M&P SHIELD 0.40 CALIBER MAGAZINE DROP PROBLEM POLL

[robkarrob]

I've read many other threads on this forum and the MP-Pistol forum. S&W has sent out replacement mag catch springs, replacement mag catches, all for self install to fix the mag drop problem. The current fix is to send the gun back to S&W. Their fix seems to be to put new mags, with the bump out, in shipping box along with your unrepaired Shield, and return the gun.


I sent out five emails to the top brass at S&W. I am sure it will take a few days before any response, if any. The emails stated/asked:


CSR's at first denied any mag drop problem. Sent out replacement catch springs. Sent out replacement catches. Now Shield owners must send the gun back for repair.

Why no notification to affected Shield owners?

What is the fix?
New catch? New magazines? or?

Why do the guns have to be returned just to get replacement magazines? Shipping alone has to cost S&W $40 minimum, with your discount, along with employee time. The Shield owner loses use of their gun for four weeks.

Liability to S&W if a Shield owner gets injured or killed in a SD situation because of the mag dropping out.

Step up and admit there is a problem.

Notify owners affected there is a problem and a fix.

Be proactive to stop any more negativity the way S&W is handling this situation. This has tarnished you reputation and questioned the reliability of S&W handguns.

Word spreads fast through the cyber connected world.



Bob

 

[Bikemobile]

I've modified my mags myself to remedy my mag drop. But.... It would sure be nice if they could engineer some new mags with the bump or dimensionally larger overall to fix this. I'll send mine back in trade or pay shipping or something similar for a properly re-engineered part. I havent called customer service yet because I do not want to send the gun in. I'll wait until they decide to just send out new mags to make us all happy.

 

[robkarrob]

Got my first reply back from a upper executive at S&W.


The message was that he will be looking into this matter. He would be talking with the engineering department. He would be getting back to me with more information.


I sent out five emails. At least someone is making an effort to find out what is going on and appease a lot of unhappy customers.


Bob

 

[Fabius]

Good work, Bob. Can't wait to hear the response.

S&W has a really good thing going with the M&P line of pistols. I now own four and consider the basic design to be the best polymer DAO pistol on the market. I also consider the polymer DAOs (M&P, Glock, XD) to be far superior to the alternatives (Sig, HK, FNP, Beretta, Kahr, etc.) for the everyday, real world needs of the average civilian and LE user.

S&W needs to take care that the problems with the Shield .40 don't derail the momentum that they have built with the M&P.

 

[RHall1340]

New S&W Shield .40 owner. Only have ~80 rounds through it but have not had the magazine drop problem yet. I would DEFINITELY like an official response to the issue though as well as an official solution. Is it the mags, is it the mag catch, and if it is are all guns effected or only those with a certain range of dates/serial numbers.

They need to be forthcoming with us on this. This is my first S&W purchase and I am willing to overlook this if its handled properly. I understand mistakes can be made.. its how they are handled that is the most important to me. At this point its not being handled consistently and that is what bothers me.

 

[AMR2UL]

Both Shield Mags drop

Both the 6rd and 7rd mags are dropping in my Shield 40cal.
Customer Service told me to ship the gun and mags back to them. Also, the locking block pin "walks out" after firing about 75 rds.

 

[Houdini1953]

Maybe it would better help as far as this thread goes to state what the serial number of your Shield 40 is. Mine is one of the first 40s to come out and its Serial DXTnnnn! I have never had a problem with either of the magazines other than the fact that I have had them on backorder now for over two months!

Perhaps if people knew what Serial number batches were actually causing problems they might wait until another batch came out that did not have the problem!

 

[mcmerrill]

Fix complete!

I received my .40 Shield back today, and this is just an initial report, It may be a week before I can get to the range, will post a range report after that. The repair report stated that they replaced the mag catch. Both mags have the "bump" that others have referred to. Now it takes the release button to be almost fully depressed to release the mag. More like my full size M&P's. They also replace both roll pins, as I had told them the front one would work its way out slightly after a hundred rounds or so. I had a very pleasant and professional experience with S&W customer service. The turn around time was better than I expected, They had my gun in their possession 10 days.
I will post further after the range test.

I took my Shield to the range today and fired 150 rounds, absolutely no problems. Worked as smooth as silk. I am very happy and satisfied. While I do agree with some on this forum that this should not have happened, and that maybe it is not the best time to buy a new product, just as it hits the market, the Shield is a great weapon as are all my other S&W products, and the service I received was top notch.

 

[windviking]

Maybe it would better help as far as this thread goes to state what the serial number of your Shield 40 is. Mine is one of the first 40s to come out and its Serial DXTnnnn! I have never had a problem with either of the magazines other than the fact that I have had them on backorder now for over two months!

Perhaps if people knew what Serial number batches were actually causing problems they might wait until another batch came out that did not have the problem!

Good Point. Mine was a "dropper" SN DXV*****. Can you post a picture of your mags? Do they have the infamous "bump"?

 

[windviking]

Previously mentioned that I bent the mag catch up a little for more positive catch. Used a brass punch, came in on the opposite side and banged it out just a tad.

So, 150 rounds later and not a single issue.

I can understand people who are hesistant to do this but until S&W HAS an official fix then this is the way to go. I'll be damned if I have to send my Shield in for weeks just so they can do something I did at home.

This is what they did to mine. If the first production models did not require this, it is a "patch" not a fix. I would like to see if the first production models had this design on their mags. I suspect they didn't and the later model .40's have a part out of spec so this " bump" on the mag is a work around of the root cause of the problem.

Also, I gotta say that S&W has really dropped the ball. This has obviously been a problem for months and they should at the very least made a statement about the problems we .40 Shield owners are having.

 

[windviking]

Same problem here. Extended mag drops every time I shoot it.

No problem with short mag.

Called S&W customer service, the guy I talked to had no idea about the problem. He said there are about 20 people taking calls, and mine was the first one he heard about dropping the mag.

If this problem is this widespread, how come they (S&W customer service), acted as if mine was the first one they heard about.

I will be selling it at the gun show this weekend.

Sound like some integrity problems at S&W. I bought an XDS. Great gun. A little tight at first and had a couple of low strikes because it did't go into battery the first 50 rounds. Have 500 more though it now, it's broken in and and flawless. Anyone want to buy my .40 shield? No more S&W.

The bad experience and the fact that I think there is still and issue they just patched and did not address just doesn't sit well. The quoted post and customer services "questionable" response ( haven't heard of it?) indicates they are not a company I want to do business with. Everyone here knows this and its insulting they would think we are this stupid.

 

[Houdini1953]

Good Point. Mine was a "dropper" SN DXV*****. Can you post a picture of your mags? Do they have the infamous "bump"?

I can post a picture of the mags but right now is not a good time, but I can say that these magazines do not have a "bump" just a notch for the magazine catch. Neither the 7 or the six rounders have it and both of them work perfectly at least with my gun.

 

[Stu Honea]

Guys,I'm not looking to get flamed or fired upon here.I'm not an expert on anything,but I have noticed something over the years since the .40 was introduced.
First,there seem to be enough .40 Shield owners here to convince me that there is a problem. I would give S&W a chance to find a once and for all solution.They need to be,and probably are,more aware of this issue.

Secondly,I have owned some 40 cal. pistols,but no longer do. It's been my observation that pistols chambered in .40,ALL of them,seem to have more problems from minor to major than the same basic guns in,say.9mm for example.

Maybe there is something about this round that makes it more difficult to build a pistol around than other calibers.I am no engineer,but have a son who is,which means absolutely nothing,and lends no credence whatsoever to my opinion.
This is just something I have been taking note of for a long time,and I'm not dissing anyone's choice of this caliber.It's a good round.But there is something going on that someone needs to get to the bottom of.

The only .40 that I've never been aware of problems with was the 4006,and even they may have had some ,I just havn't heard of it. Again,if I was a .40 Shield owner I'd get behind a push,or a kick in the pants,to get S&W on top of this. If you purchased your Shield fo self defense,this is totally unacceptable.

 

[seattle911]

Guys,I'm not looking to get flamed or fired upon here.I'm not an expert on anything,but I have noticed something over the years since the .40 was introduced.
First,there seem to be enough .40 Shield owners here to convince me that there is a problem. I would give S&W a chance to find a once and for all solution.They need to be,and probably are,more aware of this issue.

Secondly,I have owned some 40 cal. pistols,but no longer do. It's been my observation that pistols chambered in .40,ALL of them,seem to have more problems from minor to major than the same basic guns in,say.9mm for example.

Maybe there is something about this round that makes it more difficult to build a pistol around than other calibers.I am no engineer,but have a son who is,which means absolutely nothing,and lends no credence whatsoever to my opinion.
This is just something I have been taking note of for a long time,and I'm not dissing anyone's choice of this caliber.It's a good round.But there is something going on that someone needs to get to the bottom of.

The only .40 that I've never been aware of problems with was the 4006,and even they may have had some ,I just havn't heard of it. Again,if I was a .40 Shield owner I'd get behind a push,or a kick in the pants,to get S&W on top of this. If you purchased your Shield fo self defense,this is totally unacceptable.

If you have a 40 Shield, knock a little bump into your mag and your problems are over. Simple, not rocket science.
And if there are so many problems with 40 caliber handguns, then we have a lot of local, state, and federal LEOs in peril from malfunctioning firearms. I don't think the evidence of that exists.
I use both 9mm and 40 caliber handguns and feel very comfortable.
The 40 caliber handgun in various makes and models in the hands of brave men and women in uniform protects millions of Americans every day and hour in this country.

 

[Prometriclives]

New .40 picked up 2 days ago

Finally a shield in .40 came in to my local dealer. I put over 300 rounds first time out, all types and weights. I used both magazines 5 rounds in each, and alternated every 5 shots. I loaded the gun equally with slide open and closed. I had absolutely no issues. Serial number DXY3xxx. I have seen the pictures of the modified mags to compare them to the ones that shipped with mine. No apparent bumps or mods to the mags. The locking notch on the mag sits flat.

As a side note to the post about .40 cal having problems...flat out nonsense. The best side arm I have ever owned is my shoulder carry Walther P99-AS. It Is what a lot of European military and police use, especially German police. With thousands of rounds with latest model, never once a failure with the sidearm.

 

[VMaxSplat]

Personally, I think S&W has designed a heck of a CCW pistol in the Shield 40. In fact, the entire M&P pistol line is very, very good. A hiccup in a brand new pistol is nothing out of the ordinary. S&W will fix this. In the mean time, I may mod my mags even though my gun hasn't had the problem. Once the new mags hit the dealer shelves, I'll pick a few up.

As for the derogatory 40S&W comments, the 40 is a fine defensive pistol round. Bore diameter and high magazine capacity is a great combo. My various 40s have run just fine over the years. The round is intense and requires more skill to effectively use, but what the heck, its a combat pistol round. Many of the new guns (M&P40 included) are designed from the ground up around the 40 rather than being beefed up 9mm designs.

 

[trueblue40]

2nd Time Around

Just found out from the gun shop where I bought my shield that it is the same one I had purchased before and they refunded me do to the mag drops. They sent it back to S&W for repair and I repurchased it. Having the same problem as before. It is going back to S&W once again. Obviously not fixed the first time around. Very disappointed in S&W.

 

[The_Unknown_Surfer]

Did they really ?

Just found out from the gun shop where I bought my shield that it is the same one I had purchased before and they refunded me do to the mag drops. They sent it back to S&W for repair and I repurchased it. Having the same problem as before. It is going back to S&W once again. Obviously not fixed the first time around. Very disappointed in S&W.

While I don't know your gun shop from Adam as they say,
I would question whether or not they really did send it back
to S&W (any paperwork?), or did they dimple out the mags themselves?
And I'm sorry, but I personally would not have re-purchased the same serial number weapon a second time from any dealer.
Ancient proverb say;
"Fool me once, shame on you, fool me twice, shame on me."

 

[The_Unknown_Surfer]

I'm very curious here

Finally a shield in .40 came in to my local dealer. I put over 300 rounds first time out, all types and weights. I used both magazines 5 rounds in each, and alternated every 5 shots. I loaded the gun equally with slide open and closed. I had absolutely no issues. Serial number DXY3xxx. I have seen the pictures of the modified mags to compare them to the ones that shipped with mine. No apparent bumps or mods to the mags. The locking notch on the mag sits flat.

Curiousity is probably getting the better of me here,
but I would really like to hear if someone who's weapon has NOT had the problem
and the magazines are NOT bumped out,
puts their magazines in to a weapon that IS having the problem, and vice versa.
In other words,
what happens if you swap magazines ?

My Shield S/N DXX1### was finished Friday 08/31/12 at S&W
(They received it 08/23/12 so only 7 business days, not 10 as they originally quoted me)
but it didn't make that days outbound FedEx shipping.
Oh well, they will ship it Tuesday,
I will have it Thursday,
RANGE TIME FRIDAY!

 

[Fabius]

Just finished my second range trip since my Shield was returned from S&W with the two new mags with the "bump" added.

The new mags and the old mags that I modified by hand were all flawless. I put 100 rounds of FMJ and 50 rounds of 165 grain federal Hydra Shok through it. With the 120 rounds that I shot in my prior range trip, that is now 270 trouble free rounds. Good to go as far as I'm concerned. The Shield .40 is now my primary EDC.