Shield Troubleshooting

[CaptainKrunch]

I took my 9mm Shield to the range a couple of days and I had an issue. I put my mag in and pulled the trigger. The trigger clicked but the bullet did not go anywhere. I checked to make the safety was off, the chamber indicator showed a bullet, and I released the mag. I released the mag and then slammed it back in. I pulled the trigger and had the same results. I then cleared the chamber. I then pulled the slide open (in the state it would be if out of bullets). I placed the mag back in and it worked just fine. After doing some research, I could not find anything on this issue. I'm brand new in the world of owning a gun but would like to make sure I'm a well informed gun owner. Let me know what bonehead thing I'm doing or if it is a S&W issue. I shot 200 rounds in an hour and looking forward to my next time of getting used to my new Shield. Thanks

 

[Bikemobile]

Just putting the mag in an empty gun will not load a round into the chamber. You need to insert the mag then rack the slide to chamber a round.

If you start out with the slide locked back, insert mag then release the slide into battery, it will chamber a round.

The shield really doesnt have a chamber indicator like the the ruger lc9. It has a little hole but a "press check" is a better check.

 

[MichiganScott]

Bad primer? It happens.

 

[Nakanokalronin]

Please take this in the nicest way, but if you only put a mag in the gun and pulled the trigger expecting the gun to fire, you want to go take a firearms class A.S.A.P.

 

[frankw]

When you insert the magazine into your firearm with the slide in the firing position, the top round stays in the magazine until you pull the slide to the rear and release.
As you release the slide it will strip the top round from the magazine and drive it into the chamber and is now ready to fire.
When you remove a loaded or partial loaded magazine from your weapon, there will still be a live round in the chamber ready to fire.If you pull the trigger, something will get shot.

You must pull the slide to the rear to eject that round and visibly check to insure the chamber is now empty.
We all have to start somewhere, but please find a place to take a basic firearms training class. It will make you a safer, more informed shooter and you will enjoy your new gun more.

 

[robkarrob]

I don't know if you wrote it wrong but either you did not have a cartridge in the chamber on the first pull of the trigger or if you did have it loaded then you likely had a light hit/failure to fire. Any time you get a failure to fire.

1. Keep gun pointed in a safe direction for a few seconds.
2. Drop the magazine.
3. Eject the chambered cartridge.
4. Check that chambered cartridge

On that ejected cartridge you should look at the primer for an indentation. If you have an indentation on the primer, you had a light hit. If you do not have an indentation, your gun malfunctioned. I would try shooting some more to see if it continues to happen. If so then the gun should be checked by a gunsmith or sent back to S&W for repair.

I have not heard of many Shield owners that are having light hits. They do happen and are caused by "hard" primers and defective primers. All primers require a certain amount of impact (hit) from the striker, firing pin, etc, for them to ignite. Most primers are in the same range of impact and should fire with a "normal" amount of impact. There are some brands of ammo that use hard primers. Once in a while you may get a primer that is hard or defective mixed in with good dependable ammunition. The hard primers require more than the usual/normal amount of impact to ignite. I have had hard primers that failed to fire the first time, but when reloaded they fired the second time. The most times to fire was four tries. I usually toss them out after three tries and no fire.

This reloading of hard primer when at the range is fine, but not too good in a self defense situation. Make sure you practice with the ammunirion that you will use in your carry gun. Get ammunition that fires each and every time. You don't want to carry a SD gun and worry if it is going to fire.

Bob

 

[PaulMack]

Shield troubleshooting

I think I understand what CaptainKrunch is talking about as I've experienced something similar. Here's what happens to me:
I finish last shot the slide stays open. I drop the magazine and load another. Slap it into place, pull back on the slide and release. Aim and pull the trigger, NOTHING HAPPENS.
I drop the magazine and rack it, the cartridge pops out. No marks. Reload the magazine, rack it, aim and fire and it always fires the second time. I've shot about 1000 rounds so far this has happened maybe 15 times.
I could see maybe I messed up or was confused for a couple of times, but not all those times. Last time at the range I paid special attention to all aspects of my protocol and found it still happened. For me it is not an issue of failing to load a cartridge.

It does seem to happen with the extended magazine far more often than the regular magazine. Guess my next step is to call customer service.

Any one have any ideas?

I've got the 9mm Shield, serial# DXT4xxx

 

[shield]

I think I understand what CaptainKrunch is talking about as I've experienced something similar. Here's what happens to me:
I finish last shot the slide stays open. I drop the magazine and load another. Slap it into place, pull back on the slide and release. Aim and pull the trigger, NOTHING HAPPENS. ...

Any one have any ideas?

I've got the 9mm Shield, serial# DXT4xxx

Be sure that you rack the slide fully closed. I've had a couple cases were I did not release the slide hard enough and it stuck open slightly and would not fire.

 

[Lost Lake]

Are we out of sugar???

 

[Houdini1953]

The last paragraph on page 17 of your Smith & Wesson M&P Shield Pistol manual tells you how to load a round into your weapon using the magazine!

Just placing a loaded magazine as stated in another post on this subject will not put a round in the chamber where a bullet must be in order to fire the gun!

 

[gnystrom]

As stated in a earlier post.
I mean no disrespect but please put down the gun until you have proper firearms training.

 

[Ransom]

Assuming you are correctly operating your gun, it could be that the slide was slightly out of battery. I've had my Shield 9mm chamber a round and have the slide stick around 1/8" out of battery (slide did not completely close when released) with the result that it would not fire. It only did this on my first time at the range so I assume breaking it in has resolved the issue for my Shield.

 

[cflshield]

My wife and I took our Glocks and Shield to the range Saturday. My wife had not shot the Shield before but has experience with the Glocks. She locked the slide back on the Shield, inserted the mag and released the slide by pulling back and letting it go. She pointed down range and pulled the trigger but nothing happened. I dropped the mag and ejected the bullet. There was not a mark on it. I reloaded the mag and inserted it, released the slide, aimed and pulled the trigger. The gun went bang.

I cleaned all guns when we got home and today I took the Shield back to the range. Sometime after a few mags were fired I loaded a fresh mag, released the slide, aimed down range and pulled the trigger. Nothing happened. I looked the gun over and noticed that the slide was not all the way in battery. I pushed it in battery and pointed the gun down range, pulled the trigger and it went bang.

I don't ***** foot around when releasing the slide. I always let it fly. Something has kept the gun from going into battery two times now. I have 300 rounds through it. Maybe it just needs a little more break in time but I will definately be keeping an eye on it.

 

[Lost Lake]

My wife and I took our Glocks and Shield to the range Saturday. My wife had not shot the Shield before but has experience with the Glocks. She locked the slide back on the Shield, inserted the mag and released the slide by pulling back and letting it go. She pointed down range and pulled the trigger but nothing happened. I dropped the mag and ejected the bullet. There was not a mark on it. I reloaded the mag and inserted it, released the slide, aimed and pulled the trigger. The gun went bang.

I cleaned all guns when we got home and today I took the Shield back to the range. Sometime after a few mags were fired I loaded a fresh mag, released the slide, aimed down range and pulled the trigger. Nothing happened. I looked the gun over and noticed that the slide was not all the way in battery. I pushed it in battery and pointed the gun down range, pulled the trigger and it went bang.

I don't ***** foot around when releasing the slide. I always let it fly. Something has kept the gun from going into battery two times now. I have 300 rounds through it. Maybe it just needs a little more break in time but I will definately be keeping an eye on it.

I don't write this stuff... I just point it out when Shielders claim the Shield is the most perfect gun in the world.

It isn't. It's a good gun, but far from perfect.

 

[robinfly]

Same thing happened to me about a month ago after shooting 36 rounds for my chp qualification.

During free range time I picked up unloaded gun, put the full mag in, racked the slide back, let the slide go. Aimed at target. Pulled the trigger and I heard click same feel and noise as if I dry fired it. I paused, dropped the mag, then racked the slide back again to eject round. Picked up round and noticed no dent or even a scratch on the primer. I put the round back into the mag, inserted the mag, racked slide back, let slide slam into battery,took aim, fired all rounds into target without a single issue.

I dont understand how the gun went click and not mark the primer whatsoever, I did kind of ride the slide a little on the first shot and chalked it up to operator error.

Now that I read this post it got me thinking that this could be a new issue for the shield. I absolutely love my shield 40 and hope this is a freak thing. I just need to shoot more rounds through the gun to see.

 

[hoghunter]

If in deed all of these folks are chambering a round, why in the world would this happen? Can u just imagine having one in the pipe and having to draw in a self defense situation and all you hear is click? Really need to understand this issue.

 

[robinfly]

The only way I can see this happening is if the trigger bar is not depressing the striker block before the sear is engaged. In other words If the sear is triggered before the striker block is depressed then the striker will slam forward but not indent the primer because the striker block prevents the full forward motion of the striker which is the internal safety feature of the M&P line. Hope this makes sense. Correct me if I'm wrong

 

[cflshield]

I took my Shield 9 back to the range today and fired another 100 rounds. On one fresh mag the slide didn't go into battery. I noticed it before I tried to shoot. I pushed the slide forward into battery and it fired fine. This is the 3rd occurance in 400 rounds. I don't have a clue what's keeping the slide from going into battery.

 

[OldLawman]

Some of the reason(s) the slide does not go in to battery:
- oversized ammo (hopefully you are not using reloads)
- weak recoil spring
- extractor issues that prevent the extractor hook from snapping over the case rim
- dirty chamber

I am sure there are others, but these are the first that come to mind.

 

[RIDavid]

I had it happen to me on my Shield 9. I was riding the slide instead of letting it go back on its own. When you let it slam forward it works fine. I only have a couple hundred rounds through it so maybe it needs to break in. I wonder if it happens to people with a few thousand rounds.