S & W Customer Service

[Paul Kersey]

Not sure what to think of this so I thought I would see what you all thought. I bought a Shield40 back in 2015. I have had nothing but problems with it ever since. The main problem I have it the panel that covers the firing pin slips down preventing the gun from cycling correctly. Seems as long as I shoot Winchester white box I'm ok most of the time. However if I shoot self defense rounds like Critical Duty, etc., I get malfunction. I sent the gun to SW about 4 weeks ago and just got it back today. they said they test fired it a number of times but naturally did not get the problem. I spoke them and they said keep experimenting with different ammo til I find one that is reliable. That's all well and good but if I can't trust a gun to operate reliably then I have no business carrying it. Seriously considering trading it in on something else. Am I being too harsh or should I continue the quest to find the perfect ammo? TIA.

 

[Ruger Nut]

If it were me, I would DEMAND that they fix it. You should be able to use almost ANY ammo in that gun and expect it to shoot correctly!
SEND IT BACK!

 

[Rpg]

Better than spending money on a variety of ammo, hoping to find something that works, start the quest to find a better gun.

 

[Ruger Nut]

Better than spending money on a variety of ammo, hoping to find something that works, start the quest to find a better gun.

If S&W doesn't want to take it back to fix, or they do and they give you the same BS reply, do as RPG suggests.

 

[swsig]

The main problem I have it the panel that covers the firing pin slips down preventing the gun from cycling correctly.

A photo or a clearer description of the "panel" would be useful. However, I'm going to go ahead and guess that you are referring to the cover on the back end of the slide. If so, it is held in place by the plastic sleeve that encloses the striker mechanism. If the striker is not installed properly, the slide cover can slip down and interfere with the slide's movement. Firing low power Winchester White Box rounds may not be enough to jar an improperly installed cover out of place, but firing higher power self defense rounds may jar the cover enough to make it slip and move.

If the striker sleeve is broken, a similar result can occur. In this case, a new striker assembly is needed. You can find Youtube videos on how to remove and install M&P strikers. It's not particularly difficult. I've done it a number of times, and I'm pretty much all-thumbs.

S&W should have checked this when they had it. If they fixed the striker so it was installed properly, you shouldn't experience the problem again. Go shoot a bunch of SD rounds to see.

Now if the "panel" is not the rear slide cover, nothing I said applies, so we'll need more detail.

 

[Paul Kersey]

Thanks everyone. Jury is still out on this. I guess I'll try some more brands of SD but if the problem persists I'll trade in on something that works.

 

[andyo5]

Thanks everyone. Jury is still out on this. I guess I'll try some more brands of SD but if the problem persists I'll trade in on something that works.

If you can't find a fix yourself, have someone video you with a cell phone demonstrating the failure. You can then email or message it to S&W customer service.

 

[Okie21]

I've always had great experience with S&W customer service. And all my M&P's cycle everything I've ever fed them. I expect nothing less. I'd contact them again

Sent from my moto g(7) power using Tapatalk

 

[rosewood]

Have you experienced the problem since you got it back? Unless you are still having the problem, they may have replaced parts. I have found, they do a very poor job of explaining to the customer what they did to the firearm. Many times says just says inspected and test fired, they left out the part where they replaced parts.

If it is still a problem, send it back to them. No matter what ammo you are shooting, parts shouldn't fall off. They will fix it.

Rosewood

 

[white cloud]

I am in RPG's camp. Either get rid of it or send it back. Your pistol is supposed to work with a wide variety of ammunition. Remember that there may come a time when you can't get the one brand of ammunition you want.

 

[Ruger Nut]

I've always had great experience with S&W customer service. And all my M&P's cycle everything I've ever fed them. I expect nothing less. I'd contact them again

Sent from my moto g(7) power using Tapatalk

I have to agree with you Sir, on both accounts.
ALL of my S&W guns eat EVERY kind of ammo that I feed it. That includes my 3rd Gen guns, M&P's, and my SD series guns.
You need to contact S&W CS if your gun is not shooting the ammo you put thru it.

 

[686-380]

I'm curious about "swsig"'s post. OP, would you address his post?

I had an issue with my 686-6 a few (well, a lot of) years ago. It still doesn't prefer 158 grain defensive ammo but it won't bind up like it did before.

Please keep us posted on your progress!

 

[swsig]

I'm curious about "swsig"'s post. OP, would you address his post?...

I'm a bit curious myself.

 

[Paul Kersey]

I took a photo of the offending part, printed it, circled it, explained what was the problem was in a note next to it. Have not had a chance to determine if problem still exists as ranges are closed, I believe in my area. When I received the gun back from SW it had paper work indicating they test fired it with no problem(of course!). I called them and asked what exactly was done to the gun. They said they can't address the problem if they don't know what it is. So I guess I'll have to wait until I can test fire the gun to see if problem persists. Who knows when that will be with this virus! If/when it happens again I'll take a photo of it and ship it back to the factory. I want to like this gun.

 

[Sgt911]

this? [ame]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GS5Qop8Fe8E[/ame]

 

[Ruger Nut]

this? YouTube

What did you do to fix it?

 

[rosewood]

I believe S&W/TC have some incompetent gunsmiths. I also believe they have some excellent ones. I think it depends on who gets it when it is checked in.

I sent in a Encore .260 remington with headspace issues with the barrel. Was separating brass at the base. They inspected it and said it was within tolerances and sent it back. I knew whoever checked it didn't have a clue. Ordered a no-go gauge for the .260, it would chamber easily and was even below flush on the back of the barrel. Clearly way out of spec, it shouldn't even close on a no-go gauge. Sent it back in with my measurements and description on what I had found. They called me and said the barrel was bad, but they no longer make it. So I requested a 23" 7-30 waters barrel for my Contender. All is well now.

Some times you have to be persistent with them.

Rosewood

 

[Sgt911]

What did you do to fix it?

Not my Video. Googled the problem. There were enough threads about it S&W should be aware of it.

 

[Paul Kersey]

Yep, that's it! I'm thinking it might be a better bet to trade this *** in on something rather than playing roulette on getting a decent gunsmith at SW. Am I giving up too easily?

 

[Spokes]

They should replace the entire pistol for you....