My Shield went boom.

[davegarage]

Quite the story

WallyJJ,

I too love my .40 Shield, as it CC's so easy. I have had no issues with mine.

I am not a reloader, all of my ammo comes from a store in a box that I trust by the brand name that it is loaded in standard quality.

I also keep the rounds in the box up to the point that the box is empty. As other's have stated, having the actual box that the munition came from with a lot number protects me from liability of a poor quality round.

A gun failure from a defective round may cause more bodily harm then just to the shooter. That extractor you pictured is an example. It's a small projectile with an unknown trajectory. You found it in the snow on the ground. Sounds like it went up, and not right into the path of a fellow shooter at the range. Your liability was just the gun, thank goodness.

One would want to know who was ultimately responsible if the same sort of weapons accident were to happen with grim results.
(hint) Save the boxes.
Spoken like a true collector.


Your feedback to Cactus-Jack was spot-on.

One can never blame the Union Pacific train engineer for the failure of the truck driver not heading the train coming warning signs.

 

[L2R]

WallyJJ

still no resolution

 

[L2R]

Good idea to keep track

WallyJJ,

I too love my .40 Shield, as it CC's so easy. I have had no issues with mine.

I am not a reloader, all of my ammo comes from a store in a box that I trust by the brand name that it is loaded in standard quality.

I also keep the rounds in the box up to the point that the box is empty. As other's have stated, having the actual box that the munition came from with a lot number protects me from liability of a poor quality round.

A gun failure from a defective round may cause more bodily harm then just to the shooter. That extractor you pictured is an example. It's a small projectile with an unknown trajectory. You found it in the snow on the ground. Sounds like it went up, and not right into the path of a fellow shooter at the range. Your liability was just the gun, thank goodness.

One would want to know who was ultimately responsible if the same sort of weapons accident were to happen with grim results.
(hint) Save the boxes.
Spoken like a true collector.


Your feedback to Cactus-Jack was spot-on. .

Good idea to keep track of what box ammo came out of but it didn't help me to date. Mine split as well, if you didn't read all the threads, and I know where my ammo came from but I am still out a few hundred dollars.

 

[WallyJJ]

still no resolution

I sent an email to confirm they received it and to get a feel for how long they think it will take to look at and haven't heard back yet. I have a feeling I won't be able to update this thread for awhile.

WallyJJ

 

[Danoknows]

Wow! I will never feel relaxed with my .40 cal Shield again.

 

[DJFaninTN]

Wow! I will never feel relaxed with my .40 cal Shield again.

well you should send it to me for quick disposal

 

[Dean1818]

I trust my reloads more than most factory

I see people shooting wolf stuff all the time

 

[WallyJJ]

1. I am very happy that the OP did not suffer significant injuries in the KaBoom.

2. After your gun blew up in your hand, why would you miss it, and why would you want another similar P-O-S&W gun?

3. This is the best reason I can think of to fire only factory ammo.

1. Thanks.

2. I miss it because up until the boom I loved shooting and carrying it. It was perfect. Since the analysis is not complete, I don't know that the gun was or was not at fault so I am giving it the benefit of the doubt until their is resolution.

3. You forgot to read most of the thread. They weren't reloads.

WallyJJ

 

[Dino1]

I have wanted a 40 Shield for a long time, just have not been able to get my hands on one for a reasonable price. These threads about the gun failures has detered me from the purchase. I am sure it is a quality firearm, but maybe Smith & Wesson needs to look a little deeper at their .40 caliber. I own an M&P 40 compact, it is one of my favorite pistols. Not much different than the shield. This pistol shoots like it was made for me, handles well, and groups the target within 2 to 3 inches at 35'. But for a sub compact gun I am a little leary about the Shield in the .40 caliber. Small gun, big caliber with some apparent issues. I opted for a Kahr MK40 for the time being, all stainless steel constuction, a little heavy, one round shy of the shield. But a solid platform to say the least. I love the .40 caliber, if you are going to carry a 9mm, why not step up to the .40. It has a little more stopping power in the same package. Ammo is priced about the same these days as well. The .40 caliber is not something you want to get shot with even wearing a vest, it will still knock you down and set you back a notch or two. The foot pound of this round compared to .45 are some what similar. Velocity is much higher with the 40, but the impact is close to the same.

 

[DJFaninTN]

why did I pick the 9 over the 40. well the wife liked it and its easier to consolidate all the same type of ammo instead of having different calibers.

and you do realize that you can kill a person with a .22 just as much as a 40 cal. it's more about shot placement than what size you shoot.

 

[stevehenry1]

Earlier, there were questions about sealed primers. S&B seals their primers in with red stuff, so at least one manufacturer uses it on commercial ammo.

 

[checkmyswag]

Glad you're ok.

Then I used some older ammo that I used to carry.

This seems to be a common factor with kabooms and that they're in 40S&W.

9mm and 45ACP FTW!

 

[WallyJJ]

resolution

Just an update to anyone interested...

S&W stated that they believe the gun did not malfunction and that their best guess was an over charged round. They offered to replace the gun at a reduced rate. After discussing the possibility of just having them send the gun back to me so that I would have my magazines, they lowered the replacement price even lower. I agreed to the deal and in addition they sent me the original magazines to keep.

I also forwarded their comments and a couple pictures to Corbon. Corbon was not responsible for these rounds since they bought the Glaser company after these were made but without me asking, they offered to pay the portion S&W was charging me for replacement.

I am very happy with the customer service at both S&W and Corbon and feel that both companies went above and beyond to help me resolve this issue. I also want to make it clear that I did not try to "strong arm" or "bargain" with either company. I just contacted customer service and let them know what happened. They took the lead and offered to help me. Something to remember for all of us when we work with these companies. Again, both S&W and Corbon treated me very well!

In addition to the replacement shield, my wife bought a shield and I bought a full size M&P 9. Glad to be shooting again!

Thanks again for everyone's comments in this thread. I appreciate all the support.

WallyJJ

 

[PERAZZI]

Glad to see that they both accepted some responsibility and made good..

 

[bp231986]

Guarantee it was a reload or Tulammo.

lol Tulammo......good ammo to shoot....nope not joking

 

[ladder13]

Just an update to anyone interested...

S&W stated that they believe the gun did not malfunction and that their best guess was an over charged round. They offered to replace the gun at a reduced rate. After discussing the possibility of just having them send the gun back to me so that I would have my magazines, they lowered the replacement price even lower. I agreed to the deal and in addition they sent me the original magazines to keep.

I also forwarded their comments and a couple pictures to Corbon. Corbon was not responsible for these rounds since they bought the Glaser company after these were made but without me asking, they offered to pay the portion S&W was charging me for replacement.

I am very happy with the customer service at both S&W and Corbon and feel that both companies went above and beyond to help me resolve this issue. I also want to make it clear that I did not try to "strong arm" or "bargain" with either company. I just contacted customer service and let them know what happened. They took the lead and offered to help me. Something to remember for all of us when we work with these companies. Again, both S&W and Corbon treated me very well!

In addition to the replacement shield, my wife bought a shield and I bought a full size M&P 9. Glad to be shooting again!

Thanks again for everyone's comments in this thread. I appreciate all the support.

WallyJJ

Great to hear that a solution was worked out to your satisfaction, AND that you were not injured.

 

[MSG Glenn]

That's certainly good news. I would throw the rest of that Corbon ammo away or bury it deep. Of course you can always use it for slingshot ammo.

You didn't get hurt physically or monetarily & that's a blessing. I'll bet that the next round you shoot will be nowhere near the target. You'll start flinching before you even pull the trigger all the away, lol. I know I would, lol.

 

[GyMac]

I have a box of CorBon .38 Special loaded in Remington brass with the primers sealed.

 

[M&P Freak]

Good job all the way around.

 

[skip4309]

That is weird stuff...been shooting over 50 year and have never....ever...heard of something like that (unless they have been reloaded). Glad everyone was safe...good luck at reimbursement from the manufacturer.....I am really speech less....my shield 9 has been flawless. Along with the other firearms I own......

 

[phatmax]

Bullet setback from rechambering the same round has been a concern with the 40s&w for some time. The slightest bit can raise pressures very quick on what is a high pressure cartridge already. I've seen pretty much the same damage on a S&W 99, Walther P99 and a couple of Glocks, all in 40s&w. Glad you're OK.

FIRST!!!: Glad you are OK.

SECOND: Those rounds ALL look setback. This is a major issue. A few thousandths increases pressure exponentially.

rounds that are rechambered often suffer this. While it might be easy to point fingers, it could be a factor of ammo out of spec from usage.

 

[offduty]

Nice to hear company's helping out to figure what went wrong. Glad all ended well.

 

[fiveonomo]

Glad you are ok.

 

[t bell]

Good to hear that Corbon wanted to right their wrong, even though they didn't actually make the ammo. If they bought existing ammo, it's still their responsibility, though.

 

[Skydivinglawyer]

Certainly glad you are OK.
I wasn't surprised to hear from Smith & Wesson that you encountered a problem related to the case and/or caseloads. I, too, have a picture of a shell rim pulled off the casing and an ejector torn out of the firearm. However, I was shooting reloads (Georgia Ammo...a place that has served me well) out of a Glock 22 with STOCK Glock barrel. One theory is that Glock's stock barrel chamber is slightly larger than specs. Run a bullet through that....it can expand, but rare, depending upon casing metal. Reload it and then the casing to chamber fit is so tight that the ejector pulls the rim off the casing while the casing stayed in the barrel. I understand fully that you were not shooting reloads and I also understand fully that you were shooting a Shield, which I expect has a barrel closer to specs than a Glock. Looks like the heavy charge, in your case, caused the damage. My pistol was not damaged. I put the ejector back in and ordered a Wolf barrel for practice. The reason I point this out to you is that your pictures look a LOT like mine. Again, I'm glad you were not hurt. I would need a concrete explanation before I would be comfortable carrying the same model for carry use and looks like you've got it. But, then again, I'm an old guy and have been spotted in restaurants with a Hiway Patrolman on my hip.

 

[JDW250]

Glad to hear you are ok and happy with the service of the parties involved. It's not everyday you hear stories about good service these days.

 

[WR Moore]

Glad to hear of a good resolution to the incident.

Since I used to burn quite a bit of Cor-Bon ammo (quit due to lack of local supply-performance of the JHP rounds was outstanding!) and Glaser prior to Cor-Bons purchase of the company I'll address some comments/concerns from earlier.

Case headstamp: Cor-Bon has used both their own head stamped brass and various other suppliers (Remington & Winchester) depending upon need/supply. Not an issue.

Primer sealant: Cor-Bon does seal primers, all the rounds I've ever used had the red sealant. Red does seem to be the worldwide prevelant color of sealant. Can't recall if Glaser used sealant or not.

Glaser ammunition has very light bullets for caliber and uses large charges of fast burning powder to produce extremely high velocities. I've always been wearing muffs so can't comment upon muzzle blast, but I expect it's ferocious. I also quit using their products due to inadequate penetration.

Having been involved in similar investigations as to cause of weapon destruction, liability with cartridge overpressue is that of the ammo manufacturer. And yes, labs can determine cause. An obstructed bore will have evidence of the collision of lodged projectile and the moving projectile.

 

[Sirad]

I've been following this thread with great interest. I am very glad you were not hurt (most importantly) and also glad to see that both S&W and CorBon treated you right. I will continue to be a S&W fan and will continue to patronize CorBon.

Good Stuff.

 

[DustyJacket]

So, you going to destroy the rest of that ammo? I would. Or does Corbon want it?

I am glad the Shield held together long enough to protect your hand.

And it sounds like you hit the lottery winner with both companies making it possible to get a new gun. I can envision where both companies could have denied any responsibility since it was a third company that messed up.

 

[JSR III]

Glad to see that it all worked out. A credit to S&W for making a fine firearm that didn't cost you your hand. Secondly, hats off to S&W customer service for offering to help you get back shooting again and to the ammo company for stepping up and paying the difference.

You approached this issue properly without assessing blame and the companies steped up and made it right.

I looked at a 9mm shield yesterday at a show for $539. How does that figure compare with others???