Is the Shield still gun of the year material?![]()
If the Ruger LC9 made it and it is terrible. I am sure the Shield 9 will be in runnings.

Is the Shield still gun of the year material?![]()
I got a call from S&W this morning. Mark told me they were "fitting some new magazines to my gun", and that he would be sending me a shipping label to send back the 2 original ones which I didn't ship back with my gun, and they would do a swap. He said the original ones would just drop out again if I kept them. I didn't send them in because all the previous callers were told not to; I filled out their warranty return request on the web site, so never actually spoke with a person.
It makes me wonder when we'll be able to purchase extra mags, since obviously all the ones currently floating around are undersized or at least need the "bump". The remark about "fitting them to my gun" certainly wasn't encouraging -made it sound like they aren't all the same.
I wish that S&W would just own up to the problem. I called a week ago about the issue and they said I would see an email about return. I have received nothing. The problem is the mags, and putting a dimple or bump is useless. The mags are undersized. I like the plastic coating idea. I am going to epoxy a shim down the backside. As for the small mag I think the problem is the same, but when you shoot with the small mag your finger sits under mag.
You can get extra mags online, I purchased (2) short and (1) extended.
My .40 Shield arrived back from S&W today.
19 days from me shipping to them and receiving it back. That is pretty good turnaround to me!
S&W Repair order stated:
Replaced Mags
Range Tested/Meets Spec
The new mags do have the "bump" on the mag catch slot others have mentioned. Have not had a chance to shoot it yet, but I assume they corrected the Mag drop problem. Will post result after I shoot it.
Do we assume these mags still have the "bump" and that the coating is simply to tighten the mags in the magwell? Is it possible that coating the mags to decrease lateral movement is a better "fix" than the "bump" given the posts advocating shims and tape strips.
I wonder if the 40 Shield mags were engineered to be coated and... you remember Momma saying, "Don't hurry or you'll make mistakes"?![]()
something that got lost in the breeze was the new mag catch. i took a look and was unable to find if the #1 cast catches were different than #2 or #4.
another thing that was mentioned was a sharp feed ramp. has anybody played with that yet? does it need shaping or just a polish?
Did you get modified mags? Are they a different part number than the originals?
I need to order mags. Even though my gun hasn't had the drop problem, to be on the safe side I decided to dimple my mags. The metal is very hard (brittle). One of them chipped... Bummer. It wouldn't be so bad if I could just go the gun shop and buy a few replacements.
I love the Shield 40 but need to get it ironed out before using it as a CCW. The gun is otherwise very reliable, accurate, compact and potent. Some good mags on the market would put this issue to bed for once and all.
I got my .40 Shield back today - new magazine catch and 2 new magazines with the "bump". I ran 50 rounds through it this afternoon and it functioned flawlessly. I'll put another 100 or so through it tomorrow. I'm guessing they have it figured out now..... Another few hundred rounds, and this will be ready to be my daily carry.
I just hit the Jack Pot. I have a friend that is the assistant manager at large gun store. He just called me, they just received two Shields 9 and one Shield 40, 20 minutes before they closed. I told him I would purchase all of them, he said that I could have one of the 9s and the 40. He wants one of 9s, he said he didn't want the hassle with 40 problem. The wife will be so happy, she will finally get her M&P Shield 9. I sure hope the gun ban after the elections doesn't wipe me out. He did tell me his boss was going to return the 40 because of the problems he had with customers who bought them, but seeing I know the problem he would sell it to me for $ 379, sweet. Just think now I will have two to work on.
I just hit the Jack Pot. I have a friend that is the assistant manager at large gun store. He just called me, they just received two Shields 9 and one Shield 40, 20 minutes before they closed. I told him I would purchase all of them, he said that I could have one of the 9s and the 40. He wants one of 9s, he said he didn't want the hassle with 40 problem. The wife will be so happy, she will finally get her M&P Shield 9. I sure hope the gun ban after the elections doesn't wipe me out. He did tell me his boss was going to return the 40 because of the problems he had with customers who bought them, but seeing I know the problem he would sell it to me for $ 379, sweet. Just think now I will have two to work on.
Unbelievable,
and at $70 off MSRP in addition to getting both calibers.
Even if you send the .40 back to S&W immediately, it's worth it.
Play the lottery tonight,
Luck like this doesn't come often.
EXPLOIT IT !
CONGRATS ! ! !
If you don't mind me asking, what did you pay for your Shield? I got mine for $ 399.00 and Academy was selling the 9s for the same price. I figure I was only saving $ 20.00. Have the prices gone up since they first released them? If they have, maybe I should just leave the 40 in the box and sell it as new. But, then if it had problems I would have deal with a p...ed off buyer. The store opens in 20 minutes and he is holding them for me, I will have to figure this problem out later.
I just had another thought, he never told me how much the 9 mm was. I have no idea what the going price is.
If you don't mind me asking, what did you pay for your Shield? I got mine for $ 399.00 and Academy was selling the 9s for the same price. I figure I was only saving $ 20.00. Have the prices gone up since they first released them? If they have, maybe I should just leave the 40 in the box and sell it as new. But, then if it had problems I would have deal with a p...ed off buyer. The store opens in 20 minutes and he is holding them for me, I will have to figure this problem out later.
I just had another thought, he never told me how much the 9 mm was. I have no idea what the going price is.
I'm still waiting/hoping on Buds!! for my military pricing.