Broken Or Break in?

[TimmyRay]

Hello everyone, I'm new to the forums here. However I have experienced a new issue with my shield that I am a bit worried about. Yesterday I ran some tula ammo through my .40 Shield and it jammed up twice. I was able to get the slide open and did not think much of it however I noticed a bruise on my thumb and decided to take the gun down for further observation. The backplate is chipped slightly, the trigger no longer makes an audible reset and the takedown lever is harder to use, in some cases it even fails to automatically click back into place when I rack the slide back.

Could I possibly have had a minor kaboom? Or is this part of the break in process?

I love this little gun, and really hope it isn't broken.

 

[Saudade]

Impossible to tell without pictures. Field strip it, clean it, post some pics.

 

[TimmyRay]

Impossible to tell without pictures. Field strip it, clean it, post some pics.

Here are a few pictures. I cleaned it and its still to no avail. It still seems to be having the same issues.

 

[tonesurfer]

Only thing on your list I have experienced is the take down lever not wanting to snap back into place all by itself. Sometimes it does, sometimes it doesn't.

 

[CaptRon956]

Tula ammo?

Is that the steel cased stuff? if so then I would suggest never shooting steel case ammo in a pistol... The reason why is the steel casing is coated with lacquer as a rust preventative.
The lacquer would liquify when the barrel chamber heated up and then it would quickly harden again. That old lacquer was akin to shellac.
The extractors had to work hard in order to yank those sticking cases out of the barrel chambers and that would sometimes snap the extractor head.

 

[ussoldier1984]

I second that Tula ammo is garbage.

 

[Rustyt1953]

Welcome Timmy. I have read enough questionable comments on this forum about Tula that I avoid it.

There are too many good ammo manufacturers out there to risk a problem with steel cased ammo.

 

[Dandecoteau]

I disagree with tula ammo being ****. It's just a little dirtier, that's all.

There have been plenty of tests with Tulammo and the results are that its inexpensive range plinking ammo.

I'm not an ammo snob whatsoever, if it goes bang, I shoot it.

I've never had a single malfunction with Tulammo. It's 100% fine as range/plinking ammo.

I shoot it in my shield, my AR, my 92fs, my glock 21, etc. and haven't had any ill effects yet, besides it being dirty.

Your problems with your shield jamming could have been from many things including limp existing, not being well lubricated, faulty parts, or defective firearm.

Good luck.

 

[Bkreutz]

Here are a few pictures. I cleaned it and its still to no avail. It still seems to be having the same issues.

From what I can see, that looks pretty dry, try putting some more lube on the shiny spots. (your manual will show where to add lubrication). I won't even reload Tula brass, when I find it in my range pickup it goes into the scrap bucket. (That's just me though, too many years as a "cold warrior" I guess)

 

[DocB]

Being a member of this forum has been such an educational experience for me. . .from canted barrels to guns that just plain don't work. It just reinforces my buying parameters to buy Smiths that were produced before about 1990. Yes, I have bought a few new Smiths. Now I am a little bit worried about their future performance and durability.

 

[SteedGun]

TimmyRay,

After a good clean and lube that Shield should dry fire and reset just fine. If it does not then you probably want to call S&W customer support. I am sure they have a few procedures they can run you through to check it out. You really don't want to shoot any gun with something amiss especially a high pressure round like the 40 S&W.

Good luck. The Shield is a great gun but all guns can have issues.

 

[1hatchet]

TimmyRay welcome to the Forum good people here.

You have a lot going on here it may be time for a trip to the mother ship (S&W).

 

[liberty -r- death]

I would say possibly broken. There should not be a chip in the rear cover of the upper. I would see if warranty will cover it.

 

[TimmyRay]

Thank you everyone for your advice, I took it to another gunsmith to look it over, and I viewed multiple youtube videos closely inspecting each shield and they seem to have the same wear on the backstrap of the slide. I oiled the rails a bit more as well as the trigger spring and the reset returned to normal. The takedown lever also snapped back into place as it was supposed to. I ran another 50 rounds of magtech through her and 20 winchester whitebox hollowpoints...she didn't hiccup once. I'm going to say it was the ammo with a slight bit of improper maintenance on my end, but she is quite healthy.

here is my video from a couple days ago maybe you guys can spot an issue with me limpwristing?
[ame]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ancyRnbPDY0[/ame]

 

[Bkreutz]

Good to hear you got it worked out. I watched your video and you looked pretty uncomfortable with the recoil and kept switching your grip around. If you can find someone at the range who is experienced, maybe they can give you some pointers. Or if you live in the North end, we could meet at my range (West Coast Armory North in Everett) I'd be glad to help. PM me if you want to.

 

[WR Moore]

Glad you got your problems solved. I do have to confess I'm a little puzzled at some of your terminology. I've never known a slide to have a "backstrap". Are you referring to the slide end cap at the back of the slide?

Watching your video I notice two things: the firearm displays quite a bit of muzzle rise at times and you keep repositioning your hands after each shot. I believe that you don't have your hands positioned properly and/or a firm enough grip on the weapon. Remember to use isometric tension on the arms: push out with the firing hand, pull back with the support hand.

The firearm should be positioned so that the slide is an extension of the bones of your forearm-pretty much centered in the web of the firing hand.

 

[martybee]

"Practice!, Practice!, Practice!"
You will get there.

mb

 

[liberty -r- death]

Glad to hear it was nothing major. Happy shooting!

 

[Rastoff]

Could I possibly have had a minor kaboom?

Absolutely not. There are no minor kabooms. If you had one, it would be catastrophic and you will know it.

Or is this part of the break in process?

There really isn't a break in period. I do believe your assessment is correct and you got some ammo that your gun was not happy with.

I agree with Bkreutz that you're adjusting your grip more than should be necessary. I don't think you have a "limp wrist" problem. The gun isn't moving much as you shoot. At least not more than normal.

Take a look at this pic:

See how the gun is in line with my forearm? You are using the isosceles stance which puts the gun at an angle with your forearm. By aligning the gun as I have in the pic, the recoil tends to affect the grip less. This is due to the forces going in line with the arm.

It may feel a little strange at first, but give it a try.

 

[PirateJim]

TimmyRay, Rastoff has a very good point. But watching the video I couldn't tell if you were simply adjusting your grip, or if you were pushing the magazine back in (reseating it). If it's popping loose, check if your grip is somehow pressing the the release button.

To add just a little to Rastoff's suggestion, to get the gun in line with your arm, instead of standing square to the target, try turning a bit to the right, your right arm will be more extended across your chest and the left more bent, but it can still play an important support role.

Welcome to the forum, and let us know how things are going!