I purchased a new 40 Shield a few days ago and have not shot it yet. I was talking to a fellow today about the Shield and he told me to watch the 'rod' under the barrel. His story was that another fellow had purchased a new 40 Shield, he took it to the range and every time he shot it the 'rod' positioned under the barrel detached and ended up on the ground. He sold the gun and purchased something else. I had never heard of this issue with the Shield, have you??
M&P Shield.. Is this an issue??
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bigwheelzip
Absent Comrade
It's called a Recoil Spring Assembly, or RSA. And yes, there is a history with them.
I do not know how this would happen either. I heard this story second hand and there might be a lot more to this story. According to what I was told the fellow that owned this gun ended up selling it. My question is why didn't he send it back to S&W and have them fix it.
So,what is your opinion of the .40 Shield?
So,what is your opinion of the .40 Shield?
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Randyp1234
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I've read here and/or on another board about the guide rod coming apart on some Shields but I seem to remember that when they did fail that it didn't fall on the floor but that the pieces fell apart when you field stripped the gun and you couldn't but it back together. Someone else *please* correct me if I have this wrong.
And like John R my Shield 9 has at least 1000 rounds through it and it's fine.
Randy
And like John R my Shield 9 has at least 1000 rounds through it and it's fine.
Randy
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Me too!
The RSA is a rod machined and constructed so that it holds two recoil springs "captive" on the rod. At the front it is sized to fit through the hole below the barrel. At the rear is a larger round plate that is (I presume) welded on after the springs are slipped on. When assembled this plate fits into a small notch on the barrel lug (see the instruction manual for pictures).
I recall reading one story, maybe here, about a gun where the round plate came off the RSA and the rod went flying. This is very rare at best and the gun definitely would not function after that sort of failure, so the story of it repeatedly happening is just that, a story.
There are instances where the round plate becomes bent (both 9mm and .40), you will find threads here on that. How this happens is a bit of a mystery, but it is worthwhile making sure the RSA is back in nice and straight before reassembly. Most people don't have this problem, and those that have didn't report any actual failures to function, so beyond that caution I wouldn't fret about it.
I have the 9 Shield, but a friends neighbor has the 40 and loves it. He was one of the first people I talked to that had a shield and one of the reasons I bought one. The only reason I went 9 instead of 40 was because of price of ammo.
I believe, the last time I talked to him, he had well over 1000 rounds through it and loves it even more than when he bought it.
I believe, the last time I talked to him, he had well over 1000 rounds through it and loves it even more than when he bought it.
Oh, I forgot to say congrats on the new Shield! Bet you're gonna love it.
There is nothing fishy about this story as far as I am concerned, because I have had both types of RSA defects with my Shield 9. The original RSA came from the factory with bent rear disc, which contributed to an unusually high number of failures to eject. The first replacement RSA had a loose front disc, which caused the RSA to fly apart the first time it was removed for cleaning. My experience has been highly atypical to be sure, but even S&W can occasionally produce some lemon RSAs.
You can easily check your RSA for these problems. If your rear disc is flat and unbent, it's good. You can keep it that way by making sure that it is fully inserted, straight and level, after cleaning. Check the front disc by locking back your slide on your assembled Shield and giving the disc a good wiggle. If it is on nice and tight, it's fine. If it's the slightest bit loose, it will eventually fail. Contact S&W for a replacement.
Despite these problems, I enjoy shooting my Shield, and I think you will, too. Good luck!
Rastoff
US Veteran
A lot of people come here with questions like this. They are worried about what hasn't happened yet. Why? Just go shoot your gun. If you have trouble, then come here and we can help you get it fixed. Until then, which probably won't ever happen, just enjoy it.
And lets face it. there is a lot to enjoy about shooting a shield.
If you search 'Shield Recoil Spring', you'll find a LOT of threads about the RSA rear disk getting bent, or the RSA coming apart during Disassembly, but the RSA coming apart has only happened to (literally) a handful of members... Of of several Tens of Thousands (maybe Hundreds of Thousands?) of Shields sold over the 3.5 Yrs it's been on the market. If it were really a common problem, S&W would issue a Safety Alert.
As written... Don't worry about something that MIGHT happen to a pistol you haven't even shot yet. Go shoot it, then come back and tell us about the sights being off because it shoots Low-Left (another common query that 90% of the time, isn't the gun).
As written... Don't worry about something that MIGHT happen to a pistol you haven't even shot yet. Go shoot it, then come back and tell us about the sights being off because it shoots Low-Left (another common query that 90% of the time, isn't the gun).
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Not a problem, and if it is, S&W will usually send a replacement recoil spring assembly in the mail free of charge. Don't you love it when some well-meaning person causes you to lose confidence in your gun before your first shot is fired? If this bothers you, order and extra assembly from S&W or Midway USA or one of the other places that sell them. In my experience, the best way to make sure you don't have a problem is to plan for it ahead of time. Have your spare part ready to pop in the pistol in the unlikely event of failure.
jimmib
US Veteran
I have the Shield 40 and 9 compact and have not had this problem with either one....I have over 500 through the 40 and just got the 9 so only a couple boxes through it....I remember a post about this awhile back but don't recall it being a big problem....hope you enjoy your new shield
bigwheelzip
Absent Comrade
The problem you describe seems less likely to happen than some others. In all likelihood, you will probably not develop any RSA problems. If you search this forum, you will find some issues, but the odds are in your favor. Off hand, I can think of three separate failure modes with the RSA, that have been described here. The remedy is calling customer service and asking them to send you a new RSA. There was a multi-month backlog, but that seems to have cleared up. Personally, I have been down that road before, and would feign ignorance of the problem and send it back for repairs in the hope that the added cost will get the attention of engineering to beef up the RSA specs.
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