Problems with new S&W M&P Shield 9mm

I have now run numerous brands of ammo through the Shield (500+ rounds) and have had zero FTE problems since my first range trip (where I had an FTE in each of the first three mags). From what I've learned from the forums, my initial problem was probably cause by either:
--improper cleaning before my first trip to the range (I followed the directions but may not have been as thorough as I needed to be)
--stiff recoil spring that needed a "break in period" (The action was very stiff out of the box and now is much easier to operate)

It's been a great gun and with practice, I hope to be as accurate with it as I am my G19. I have total confidence in it and have no reservations about carrying it.
 
I'm a bit new at the internet mess,so yes, I'm here because the problems I've had with my Shield 9 warranted creating a login. I am a 1911 guy (let's just say Army trained), since 1969 with a 1943 manufactured service pistol that never jammed, thousands of rounds.

Thought a 9 was a good idea for a lighter carry weapon. Have a Kimber Ultra TLE II, but I'm seeing suspenders in my future as my shape changes.

Bought the shield 9mm

Opened the box, field stripped, cleaned, and lubed.

First 200 rounds, literally every other one jammed, with new round about 1/4 inch into the chamber (preventing dropping the mag), and the almost ejected round bullet end down, bent into the chamber and partially loaded next round.

Always with 115 gr ammo, WWB 115 (100), Federal Champion 115 (50), and BrassMax 115 (50).

Federal 124 (next 50 rounds) did not fail.
Lawman 124 (next 50 rounds) did not fail.
Followed by WWB, complete chaos. Jams at every round.

Sent it back to S&W.
"modified barrel, replace extractor"
Field stripped, cleaned, and lubed.

100 rounds WWB 115gr, only 1 hard jam as above. Hope was present.
Boxes of other random 9 115gr, no issues.

Day 2.
Field stripped, cleaned, and lubed.
100 rounds Federal Champion 115gr, 20 hard jams as above.

Back to S&W.
"Replaced barrel".

Field stripped, cleaned, and lubed.
300+ rounds tonight.
100 WWB 115gr. -
1 light strike
1 trigger did not reset, had to eject a good round to reset
1 hard jam as described above
2 fail to go to battery

50 BrassMax 115gr. - all ok (and that is some nasty ammo)
20 Federal Hydra Shock JHP 124gr - all ok (what a difference - perfect group)
50 BrassMax 115gr - all ok

100 WWB 115gr -all ok

Field stripped, cleaned and oiled this evening.

total rounds? 1102
Cost to get there? $465 in ammo, more than the firearm cost.

Will be calling S&W in the morning. Yes, there will be a half-hour on hold. That's a given.
 
I have a question. does anyone know that if you drop a shield 9mm on tile floor will it damage the firearm? I dropped mine today on my tile floor and the outsides fine I was worried about internal damage somehow? any one else been in my shoes? I took it apart everything looks good I just haven't fired it yet it. loads and unloads fine, cycles every round through so I was just worried bout it.
 
After reading these threads I just wanted to share my .2 . First , I don't believe in "bad ammo " . A gun should eat everything you feed it! I usually run my guns wet (lots of oil) for the first 1000 rounds to help facilitate even wear . 2nd and this one is important , the 8rnd mag has the extended grip on the bottom which tends to come loose and slip around . I've heard of a few cases of people taking it off . DONT DO THAT ! Just glue that little **** down and call it a day . What has happens in previous cases is without the grip extension on the 8rnd mag , people are slapping that single stack in and it's causing problems with the ejector and the slide . Not a problem with double stack magazines because of the triangle shape of the feed lips but a single stack will just push up into the chamber.

I will be picking my just bought used shield ($300 ) in two days so you better believe I've researched the shot out of potential problems .

I always polish the feed ramps , clean the gun and then motor oil any moving parts . I've never had a problem in my 20 years of shooting except the orange springs that came in my M&P 15-22. Sent it back In S&W replaced with the blue springs and hasn't skipped a beat since .
 
justinoff said:
Not a problem with double stack magazines because of the triangle shape of the feed lips but a single stack will just push up into the chamber.
Click to expand...

if you look at the mags on a Shield it's not really a true single stack, its kind of a 1.5 stack. It has a bit of a bottleneck at the top the same way a doublestack mag does, it's just kind of mild.
 
Originally Posted by justinoff Not a problem with double stack magazines because of the triangle shape of the feed lips but a single stack will just push up into the chamber.
Click to expand...

Um... It can happen with Double-Stack mags too. I can't speak for other M&Ps, but with the Shield, Glock, XD, or Beretta, The mag wells are straight, NOT sloped to match the mag shoulders. One CAN snap the ejector and ding the slide if one slams the mag in without using the 'sleeve'.
 
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I know on MY Shield if I " top off " a either mag and then re-insert that mag it is VERY stiff to get locked all the way into the well. There is a lot of pressure on that top round and it hits "SOMETHING" like the ejector arm or whatever when it is going in. If that sleeve was not on the 8 round mag I'm thinking one could do some damage.... YMMV
 
Bought my M&P Shield at the end of July... about a month ago. I don't have a lot of factory ammo except for Critical Duty defense but so far it has taken every reload I've put into it both those that I've bought from licensed reloaders and those I've made myself. Love the gun.
 
Kevin58 said:
Bought my M&P Shield at the end of July... about a month ago. I don't have a lot of factory ammo except for Critical Duty defense but so far it has taken every reload I've put into it both those that I've bought from licensed reloaders and those I've made myself. Love the gun.
Click to expand...
What is a "licensed reloader"? Ive never heard of this.
 
kannonvaggon said:
I know on MY Shield if I " top off " a either mag and then re-insert that mag it is VERY stiff to get locked all the way into the well. There is a lot of pressure on that top round and it hits "SOMETHING" like the ejector arm or whatever when it is going in. If that sleeve was not on the 8 round mag I'm thinking one could do some damage.... YMMV
Click to expand...
You should insert your mag into the gun when the slide is off so you can see what's going on.
 
wlg said:
I was using Remington 124gr. Range ammo. No not new shooter, no limp wresting. Yes I did clean it before taking it to the range. I like it very much, hope they get it fixed. I want it for ccw.
wlg
Click to expand...

which holster are you going with?
 
kannonvaggon said:
I know on MY Shield if I " top off " a either mag and then re-insert that mag it is VERY stiff to get locked all the way into the well. There is a lot of pressure on that top round and it hits "SOMETHING" like the ejector arm or whatever when it is going in. If that sleeve was not on the 8 round mag I'm thinking one could do some damage.... YMMV
Click to expand...
With the slide closed it will be stiff with a full mag. The top round is contacting the bottom of the slide. Because of this, nothing in the gun can be damaged.

However, with the slide open, and no base plate, the mag can actually be inserted further than it should be. In that condition, the mag can contact the Ejector and break it. Thus I don't recommend removing the base pad.

Neither do I recommend gluing it in place. If you do that the mag cannot be disassembled for cleaning. A little bit of movement in the base plate is not an issue.
 
checkmyswag said:
What is a "licensed reloader"? Ive never heard of this.
Click to expand...

Perhapes the poster is referring to a Type 07 Title 1 FFL license.

"Title 1 manufacturer of firearms and ammunition, who may also act as dealer; may not manufacture or deal in destructive devices, ammunition for destructive devices, or armor piercing ammunition. Can also manufacture & deal in Title II NFA firearms with class 2 tax stamp."

Federal Firearms License - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
 
My New Shield 9 Also

wlg said:
After a long time on the list, I got my S&W M&P Shield 9mm, took it to the range put about 50 rounds through it had a FTE after that tried to put another 100 rounds through it had 3 more FTE and 1 stuck in the pipe. Had to have gunsmith get it out. Took it back to where I bought it they called S&W and was told to send it to them. Has anyone else had these problems? I hope S&W makes it right and it comes back and works ok?:(
Click to expand...

Bought mine last May. Sent it back August 11 (2014) with number of rounds and brand (250 in all) and a photo of the same extraction problems of another poster. It also ejected all over the place. I expect it back around September 3. I have 300 rounds ready for testing. I'm really hoping it's cured! I plan on buying a back up 9mm. I hope it'll be a new Shield without the manual safety. If problems aren't fixed__Good bye with 60 years S&W with 24 of them LE. Hello Glock 26 4th Gen? My carry has to be
reliable.
Good luck when yours comes back.
 
hoc9sw said:
I'm a bit new at the internet mess,so yes, I'm here because the problems I've had with my Shield 9 warranted creating a login. I am a 1911 guy (let's just say Army trained), since 1969 with a 1943 manufactured service pistol that never jammed, thousands of rounds.

Thought a 9 was a good idea for a lighter carry weapon. Have a Kimber Ultra TLE II, but I'm seeing suspenders in my future as my shape changes.

Bought the shield 9mm

Opened the box, field stripped, cleaned, and lubed.

First 200 rounds, literally every other one jammed, with new round about 1/4 inch into the chamber (preventing dropping the mag), and the almost ejected round bullet end down, bent into the chamber and partially loaded next round.

Always with 115 gr ammo, WWB 115 (100), Federal Champion 115 (50), and BrassMax 115 (50).

Federal 124 (next 50 rounds) did not fail.
Lawman 124 (next 50 rounds) did not fail.
Followed by WWB, complete chaos. Jams at every round.

Sent it back to S&W.
"modified barrel, replace extractor"
Field stripped, cleaned, and lubed.

100 rounds WWB 115gr, only 1 hard jam as above. Hope was present.
Boxes of other random 9 115gr, no issues.

Day 2.
Field stripped, cleaned, and lubed.
100 rounds Federal Champion 115gr, 20 hard jams as above.

Back to S&W.
"Replaced barrel".

Field stripped, cleaned, and lubed.
300+ rounds tonight.
100 WWB 115gr. -
1 light strike
1 trigger did not reset, had to eject a good round to reset
1 hard jam as described above
2 fail to go to battery

50 BrassMax 115gr. - all ok (and that is some nasty ammo)
20 Federal Hydra Shock JHP 124gr - all ok (what a difference - perfect group)
50 BrassMax 115gr - all ok

100 WWB 115gr -all ok

Field stripped, cleaned and oiled this evening.

total rounds? 1102
Cost to get there? $465 in ammo, more than the firearm cost.

Will be calling S&W in the morning. Yes, there will be a half-hour on hold. That's a given.
Click to expand...

Part of the problem may be that one can 'overclean' and/or 'over-lubricate' a given pistol. I am of the opinion that 'less is more' when it comes to lube, and especially with polymer pistols.

Also, in the manual on page 19, it specifically states that gun will not fire if one pulls trigger and does not permit it to go fully forward after each shot. However, I like to release trigger to reset point and then pull it back for next shot. Doing so, if I experience a failure- at least I've been warned about it and the 'surprise' factor will not exist.
 
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My Shield 9mm had three FTE in the first 100rds. It has not failed since then. I now have over 500rds thru it and it works great. I don't get worried about a few FTE or failure to chamber until I get over the 300rd point in shooting. And it's usually a simple fix to get the gun running correctly after that, all my other pistols are 45ACP 1911s.

I"m not a fan of Remington ammo. Over the last 50 years I've had problems with their ammo a number of times, other people have had no problems with their ammo, go figure.
 
gunfighter48 said:
My Shield 9mm had three FTE in the first 100rds. It has not failed since then. I now have over 500rds thru it and it works great. I don't get worried about a few FTE or failure to chamber until I get over the 300rd point in shooting. And it's usually a simple fix to get the gun running correctly after that, all my other pistols are 45ACP 1911s.

I"m not a fan of Remington ammo. Over the last 50 years I've had problems with their ammo a number of times, other people have had no problems with their ammo, go figure.
Click to expand...

Good to hear about reliability of the Shield, gunfighter48!

I'm not a particular fan of Remington 9mm range ammo either and prefer Federal or WWB or just about any other brand.
 
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wlg said:
I was using Remington 124gr. Range ammo. No not new shooter, no limp wresting. Yes I did clean it before taking it to the range. I like it very much, hope they get it fixed. I want it for ccw.
wlg
Click to expand...
I too had a few failure to extract on my first time out on the desert. Sent it to S&W and got it back in two weeks. You'll likely have to call after it comes back to see what was done___no note in the box.
Someone polished the chamber and someplace else__forget what the guy said on the phone. I had been using Winchester WB. I took it out after it came back and put 50 rounds of Speer Lawman 115 gr through. No problems. I'll next try a hundred fifty rounds of mixed stuff. I'm hoping all will be well. Hope yours will be also.

"People sleep peaceably in their beds at night only because rough men stand ready to do violence on their behalf."
-- George Orwell
 
I have put thousands of rounds thru my Shields with NO problems. And I've fed it many different brands and types of ammo, except +P.
 
I'm with CW291, but I don't have thousands of rounds, yet. I'm working on it. I did put another 200 rounds through it this past weekend, without a hitch. Using several different types of ammo, including Wolf and Perfecta. I love my shield.
 
I had the same issue with my shield. FTE and accuracy was horrible. Sent it in and they replaced the barrel and extractor. Been running great since then. Over 500 rounds and no problem. I had a post on here a while ago about it. Took about a month and half to get it back.
 
I salute all of you for your forbearance in making these guns run, but reading all this just underscores why I still carry a revolver. I've tried most of the tiny .380s and many of the small 9s, wanting to like them enough to trust my life to them. Maybe I'm just too stuck in the past w/an admitted emotional attachment due to street experience from my past.

I own two autos. A Glock 23/Gen2 that was my service weapon and a Taurus PT22. Both are reliable but not carried, the .22 socked away for a time when I may not be able to handle the .38 anymore.

Again, my hat is off to all of you and I don't want to come of as preachey but I'll stick w/my thirty-eight. If I was to reenter active LE the old Glock would be on my belt though.
 
wlg said:
Has anyone had to send one to S&W to repair? I think they will fix it? Maybe I am too cranky? I believe when one pays the price they ask for these guns you should be able to take them out of the box, clean them, shoot them and have them be reliable. I know several years back I could buy a gun from S&W and not worry about reliability, or braking one in. Maybe quality control should be better.:)
Click to expand...
Yes, did have failure to extract problems. Sent it in to CS and it came back with the chamber polished. So, a hundred more rounds and no failure to extract. (Brass tossed all over the place__seems
a Shield thing?) Like I said, no failures to extract but slide didn't lock back on last round with both magazines. Called CS this morning and they're shipping me a new recoil guide assembly.
I agree, we consumers shouldn't be the testers. GM did this for decades and see what happened to them.
I looks like my Glock 26 Gen4 will be my carry piece. Ya have to trust with your life!

"People sleep peaceably in their beds at night only because rough men stand ready to do violence on their behalf."
-- George Orwell
 
Old cop said:
I salute all of you for your forbearance in making these guns run, but reading all this just underscores why I still carry a revolver. I've tried most of the tiny .380s and many of the small 9s, wanting to like them enough to trust my life to them. Maybe I'm just too stuck in the past w/an admitted emotional attachment due to street experience from my past.

I own two autos. A Glock 23/Gen2 that was my service weapon and a Taurus PT22. Both are reliable but not carried, the .22 socked away for a time when I may not be able to handle the .38 anymore.

Again, my hat is off to all of you and I don't want to come of as preachey but I'll stick w/my thirty-eight. If I was to reenter active LE the old Glock would be on my belt though.
Click to expand...
Hey, Old Cop__that's my moniker too only I decided to put into Spanish. Poli is used in Mexico for "cop" and viejo is old. So,
I'm PoliViejo for my internet address.
Hang in there and glad we both made it to retirement, eh?
PoliViejo.
 
I Did Request a Replacement

I am in agreement with these posters who have expressed the idea that a "Defensive" pistol should be reliable out of the box
regardless of price __when its manufactured and sold for defense.
I sent mine back a second time__different issues. I informed them
I wasn't comfortable with it for defending my life. I've been notified they're send a replacement. (about a week from now)
My feelings about S&W? Outstanding customer service, period.
I suspect I got that one out of a hundred a poster mentioned. I
feel the replacement will be fine. I have a few hundred rounds
in my range bag waiting.
With all this passing time__I'm getting sort of used to my Glock 26 Gen4___as "fat" as it is.
Which do I prefer? If the replacement Shield matches the Glock
I'll prefer the Shield relative the "fat" issue.
These have been some interesting posts.
Semper Fi
 
Looking for some help with a shield issue. On 2 separate occasions my 9mm M&P Shield failed to reset the stricker. The shell rejected and a new round was loaded but all I could do was press the trigger and nothing happened. 1st time about a month ago with Winchester target happened only once. Second time about a week ago with Remington. Gun is about year old and have had no problems before this.
 
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