Sadly - Another .40 Shield Kaboom

[NCooper]

Does any know what an independent lab charges for an inspection?

Maybe the next kaboom we as a forum group can pay for the inspection.

Instead of taking s&w and ammo companies word for it.

Unfortunately there seems to be an increased number of kb lately. All guns are susceptible. I believe it has something to do with ammo companies cranking out millions of rounds a day

 

[Dino1]

It's not a crack, but that line/marking from that link from earlier is there. Considering switching back to the highly proven g26...


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Glock has had more of a problem in the past than what S&W has going on now. Their are far more Kaboom issues with the Glocks in the past in the .40 S&W round. I belive this is a hot ammo thing, more than a design thing. S&W has to be careful to who they point their finger at as well. If they don't have enough evidence to prove it was the ammo and be absolutely correct about it... then the best thing for them to do is be quiet and not start making accusations.

 

[hd28cw]

Does anybody have any definitive information..? I have a 40 shield but i'm curious to know whether this is just all paranoia..... Or is it just that a large company like SaW is cranking out a bunch of poorly tested equipment in order to be the next "Me 2, i've got the latest and greatd plastic widget for sale" manufacturing price per unit on the shield is probably about $1.00 worth of plastic and steel... and i've seen it for sale for $359.00.... we're nearing saturday night special price ranges..... I just hope they poured some money into R&D on this one.....

 

[feelinlucky]

Does any know what an independent lab charges for an inspection?
Maybe the next kaboom we as a forum group can pay for the inspection.
Instead of taking s&w and ammo companies word for it.
Unfortunately there seems to be an increased number of kb lately. All guns are susceptible. I believe it has something to do with ammo companies cranking out millions of rounds a day

I suspect that an independent lab would only confirm what Smith and Wesson claims. And that is that excessive chamber pressure destroyed the gun. And we all know what causes excessive pressure... improper ammunition.

The number of these events occurring might lead one to suspect that the Shield (at least the 40 Shield) is a bit too unforgiving of excessive pressure, just as the old Gen 1 and 2 Glock 23 models were.

 

[NCooper]

I'd send the gun to an independent lab first.

We already know what smith would say. And their offer to sell you a replacement gun at cost means nothing to a guy that bought it at cost in the first place.

An independent lab should at least give the purchaser a written report which is already more than smith does.

 

[TailRunner]

From what I've seen from this thread, and dozens of others like it in various forums, the gun companies are highly motivated to get these guns out of the hands of the public, and to keep them that way. Although I have to assume that Smith and Wesson has no legal right to keep the gun, they will not want to send it back to you.

If you begin to be insistent that you want it back, they might begin to be more willing to make more concessions, like maybe giving you a new gun at no cost to you.
Depends on what you want I guess.

The KB Shield is your property. I would demand either they return your property or they replace it free of charge. You want your gun returned including your added on attachments. At this point if they refuse to return your original gun they have to prove to you from their findings, inspection that it was not the fault of the gun that it KB'd.

 

[TheMystro]

Let me give you my opinion and my background. I was THE first to shoot the 10mm in IPSC Limited competition and was a sponcered shooter. That means I shot 600-1000 rounds of 10mm ammo in practice a week. If I wasn't shooting, I was reloading. Out of shooting more rounds a year than most will in a lifetime, I have only ever had one Kaboom in my 1911 10mm full custom. Wanna bet what grain bullet it was?............drumroll You guessed it, a 135 Sierra HP I loaded on the warm side for personal defence. The case failed, blew out the magazine of my beefy Custom Delta Elite and made my left hand numb for a few minutes. No other damage. My standard competition load was a 180gr at 1000fps and never a failure. Had that case fail in a small gun like a G29 or Shield 40 in this case, it would have blown the gun apart as shown in the pics. My personal opinion is that you had a case failure. Its a ammunition problem. The integrity of the Shield may be a issue at these extreme pressure but its hard to say. I am a huge 40S&W fan but only in a full size gun like a Sig P229 or duty size. I like my smaller guns in the 9mm. I don't even own a g29 anymore but do perfer the G20 in the Glock platform. My advise for Shield 40 owners is stay away from the ultra hot stuff. Sick with rounds like the PDX1 in heavier weights of 155 grains and above. The Hornady 165 Critical Duty are plenty hot enough.

 

[iblearning]

I purchased a new Shield 40 a month ago and was not aware of the kabooms. I have not yet shot it. I am a bit paranoid now to take it to the range. What light loads FMJ and HP would you recommend running in it just in case?

 

[TailRunner]

From the M&P Shield Instruction Manual:

"Use only commercially manufactured ammunition with internal ballistic pressures which are in strict accordance with the specifications of the SAMMI."

"Plus-P ammunition generates pressures in excess of the pressures associated with standard ammunition. Such pressures may affect the wear characteristics or exceed the margin of safety. Use of +P ammunition may result in the need for more frequent service."

"Plus-P-Plus ammunition must not be used in Smith & Wesson firearms........such ammunition may vary significantly as to the pressures generated and could be DANGEROUS."

All of my current supply is store bought. They all vary in bullet weight and not all boxes list velocity or pressures, purchased mainly for practice and SD. I'm in the process of searching that info before taking my 40 Shield to the range. Blazer, Monarch, Remington UMC, Fiocchi, HPR and DRT don't provide ballistics on their boxes.

 

[iblearning]

Thanks. I will not be using +P or +P+.

 

[lowriderfxr]

This is a little concerning to me.

Several years ago a patrolman that worked for me double charged a reload on his Glock 22 (40 cal) and a kaboom ensued. He TOLD THEM he double charged the reload but explained it was his duty gun and pretty much begged for sympathy.

Im not sure what they replaced but they sent it back, good as new, no charge.

Since Smith & Wesson is chasing Glock in the self defense semi auto polymer pistol market, it would be nice to hear that their customer service is at least as good. I dont think it would hurt them from a liabilty stand point to say, we examined the pistol and found no defects but elected to replace it according to our customer service guidelines, something like that.

I have a NIB Shield 40, it may remain that way!

 

[jdw1951]

I appreciate all the advice on obtaining my gun back. In an earlier post I indicated that it was a mistake to send it to S&W but I wanted them to see the severity of the damage and hoped they would provide me a detailed report of their findings. After seeing multiple KBs with the .40 Shield, I thought it would provide another example and allow them to compare to other Shields they had analyzed. Given my excellent experience with S&W over the years I truly felt this was the best way to handle it. In retrospect, an independent lab would have been best.

After speaking to the customer service rep and hearing that I would not receive a report, I asked for my gun to be returned and received an immediate offer for a low cost replacement, and learned that my Shield was now in pieces. I finally evaluated their offer for a replacement Shield in 9mm at an extremely low price and told them I would call back.

At no time did I consider litigation and with what I believe is now a firearm that is probably of no use for further analysis, I made the decision to accept their offer even though they told me BATF required them to destroy the firearm when they ship my replacement. To the best of my knowledge no person who has experienced a KB and sent their Shield to S&W has been able to get their firearm back. I called back to let them know of my decision and they agreed to remove my Big Dot XS night sights and return it to me. They also informed me they could not find my laser (it was severely damaged anyway). I arranged for a local FFL to receive the Shield upon shipment.

Could I have held out and continued to demand the return of my Shield ultimately receiving a free replacement? Maybe. But, I have been dealing with this multiple months and I want to get back to having an EDC and get back to the range to practice with what I believed to be good firearm. Hopefully the 9mm Shield is it. I certainly will continue to monitor the forum, follow Underwood’s testing progress, and offer financial support for an independent forensics lab if someone else experiences a KB. Thanks again for all the excellent input and I will continue to reply to posts and provide additional information when available.

 

[feelinlucky]

The only firearm that the manufacturer can send directly back to you, and not to a local FFL, is one with your original serial number on it. When replacing a firearm, many manufacturers simply put the original serial number on the new replacement. As a manufacturer, they are qualified to do this.

There cannot be two firearms with identical serial numbers, so if they send you a new one with the old serial number, the old firearm must be destroyed.

That is why Smith and Wesson told you that the original must be destroyed.

Take the deal on the replacement... and pay closer attention to the ammo you shoot in it.

 

[Roger S&W]

jdw1951, I hope you are delighted with your new Shield 9mm.
It truly is the CCW gun I've been waiting for - for years.
Shoots so well, that's why I wanted one in .40 too.
We'll see how it goes.
BTW, I will continue to carry Speer Gold Dot 124+P Short Barrel 9mm and trust my life to it.

 

[jdw1951]

Roger S&W - thanks I will post up when it arrives and have the opportunity to shoot it. I also appreciate the ammo recommendation.

 

[snakeye]

The only firearm that the manufacturer can send directly back to you, and not to a local FFL, is one with your original serial number on it. When replacing a firearm, many manufacturers simply put the original serial number on the new replacement. As a manufacturer, they are qualified to do this.

There cannot be two firearms with identical serial numbers, so if they send you a new one with the old serial number, the old firearm must be destroyed.

That is why Smith and Wesson told you that the original must be destroyed.

Take the deal on the replacement... and pay closer attention to the ammo you shoot in it.

you right both cannot have the same serial number, buy why would you do that......his original kaboom gun can and must be sent back to the original owner...he bought it and paid for it...it is his property.

Now if S&W wants to sell him a new Shield at discount for his troubles then the OP would be buying a different gun with a different serial number. So both guns should go back to the OP...this way know one destroys the evidence

 

[Worshipbass12]

Is the general consensus that the .40 shield is fine with regular factory loads? My lead singer just bought one and i am concerned

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[feelinlucky]

The Shield 40 will be fine with regular factory loads. (That is, loads that clearly conform to SAAMI specifications.)
And be sure that what's in the box is indeed regular factory loads.

 

[RussC]

Glad I own the Shield 9.

I see deep discounts in the Shield 40s future.

I carry Speer Gold Dot 124 grain +p short barrel.

I have watched enough ballistic videos to know my 9mm defense round will take care of business.

Russ

 

[Offshell]

The Shield 40 will be fine with regular factory loads. (That is, loads that clearly conform to SAAMI specifications.)
And be sure that what's in the box is indeed regular factory loads.

Technically then, aside from a possible bad round, Underwood 135 should be good