M&P shield 45 fails to feed intermittently

[GunSmoke.45]

I had the same issue with my shield.45 . It wen away completely after I had put about 650 rounds through it went away and all is working great now. Hope you can work out the kinks, Best of luck!

 

[Nonuthin]

Update on my sixth new 45 Shield:
After remarking on its crisp, light trigger and its outstanding accuracy, I fired 150 flawless rounds of American Eagle and Remington UMC 230 grain fmj through it.
But, when I fed it Hornady Critical Duty, Federal HST and Golden Saber duty ammo, it nosedived randomly about once every other magazine. I shot six different mags, 6 and 7 rounders, all with new grooved followers, so it wasn't mag related. My 350 pound beefy-handed friend also fired it with two similar nosedives.
In my opinion, these 45 Shields are too ammo sensitive and too unreliable with full-power duty ammo to be depended upon. Therefore, I sold it today (another loss) and I'm done with them. I'll stick with my flawlessly dependable 40 Shields for now.
I'm glad some of you have good luck with your 45 Shields but I'm way past giving S&W the benefit of the doubt on these jamomatics.
Nor, do I intend to spend more than the cost of the gun to "shoot it in" until the problem goes away (maybe?).

 

[dben002]

Had my shield 45 for a year now and about 1500 rounds downrange with never a misfeed or FTF. I would suggest as funny as this may sound to backslap your mag's before you insert..this will cause the rounds to point upward as they should (just incase your mag follower is somehow binding).....

 

[Nonuthin]

Thanks for the suggestion but as a many years experienced shooter, instructor, armorer and LEO I am reasonably certain that I didn't overlook those kinds of techniques and I exhausted many others.
Believe me, I wanted my six 45 Shields to work.
I'm not saying that 500+ rounds wouldn't have solved the issue but I'm not willing to put that kind of money into shooting duty ammo to prove a $350 Shield.
Besides, I never had to do anything like that with my Glocks, Sigs, XD's, Colts or other S&W's.

 

[kannonvaggon]

I dunno. Mine, like most of em, has no problems at all with operating using any and all factory ammo.
I have somewhere around a thousand rounds through it at this point I suppose. It worked fine when new and works even better now.

I even have had zero problems feeding shot shells which I often carry in the deserts. No issues, I just make sure to tap the mags to seat the rounds to the rear of the mag when loading up. I almost always top off the mag after chambering one round and then don't mess with it for two weeks or so if I don't need to zap any snakes or some such. Then I put a couple mags through it and refresh the ammo.

My usual load is 2 shot shells and the rest 230g Gold Dots. Zero problems.
Great pistol. Reliable, accurate, effective, concealable, comfortable to carry and to shoot. What's not to like ?

YMMV

 

[swsig]

Sorry it didn't work out for Nonuthin. After cleaning/lubing my Shield .45's magazines and polishing its lower feed ramp, (see my posts #7 and #16 above) I have had only one failure to feed in the last 1200 rounds, and that was while I was shooting one-handed, so it may have been my fault. Since then, it has gone 590 consecutive rounds without a failure of any kind, including some one-handed shooting. I now feel comfortable enough to use it as my EDC.

Ironically, my Shield 9 is still having failures to eject at 5300 rounds. I've done all I can to correct this problem, including sending it back to S&W. I've given it every chance to prove itself, and it has failed. Since it's proven to be too unreliable to be a self-defense pistol, there's no longer any point in taking it to the range. Now it will become a last-choice backup gun for home defense.

 

[Watchdog]

that will fade as you put more rounds through it, mine has stopped doing that after about 600 or so rounds, if you carry for defense, I'd avoid carrying it until it has stopped failing to feed.

See, this would be a problem for me.

I pay x-hundreds of dollars for a carry pistol, I expect it to perform right out of the box. I've never bought into this school of thought about "breaking in" a brand new handgun. I break in new shoes, and maybe holsters...that's to be expected. Pistols? No. I shouldn't have to plan on just sort of working around feed problems until the pistol "decides" it's gonna work right.

I've never had to break in a Glock. Or a Colt 1911. Never.

And how are you going to know when it's stopped failing to feed? Might run several hundred rounds through it at the range and it works just fine...then you actually need it to defend yourself and...uh-oh!

I do have a .45 Shield, by the way. It's an okay pistol, but I think I'm gonna sell it. Go back to carrying a Glock...which is what I was carrying before I got the Shield.

Then again, maybe the best all around solution is just to start carrying a revolver again.

 

[Fostereast]

One suggestion from the Rookie. I do not have an M&P, but did have a Rem R1. (Traded it in part for a 625) When it was new I had some challenges feeding. I saw a blurb on the internet that suggested leaving the magazine full to "work the spring" (paraphrasing for lack of memory on the topic), so I stored the magazines with 5 rounds in both of them. I ended up not shooting the R1 for several months and when I did, it shot flawlessly for the several hundred rounds I put through it before trading it. I was using 200 SWC reloads. Initially failure to feed happened with the 200 SWC reloads I made and a white colored box of Winchester 230 ball ammo. (my reloads were all tested in a Go-NoGo gauge, so they were pretty good as far as size specifications.)

If you have not done so, you might try storing the mag with 5-7 rounds in it to see if it helps. I would be very careful of manipulating the feed ramp or any surface. From my reading, it's the biggest mistake many owners make with 1911's (I know it's an M&P, but...)

 

[GKC]

Then again, maybe the best all around solution is just to start carrying a revolver again.

Well, revolvers are generally reliable...and they aren't ammo sensitive...but when one does fail, it's not usually something you can clear quickly and easily. Not to mention that a semi-auto reloads much quicker...at least for me. I know there are some guys who can use a speed loader as fast as swapping out a magazine, but I'm pretty much a fumble fingers with them.

I've had some 1911s that required a break-in period...Kimbers were the worst...and Kahr advises shooting 200 rounds in their pistols before carrying them for SD (if I recall correctly.) Most polymer pistols haven't had or needed that much of a break-in period but the usual advice is to shoot them a couple of hundred rounds before carrying them, just as a precaution. I grant you it shouldn't be necessary...I think of a car, which is a much more complex machine, and we expect them to run from the first turn of the key, so why shouldn't we expect the same from a gun?

 

[Sylvaticus]

Well, revolvers are generally reliable...and they aren't ammo sensitive...but when one does fail, it's not usually something you can clear quickly and easily. Not to mention that a semi-auto reloads much quicker...at least for me. I know there are some guys who can use a speed loader as fast as swapping out a magazine, but I'm pretty much a fumble fingers with them.

I've had some 1911s that required a break-in period...Kimbers were the worst...and Kahr advises shooting 200 rounds in their pistols before carrying them for SD (if I recall correctly.) Most polymer pistols haven't had or needed that much of a break-in period but the usual advice is to shoot them a couple of hundred rounds before carrying them, just as a precaution. I grant you it shouldn't be necessary...I think of a car, which is a much more complex machine, and we expect them to run from the first turn of the key, so why shouldn't we expect the same from a gun?

Revolvers are not "generally reliable" -with all due respect- good revolvers are very HIGHLY reliable, and with minimal maintenance. (Need to field-strip a revolver for cleaning? Just swing open the cylinder!) Failures are extremely rare with trained revolver shooters. In 40+ years of carrying, competing with, and shooting revolvers, I have never had a single failure. As long as one smartly punches out the empty brass when shooting a J-frame snub-nose whose ejector rod is shorter than the brass cases, a revolver will function and accept reloads. (But the whole issue of reloading is a tiresome moot point and a dead horse argument for civilians, anyway.)

New automobiles, according to many experienced mechanics and at least some manufacturers, benefit from an "easy does it" sort of driving for the first few thousand miles, as various parts wear in and get seated. Yes the car runs from the start, but it is not ready to provide peak performance. So why should a firearm be different? Guns leave the factory after receiving far less personal attention than they did only a couple of generations ago. Now that sort of attention is "performance shop" work!

The break-in period is going to be highly individualistic depending on each shooter.

For the most part, I've found the major break in period for semi-autos seems to be 50 to 75 rounds (wherein firing issues should be expected), followed by a "smoothing in" period of several hundred rounds where you learn the gun and the gun learns you. In all of this, leaving magazines loaded, leaving the unloaded gun stored with the slide locked open, dry-firing, and frequent cleanings, seem to speed up the process, as can the use of a lot of plain ol' fmj ammunition. Just IMHO.

 

[kthom]

I'm sure you probably know this, but S&W has issued a new slightly modified follower for the Shield 45 magazines. Most who have called have received them, and most seem to report improved function. I have owned three of the Shield 45's, the first and third of which I still own and use. I have had basically no issues with any of them which lasted beyond reasonable break in firing. The second I sold to a friend who fired the first rounds from it, and he experienced some difficulty with feeding. I also then fired the gun and did not experience any issues, but I'm not certain that I fired enough rounds to give it a good try. He also fired a good many rounds without issue. He called S&W who sent him two new followers and as far as I know he has not had further issues.

I also found in my own experience that there is very little extra room inside the magazines for the .45 ACP round. This contributes to difficulties both when loading the mags as well as when firing IF the rounds are not kept all the way to the rear wall of the mag when loading. It was and still is my habit to smack the rear wall of any semi auto mag that I've loaded against the heel of my hand to make certain all rounds are fully to the rear of the mag. In the Shield 45, a round not fully seated to the rear will allow the tip of the bullet to touch the front wall of the mag and it will bind in it's travel up or down and create an issue. Smacking the mag to seat the rounds seems to alleviate this problem. Any resistance while the rounds are being fed will slow the feeding process and tend to tip the bullet down at the front, resulting in either that round or one above it to hang up on the feed ramp. Since I discovered this fact, I have had no failures to feed, and neither of my two guns mags have the newer replacement followers. I have fired over a thousand rounds through my first Shield 45 and over 750 rounds through the third, purchased during the last half of 2017. I am fully confident in each of these guns and I carry one or the other every day. It's my considered opinion that the problems being discussed here are in large part the result of a magazine issue that can be addressed. I am very thankful not to have had these issues. I also believe that the over all cartridge length may contribute to this issue, especially if you are a handloader. I have fired several different brands of FMJ rounds, all of which you would immediately recognize with good results. I have also fired Speer Gold Dot 230 grain hollowpoints as well as some older Remington Golden Saber 230 grain rounds, and some second generation Federal HydraShok 230 grain rounds through both my guns without issue. I am carrying the the Speer Gold Dots in each of my guns with confidence.

I have no other ideas to suggest or other recommendations at this point. I sincerly hope all of you who reported issues get them satisfactorily resolved and soon. Confidence in an EDC handgun is paramount!

 

[joeintexas]

Wow. This thread really has me thinking about not getting the Shield in 45 acp. I have the 9mm Shield that has performed perfectly and have been thinking about adding a 45 acp. Seems like a lot of hit or miss on the 45s.

 

[45FMJoe]

I bought one for myself and one for my dad late last year. We haven't had any problems with ours. They're quite nice.

 

[Dad_Roman]

Wow. This thread really has me thinking about not getting the Shield in 45 acp.

Yea, dont think like that. this thread is the very few that didnt perform!!!

Think about the half million(sic) or so that DO perform!!!

 

[BigDog48]

I have one. I shoot it a lot. I have had no problems. I "palm-slap" all magazines to fully seat the rounds to the rear on all my semi-autos. I always have.

If in doubt, buy one. They're great pistols with excellent triggers and above average accuracy.

 

[FloridaS&W]

Wow. This thread really has me thinking about not getting the Shield in 45 acp. I have the 9mm Shield that has performed perfectly and have been thinking about adding a 45 acp. Seems like a lot of hit or miss on the 45s.

Go back and look at the thread carefully. You're reacting to pretty much only three people complaining a year ago. Far more people reporting they are very happy. I pretty much threw everything "NoNothin" said about the Shield 45 a long time ago (nobody buys 8 of the same gun with same issue unless something else is going on). If the Shield 45 had the kind of issues he claims, this thread would have exploded in the last year, but it never happened. In fact, if you look closely at post #26, SWSIG reported his Shield 45 has performed well, while his Shield 9mm is problematic. Go figure.

The point is, there will always be tiny percentage of issues with any manufactured product; but don't be mislead. Since I've been lurking here, I can tell you the Shield 45 has seen about 90-95% positive posts with only a handful of members who had unresolved problems. Everyone else is thrilled with it and singing its praises. I'm just sayin' — when you read these threads make sure you really understand what you're looking at.

 

[Groo01]

Groo here
You guys that complain about " the gun didn't feed with X ammo"
Need to get a life!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Ps I feel better now.
You all are spoiled.
We would get a gun, then spend the same amount with a smith
so it would feed A specific HP round [also tune the mags].
Now you bad mouth a gun when your gun won't fees SOME hp rounds.
After much testing , reading and yes my googlefoo is Strong.
I will use flat nosed fmj,hard cast or plated for my short barrel <3in.
guns.
How I wish Speer /CCI would bring back there 45acp Combat Match.
A Blazer loaded with a 200gr SWC fmj at the old IPSC major.
listed at 960fps.
Never found a gun that would not eat it AND made little groups.

 

[BigDog48]

Wow. This thread really has me thinking about not getting the Shield in 45 acp. I have the 9mm Shield that has performed perfectly and have been thinking about adding a 45 acp. Seems like a lot of hit or miss on the 45s.

Actually, it's a lot of "no problems" and a few people with issues, some of which are believable.

When the Shield 9 first came out, this forum and others had many "awful problems" threads. I'm fairly sure the folks selling stainless steel guide rods did quite well off of the panic. I got one of those first Shield 9's, have shot it a lot and never had a problem, with any ammo.

I figure they sold well north of a million of them so far, and I've heard from less than 100 or 200 people who said they had a problem.

Buy a Shield 45 or don't, but If you don't, you're missing a good deal on a fine pistol.

 

[Nonuthin]

Go back and look at the thread carefully. You're reacting to pretty much only three people complaining a year ago. Far more people reporting they are very happy. I pretty much threw everything "NoNothin" said about the Shield 45 a long time ago (nobody buys 8 of the same gun with same issue unless something else is going on). If the Shield 45 had the kind of issues he claims, this thread would have exploded in the last year, but it never happened. In fact, if you look closely at post #26, SWSIG reported his Shield 45 has performed well, while his Shield 9mm is problematic. Go figure.

The point is, there will always be tiny percentage of issues with any manufactured product; but don't be mislead. Since I've been lurking here, I can tell you the Shield 45 has seen about 90-95% positive posts with only a handful of members who had unresolved problems. Everyone else is thrilled with it and singing its praises. I'm just sayin' — when you read these threads make sure you really understand what you're looking at.

Oh, Boy! The Smith & Wesson Supreme Kool-Aid Slurper himself, FloridaS&W, just can't let an opportunity slip by to discredit other forum members for reporting problems with their S&W products. He's at it again!

He says "I pretty much threw everything "NoNothin" said about the Shield 45 a long time ago (nobody buys 8 of the same gun with same issue unless something else is going on). If the Shield 45 had the kind of issues he claims, this thread would have exploded in the last year, but it never happened."

Well, Mr. Kool-Aid Slurper, to prove once and for all that your deranged obsession about my purchases and experiences is as distorted as your view of S&W's poor quality and alarming unreliability, here is a serial number list of all EIGHT (8) 45 Shields that I bought and disposed of because they ALL failed to feed reliably with a variety of 45 DUTY AMMO, just like I have posted and you continue to LIE about, saying that it could not be true:

HDVx645
HDZx800
HHAx707
HXEx818
HXEx753
HWWx901
HWWx729
HWWx984

One digit in each serial number has been removed to protect the anonymity of the folks who may have acquired these EIGHT (8) 45 Shields but, the serial numbers are 100% honest and accurate, unlike the counter-claims of FloridaS&W!

As far as the second part of the Slurper's delusion that "(nobody buys 8 of the same gun with same issue unless something else is going on)" , the only thing going on is that I don't make all kinds of excuses for an untrustworthy design that fails when your life depends on it like you do!

As I said many times, regardless of what others may experience with their 45 Shields, that gun (eight times over) did not work for me and many of my fellow shooters.

The difference between an "exploding thread" and one that doesn't explode is that most gun owners have a real life, unlike FloridaS&W whose life centers around endless excuse-making for S&W's defective products. Most "normal" gun owners don't waste time posting about their misfortune in this forum knowing in advance that Kool-Aid drinkers like FloridaS&W will pounce on them with stupid questions and negative aspersions as to whether they limp-wristed, improperly cleaned, failed to oil, or didn't slap their loaded magazine hard enough, etc. or some other silly question rather than providing those unfortunate gun owners straight-forward and useful suggestions and advice as to how to resolve their problem.

Of course, with the exception of the Supreme S&W Kool-Aid Slurper, Mr. FloridaS&W, and his like-minded sycophants, this forum and the vast majority of members provide earnest and honestly priceless advice on a wide range of subjects that really helps make the shooting sports and S&W ownership a much more rewarding experience. Thank You to all the forum members who do so.

And, SHAME on those like FloridaS&W.


For additional reading:
http://smith-wessonforum.com/smith-...ftf-issues-their-45-shield.html#post140019719
Fix Your Shield Before It Fails!!!

 

[FloridaS&W]

Oh, Boy! The Smith & Wesson Supreme Kool-Aid Slurper himself, FloridaS&W, just can't let an opportunity slip by to discredit other forum members for reporting problems with their S&W products. He's at it again!

He says "I pretty much threw everything "NoNothin" said about the Shield 45 a long time ago (nobody buys 8 of the same gun with same issue unless something else is going on). If the Shield 45 had the kind of issues he claims, this thread would have exploded in the last year, but it never happened."

Well, Mr. Kool-Aid Slurper, to prove once and for all that your deranged obsession about my purchases and experiences is as distorted as your view of S&W's poor quality and alarming unreliability, here is a serial number list of all EIGHT (8) 45 Shields that I bought and disposed of because they ALL failed to feed reliably with a variety of 45 DUTY AMMO, just like I have posted and you continue to LIE about, saying that it could not be true:

HDVx645
HDZx800
HHAx707
HXEx818
HXEx753
HWWx901
HWWx729
HWWx984

One digit in each serial number has been removed to protect the anonymity of the folks who may have acquired these EIGHT (8) 45 Shields but, the serial numbers are 100% honest and accurate, unlike the counter-claims of FloridaS&W!

As far as the second part of the Slurper's delusion that "(nobody buys 8 of the same gun with same issue unless something else is going on)" , the only thing going on is that I don't make all kinds of excuses for an untrustworthy design that fails when your life depends on it like you do!

As I said many times, regardless of what others may experience with their 45 Shields, that gun (eight times over) did not work for me and many of my fellow shooters.

The difference between an "exploding thread" and one that doesn't explode is that most gun owners have a real life, unlike FloridaS&W whose life centers around endless excuse-making for S&W's defective products. Most "normal" gun owners don't waste time posting about their misfortune in this forum knowing in advance that Kool-Aid drinkers like FloridaS&W will pounce on them with stupid questions and negative aspersions as to whether they limp-wristed, improperly cleaned, failed to oil, or didn't slap their loaded magazine hard enough, etc. or some other silly question rather than providing those unfortunate gun owners straight-forward and useful suggestions and advice as to how to resolve their problem.

Of course, with the exception of the Supreme S&W Kool-Aid Slurper, Mr. FloridaS&W, and his like-minded sycophants, this forum and the vast majority of members provide earnest and honestly priceless advice on a wide range of subjects that really helps make the shooting sports and S&W ownership a much more rewarding experience. Thank You to all the forum members who do so.

And, SHAME on those like FloridaS&W.


For additional reading:
http://smith-wessonforum.com/smith-...ftf-issues-their-45-shield.html#post140019719
Fix Your Shield Before It Fails!!!

"Untrustworthy design." Another huge exaggeration. Yeah, I'm gonna go ahead and put all that right in the toilet with everything else you've vomited up here. I don't know how you manage to get away with calling other members names, and attacking anyone who questions your post by stating that we are all "Kool-aid drinking fools" for carrying the Shield 45 (your exact words), without a moderator cracking the whip, but I have come to expect this type of hyper-emotional outburst from you, and it's officially getting creepy. People who are prone to wild exaggeration and lose control of their emotions don't belong on firearm forums.