Looks like a bent wire.Catch it with small screwdriver and flip it down. It goes back up easy but I think inserting a mag will push it up, too.

 

[Wagonmaster]

I'm always worried about pushing on something I don't know just how hard it's supposed to be pushed on and may damage or bend something else.
And what's that little wire that sticks straight out about 1/2" when looking down the mag opening? At first I thought that was what I was supposed to push down but talked myself out of that since it didn't quite look like the picture.
The first time is always a puzzle.

 

[Jaysq]

Remember the yellow sear deactivation lever is a S&W Safety feature that you will be bypassing if you use the Glock method and pull the trigger. It is there to prevent the necessity of pulling the trigger. In my opinion, you cannot be too safe

 

[Bob O]

And what's that little wire that sticks straight out about 1/2" when looking down the mag opening?

That's the ejector. It doesn't move.

 

[swsig]

And what's that little wire that sticks straight out about 1/2" when looking down the mag opening? At first I thought that was what I was supposed to push down but talked myself out of that since it didn't quite look like the picture.

As Bob O says, that is the ejector. Directly below the ejector is the sear deactivation lever. It is the wire that is pointing up at the ejector as you look down through the opening. It will be right up against the sear housing. You can use a small flat-bladed screwdriver or the hollow end of a cleaning tool rod to rotate it down and out into the magazine well. It moves very easily, and rotates down about 80 degrees from vertical. It is a very strong wire, so you'd have to really abuse it to cause it to break or bend. It is quite easy to lower the lever after you've done it once, and, in my opinion, it is far preferable to pulling the trigger.

Good luck!

 

[OKFC05]

For whatever reason, I find using the sear deactivation lever on the Shield facilitates reassembling the gun, which you will find is a bit of a PIA compared to the FS models.
I have "fixed" some that would not go back together, just by following the S&W directions to use the sear disconnect lever.

 

[Wagonmaster]

Thanks guys. Looks like I'm starting my learning curve all over again after going through it with a Beretta .380 then a Kahr 9mm and now the Shield. Their all just a little different but still a lot the same, just have to learn where they are different.

 

[wahoo_oh]

[ame]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AqKFON-xdqo[/ame]

This might help.

 

[Wagonmaster]

Before I give up for the evening and go to bed I'm posting another problem. All I did was to remove the slide then without going any further I attempted to re-install the slide. The manual says to "push the slide stop up to engage the notch. Let the slide move forward to allow the slide stop to engage the notch" but I'm unable to even get the slide back far enough to engage the notch let alone being able to allow the slide to move forward any.

What am I doing that doesn't allow the slide to move rearward enough to even engage the stop notch let alone rearward enough to then move forward some to engage the stop notch?

Did my question make sense? In other words I'm unable to engage the slide stop because the slide lacks about 1/16" moving rearward enough. It just won't go any further back.
And I thought everything was going so smoothly.

 

[photoman]

Put an empty mag in the gun and install the slide by pulling back as if you are loading the gun. The empty mag will lock open the slide. You can then flip the take down lever.

When the guns are new, it's real hard to push up on the slide lock while pulling the slide all the way back.

 

[Super Blackhawk]

Just purchased a new 9mm Shield and trying to field strip it. I have the slide locked open and now the Instruction manual says to lower the yellow sear deactivation lever (visible inside the ejection port) down into the magazine well.
I don't see anything that looks remotely yellow. What am I missing or what should I be looking for? All the rest of the disassembly/assembly instruction looks very clear.

When I first got my Shield n tried to disassemble n reassemble it was an absolute bear n frustrating. First of all there was no yellow color on sear to push down, I later found it maybe yellow on other Mp models but not the Shield I had. I resorted to the Glock method of trigger pull until I was comfortable that I was pressing the right thing down. Also engaging the slide stop was very very difficult in the reassembly process - after awhile with empty mag in I could with much effort get the take down lever back into position. It took me 5-10 times to master this gun. But now I love it n learned how to dis n reassembly - it is not easy the first few times.

 

[Sigsavvy]

Not being able to get the slide all the way back is usually the result of the recoil spring assembly (RSA) causing some kind of a hang up. Make sure that the RSA is in perfectly straight when looking at it from the top and from the side. Also, try rotating the RSA a little at a time until you find that "sweet spot" where it doesn't bind. I usually found that the area where the flat spring is cut (at the chamber end) had to be pointing up at me when looking down at it.

I ended up contacting S&W and told them about it. They sent me a new RSA and I didn't have any issues after that. I since traded that Shield 40 for a Shield 9 and the new one does not have that issue either.

You might be told various methods for locking the slide back or to shoot it a bunch but when the RSA binds the slide stops and won't move any further. It is the weak link in the design for sure. Good luck!

 

[Wagonmaster]

Man, what an ordeal. Using a mag in the gun really caused the slide to hang up on the way back so gave up on that. Always have been aware that the recoil spring should be in place and perfectly lined up so tried rotating the flat spring till the open end was pointing up. Finally got the slide lock to work. Whew!
May be a day or two before I try that again.
Should I still contact S&W for a new spring or does the fact I finally got it to work take care of that idea?

 

[Sigsavvy]

Glad you got it to work. If you note the position of the RSA now it should work all the time if in the exact same position.

I had decided to call and got a replacement even though I had found the "sweet spot". The new one eliminated the binding regardless of the rotation so I took that to mean that the old one had an issue.

I would call and try to get a new one, even if it just becomes a backup. Maybe it will work a little better.

 

[NCW Ray]

Mine was tough when I first bought it too. Now I have no problem racking it back to engage the slide stop. I'm not sure if the RSA has loosened up a bit or if I've just learned how to rack the slide with authority. I think in my case it's probably the latter!

 

[Wagonmaster]

I'll try it again in a day or so when my fingers get over the soreness from the slide. I should have quit sooner and posted my problem earlier but didn't want to sound like a ninny. Maybe for a time or two I need to be wearing my leather garden gloves on the slide racking hand.
Appreciate all the help, I flat didn't know what to do when the lock wouldn't catch on the slide