New shield Problems

[fox22]

I Just recently bought my new S&W shield 9mm. I have been on the waiting list for this gun for a long time. This is the first pistol i have ever bought brand new and i was having some problems.

When i got the gun i cleaned it thoroughly and looked over the manual. I am shooting PMC 9mm Luger 124 gr. FMJ. The first time i racked a bullet in the chamber the slide did not come all the way back up so i cleared that shell and the slide come all of the way up the next time. Then i tried shooting and nothing happened. So once again i cleared the shell and shot again and it fired the entire mag just fine. I looked at the shell and the firing pin hit but didnt fire.

I shot 75 rounds through the gun. 3 different times i noticed the slide did not go all the way back. Although the slide is very hard to pull back i tried to make sure i was pulling it back as far as it would let me and the problem still persisted. Also i had 4 bullets not fire although the firing pin was hitting. which leaves me worried about the gun especially as i plan it to be my CCW and i know the gun is not broken in yet which takes more than just 75 rounds but i have never heard of anyone else having this problem. Could it be bad ammo? or a problem with the gun?

 

[timn8er]

Have you tried a different brand of ammo? I use PMC myself & I haven't had any problems with it. I haven't tried it in my Shield yet. PMC is not what you would consider top of the line ammo. Of course these days we are all shooting whatever we can get.

 

[shawn mccarver]

I Just recently bought my new S&W shield 9mm. I have been on the waiting list for this gun for a long time. This is the first pistol i have ever bought brand new and i was having some problems.

When i got the gun i cleaned it thoroughly and looked over the manual. I am shooting PMC 9mm Luger 124 gr. FMJ. The first time i racked a bullet in the chamber the slide did not come all the way back up so i cleared that shell and the slide come all of the way up the next time. Then i tried shooting and nothing happened. So once again i cleared the shell and shot again and it fired the entire mag just fine. I looked at the shell and the firing pin hit but didnt fire.

I shot 75 rounds through the gun. 3 different times i noticed the slide did not go all the way back. Although the slide is very hard to pull back i tried to make sure i was pulling it back as far as it would let me and the problem still persisted. Also i had 4 bullets not fire although the firing pin was hitting. which leaves me worried about the gun especially as i plan it to be my CCW and i know the gun is not broken in yet which takes more than just 75 rounds but i have never heard of anyone else having this problem. Could it be bad ammo? or a problem with the gun?

I would not declare a "gun problem" until I had malfunctions with my carry ammo. Buy 250 rounds of Winchester 9mm +P+ 127 grain JHP and try that ammo. Save a box for carry. It works fine in the Shield.

 

[Vespers]

I would not declare a "gun problem" until I had malfunctions with my carry ammo. Buy 250 rounds of Winchester 9mm +P+ 127 grain JHP and try that ammo. Save a box for carry. It works fine in the Shield.

That would cost as much as the gun! If you could find it?

 

[jajo]

There is a problem.

Could be ammo.

Could be user.

Could be the gun.

You should contact S&W


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD

 

[badge]

I'm no expert but perhaps a dissasembly and cleaning would be a good start. As another member stated, try a differant brand of ammo and grain for that matter although mine shoots even the old, slow 147's without a hitch. If all else fails, call Smith.

 

[mailman390]

Did you clean the gun before using it for the first time? They ship them loaded with packing grease....some more than others. Try running some Federal or Winchester through it. My first outing with my 9mm Shield I shot about 100rds of Federal without a problem.

 

[shawn mccarver]

That would cost as much as the gun! If you could find it?

Like the Boston ladies and their hats, it is assumed that "gun people" already have their ammo. And magazines.

As to cost, well my peace of mind is worth the price, not to mention my life. I hope you are not underestimating the value of yours.

 

[jeffhughes]

As a new to handgun CCWer, you need to get some good instruction.

Schedule a session with a reputable defensive handgun instructor.

Take this gun with you to the session(after you clean and lube it, Youtube is your friend), have the instructor check it out, and have them bring a gun for you to borrow during the session in case you really do have a problem.

Then send it to Smith if need be...

Also the above advice about 200 rounds of carry ammo through your gun is correct. It's an expense that should be budgeted with every carry gun. I bought 250 rounds of Federal HST 147g +P for around 185 bucks last month when I bought my Shield. Shot 200 and the rest are for carry. 200 rounds of the ammo you intend to carry through the gun is cheap compared to an ammo related failure that costs you your life...

 

[okav8tor]

Inspect the ammo that resulted in the FTF, if there is a prominent indentation from the firing pin then you probably have an ammo problem. If the indentation is barely noticeable then you may have a gun issue.

 

[OLDSTER]

Shield issues

Agree with possible ammo issue. All sub-compact and "pocket-size" semi autos ( regardless of manufacture) are ammo sensitve, and perform better with certain brands of ammo and bullet profiles. Like .22 semi-autos, you need to experiment and find what your gun likes

 

[S&WForty]

If there is no urgency to make this pistol a CCW asap, I'd try another brand of FMJ before feeding it $$$ defensive ammo. I agree once you move to defensive ammo, you need to run a good bit through it before trusting that firearm/ammo pairing, but I'd break-in as much as possible with FMJ.

To be honest, ammo usage is the biggest beef I have with the reports of brand new Shields with issues. Yes, S&W will make it right, but it sucks if you have to keep "re-certifying" the pistol when it returns from being serviced. Some owners have sent theirs back 2-3 times before 1-2 issues were cleared up. Pricey ammo is one thing. FINDING that pricey ammo is another.

If my (on-order) Shield eats 200-250 rounds of FMJ without issue, I'll move on to my JHP rounds.

 

[paintz2007]

I've shot 40 pmc in mine.. only 25 rounds. Although it ran fine for those.. just picked up some blazer brass and plan on running some steel through it at some point

 

[jeffhughes]

If there is no urgency to make this pistol a CCW asap, I'd try another brand of FMJ before feeding it $$$ defensive ammo. I agree once you move to defensive ammo, you need to run a good bit through it before trusting that firearm/ammo pairing, but I'd break-in as much as possible with FMJ.

To be honest, ammo usage is the biggest beef I have with the reports of brand new Shields with issues. Yes, S&W will make it right, but it sucks if you have to keep "re-certifying" the pistol when it returns from being serviced. Some owners have sent theirs back 2-3 times before 1-2 issues were cleared up. Pricey ammo is one thing. FINDING that pricey ammo is another.

If my (on-order) Shield eats 200-250 rounds of FMJ without issue, I'll move on to my JHP rounds.

Agreed. I did not mean that he should do the SD ammo until the gun is running well with any fmj off of the street. I have shot PMC, UMC, Tula, Wolf, WWB, Federal Value Pack, as well as the HST through mine. Over 1000 rounds for sure, no failures at all...

 

[Mumbleypeg1]

I would not declare a "gun problem" until I had malfunctions with my carry ammo. Buy 250 rounds of Winchester 9mm +P+ 127 grain JHP and try that ammo. Save a box for carry. It works fine in the Shield.

Just a question for clarification if you don't mind? You are recommending +P+? I thought I saw somewhere that S&W specified not to use it? I have been shooting Speer Gold Dot 124 grain +P as carry ammo but would appreciate your clarification as if you have had no problems I may give +P+ a try.

Thanks!

 

[jeffhughes]

There is no SAMI spec for ++P, so Smith can't say it's okay.

Extensive use of high pressure ammo will cause accelerated wear and tear, but a few mags won't hurt anything, and your weapon will for sure not go kaboom...

 

[HCH]

I think I'm reading that the slide does not go fully FORWARD into battery when you rack the slide or when the pistol recoils and tries on it's own to chamber a new cartridge.
This could be a gun issue due to:
A Dirty or Rough chamber that does not allow the cartridge to seat fully.
Deformed magazine lips that do not properly position the round into the chamber.
A rough feed ramp.
A sharp edge on the rear of the chamber that catches the round and prevents feeding.

Before you get discouraged with your gun, it may be you that is the problem. When you manually try to feed a round, you may not be pulling the slide BACKwards far enough or you are holding it ever so slightly while you release it (riding the slide).
Both conditions can slow the slide down and reduce the forward force enough to prevent a round from fully chambering.
If you are trying to pull the slide back like a sling shot and having trouble, you should try putting your weak hand over the slide to grasp and hold it, and then pushing the frame forward with your strong hand.

Limp wristing can also cause the slide to not have enough force to chamber the round. Check your grip to be sure it's solid and if the problem continues, see if one of your more experienced friends encounters the same problem with the Shied. If you are new to shooting pistols, google something like how to grip a pistol or pistol shooting techniques to get some pointers.

Don't shoot +P+ ammo and welcome to the forum. Good luck.

 

[fox22]

Thanks for all of the tips everyone. I'm going to try some different ammo as soon as i'm able to find some and see how it goes from there.

 

[much ado]

Sounds like some of 'your' problem is similar to one I asked about last week.My new 40 Shield has had now 6 failures to fire(ignite the primer) in about 210-220 rounds.The primer is contacted by the striker but rather weakly.There is indentation of the primer but a small crater results and obviously not enough striker energy to set off the round. The previous round fired and cycled the action so the striker should be re-set but ...? Can`t duplicate it in dry firing. Does this sound like what happens ? I have already contacted S&W and it appears that they want me to return the pistol. John

 

[OpsMgr]

@fox22 - Have you given the pistola a good cleaning?