New Shield bad in 2 rounds--S&W CS came through--

[71velle]

A friend took his new shield 9 to the range last night and on the second round it locked open. we removed the mag and had to work like hell to get the slide to close. Tried different mags and shooters the problem continued. We field stripped it and didnt see anything obvious.

So its going back to the factory, but he is quite down about it. Between the guys at the range last light 3 other guys have shields that have been great, so we tried to reassure him it will work out fine and he will love the pistol when returned.

Any clue what the problem could be?

 

[Doug M.]

Slide stop fit?

 

[Dandecoteau]

Was it cleaned/lubed correctly prior to first rounds fired?

Was it reloaded ammo?

What type of ammo?

Try a different mag?

We need info here.

 

[71velle]

Was it cleaned/lubed correctly prior to first rounds fired?

Was it reloaded ammo?

What type of ammo?

Try a different mag?

We need info here.

Not ammo related the shell was ejected and slide locked open. The mag was removed(tried 3 different ones) and with no mag or ammo the slide was a bitch to get closed.

 

[BC38]

Not ammo related the shell was ejected and slide locked open. The mag was removed(tried 3 different ones) and with no mag or ammo the slide was a bitch to get closed.

But was it cleaned and lubed beforehand? Almost sounds like metal stuck in the grooves of the slide - or metal to metal galling or something like that.

 

[Nevada Ed]

Bad fit.........

Shop time, if you did not dismantle the weapon.

Even if NOT lubed, it should be able to have the slide work.

 

[Bowserb]

Sorry to hear this. I have no solution, but I am concerned, since I am on the verge of buying one. What's the deal with QC these days? We complain about the quality of Chinese made stuff, and then get a brand new Made in USA handgun, and it's broken out of the box. I thought handguns were test fired before shipping.

And it's not just Smith & Wesson. My Sig P227 had a weak/bent/malformed trigger return spring that if you reset the trigger slowly, it would stop partway. I fixed it myself, but why should I have to? After two years of shipping the 14 round mags for the P227, Sig still has no answer to the dismal reliability of that magazine (made by Mec Gar but sold with Sig Sauer's name on them).

Springfield Armory's XD/XDM line STILL ships with a substandard striker retaining pin that can break and render the gun worse than useless, since it can break with a live round in the chamber and no way to get it out. A $3 Powder River Precision retaining pin solves the problem, but why should I have to finish the gun for SA?

Sig for nearly four years is still trying to get the P938 right. Earlier almost one in five was defective. Now, some low quality parts cause premature wear and expensive upgrades to fix. Meanwhile Sig knows the problem, ships parts or repairs without question but will not recall or upgrade the OEM parts. And this is a $750 pocket gun!

There are other stories, but two of the three above I experienced myself. And we're not talking Hi-Point or Taurus or other bargain guns. My Sig P227 cost me $870, and those 14 round "Sig Sauer" magazines are expensive, too.

This Shield will be my first Smith & Wesson handgun. I've also considered a Ruger LC9s for this pocket pistol purchase, but the Ruger has some issues too.

Sorry, as I said, I have no solution, just a sympathetic rant. Good luck with it. I'll probably still buy one, so maybe I'm part of the problem? I should write a letter and explain why I'm NOT buying one? This is just like politics. Our republican majority in congress is similarly defective, yet we keep electing them, because we don't want democrats?

Oh well. It's too early to start drinking.

 

[Grizzly Guy]

I'm thinking the return spring is binding up the slide. I've had something similar happen when I reassemble the gun. I replaced the return assembly and have not had a problem since.

 

[McE]

Possibly something simple as improperly reinstalled recoil spring assembly.

 

[71velle]

Gun was cleaned and lubed before shooting. We did field strip and closely inspected. Didnt know if anyone has seen this. I will update. Again we know the shield is a great pistol and occasionally a mass produced device will have a hicpup now and again.

 

[turbo38gn]

We need more info if you are going to post something like this publicly.. exactly what ammo, was it stripped, cleaned and lubed before shooting and by who? Can't make a determination with the info you provided..

 

[71velle]

We need more info if you are going to post something like this publicly.. exactly what ammo, was it stripped, cleaned and lubed before shooting and by who? Can't make a determination with the info you provided..

No shells were stuck in the pistol, so what difference does the ammo make? And yes it was cleaned and lubed as stated in earlier post. The who is the owner with 50 years of shooting experience. Also 3 other shield owners inspected the pistol for the obvious.

What difference does it make if I post ''publicly"? What is a forum for? Is it not ok to share experiences?

 

[turbo38gn]

sure, share your experiences, 50 years of experience and you don't think ammo makes a difference.. this is a perfect example of why I inspect a new gun, shoot it for functionality, then clean it.. what is so difficult about answering the question about what ammo was used.. if you want [public help, you need to answer the questions of the guys trying to help.. What's so difficult about that... 3 shield owners and 50 years of experience and you have no clue...

 

[Bowserb]

There is another thread about the critical positioning of the recoil spring on the guide rod, unless you have the aftermarket ss guide rod and spring. Removing the guide rod assembly does seem like the easiest way to eliminate that as the problem and assure that the slide operates properly on the frame. Please try that and report back for the benefit of all, including those of us who are now undecided on the purchase of a Shield.

 

[71velle]

An orange GN really?? Not right!!! lol That is flying fast just imagine how much faster it would be if it had all its cylinders.

On a serious note the owner of the Shield just sent it back to the mother ship. They sent it in locked up, so soon we should know whats up.

 

[cptrick3]

Shot my new Shield for the first time today. 50 rounds of the ranges cheap FMJ ammunition and 25 rounds of Hornady Critical Defense. No FTF, no FTL no FTE. I was even satisfied with my group at 10 Yards.

 

[gdc123]

hi all, im new to the forum so bare with me. not taking any thing from the original post. i was at the range today. mp .40 shield. shooting blazer brass 165 gr. and 180 gr. on a reg basis, well only about 250 rounds so far. had it about 2 months. today i shot winchester 180 gr.
fired 3 rounds and the slide ( i dont want to say jammed, because it didnt ). round was still in the mag but slide just acted as if there werent any rounds left. i engaged the slide and continued fireing.....all well until loaded the mag again and the same thing happened. reloaded the mag with the blazer rounds and all good. any ideas????

could this be similar.

 

[Wingincamera]

My Shield 9 has over 1,000 rounds through it now, without any problems. The first time I cleaned the Shield I was a little concerned about how the recoil spring just rested on the tapered portion of the barrel without any notch to set it into. But I guess that's what the engineers figured was OK and it seems to work fine.

 

[Muss Muggins]

sure, share your experiences, 50 years of experience and you don't think ammo makes a difference.. this is a perfect example of why I inspect a new gun, shoot it for functionality, then clean it.. what is so difficult about answering the question about what ammo was used.. if you want [public help, you need to answer the questions of the guys trying to help.. What's so difficult about that... 3 shield owners and 50 years of experience and you have no clue...

So you don't clean your guns before you shoot them the first time?

 

[joe44va]

You may have a bad slide stop spring.
SAW will fix it without all the drama.