PSA! Check your shield EZ for cracks on breech face

[gc70]

...
They can make you a new gun with your same serial number and ship it directly to you as a repair. They will destroy the old one. Just takes some time for them to jump through paperwork hoops and custom serialization.
...

Some states (like Virginia) require replacement guns to go through a LGS (to capture information for state records) but federal law does not (information is recorded by the licensed manufacturer or importer).

Both my son and I have received replacement guns, respectively from SIG and Rock Island, that had different serial numbers and were shipped directly to our residences.

Relevant federal regulations are in 27 CFR 478:

§ 478.147 Return of firearm.
A person not otherwise prohibited by Federal, State or local law may ship a firearm to a licensed importer, licensed manufacturer, or licensed dealer for any lawful purpose, and, notwithstanding any other provision of this part, the licensed manufacturer, licensed importer, or licensed dealer may return in interstate or foreign commerce to that person the firearm or a replacement firearm of the same kind and type. See § 478.124(a) for requirements of a Form 4473 prior to return.

§ 478.124(a) Firearms transaction record.
A licensed importer, licensed manufacturer, or licensed dealer shall not sell or otherwise dispose, temporarily or permanently, of any firearm to any person, other than another licensee, unless the licensee records the transaction on a firearms transaction record, Form 4473: Provided, That a firearms transaction record, Form 4473, shall not be required to record the disposition made of a firearm delivered to a licensee for the sole purpose of repair or customizing when such firearm or a replacement firearm is returned to the person from whom received.

 

[stansdds]

Holy broken breech face Batman!

 

[Old_Cop]

Do all EZ 9mm have loaded chamber indicators?

 

[Execpro]

Old Cop: Yes, all 9mm EZ pistols have the loaded chamber indicators.

Guitarmageddon: In 50+ years and thousands of rounds through many different pistols, I have never seen gold residue left on the breach face, bbl loading ramp area or other parts as shown in your pictures. This gun has been out for over a year with thousands sold and I have never seen any postings with the damage your gun received. Please! post a follow up when you hear back from S&W Customer service.
Thanks for your post and excellent pictures!
My bet is still on an overloaded round. JMO

Be SAFE and Shoot Often!

 

[Guitarmageddon]

Old Cop: Yes, all 9mm EZ pistols have the loaded chamber indicators.

Guitarmageddon: In 50+ years and thousands of rounds through many different pistols, I have never seen gold residue left on the breach face, bbl loading ramp area or other parts as shown in your pictures. This gun has been out for over a year with thousands sold and I have never seen any postings with the damage your gun received. Please! post a follow up when you hear back from S&W Customer service.
Thanks for your post and excellent pictures!
My bet is still on an overloaded round. JMO

Be SAFE and Shoot Often!

Yes will do. Wouldn't the gold just be normal wear of brass casings? I never found that to be out of the norm. What would that be bad? I will admit the gun was in need of a cleaning so that could just be it

Also, the reason I'm resistant to think it was a fluke hot round is because wouldn't you think you would notice that at the time of firing? If there's any moment a hot round is going to bust your gun it's going to be when you are pulling the trigger. But it finished its most recent range trip just fine and then I continue on to load my carry ammo back into the gun for my trip home. This particular failure happened two days later when simply chambering a round to carry my gun for the day. it's almost like there was just some underlying fatigue occurring over a long period of time that finally exposed itself then?

 

[Guitarmageddon]

I also wanted to share that the "hottest" ammo this gun has ever seen was my carry load which was actually purchased from the NRA range here in Virginia. And I just say "hottest" because that's the only time I've shot +p through the gun of any kind, that ammo. The rest is just stock basic factory loads.

9mm+P 124 gr XTP - Second Ammendment Ammunition

 

[gc70]

Yes will do. Wouldn't the gold just be normal wear of brass casings? I never found that to be out of the norm. What would that be bad? I will admit the gun was in need of a cleaning so that could just be it

Also, the reason I'm resistant to think it was a fluke hot round is because wouldn't you think you would notice that at the time of firing? If there's any moment a hot round is going to bust your gun it's going to be when you are pulling the trigger. But it finished its most recent range trip just fine and then I continue on to load my carry ammo back into the gun for my trip home. This particular failure happened two days later when simply chambering a round to carry my gun for the day. it's almost like there was just some underlying fatigue occurring over a long period of time that finally exposed itself then?

I suspect the problem did not occur as you were loading the gun two days after a range trip. Chambering a round would not have had nearly the force needed to jam the upper broken parts of the breech block so far above the surrounding opening in the top of the slide.

 

[Steve912]

Yes will do. Wouldn't the gold just be normal wear of brass casings? I never found that to be out of the norm. What would that be bad? I will admit the gun was in need of a cleaning so that could just be it

Completely normal to see some brass 'coloration' of contact
surfaces, in semi-autos. Brass is softer than steel.

AFA when/why the broken insert pieces separated, hard to say.

 

[Skeptic 9c]

The last time I saw a horror like this was when a guy shot WW2 surplus ammo with strange language markings on the box, through a nice WW2 Browning HP; allegedly he sent it back to Browning, they confiscated the pistol and sent him a discount coupon on a new gun (It was a LONG time ago.)
Geoff
Who is feeling his age, when Laundry Day wears him out...sigh...consider the alternative.

 

[Guitarmageddon]

Updating the first post with info 2-2-21

 

[Old_Cop]

Good service but I don't blame you for moving on to CZ.

 

[Funflyer]

Glad to hear they got it fixed and back to you quickly. I don't blame you one bit for losing faith in the design, and I have no doubt that we'll see more of this failure as time goes on. Probably see a change in the owners manual as well.

 

[pctech]

I know this thread is several months old, but I'm still curious....

What is it about the EZ series of pistols that requires a separate breach block?

As far as I know, this design feature, if you can call it that, is quite uncommon on modern pistols. The only center fire pistols that I can think of off hand that use a breech insert are the older sig pistols with folded steel slides.

 

[STORMINORMAN]

I know this thread is several months old, but I'm still curious....

What is it about the EZ series of pistols that requires a separate breach block?

As far as I know, this design feature, if you can call it that, is quite uncommon on modern pistols. The only center fire pistols that I can think of off hand that use a breech insert are the older sig pistols with folded steel slides.

Having never seen this post (and with no Shields in the house) I, too, was interested...

So I went looking for an EXPLODEDDIAGRAM, only to find part code # 3305531, Shield EZ Slide Insert (for the 380acp version, anyway)...?

Don't know if it is the same for the 9mm version, but...

It is described as "perfect as a spare on the workbench or as an immediate replacement for a lost or damaged part".

And it is "manufactured from steel" and costs $33.59.

Hmmmmmm?

 

[Paul in Nevada]

...What is it about the EZ series of pistols that requires a separate breach block?

I would guess it's because the slide itself is cast. The breach insert is probably supposed to be the strong part.

 

[pctech]

I would guess it's because the slide itself is cast. The breach insert is probably supposed to be the strong part.

Well, I own a shield (non EZ) and the slide is definitely not cast. I've handled the EZ models and the slides don't appear to be cast either.

The insert is MIM. To me it just makes no sense to use a MIM part in a forged slide, but that is exactly what they are doing.

Very strange...

 

[Paul in Nevada]

Well, I own a shield (non EZ) and the slide is definitely not cast.

The Shield is a totally different design from the EZ. There is no breach insert in a Shield.

 

[pctech]

The Shield is a totally different design from the EZ. There is no breach insert in a Shield.

Yes, Paul, I'm aware they are totally different designs.

I was simply stating that the regular shield model uses a forged slide and I find it highly unlikely that s&w would switch to a cast slide on their EZ models. What would the point be?

 

[kbm6893]

How would S&W know if the ammo used was reloaded ammo? If they ask you say it was factory but you don’t have the box anymore so I don’t know what brand it was. All I shoot is reloaded ammo. I will never have a squib or a double charge because I weigh every single charge and seat the bullet immediately after I dump the powder.

 

[Bumpus13]

How would S&W know if the ammo used was reloaded ammo? If they ask you say it was factory but you don’t have the box anymore so I don’t know what brand it was. All I shoot is reloaded ammo. I will never have a squib or a double charge because I weigh every single charge and seat the bullet immediately after I dump the powder.

LOL … famous last words.