MP Shield .40 blowing up???

[Prasko]

That's a recent one I must of missed, but either way, ammo related, and not a design flaw like people are fearing.

 

[RobzGuns]

Exactly... and as you alluded to in an earlier post. If there's only a handful of people with a problem (name the problem... ANY problem), they post it (usually Cut-and-Paste copies) to every single Forum they can find, it makes it look like there's an epidemic, when in fact, it's far from it.

And as ranvet and S&WForty mentioned, S&W wouldn't knowingly put more defective .40s on the shelves if there really was a problem. They'd put out a recall, like the 'Safety Alert' they did for the Shield Trigger Safeties back in 2013.

 

[ranvette]

Makes sense the problem has been amplified by posts on the internet.Some company's though are loading 9mm and 40 to very high velocity numbers compared to the major ammo company's.I am at the point were i will only use the hottest loads that Law enforcement will use.I figure if they trust the numbers i can to.

 

[ggibson511960]

Tell Me Why??

I wish some of the keyboard artists who keep theorizing about M&P's firing out of battery would explain how a tilting breech gun can do this. And while they're at it they may as well explain how a polymer frame can be "too light" for a certain caliber. My S&W polymer autoloaders have metal inserts that mount the slide rails, barrel cam, sear parts, etc., all made of metal that carry and react the impulse loads of firing. How does a heavier polymer frame help or a lighter one hurt? Just wondering.

 

[instymp]

There is a similar post in Glocktalk about G23s, turned out it was caused by reloads.

 

[JWH321]

My Shield seldom fires anything but my reloads. Its had nearly a thousand through it now. I still hate the recoil spring -- I want to hire someone to rack the slide for me. But once it gets a round in the chamber, its a great little shooter. Its a lot snappier than the FS. But I never give one thought to its structural safety.

 

[AlwaysUp56]

Just bought my Shield in .40, won't give a second thought to trusting it. S&W has been my revolver manufacturer of choice for years and now that I have my first S&W automatic....well let's just say I trust and can't wait to verify!

 

[sns3guppy]

A new .40 shield, no safety, cracked a few days ago while shooting factory ammunition. S&W has sent a return ticket. Based on what I'm reading, however, I have every expectation that Smith won't honor their warranty. It seems every other case I've read, they've kept the weapon and offered to sell the owner a new pistol at a slight discount.

 

[A.J. Stoner]

I'm sure it generally is bad ammo but I can't help but notice that when I hear about a really nasty accident with a gun it seems to be a 40 more often than not. It could just be confirmation bias on my part but I really don't like or trust that caliber.

 

[sns3guppy]

A new .40 shield, no safety, cracked a few days ago while shooting factory ammunition. S&W has sent a return ticket. Based on what I'm reading, however, I have every expectation that Smith won't honor their warranty. It seems every other case I've read, they've kept the weapon and offered to sell the owner a new pistol at a slight discount.

I don't generally quote myself, but this post has aged, so to bring it forward to current; I received the letter from S&W today, advising that they won't honor their warranty. They stated the cracked frame isn't a defect in the product.

No surprise there. I haven't found a case online of a report of a failed shield in which they did honor their warranty.

One pistol with a failure out of battery, and another with less than 200 rounds of factory ammunition and a crack in the frame. Impressive.

Like most other reports I've encountered, S&W offered to sell me a new handgun. Won't honor the warranty, but will be happy to sell me another at a slightly discounted price.

Unimpressive.

 

[Jakpro]

Your story is consistent with the other 40 S&W Shield stories.

I have one and still think that there is something going one with them. If I did not have to "give" it away, I would get rid of it.

 

[fm tim]

See here for a discussion of Glock kBs. Primarily .40 and above. The manufacturer named is not the issue. Look at the description of the reasons and corrective actions. 2 of the 4 reasons are ammunition related.
A direct quote from the posting:
Most kB!s occur with commercially remanufactured or personally reloaded ammunition.
Glock kB! FAQ v1.35

 

[Prasko]

I don't generally quote myself, but this post has aged, so to bring it forward to current; I received the letter from S&W today, advising that they won't honor their warranty. They stated the cracked frame isn't a defect in the product.

No surprise there. I haven't found a case online of a report of a failed shield in which they did honor their warranty.

One pistol with a failure out of battery, and another with less than 200 rounds of factory ammunition and a crack in the frame. Impressive.

Like most other reports I've encountered, S&W offered to sell me a new handgun. Won't honor the warranty, but will be happy to sell me another at a slightly discounted price.

Unimpressive.

Actually there's a thread on another forum were they replaced a 9mm shield due to a frame fracture.

Most of the cases I've seen weren't replaced by S&W, but the ammo manufacturers replaced them when it was proven it was ammo related.

 

[sns3guppy]

This wasn't ammunition related. Smith & Wesson made no attempt to state or suggest it was ammunition related. They simply stated that it wasn't a defect in their product. They refused to warranty it, tried to sell me a new one, and failed to return my pistol.

When I spoke with S&W, I pointed out that every case I'd come across, S&W sent the pistol to their metalurgical shop then claimed it wasn't a defect, refused to honor their warranty, tried to sell the owner a new one, and failed to return the pistol. I was assured that "we don't do that," and "we always return the owners firearm." That hasn't happened, though they did send it to the metalurgical shop, did claim it wasn't a defect, did refuse to honor their warranty, and did try to sell me a new pistol.

Factory ammunition, less than 200 rounds, no indication of am ammunition related problem.

 

[ca survivor]

I once helped test a scope on a S&W .44 mag 629 and it was not easy to go thru 1,000 rounds, it amazes me how people here go thru 3,000 or even 4,000 rounds and in TWO guns, just WOW!!

 

[NCshield40]

Thought 1- Shields are a reliable pistol. Thousands of guns are bought, fired, and nary an issue to be found. Like anything else mass produced EVER.... every so often there will be those few guns that bad stuff happens to. Never will make the owner less frustrated or upset... but such is life. NOTHING mass produced is ever 100% reliable.

Thought 2- The Shield is a defense gun. I expect people to fire it, and be comfortable shooting it. But I doubt i'll ever reach the point where I have 1000 or more rounds through my self defense gun. Seems excessive to fire it that much. That's just me, and my opinion.

Thought 3- I own a Shield 40. I have 100% faith in it, because to date, it has never let me down. If it ever does fail me, I'll cross that bridge when it comes. If you search online for bad things about what you are interested in. You will find it. 100% of the time. You have to do what is good for YOU. You can debate caliber until you are blue in the face. 9, 40, 45..... it only matters what YOU are comfortable using and shooting.

I'd rather hit someone with a 380, than miss with a 45. Again... just my opinion.

 

[CaptRon956]

when will this rumor ever die? There have been a few "stories" floating around on the internet & on forums regarding the M&P Shield 40 "blowing up" yet....Not one shred of real credible evidence it was due to the fault of the pistol.

I own a Shield 9 and my EDC is a Shield 40. Both have well over a couple thousand round each & are proven to be very reliable & well made pistols. I trust my life to them. I use my Shield 9 for IDPA.

Hint.... Look at the # of posts (or lack of) coming from the ones who claim they had issues with their Shield's... See the connection?

 

[AVG]

I have two S&W's a M&P CORE in 40s&w and a second KKM 9mm barrel for it. Also a 1911PC 45acp. They shoot great. To the guys with the blow ups when they offer you a new gun turn it down and go out and buy a Sig, Ruger, Browning, RIA..............

 

[RobzGuns]

Thought 2- The Shield is a defense gun. I expect people to fire it, and be comfortable shooting it. But I doubt i'll ever reach the point where I have 1000 or more rounds through my self defense gun. Seems excessive to fire it that much. That's just me, and my opinion.

I dunno... I shoot on a Weekly basis and put (at least) 50 rounds through my Shield each time. I've had my Shield for over three years now... So 3(yrs) x 52(Weeks/yr) x 50(rounds) = 7800 rounds total. Not that hard to imagine.

 

[PirateJim]

First, with a lot of other companies I might buy that they "added" .40 to their 9mm design. But we are talking about the .40 Smith & Wesson cartridge. I doubt they'd ignore the caliber in the design phase.

Fire up Google and search "1911 kaboom". This is not to suggest that M1911 pistols are prone to blowing up in your hand, but to point out that it can happen with most any gun if the stars align wrong.