M&P shield 9mm Calif compliant- problems

[Dave Haynes]

Picked it up today, $499+ tax and license.


I bring it home and was expecting the worst. It has a nice CNC slide, first plastic gun I've ever held in my hand, It has a very cheezy sloppy cheapness about it compared to anything made before plastic guns became the cat's meow. The operating spring is one of the two spring deals but looks like it was made out of beer cans. The larger spring looks like it was made in Kabul. I think it is supposed to telescope into the larger tube but after a couple of dis assemblies it quit telescoping. Trigger sounds like it is full of sand, but it works well. It takes ten men and a small horse to cock and clear the slide but I expected that. A serious problem exists and its got to go somewhere to get fixed: The slide lock cannot be put on using the tab. For a while, the slide could be locked using an empty magazine but it even started not locking every time you racked it. It isn't about not pulling the slide far enough back, you can bottom out that slide and it still cannot be locked back with the slide stop. Stamped sheet metal only goes so far.



I didn't even shoot it yet. I took it apart to clean it and lube the contact points with the slide. Because the slide couldn't be locked I spent hours fooling around with it trying to get it to lock without an empty magazine. I tend to try and find out what a problem is and them try to fix it but this is silly. It is probably that the slide lock is not pushing toward the outside when applied the magazine was forcing it out but it stopped even doing that.

 

[jurek]

That is the one of the best M&P pistol descriptions I've ever seen.

I can understand most of it, like "beer can", "made in Kabul", "ten men and a small horse"... so not so much money involved into the production...
... but why the hell it cost $499+ tax then?

Have you thought about contacting S&W for warranty repair or replacement?

 

[LVSteve]

I'm intrigued as what "made out of beer cans" means. Is the OP referring to a flat wound recoil spring? If so, suck it up, these are a thing these days, and a darned good thing, too.

I've never heard of a dual recoil spring system binding up like that, but the sand in the trigger noise makes me wonder if the whole gun has spent time in a bucket if grit.

 

[Dave Haynes]

I own a model 39-2 and by comparison it would be an Officers Model Match and the M&P a BB gun. The 39 has a similar recoil spring set up and it is just as annoying to mount as this one, but it is made of machined steel and has a high quality spring. The "Thing" that the MP has looks like rolled beer can metal, I'm not kidding. The larger spring has been cut off and has an end like a fishing hook. Looks like someone cut it off to the desired tension to make the thing work. I'd bet my house that that is exactly why it is chopped off. The fact that you can't use the slide stop is just incredible. The fact that it stopped working with an empty magazine is ever worse. This is after simply taking the slide off a few times to clean and lube it. It remains Unfired in the box.



All of this was expected but it is a demonstration of how far downhill the company has gone. The toaster assemblers just pound in the roll pins, slap it together, rack it back a couple of times and shoot it probably once, don't even bother to clean it and so long M..F... Every aspect of this thing is the bare minimum of what will work with apparently no thought to the end user. My 4 digit Model 41 will bring tears to your eyes it is so nice. It is well used and 60 years old. This MP is just a mess. You will find lots of them that happen to work and they've been shot to $hit and are still working fine. But in 60 years that plastic will be chipping off in small pieces and the sheet metal framework will have long since worn out and rusted away. The slide and barrel will be around for 100 years in some landfill.

 

[hook63]

Wow they saw you coming and you fell for it.

 

[Saudade]

So I assume you're in CA since nobody wants a CA Compliant Shield but CA residents have little choice.

The CA compliant Shields are 1.0 variants with the the Chamber Load Indicator and magazine safety. Otherwise it's the same as every other Shield 1.0 with the thumb safety.

Feel free to use the search to discover they are hard to rack when new, and the RSA is a bit picky on placement when reassembling them.

APEX Tactical makes a replacement chamber indicator without the paint and text. They have low profile and no profile options.

Loaded Chamber Indicator - Pistols - Smith & Wesson(R)

 

[sipowicz]

Instead of writing all that I’d just buy a different gun.

 

[Dave Haynes]

Thanks for the input guys. While trying to Super Macro a photo of said tin can part, the real shape of the springs emerges. They are flat and of the latest type of spring. I suspect that's the only way they could keep a full 9mm from beating the pistol to pieces. After a bit of stoning of both slide and slide stop, the slide stop has come back to life. While I don't like magazine safeties, in this case it will be essential since the only way I can access the slide stop is by inserting an empty magazine. To do it by hand the slide has to go back almost to the stops and at 77 it happens but not easily. I can get it back there pretty well but it takes a good grip on the weapon with the other hand and I don't have an assistant gunner standing by. I will probably eventually kill my $2K Sterns and Foster with a 9mm into the box springs.

I actually like the loaded indicator since I will be living with a lot of short stroke racks with this Gem. Handy to know that I made it into the breach with a pull. I'm also happy with the manual safety since I'm a 1911 freak and that safety feels good and you can work it from the side of your thumb as you get a grip on things. I absolutely wouldn't trust that mickey mouse trigger at all.


You're dying to know why I wouldn't just use my 1911 for my house gun or the 39? Well living in California there is a cadre of homeless and illegals who patrol the streets all night stealing anything that isn't tied down. I bought this pig in a poke to have as a house gun that I wouldn't care if it gets stolen. Thanks for all of your help guys.

 

[cracker57]

In California I would care if it gets stolen, if used in a crime its your fault for LETTING it get stolen. Even gun safes have to be California compliant.
Get that slide locked back and leave it there that should help loosen the spring.
Carry on...

 

[swsig]

I have a 1.0 Shield 9. While its trigger is fine, its recoil spring has loosened up only slightly after 4,000 rounds. I also have a Shield 45. It is way easier to rack, and it is much more accurate than the 9. If you can get the 45 version in CA, and you don't mind giving up a round, see if you can trade in your 9 on the 45. There have been very few complaints about the 45 on the Forum. Most owners love them. I have nearly 8,000 rounds through mine, and it's a keeper.

 

[Dave Haynes]

In California I would care if it gets stolen, if used in a crime its your fault for LETTING it get stolen. Even gun safes have to be California compliant.
Get that slide locked back and leave it there that should help loosen the spring.
Carry on...

Everything in Calif. is our fault. Everything is a felony too. Possession of a tracer round is a felony for each round. There are probably 50 million tracer rounds kicking around and the people don't even know about this law.


They just passed a law making it a felony to have your dog chase a coyote. Not kidding...

 

[GaCop]

I have a 1.0 Shield 9mm I purchased used not long ago. The trigger was horrendously heavy; I recently added the MCarbo trigger kit and polished all the areas their video recommends and the trigger pull is now much better. Accuracy out to 15 yards is pretty good with my handloads and Hornady Critical Defense 115gr HPs. When I purchased the Shield it looked brand new and had no indication of having been fired, ie, no finish wear anywhere on the barrel or frame rails and the magazines were a bear to get fully loaded. It's much easier to load mags now after 300 rounds thru it.

 

[m&p2.0fdethumbsafety]

where are you in cali? i'd buy that off you for 400 hehe

 

[Dave Haynes]

I took it to the range and discovered something: Even though it looks like a piece of ****, is a Mickey mouse cheesy pistol and is almost impossible to rack and load the magazines, it shoots and it doesn't jam and eats anything you put in it. Mine shoots about a foot high at 25 yds, but if I do my part, I could put all 7 into the 8-9 ring of an SR-1C. I am using the standard 6:00 hold with rear sight filled with the front. If I took my time and used a SIG style sight picture, it goes where it is pointed. It ate standard Winchester 124gr, Fiocchi 115 gr standard, reloads of lead bullets copper plated Unique powder and reloads of Hornady 115 gr hollow points using Bullseye. No stovepipes, jams or FTF. I was impressed. You can make a silk purse out of a sow's ear.



It still is an absolutely ridiculously difficult pistol to operate. If this constitutes a first class design then the customer's expectations are rock bottom. American Rifleman described racking as "requires quite a bit of effort" no $hit, really? I'm no snowflake, 6'4" 240lbs, large hands. But 77 years have taken their toll. I still have no problem racking a 1911, my 39-2 is like a M41 by comparison. This peewee is a bad joke.
The slide stop only works by using an empty magazine. The Calif. only features are what I like, I welcome them all. I can put the manual safety on and off with a push of the side of the thumb, just like a 1911. But there are far too many plastic bits on this **** for my liking, controls are difficult because they are made of plastic. The take down lever is made of plastic. Whatever they can do to make a part cheezy and cheap, they do. What good is a 10 rd magazine when you can only get 8 into it? These guns are like this because they are cheap to make. It would be a good gun at $300 but with the Calif. features it is $500 a complete rip off.

 

[mrmike7189]

The take down lever is metal
The frame and trigger are plastic...rest of the shields are metal

 

[Dave Haynes]

This one is plastic. Slide stop and safety are metal with plastic applied to the outside. Frame is polymer as is trigger (2 piece) I wonder if this is the same trigger as the shield plus?


I bought a set of Recover slide shoes that will make it much easier to rack and use.