M&P Shield 9mm Wayy Left

[keithheller]

Hi. New here. Just pulled my Shield out of the box and took it to the range. At 5 yards (literally) It was shooting a good 12" left. (I know you all will say it's the shooter) But seriously...I've never pulled a new gun from the case and experienced this. Has anybody else experienced this? Is this a S&W issue? Today a second shooter will verify my claim and will probably drift the front sight. I will attach a pic of the front sight. It seems right of center to me....

 

[AR-Getsome]

Welcome to the forum. There are many similar threads on the same issue you have. Look below and you will see similar threads. Click on it and you well Get your answer. What you have is a common issue with a shooter with a new shield. I shot mine left when I first got it, I adjusted my grip and shoot dead on now. You will find that just about everyone who thought their sights were off ,turned out it was the shooter not the sights. I suggest shooting from a rest.

 

[ATF]

TBH your front sight doesn't look like it's dead center. Could be the pic but it looks off to me. Get it measured.

 

[jwalts27]

Your front site does look off center. Wouldn't surprise me with SW's QC as of late.

 

[TJHuxley]

Welcome to the forum and a large, overwhelmingly positive circle of Shield owners, particularly the 9mm. Drift the sight if you think it is off. It appears off in your picture and a shooter thinking something about their gun is off is no beuno. A few range sessions into the future and you will adapt more fully to the Shield. I didn't hit paper at 7 yrds with my first several shots during my first range session with my Shield. My experience was with a Glock 17 and GP100 which I could bullseye consistently at 7 yrds. I was bewildered and asked someone to watch me. That person also shot the gun. Short story ...it was me. The Shield was my first single-stack subcompact. Through lots of practice (all of it great fun) I am very confident with my Shield 9mm now and changed nothing about it. Lots of other folks however use magazine extenders such as from Pearce and/or sleeves such as from Talon.

 

[photoman]

The rear sight on my recently purchased Shield 9mm was way off to the right.

 

[RobzGuns]

While it MAY be that the sights are off, but 12" left @ 5Yds???...
The Shield's short Trigger-to-Backstrap distance, along with its narrow width, cause people to need to make adjustments to their grip.

During dry-fire practice, many find that they're not achieving a straight rearward press on the trigger, causing the Shield to twist a little. Besides possibly needing to adjust one's grip, many find they need to adjust trigger finger placement. For me, in order to achieve a straight rearward press, I needed to change from using the center of the pad of my trigger finger, to the 1st knuckle crease. For others, they needed to change from the 1st crease, to the center of the pad. Everyone's fingers are of different lengths and if you find that you are twisting the pistol during trigger press, you may simply need to find which finger placement works best for you.

As suggested, look through the various "Similar Threads' links below and you'll see that you're not alone... and most times, 'shooting WAY left' (or right) IS the shooter.

 

[dullh]

M&P Shield 9mm Wayy Left

Two options:

1) Tame your flinching. Righties flinch left (and sometimes down).

2) Move your front sight Wayy left - if it's the sights.

 

[bulldogman]

Do some dry fires and watch the front sight to see if it jumps to the left when the trigger breaks. Doesn,t sound like you gave it a good cleaning before shooting for the first time, it may not make a difference but I would want to shoot a clean gun before I started drifting the sights, that is if you can even drift them, they are installed with a hydraulic press.

 

[bigdaddybluesman]

I tried everything and that's what mine did. At first I thought it was me. But my shooting has improved way too much over time for it to be me. I bought a G26 and out of the box I was dead on. I worked on how I shot the Shield trying many different things until I noticed that while dry firing the whole gun jerks during the trigger break. It was not me.

I thought about getting an APEX kit and decided to stay with my full size M&Ps which I shoot fine. I did not want to drop another $100-200 in a $375 gun. I sold it....

I liked the Shield because of the size and it's slim profile. But I will not use a gun I do not have 100% confidence in. For carry I'm using Glocks for other uses the fullsize M&P is the way to go, great guns.

 

[RobzGuns]

I tried everything and that's what mine did. At first I thought it was me. But my shooting has improved way too much over time for it to be me.

But...That's what they all say... Until they realize that it IS them.

I bought a G26 and out of the box I was dead on.

You do realize that a G26 is a Double-Stack (like your Full-Size M&Ps), which effects your trigger press differently than a thinner Single-Stack, right?

I worked on how I shot the Shield trying many different things until I noticed that while dry firing the whole gun jerks during the trigger break. It was not me.

If the whole pistol jerked during trigger break, it proves that it WAS you... Or... Your grip technique anyway.

I thought about getting an APEX kit and decided to stay with my full size M&Ps which I shoot fine. I did not want to drop another $100-200 in a $375 gun. I sold it....

well, at least you gave the Shield a chance, right?

I liked the Shield because of the size and it's slim profile. But I will not use a gun I do not have 100% confidence in. For carry I'm using Glocks for other uses the fullsize M&P is the way to go, great guns.

Yes indeed... Stick with what you're comfortable with, no matter what Brand or Model it may be. When Glock introduces their Single-Stack 9 later on, let us know how IT works, okay?

 

[bigdaddybluesman]

But...That's what they all say... Until they realize that it IS them.
You do realize that a G26 is a Double-Stack (like your Full-Size M&Ps), which effects your trigger press differently than a thinner Single-Stack, right?
If the whole pistol jerked during trigger break, it proves that it WAS you... Or... Your grip technique anyway.

well, at least you gave the Shield a chance, right?

Yes indeed... Stick with what you're comfortable with, no matter what Brand or Model it may be. When Glock introduces their Single-Stack 9 later on, let us know how IT works, okay?

It's a double stack gee no kidding...LOL.

It was NOT me, the gun for lack of a better word sucks. It's the mechanical aspect and overly tight springs needed to make the lightweight gun work. It's a compromise, they gave you a crappy trigger for functionality over shootability. They also had to keep within a price pint to remain competitive.

I wonder why I bother on these forums.

 

[PHolster]

It's a double stack gee no kidding...LOL.

It was NOT me, the gun for lack of a better word sucks. It's the mechanical aspect and overly tight springs needed to make the lightweight gun work. It's a compromise, they gave you a crappy trigger for functionality over shootability. They also had to keep within a price pint to remain competitive.

I wonder why I bother on these forums.

Mine is very shootable. The first day at the range I shot from a bag on a bench though to see where it was sighted in, and it was dead on. I then moved on to practicing, and I wasn't dead on, until I shot a few more times with it, then it was dead on. Oh, I have been shooting for a little over 40 years, and I know that it can be me.

My brother's boss was thinking of buying a Shield from a friend and he couldn't hit anything with it, he was shooting at gongs. They gave the gun to my brother and he proceeded to hit every gong he shot at. It wasn't the gun.

If you haven't shot it from a rest, do that before doing anything else or condemning the gun. If it does need to be adjusted, that can be done.

Personally I like the way it shoots.

 

[mike72ss]

Great shooting! What distance?

Mike

 

[NCW Ray]

Wow...can a gun shoot 12" left at 5 yards without the barrel being installed sideways?

 

[bigdaddybluesman]

OK it's a mechanical issue with the trigger. The light gun needs a heavier spring, some jump and maybe some do not. I was not going to put another 500 rounds through it to see IF it loosened up. The slide release was almost impossible to work until I fired 200+ rounds through it.

It was NOT me and a lot of others have the same issue with the *** Shield.

It's not a good gun and if it works for you great.

Just because you shoot supported doesn't mean it will show a mechanical issue. It will show a sighting or barrel issue. Generally speaking.

I do not want to bet my life with a gun that for any reason I cannot shoot straight. I will not bet my life on a gun I have to adjust my shooting technique that with other better guns is dead on POA=POI.

In the heat of a fight you fight like you train. Should you use a gun you have to train differently to shoot straight? NO.

Just because someone does something for 40 years doesn't mean they are doing it totally correct. I see it all the time at the range. I see saw it in the army and in training courses and videos professionals are teaching guys that have been shooting all their life how to do it correctly. The more you do something wrong the more it stays wrong and is harder to correct. This goes with anything.

It's the gun's mechanical deficiencies, no wonder everybody puts APEX kits in them. It's too light and by design should be in .380, not 9mm & .40cal. Wonder why Glock hasn't released a G42 in 9mm, they don't work well. You give up a great trigger for functionality.

If anybody shoots them well great, it's too small for my hand and everybody that dry fired it notice the jump. Probably not every gun does it mine did. Every M&P and Glock I have doesn't do that, the Bodyguard and Shield I sold did.

End of story.

 

[MichiganScott]

I can't imagine a pistol shooting a foot left at 5 yards due to any mechanical issue other than a bent barrel or slide.

Not everybody puts an Apex kit in them. All my M&P's shoots just fine box stock. Then again, I spent 40 years shooting DA revolvers DA and learning what trigger control was all about. Can't say I've ever noticed any issues with M&P triggers.

 

[hoc9sw]

My shield 9 had issues out of the box. It made several trips to the homeland, and is now 100% with some great help from CS. Sights were never an issue, but I will say it requires a very different grip from my 1911.

Last week at the range I put 42 rounds in a 6" bull at 10 yards. Nothing like my younger days, but for an arthritic hand and cataracts, it is outstanding.

I vote that you give Smith a chance to look at it before a final verdict.

 

[bigdaddybluesman]

I can't imagine a pistol shooting a foot left at 5 yards due to any mechanical issue other than a bent barrel or slide.

Not everybody puts an Apex kit in them. All my M&P's shoots just fine box stock. Then again, I spent 40 years shooting DA revolvers DA and learning what trigger control was all about. Can't say I've ever noticed any issues with M&P triggers.

My M&P 45 is fine as is my 9mm, the .40 I have needed work and is a test gun to seethe improvements APEX, makes if any. It was a Police Trade-in I got very cheaply for that reason.

The Shield and BG I had both did the same thing. At first I thought it was me, it was not. I am more accurate with a M1911than those two.

Both had the same issue shooting left, it's when the trigger breaks and that's the key. I worked for hours and hours dry firing them and no matter what that's what they did. They are the only guns that do that with the hundreds of handguns I have fired. Guns with triggers that break a certain way do that.

They are similar in that they are light for the round and have a strong action when the trigger breaks. These two things will do that. Over time maybe the trigger issues will smooth out like my other guns have, all had some little issue or another none enough to make a big deal out of. And they smoothed out over time.

I did not want to have to put another 500 rounds through each gun to see if they got better.

I wish my guns were good they were not. If yours work for you great. For many they do not. Some it's their lack of technique some it's the gun, some shoot them great and I do know people who do and some just cannot shoot period.

I don't understand what some people cannot get through their minds. The Shield is a compromise gun, they gave up a good trigger for functionality because of the lightweight for the round they shoot. Although it seems some have good triggers, I sure would like to try one that does my was terrible.

And I will say in my life experience just because you have done something even professionally for 40 years does not mean you are good at it nor does it mean you have been doing it correctly. That goes for any profession and endeavor.

I noticed it's much worse on Glock forums. At one time the Glock and Colt AR fanboys drove everybody crazy.

 

[rlongclu]

Wow...can a gun shoot 12" left at 5 yards without the barrel being installed sideways?

Yes, I think the OP bought one of those California approved guns with the bent barrel-much less likely to hit a target that way. Oh, and the Shield is a great gun for those who take the time to learn how to fire it properly. If your sights were off you should have sent it in for repair at no cost to you. And the stock trigger is just fine-it didn't take 500 rounds to get used to. As others have said, if you are shooting left constantly its most likely you and not the gun.