M&P SHIELD 0.40 CALIBER MAGAZINE DROP PROBLEM POLL

[glocknug]

My Shield 40, serial number DXV, was having the mag drop issue. I sent it back to S&W and after a week and a half, got it back two days ago. They said they replaced the mag release and all of my mags. The mags fit a lot tighter, and they now have a lip on them where it contacts the mag release.

I took it out shooting today. I put over 350 rounds through it. No mag drops, no FTF, etc. I was very pleased. Several people shot it and nobody had any issues. I am now very confident that the issue has been fixed

It seems as though S&W came up with a solution to everybodies problem. I hope everybody else is as lucky as I was!

 

[RockBottom]

I have been following this thread with great interest, being a .40 Shield owner. This morning I decided to call S&W and inquire about the issue. Did not get the same of the service rep. I stated I had heard of the mag drop issues and wanted to make sure that 1) they knew about it and 2) my gun was not affected. He stated they knew about the issue and asked me how many rounds I have through the gun. I told him 500+ and he said if I had not had an issue yet I should be fine. To confirm, he asked for the serial number of the gun. He looked it up and said it was "produced this year" and none in that batch were affected. Serial number is DXT25xx. I wonder if he was just blowing smoke. Maybe another owner not having issues should call and inquire about the mag drops. Just a thought.

Aren't all Shields "produced this year"??? Or did they start ramping up production pre-rollout all the way back to 2011? If not, he was definitely blowing smoke.

 

[WrongWay]

I have been following this thread with great interest, being a .40 Shield owner. This morning I decided to call S&W and inquire about the issue. Did not get the same of the service rep. I stated I had heard of the mag drop issues and wanted to make sure that 1) they knew about it and 2) my gun was not affected. He stated they knew about the issue and asked me how many rounds I have through the gun. I told him 500+ and he said if I had not had an issue yet I should be fine. To confirm, he asked for the serial number of the gun. He looked it up and said it was "produced this year" and none in that batch were affected. Serial number is DXT25xx. I wonder if he was just blowing smoke. Maybe another owner not having issues should call and inquire about the mag drops. Just a thought.

He was blowing smoke. My ser. # is DXX---- and mine has the problem. Guy I talked to said this was the first time he had heard about it.

 

[BobFr]

Mine is SN DXXxxx, and has the extended mag drop issue also.

Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 2

 

[Bengal Bruce]

I was not having any problems and went to the range to see if I could re-create the problem for myself. Low and behold the mags did start dropping on me!

My serial starts with DXX.

I have been using the .40 Shield as my EDC and wanted to make sure everything was working flawlessly. Damn, now I don't trust the gun and will have to send it back to Smith for repair.

 

[Dragon88]

I didn't read through this entire thread, so it may have been discussed already. Is this problem mostly occurring with the extended magazine? If so, it's possible the magazine is being pulled out of the gun by the shooter's pinky finger under firing. Many people wrap their pinky very tightly around finger extensions, and the stiff recoil of a tiny pistol can be enough to overcome the strength of the magazine catch. The heavier upper portion of the pistol flips back, while the pinky and magazine extension region remain relatively fixed, prying the mag out. This was an issue with a Keltec PF-9 I used to own.

 

[turbo91awd]

same thing

have same problem not as worried as i am about other issues with the gun gonna contact smith monday!!!

 

[Fabius]

The problem is with both mags, but more common with the extended mag.

However, S&W appears to have developed the fix. The new mags that were returned with my gun and were modified as described in my earlier post appear to work. Went to the range this afternoon and put 120 rounds of Federal 180 grain FMJ through the gun. Both mags performed flawlessly.

No mag drops at all. Before the modification, both mags were dropping anywhere from 30% to 70% of the shots. Now, not a single mag drop through 120 rounds, including rapid fire sequences.

I'm a happy camper, particularly because now that I'm not fighting mag drops and FTFs, i was able to appreciate how well the gun points and shoots for such a small pistol. Perfectly comfortable to shoot, shoots to POA and easily managed recoil considering it is a .40 cal cartridge in a subcompact package. I'm going to enjoy carrying this one.

 

[MacDanny]

The new mags that were returned with my gun and were modified as described in my earlier post appear to work. Went to the range this afternoon and put 120 rounds of Federal 180 grain FMJ through the gun. Both mags performed flawlessly.

I'm a happy camper, particularly because now that I'm not fighting mag drops and FTFs, i was able to appreciate how well the gun points and shoots for such a small pistol. Perfectly comfortable to shoot, shoots to POA and easily managed recoil considering it is a .40 cal cartridge in a subcompact package. I'm going to enjoy carrying this one.

Fabius,
Same general report back from me. Range yesterday with my Shield40 using the modified magazines back from S&W and no issues. I, however, only tried the extended mag but put 100 rounds through. No drops. No FTEs/Stovepipes. I shoot at an indoor range that sells their own ammo, so had to use Blazer 165gr TMJ. No issues. But, as you point out, toward the end I was able to get a feel for the gun and was putting multiple shots in the red from 5 yards. Started to get some groupings.

That said I'm not as happy as you are overall, however. I only own 2 pistols and just think that when you purchase something like a firearm it should work "correctly." Guess I'm a bit hypocritical because I'm keeping the gun after the whole ordeal. Don't feel comfortable selling it. Put some Talon grips on it last night to boot.
Actually glad to hear/read your comfort in the gun knowing yours had the same issue as mine. It helps. Hopefully over time my initial confidence and comfort with the firearm will return.

 

[Fabius]

That said I'm not as happy as you are overall, however. I only own 2 pistols and just think that when you purchase something like a firearm it should work "correctly." Guess I'm a bit hypocritical because I'm keeping the gun after the whole ordeal. Don't feel comfortable selling it. Put some Talon grips on it last night to boot.
Actually glad to hear/read your comfort in the gun knowing yours had the same issue as mine. It helps. Hopefully over time my initial confidence and comfort with the firearm will return.

MacDanny - I've owned all sorts of fullsize, compact and subcompact pistols and each size involves compromises. Full size tend to be more reliable, more accurate but harder to conceal. Compacts are easier to conceal, but harder to shoot accurately and can be less reliable.

Subcompacts tend to come in less powerful packages - .380 typically because they can use a straight blowback design for the action in a .380. At 9mm and above you need locked breech, short recoil action, which has more parts and is harder to fit in a subcompact and more prone to malfunction if you do. There is a reason why we are only recently seeing subcompacts from major manufacturers chambered in 9mm, .40 and now even .45.

What i like about the Shield is that the action appears to be totally reliable. I can insert a magazine on a closed slide and operate the slide by hand, riding it forward all the way, and the round still chambers every time. My 1911 won't do that and my Kahr CW9 wouldn't either (traded it for my 9c because of that). That tells me that as long as the mag stays in place the gun will be just as reliable as my larger pistols and probably more reliable than my 1911.

Also, because of the tight tolerances, compact and subcompacts typically require a breakin before they can be considered reliable. Both my Kahr and M&P 9c took 250+ to breakin. The Kahr owners manual tells you not to consider the gun reliable until after 250 - 300 rounds.

I'm happy because I have a subcompact .40 that, during its breakin period, but 120 rounds downrange without a hiccup.. Other owners are reporting the same. That is a significant engineering accomplishment. The mag drop was a simple fix. Getting a subcompact .40 to feed and extract reliably is a much harder challenge. It looks like S&W has solved the engineering problems for that. We'll see.

 

[Michigan Ron]

My DXV Shield is Fixed -- Works Great So Far

I got my Serial Number DXV____ Shield .40 back. The paper work said that the mag release was replaced and mag was replaced.

It now has a noticeably more positive, “good-feeling” mag engagement than before (on both the 6-round and the 7-round mags), but the release button force is still just right and the release itself is smooth and clean. Also, the extension sleeve or “boot” on the new 7-round mag fits much more snugly. Perhaps the mag's "body" was too small on some of the original 7-round mags.

Took it to the range after receiving it back from S&W and put about 150 rounds through with zero problems. A few hundred more flawless rounds and I’ll start trusting it for concealed carry. I’m glad they were able to fix it because it is a good shooter – very controllable, handles well, with good accuracy for such a small, short-barreled gun.

I'm a happy camper so far -- hope things stay that way. Good luck to all on getting yours fixed.

 

[MacDanny]

Fabius,
Thanks, man. Many, obviously including you, are WAAAY more experienced and knowledgeable then I and it helps me tons when people like you explain more. It just seemed to me that others (serial # DXP, DXT) had pistols that "worked," and I got one (DXV, DXW, DXX) that was incorrectly put together - but made to function with a funky work-around. That's all I knew. It was my second handgun and just seemed second-rate somehow. Bugged me.

Reading your post I actually have a better appreciation for both the situation and the fix.

Seriously, thanks for sharing. Learning this is important to me. Eventually I'll have a history for perspective of my own. Until then I'm reliant upon others. Appreciate it.

Dan

 

[CJWig]

Glocknug - good information on the mags with a lip on them. Can you take a picture and post. I'm curious whether this looks like a hand punch modification to the mags or something done during manufacturing.

 

[Fabius]

Glocknug - good information on the mags with a lip on them. Can you take a picture and post. I'm curious whether this looks like a hand punch modification to the mags or something done during manufacturing.

Looks like a hand punch. Below are pics of a mag that came with the gun and one of the "new" modified mags that S&W sent back with the gun.

Old mag that came with the gun.

"New" mag sent by S&W.

 

[Fabius]

Dan - just passing on my impressions. A few observations that I've made that might add to your comfort level. The first is that I can chamber a round even if I ride the slide forward. Every gun that I've owned that will do that has proved to be reliable.

Also, when you break the gun down to clean it, notice that there are no unusual wear marks on the slide or frame. The wear marks are all in the right places and are not excessive. Glocks are like that. Other guns, particularly in .40 cal, will show wear marks in unusual places or excessive wear.

I like the magazines, too. The stack and a half design presents the top bullet at a good angle and holds it securely. A lot of true single stacks, particularly the Kahr, don't hold the top round very securely, so it can move around. The 1911 magazines are the weak point of that pistol's design. People have been trying to fix them for a hundred years.

The other factor is how controllable the recoil is in such a small .40 cal pistol. My old Glock 23 was less comfortable to shoot than the Shield. Don't know how they did it, but the Shield is pleasant to shoot. Not all .40 cal pistols are.

I haven't shot the Shield enough to verify its reliability, but my first impressions are favorable, so I'm going to hang on to mine and keep shooting it. I really want it to work out, because it is the only .40 cal subcompact on the market that has all the features that I want. In any event,it is not a second rate gun.

 

[ArLEOret]

Mag drop problem

Checked the mag fitting in the mag well of my 40 Shield and my 9C and the were some slightly loose. No problems with them yet but under 100 rounds each. The did both failed to go into battery if I rode the slide home. Using the slide stop/release they worked as designed. Then checked my 40FS and the were looser so I checked 7 of my Glocks and boy did they rattle!

My serial number is DXT0xxx. Why does not EVERYONE with a problem indicate their serial numbers and see if we can establish a bad run!

Stay Safe!

 

[pawned79]

Magazine Falls Right Out Every Time

On Thursday, August 16, 2012, my wife and I bought a S&W M&P Shield (.40 S&W). We went to the range yesterday, August 19, 2012. We loaded it with Remington UMC JHP (7+1 fashion). My wife fired it and the magazine popped out of seat. She slapped it back in, moved the action and fired again. The magazine popped out. I took over, reseated, cleared, fired, and the magazine popped out. We emptied the magazine and compared it thoroughly to the six round one. We put one in, then the other, over and over. We shot both. The 6+1 holds perfectly. The 7+1 will not hold at all. When placing the magazine in the gun, the 6+1 slides in some noticable friction. The 7+1 does not. It slides in, clicks into place, and has a little giggle to it once seated. I thought maybe it was our finger pulling it out of seat, so I loaded two rounds, chambered, then fired while holding my pinky out tea-cup style -- the magazine fell right out of the gun and hit the mud. I've never seen such a thing. Now, Monday, August 20, 2012, I went online to see if anything had been said about this, and I found this forum post.

Note, the 6+1 works perfectly. Overall the firearm is very nice. The striker fire is a quick snap; travel is miniscule. Ergonomics, safety, sights, everything very nice. Inside the pants Uncle Mike's works great.

My wife is historically not a fan of .40 S&W, but after 133 rounds, she's starting to like it.

We will be contacting S&W soon about the magazine issue.

 

[cxm]

If you want to sell your Shield, make me an offer I can't refuse and I'll take it off your hands.

V/r

Chuck

Call me stupid but where to return the gun for a refund? In Louisana all sales are final.

 

[2wvu2]

It would be great if you just read the thread before posting this... then you wouldn't post such a frustrating comment.

I didn't read through this entire thread, so it may have been discussed already. Is this problem mostly occurring with the extended magazine? If so, it's possible the magazine is being pulled out of the gun by the shooter's pinky finger under firing. Many people wrap their pinky very tightly around finger extensions, and the stiff recoil of a tiny pistol can be enough to overcome the strength of the magazine catch. The heavier upper portion of the pistol flips back, while the pinky and magazine extension region remain relatively fixed, prying the mag out. This was an issue with a Keltec PF-9 I used to own.

 

[Bengal Bruce]

I bent out my magazine catch like the picture above and put 50 rounds through my Shield 40.

Not a single malfunction!

Before, my Shield was dropping magazines on the first 3 shots with the extended mag +1 in the tube.