Magazine or Sheild Issue?

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spaceclaim711

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Picked up a new M&P Shield 40, the +1 magazine started falling out after 50 rounds. Tried a second +1 mag, same problem. The 6 round magazine started popping out as well.

I haven't come across too much info on this problem, but a few people have mentioned it. Is this a magazine issue or does S&W have a new magazine release for the gun?

It's too bad really, the gun shoots GREAT otherwise.
 
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How do the cuts on the mags look and how is the internal aspects of the mag release button look?
 
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Definitely the mag release, I can wiggle the mag and get it to pop out when the gun is field stripped.

Sucks that the gun is so great otherwise, I'd just trade it in for something else but the Shield really nails everything I was looking for. Guess I'll pick up another gun while this one is on vacation.
 
spaceclaim711 said:
Definitely the mag release, I can wiggle the mag and get it to pop out when the gun is field stripped.

Sucks that the gun is so great otherwise, I'd just trade it in for something else but the Shield really nails everything I was looking for. Guess I'll pick up another gun while this one is on vacation.
Click to expand...

Tell you what. Ill buy it, as is, for $200.00. Thats a great price for a broken gun. ;)
 
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Was the mag falling out when you were firing the gun?
There may be a mechanical issue. However, I just picked up my new Shield and was amazed at how easy it is to activate the mag release when holding the gun the way I normally hold a handgun. So....
 
I shot my 9mm Shield just yesterday, putting 150rds through it and never had either of the two 7rd. or one 8rd. mags pop out. It doesn't seem to take a lot of pressure to release the magazine but it's not like it's easy either.

It could be your grip but it's only speculation without seeing the gun in person. I usually watch the other side of the mag release to see how much it's sticking out and how far it goes in when inserting a mag to check how much is grabbing. The mag catch spring is just a small metal rod so maybe it could be bent a little to tighten things up? Just a thought, not a suggestion. ;)
 
It's definitely a problem with the gun, again, field stripped you can press the top of the magazine and wiggle the mag out. You can also see the edge of the magazine catch getting worn as the black coating rubbing off.
 
Same issue with my .40. Purchased 6/10 but didn't get to the range until yesterday. Repeated the the failure multiple times and assured myself that my thumb was not engaging the magazine release. After I became aware I confimed mag was fully seated, gave it a firm tap and it would not come out when pulled on. But, after firing a few rounds, it would dis-engage and move slightly down so as to not be seated correctly.
 
S&W called yesterday. Shield should be delivered Monday. Gal on the phone said they replaced the magazine release catch.
 
Garnet said:
S&W called yesterday. Shield should be delivered Monday. Gal on the phone said they replaced the magazine release catch.
Click to expand...

Could you somehow take a picture of the catch so we can compare it to ours? Maybe they're doing a silent upgrade on any incoming Shield, but won't straight out tell us about it. If there is an upgrade, I'd rather just have them send me the catch since it's a simple swap, but I've heard they don't want to give out or sell parts anymore.
 
Anything new on this issue? Has anyone experienced this in their 9mm, or is it only the 40 cal? Only a couple hundred rounds through my 9, but no mag issue, or any other for that matter.
BTW, I took a sharpie around the bottom of my mags to fill in the exposed area above the base plates. Looks better in my opinion.
 
I've had no issues with my 9mm catch, but it dosn't take a lot of force to release the magazine when pressed intentionally. If they have a catch/spring that makes it harder to press, I would upgrade it. I just don't want to have my Shield gone for weeks on end with no knowledge if there is indeed an upgrade in the first place.
 
Mine works great. The slack is similar to one if my other firearms but the finish hides it better.

Sent using Tapatalk without spelling or grammer check.
 
I'll admit that I'm new to S&W Semi-Autos, but I've done my own fixes on other brands.
Will S&W Service not simply send a replacement mag release assembly (release & spring) so people can swap them out themselves? Seems like a waste of time sending the entire pistol in for such a simple fix.

BTW: No problems at all with my Shield9 with mag drop. The 7 round mag though seems almost too snug to easily seat when topped off though.
 
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MP 40 Sheild

I think it's just the 40. Just sent my shield back to S&W. I have to believe this will get resolved. Hate to sell an unreliable hand gun to anyone. In this game there is no do overs or mulligans.
 
Bought a .40 Shield on Friday. Took it to the range Saturday and had serious mag drop problems with both mags. Emailed S&W and they are sending a replacement mag catch.

Seems to be a particular problem with the .40. I'll report back after I install the new mag catch and test it out.

This is definitely a design issue. Seems to be a combination of frame flex from the .40 round in such a small gun and insufficient engagement of the mag catch to the mag body. I sure hope that it is fixable. Love the way the gun shoots, recoil with the .40 is very manageable and the gun is very concealable.

It points and shoots very naturally. I put about 100 rounds through it and even with the aggravation of the mag drops i still was able to make a ragged hole centered on the "P" of s P target. If it will stop dropping mags it will probably end up being my favorite pistol.
 
Received the new mag catch, installed it and headed to the range.

Same problem. Put about 120 rounds through the gun. At first both mags were dropping on every shot until the last two or three in each mag. Toward the end of the session, the 6 round mag started staying in place a little better, although it still dropped occassionally. The 7 round seemed to get worse.

Unbelievable. Beautiful, but worthless gun. I think that the .40 is just a caliber too far in a gun this small. Seems like the frame is flexing too much under the recoil impulse.
 
My .40 was returned from S&W. Enclosed documentation states "REPLACE MAG CATCH RANGE TESTED/MEETS SPEC". Took it to the range, only had 60 rounds of .40 in my range bag. It fired all 60 with no issues.
 
That's encouraging to hear, Garnet. I emailed S&W customer service again. We'll see what they say. I really hope that they can fix the problem. I love the gun and want to keep it. I also like the way it handles the .40 recoil, so I'd like to stay with that caliber.
 
60 rounds is promising since my would go every three to four rounds. Like I said I sent my 40 back to S&W. I hope I don't have to give it away.
 
Same issue

I recently had the same issue with my brand new .40 Shield. The first box of ammo worked great...no mag drops at all. On my next trip the range I started my next box of 50 rounds. After the first 3 shots, the extended mag would drop out. I would do the Tap, Rack, Bang...but after the 2nd round the mag would drop again...this continued through about 3 reloads of the extended mag. I tried the 6-round mag and have had no issues (though I like the extra space with the extended mag - one of the reasons for buying the gun).

I emailed S&W and got an email saying to return the mag for a replacement (the mag only, not the gun for repairs). After reading some of these posts about replacing the mag catch, I called the guy and double checked. He said that S&W "is not aware of any issues and you simply have a defective magazine." I pushed him further and he said he's not heard of anything like this, so it must be the mag. So I was a little skeptical.

Last night I took the gun to the range again before sending off my "defective magazine," which has identical markings for the mag catch as the shorter one (which is not fouling). Same thing...2-3 rounds into a new mag and it drops out.

So I'm sending it back today to see what happens. Any suggestions?
 
I dropped mine off at S&W with its extended mag. It was returned with the mag. The only work performed (as listed on the enclosed paperwork) stated that the mag catch had been replaced. Sounds like the person you communicated with may be under informed. Perhaps he needs to inquire more diligently of some of his co-workers.
 
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I am new to this forum, but happened to find it when I wanted to see if others were having the same problem as me.

I ordered a 40 Shield in May and it took five weeks to get it. The first trip to the range proved disappointing to me. Both the 7 and 6 round magazines will drop out of the gun when fired. The 7 round did it almost every shot while the 6 round was less frequent. I made sure I was not hitting the magazine release with my grip. I returned it to S&W, got it back after two weeks. A letter included stated the the magzine catch was replaced, test fired, meets specs. I took it to the range a second time and the same problem occurred. Again the 7 round magazine was dropping on almost every shot. The 6 round seems to stay in better, but will drop out sometimes. The magazine release only has to be depressed 1/32" to release the mag. The gun is back at S&W a second time.

Love the size and feel of the gun, but have my doubts if I'll ever feel comfortable relying on it to defend myself. On the brighter side I did get great groupings out it. It helps when you have to use it as a single shot pistol.
 
mudman bob said:
Anything new on this issue? Has anyone experienced this in their 9mm, or is it only the 40 cal? Only a couple hundred rounds through my 9, but no mag issue, or any other for that matter.
BTW, I took a sharpie around the bottom of my mags to fill in the exposed area above the base plates. Looks better in my opinion.
Click to expand...

Had my 9 Shield since April and have had zero problems. Seems to be just the 40's.
 
I have the same problem. Called s/w they said huh? First I have heard of it and I have been here all day. Really now, I got mine on 0708 and I am reading this is occuring as early as several weeks ago. Well anyway. Is there a solution yet? Thanks
 
Megzamani said:
I have the same problem. Called s/w they said huh? First I have heard of it and I have been here all day. Really now, I got mine on 0708 and I am reading this is occuring as early as several weeks ago. Well anyway. Is there a solution yet? Thanks
Click to expand...

Sounds like you talked to the same guy I did. He sounded floored when I said that other people were having the same issue and that their mag catch had to be replaced. I even took it back to the range and double check that I was only having this problem with the 7-round mag so they can't say it's anything I'm doing.

My mag was sent back on Wednesday, so I'm anxiously waiting to see what happens.
 
Just bought my Shield 0.40 and went to range today (7/14/12) and had mag drops worse on larger mag and when fully loaded with bullets. Good news is there were no FTF or FTEs. Time to get a new mag catch it sounds like. S&W really should have caught this manufacturing / design problem. I will fix and sell it and continue to use my Glock 36. Shame on you S&W!
 
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