Cracked slide on my 9mm Shield

[Rastoff]

Aren't the sights supposed to be tight? The entire M&P line are defensive guns. They are not bullseye guns. With that in mind, being within 1" of the target at 15 yards is plenty accurate. The point is, the sights don't need to be moved from the factory point of view. So, being tight is a good thing.

If the slide was damaged by using a sight mover, that is not necessarily because the sight was too tight. The tool could have been used improperly.

 

[Booboo357]

Sorry, that sucks.
I saw a crack on the slide rail in one of Hickok45's youtube videos. It was on an M&P40C, but it was in a different spot. here is the video. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OLFAt63aNbY
You can see it 5:50 into the video.

 

[tblt44]

I'm with the Hillbilly!! 8 M&P's, 2 Shields, and I've replaced internals, USB's on all of them... was it hard, yep... but then it's supposed to be. If someone has that much trouble moving a site, then....
1. they don't have the right tool or knowhow
2. they don't know what they are doing and ....
3. don't blame S&W for your shortcomings.. and one more thought...
4. I'll bet your wife or girlfriend secretly complains..

Sounds like some of you are loyal S&W owners.
Im not.
If you recieved a gun with the sight visually way off center like mine you would ask how it got thru.
I Will see if I still have the pic I sent smith.
Its the people working foe them.
I expect it to be closer out of the box.I didnt look at the sights till I short it.

 

[turbo38gn]

Sounds like some of you are loyal S&W owners.
Im not.
If you recieved a gun with the sight visually way off center like mine you would ask how it got thru.
I Will see if I still have the pic I sent smith.
Its the people working foe them.
I expect it to be closer out of the box.I didnt look at the sights till I short it.

Actually, no I wouldn't ask how it came through like that. I would shoot it, confirm it's location then adjust it if needed. I wouldn't whine about it here. Sorry, but that's how I roll. You can have a right to roll your way too.

And YES, I am a loyal S&W customer, but if they mess up bad enough to warrant a call, I call .... ...

 

[turbo38gn]

Sounds like some of you are loyal S&W owners.
Im not.
If you recieved a gun with the sight visually way off center like mine you would ask how it got thru.
I Will see if I still have the pic I sent smith.
Its the people working foe them.
I expect it to be closer out of the box.I didnt look at the sights till I short it.

one more thing..... where I come from ... we "shoot" it... never heard of "Shorting it"

 

[blujax01]

Sorry, that sucks.
I saw a crack on the slide rail in one of Hickok45's youtube videos. It was on an M&P40C, but it was in a different spot. here is the video. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OLFAt63aNbY
You can see it 5:50 into the video.

A different frame.

A different slide.

A different caliber.

A different crack.

A different circumstance.

While I understand your point, I would no more let the video you cite influence my impression of Shield quality anymore than reading about GM having trouble with the ignition switch in the Cobalt influence my impression of the Corvette. They share a nameplate, that's all.

 

[emory]

It is painfully obvious that this is the gunsmith's fault.

 

[wittmeba]

Once it leaves your hand and is out of sight you don't know what happened.

If it is not physical damage (marks from a hammer or vice) I think S&W offers a life time guarantee. Id contact them first. You have good pictures to send along with your request to make a claim.

Some links for Customer service and contact us:
Generic Error

Warranty Stations:
http://www.smith-wesson.com/webapp/...4_750001_750051_757819_-1_757814_757812_image

 

[Booboo357]

A different frame.

A different slide.

A different caliber.

A different crack.

A different circumstance.

While I understand your point, I would no more let the video you cite influence my impression of Shield quality anymore than reading about GM having trouble with the ignition switch in the Cobalt influence my impression of the Corvette. They share a nameplate, that's all.

I wasn't trying to make a statement of the Shield quality or of any other gun for that matter.

The OP asked if anyone has seen that before. And although not the same gun or location, it reminded me of that video and I thought I would share it.

However, it does show how things can happen. It may have or may not have been from the sight pusher in the OP's case.

You can also see in the video I shared that he didn't even notice the crack when he was showing the gun. So in the OP's case maybe his gun did have a hairline crack and he didn't notice it. The stress from the sight pusher could have made it more noticeable.

 

[Rastoff]

If you recieved a gun with the sight visually way off center like mine you would ask how it got thru.

It has nothing to do with whether or not I like S&W. It only has to do with the particular product in question.

I wouldn't complain about the sights until I shot the gun. Who knows, it may need to be off center a little.

 

[Hillbilly77]

Do you have a shield with almost unmovable sights.
Than you shouldnt comment.

I do have a Shield.

The sights were dead-on right out of the box.
I removed the rear sight to install an Apex USB.
The rear sight moved just as easily (just the right amount of difficulty) as any other M&P sight I've ever removed.

I admit that I haven't tried to move the front sight yet.

Well, I just installed my TruGlo TFO's.
The old sights came off and the new sights went on without incident.

I used a hammer and a brass punch. I didn't have to hit the sights very hard at all, other than the initial first smack on the front sight to jar it.

I'm sorry, but my Shield sights didn't come through with sucky quality.
My apologies.

 

[tonesurfer]

LOL. You have to ask? Gunsmith broke it. How nice of them to send it to S&W and file a warranty claim for you. Hope your gun gets fixed. If/when it does find another gunsmith.

 

[S&W45Colt]

I'm with the Hillbilly!! 8 M&P's, 2 Shields, and I've replaced internals, USB's on all of them... was it hard, yep... but then it's supposed to be. If someone has that much trouble moving a site, then....
1. they don't have the right tool or knowhow
2. they don't know what they are doing and ....
3. don't blame S&W for your shortcomings.. and one more thought...
4. I'll bet your wife or girlfriend secretly complains..

Yours didn't have a **** load of red locktite on yours did you? I've put on at least a dozen S&W M&P sights and had zero issues, till I tried to move mine, only to discover red locktite and bad milling on My Shield.

Heat helped with the locktite, but not the bad milling. I got them in place at a cost of a dinged brass punch, one broken sight pusher and a lot of effort. It might have been true in 1950 that every S&W came exactly the same out of the factory, but I'll guarantee you that's not the case today.

One guy's Shield Sights are no issue, the next guy gets a PIA. Mine's still a great gun, it was ornery to get the way I wanted it, but worth it. Tru-glo and Apex and it's a top notch shooter. Don't get me wrong, I'd still buy it again, I won't call it poor quality, as much as needing closer tolerances in acceptable frames. JMO.

Google the issue, there's plenty of comments out there on the subject.

 

[turbo38gn]

I believe there is probably a little trick that many miss when it comes to moving these sights.... actually not a trick but more like some basic mechanical rules. When moving an object in a tight position, be sure to secure the upper in a vise large enough and secure enough to not allow the impact from the 10lb sludge hammer to be spread out. You want the impact to stay right on the sight.. that's how you move em. A good sharp, direct blow with the proper sized hammer and punch, if you don't have the correct or quality sight mover..