M&P Shield CC/Gun Issues & Problems

[Epiphany]

Just got it back yesterday. Haven't had time to shoot it. S&W replaced the barrel and extractor. No other information then that. Seems like the slide is still not fully going back and I checked the orientation of the spring. I really don't like that design. Seems like they should have made a spring that hugs better.

We'll see how it does.

 

[Edmo]

I'm sorry to hear about the OP's problems with his Shield. Hopefully the repair fixes the problem and your gun runs trouble free now.

Reference stiff springs and hard to manually lock the slide open...

As guns get smaller and more compact, adjustments have to be made to help soak up the recoil. When the slide mass is lightened the recoil spring tension is usually increased to accomplish this. These heavier springs result in a gun which can be hard for some to manipulate. The Shield is a prime example of this with the spring tension really ratcheting up as the slide reaches the limit of it's rearward travel.

Because of this, I've found my wife and daughter prefer semi guns with more slide mass and lighter springs. Their favorites are the sub-compact and compact GLOCK 26 & 19. They prefer these guns because the slides are wider (easier to grasp & more mass) and the springs are lighter and therefore are easier to "rack" than my Shield's slide.

On another note, they really dislike ALL of my J frame snubbies, especially the aluminum framed 642. They find them hard to hit with, have very heavy triggers, and snappy recoil when compared to their favorite 9mms.

Sometimes the guns which seem small and perfectly sized to fit into the purse while at the counter aren't as well suited for some shooters once you get them to the range.

The ladies in my house accept the slightly bigger guns to get an action they can manipulate. That leaves the J frame snubbies and Shield for me!

Edmo

 

[bfm]

Of the small 9s I have brought to the range for female friends to shoot (Shield, LC9, PPS), all of them liked the PPS the best. They all shot it well and had no problem manipulating the slide.

 

[Epiphany]

Got to shoot the shield again with my wife this Sunday. Didnt really have any problems with the gun. Shot some 115gr factory reloads, 115 Winchester, and some 135gr Critical duty. Shot a little over 200 rounds but all shot great through the gun.

Gun is a lot more accurate than it was before since they changed the barrel. Only had one FTE on the factory reload. Still have to get used to shooting with a smaller gun. Trigger seems little stiff and heavy and probably going to get an Apex trigger for it as I'm pretty sure it'll help both of us.

I still don't like the recoil spring. Seems to bind up when its rotated certain positions still. Even though you set it to the factory manual it walks when you fire it.

The feed ramp seems little bit flat and not curved enough to allow better feeding into the chamber. Plus a good polish would probably improve that a little bit. I polished where the trigger bar actuates the striker blocker so it would be more smooth cause it was rough with factory machine marks and did improve on smoothing out the trigger.

Overall still a great little gun. Still pretty accurate out to 20 yrds on silhouette. Just needs some more minor tweaking. Just wished S&W took more time to smooth things out like machine marks from the factory it'd make an even better gun from factory.

 

[tommyo]

Glad I found this thread. I carry a Glock 26 and was thinking about finding something thinner. I love the look and feel of the Shield, but I have no problems of any kind with the Glock. It has never had a hiccup, great trigger, mild recoil, can carry a Glock 17 mag for a reload. Not knocking the Shield, just realizing the grass isn't always greener. I had a SA XDs in 45 when they first came out. Mine was nothing but trouble. Sent it back twice and they said nothing was wrong. "I must be limp wristing. " Maybe I was, doesn't matter...this Glock just works! I hope S&W gets them sorted out because I would love one of the new "no-safety" Shields that works.

 

[Chuck Jones]

Love my shield and it's had no problems. There are 4-5 others among the guys and gals I shoot with and theirs are all ok too.

I have both the 40 and 9mm since I'm an instructor and I'm constantly amazed how well these guns shoot.

Meanwhile my XDs .45 is going back for to Springfield for light strikes.

/c

 

[Epiphany]

I like the shield too since i can get better groupings after the repairs. Ordered an apex kit and sights to go with it and it should make it a better gun. I just can't wait to see how it performs just after the trigger kit install.

I just didn't like how the machining of parts are on the M&P pistols. I went to the gun store another day and say an M&P pro and CORE model and they had some grittiness in the trigger too. Checked out the striker blocker and even though S&W polished it there is still a lot of machine marks. Trigger is still nice and crisp and seems to be a lot lighter than the shield but you can still feel grittiness in that trigger too.

I'm still surprised with my XD because when I go to that I don't feel any grittiness like the S&W. Trigger little spongy but that is probably the only worry that i have about it. Been shooting straight for over 6 years.

 

[Shield9mm]

Recently got me one in 9mm, so far 100 rnds trough without a single issue, very satisfied with the gun, it is pretty accurate and easy to shoot.

 

[Stratajema]

...I went to the gun store another day and say an M&P pro and CORE model and they had some grittiness in the trigger too. Checked out the striker blocker and even though S&W polished it there is still a lot of machine marks...

A lot of that grittiness is from S&W drilling the striker block hole after the slide has been melonited and then doing no follow-up deburring of the hole. Your gun's trigger feel is at the mercy of their drill bit/tooling maintenance. If their drill bit is real sharp, then less grittiness. If the drill bit is becoming dull, then more grittiness.

 

[bronconagurski]

I got my wife a shield 9mm on layaway. I hope she shoots it better than the j frame. She couldn't hit an elephant standing broadside two feet in front of her with it.