New Shield missing parts

[Tangoalphawhiskey]

Hello all! I just received my Shield 9mm after a seven month wait, cleaned it and took it to the range. After several magazines of fmj 115gr Winchester white box I decided to call it a day. When I tried clearing the pistol, after dropping the magazine, I noticed that the round wouldn't eject when I operated the slide. The round was being held by the extractor. I had to push the round down into and out of the magazine well. I hadn't noticed during my initial field strip to clean it, that the ejector is missing. My Shield doesn't have an ejector! Has anyone else had this problem? Any guidance would be appreciated! Thank you for your time and consideration!

 

[robkarrob]

I doubt you would have gotten through several mags of ammo, without the ejector. Would have most likely jammed in the breech. Have you checked the left side of the sear housing for the remains of the ejector? It sticks up about 1/4 inch and should be obvious, except missing the tip. However the gun has a full warranty. If you feel comfortable replacing the ejector, S&W will likely send you a new one, or they just might want to see the gun to try to figure out what caused the issue. Don't think the gun got shipped missing the ejector, but anything is possible. Advise if the part is there, but missing the tip. If you don't want to do the install tell S&W and they will have you ship it back to them.

Bob

 

[Tangoalphawhiskey]

Thanks for the reply. I field stripped the pistol and removed the sear housing and the ejector is missing. You can see where the ejector should be but isn't. When I shot the pistol, I shot a magazine and a half, while it did eject the casings, the ejection wasn't positive. The ejector isn't broken, it isn't there. Unfortunately, the Smith and Wesson offices are closed until January's 2nd. Oh well, I'm sure Smith and Wesson will make it right.

 

[HotRoderX]

Tango you might just wanna order a ejector. Most the time there not that expensive. Then call Smith and Wesson once there off vacation and tell them hey you shipped my gun with out a ejector can you send me one.

That way you have a spare with out having to wait.

 

[robkarrob]

Another first, no ejector. S&W quality is control is pretty bad when they send guns out with missing parts.

Bob

 

[AR-Getsome]

Can you post some pics? Hard to believe that it was shipped without an extractor.

 

[Tangoalphawhiskey]

I have an M&P 9c and I did a side by side picture, if I could post a picture I would. I'm missing the ejector, not the extractor. I am absolutely positive that the ejector is missing and not broken. I'll figure out how to post a pic and get one up as soon as I can. Thanks!

 

[Tangoalphawhiskey]

Here's a picture of my Shield on the bottom and my 9C on the top. Thoughts?

 

[robotoid]

Here's a picture of my Shield on the bottom and my 9C on the top. Thoughts?

That would be a picture of a Shield missing its ejector, completely. Doesn't look like it broke off either, just nothing there.

 

[Tliryc]

Um, George looks like we're short one ejector!

 

[pazzo]

wow, comforting to know if one does break an ejector the gun still functions.

Guess I'm a glass half full guy.

 

[remat457]

Yikes! That doesn't bode well for S&W QC. Sorry for your troubles, that stinks.

 

[SMMAssociates]

Some models of the M&P series have an ejector that's all but just hanging there. Fairly easy to lose it when working on the gun (as in "installing a DCAEK kit", for example), but more in line with this situation, it probably fell off during final assembly. Since the gun can work without it (although I'd not trust it), it probably made it past the "fire a couple rounds" test.

Both versions that I've seen might be subject to this - and both will almost work .... Either way, it's a pretty trivial swap, but you do have to remove the sear block. Randy Lee's DCAEK install videos cover that well enough, and there may be others out there.

(I've done three of those, and pulled two of them apart a second time for a RAM kit. The toughest part, besides not dropping the ejector or forgetting it, is getting the thing to line up and drop into place as you're done and ready to drive the pins back in place. DO grab up a matching roller pin punch - 1/8", I think - though. A standard punch will trash the roller pin.)

I'm not sure who's got the ejectors - maybe Speed Shooter's Supply. Somebody should have a source if S&W won't sell one directly. (Pretty sure they will.)

Probably about a half-hour of bench time if you have to grab a local smith. No idea what they're charging now, but $50 would have been a good guess the last time I needed one. He's deceased, so I can't call him and ask .... I've got a hell of a plan with Verizon, but....

Not quite inexcusable to leave that part out, but leaving out the trigger would be easier to spot.... My little KelTec P3AT has an ejector that just sits in the frame. You MUST keep a couple spares 'cause they get lost during cleaning stripdowns, although a bit of grease will usually hold it in long enough to get the slide back on.

Then there was my brand-new 1973 Rambler Ambassador. I took it out to the former day job office (I was still working there until about 1992) and one of my buddies wanted to see how the reclining seats (unusual at the time) worked. Well, he reclined the driver's seat, and it refused to latch back up.... I was able to get the seat belt to hold the seat up well enough to get it back to the dealer's, and one of the guys fixed it pretty quickly. Seems that there were three ways to install the clutch assembly (no power), and two were wrong.... How did that get out of the assembly function? Easy.... When "new", there were enough burrs and other crud in the assembly that it sort of worked, and once latched up, stayed that way. But play with it a bit, and....

$4300 for that car - that's about $25,000 for a similar model today - and sidelined by a trivial assembly error - the part was there, but the designers didn't do a good enough job forcing the assemblers to get it right.... (The kid just bought herself a new Cherokee. I know there's a battery up there someplace, but all I could find were a pair of extra terminals on the fender well sides. I bet somebody leaves the battery clean out of one of those someday - it can be jump started, and will run, until you switch it off....)

Regards,

 

[chicagoslim]

Thanks for the post and picture. My shield is missing the yellow sear. The gun works fine, I just have to pull the trigger to disassemble it.

 

[shawn mccarver]

Another first, no ejector. S&W quality is control is pretty bad when they send guns out with missing parts.

Bob

Actually, I think the coolest part is that it worked without an ejector. Brilliant!

I knew that most semi-auto pistols will function fine without an extractor - the physics behind this are explained by Bob Dunlap in one of the AGI videos, but I really did not realize the M&P would run without an ejector.

It is nice to know that it will work in an emergency or in the event of a broken ejector!

 

[robkarrob]

Just tested by removing the ejector on my Shield 40. This is a desktop test, not actual firing. The casing is held in place when the slide is fully extracted. I tried pulling the slide back hard and fast, the extractor still held the casing firm. When I released the slide, the casing went back into the chamber. Under actual firing, the slide retracts much faster that I can move it by hand.

Now this was without the magazine inserted. So the only reason I can figure why it might eject the casing is when the slide retracts, the magazine spring/follower pushes the next cartridge up, and that next cartridge knocks the casing being held in place by the extractor. I tested this theory and it works. The casing is knocked out when the next cartridge, in the mag, hits the casing. That next cartridge is moved high enough to contact the casing being held by the extractor, prior to the slide moving forward. I said knocked out, not ejected out. I would guess under firing the spent casing would fall out maybe a few inches, not the 6-8 feet when actually ejected out. I would question the last casing being ejected, when there are no more cartridges in the mag.

Bob

 

[Tangoalphawhiskey]

Just tested by removing the ejector on my Shield 40. This is a desktop test, not actual firing. The casing is held in place when the slide is fully extracted. I tried pulling the slide back hard and fast, the extractor still held the casing firm. When I released the slide, the casing went back into the chamber. Under actual firing, the slide retracts much faster that I can move it by hand.

Now this was without the magazine inserted. So the only reason I can figure why it might eject the casing is when the slide retracts, the magazine spring/follower pushes the next cartridge up, and that next cartridge knocks the casing being held in place by the extractor. I tested this theory and it works. The casing is knocked out when the next cartridge, in the mag, hits the casing. That next cartridge is moved high enough to contact the casing being held by the extractor, prior to the slide moving forward. I said knocked out, not ejected out. I would guess under firing the spent casing would fall out maybe a few inches, not the 6-8 feet when actually ejected out. I would question the last casing being ejected, when there are no more cartridges in the mag.

Bob

Bob,
You are correct, the gun functioned under actual firing conditions. The spent casings didn't actually eject, they were pushed out more than likely by the next round. The last round stove piped, but the gun did function. More importantly, I'm surprised Smith and Wesson shipped this gun out missing an ejector. Doesn't say a lot about their quality control in my opinion.

 

[robkarrob]

That's what I said earlier, what is with their QC. I had the mag drop problem and wrote a letter to all top S&W Executives. I received a reply from their Legal Council. The letter stated in this order:

1. S&W's highly trained engineers with decades of experience in firearms design, do not believe that any problem exists with the design, safety or performance of the M&P Shield.

2. While it is true that some pistols have been returned to S&W raising this performance issue, the number is few considering the tens of thousands of M&P Shields produced.

3. A few instances of product return has suggested the possibility of a parts variation creating a potential fit issue, and we have taken action to remedy and repair the pistols under S&W's warranty policy.

4. S&W has been proactive in relying upon information gathered from field returns to design the M&P Shield in such a way as to enhance the overall fit of the magazine well and magazine catch.

So as you see the first part of the letter said that no problem exists. Then they say the problem has been minimal. Then they say they have redesigned the area that was creating the problem. This was a much bigger issue than they are willing to say. What constitutes a minor problem to them? Is it 100 guns, 1000, or 10,000. They had a big issue and it took them a long time to fix it. They had my gun in the factory for seven weeks, for a minor issue.

Bob

 

[Ranger Dave]

My M&P 9 Shield came without the pin securing the yellow disassembly lever, it was only held in by spring pressure. The pistol never left the gun shop so I can't say how it shoots. I've been to the shop twice and the pin has been ordered 3 times with the promise that it will be there in a week. I can say that the S&W cutomer service speaks a lot of BS! The pistol was purchased the day before Thanksgiving and it still sits in it's box at the gun shop.

 

[lefty60]

Ranger Dave, after setting at your LGS for so long, why has it not been sent back to S&W?? It might be faster to send it for repair than for them to find Pin!!