Would you trust your LIFE to a new Shield?

[PALADIN85020]

Ok, guys and gals. Let's blow the foam off the beer and get really honest. First off, I'm a S&W fan and collector. I don't own a Shield, although I have a 39, a 59, and a 3913. All of these work like a marble rolling down a child's slide.

I also have a couple of (may I say the word?) Glocks. They work and have always worked 100% for me, right out of the factory box.

I enjoy browsing on the forum, and I note a proliferation of complaints about problems with the Shield of one form or another. So I want to ask a question of you Shield owners, and I know I will get completely honest answers from you.

The question is: Would you trust a brand-new, out-of-the-box Shield with your life?

The very first requirement for a self-protection handgun is that it go bang every time the go-switch is pressed. Anything less than 100% (OK, maybe less than 99.99%) could be fatal in a pucker situation, recognizing that nothing mechanical is always absolutely perfect. Still, it should be the goal for this gun.

So be honest with me, Shield owners. In your experience, out of the box, does this handgun meet the requirement? Yes or no. If not, why not?

John

 

[bigwheelzip]

My husband and I CC the 9mm Shield, among other handguns in our rotation.

My recoil spring unwound past the spring seat, 70-80 rounds into a shooting session at the range, jamming the slide tight. The range smith repaired the RSA, and S&W replaced it.

We both feel that there are too many issues with the RSA, and are shopping for a replacement for the Shield.

 

[spierce617]

MY first gun that I bought was a S&W FS 40. I love the way that is shoots and feels in the hand. I live in Minnesota and did not get my carry permit until after Thanksgiving. I started to carry the 40 right away and I love it but did realize that it will be real hard to conceal in the summer.

In came the new 9mm Shield that I bought. Less than a week after I bought the gun and started to shoot it I realized how much I liked it also. I am now carrying this gun as my EDC gun. It is much easier to conceal and I do on occasion still carry the 40. It depends on where I go. I do have concerns about only having 9 rounds (I use the extended mag in the gun) and have bought additional magazines to carry also.

Accuracy for me is just as good as my 40 at 10 yards. At 25 yards the accuracy drops but the Shield is a self defense gun and is made to be used up close.

I bought mine new from Bud's and have not had any problems with it at all. I did field strip and lube it before I went to the range with it the first time. The only thing that I have done to this Shield that is not original is add a Talon grip. I only added that as the smaller magazine in the gun makes it a little small for my big hands. I will be adding a Pearce Grip Extension also to the smaller magazine and then will carry that magazine also.

I do trust this with my life and my wife's life now that I have taken the time to get use to the gun.

 

[Bob O]

I hate plastic or flimsy guide rods.....that was my only complaint with the Shield I had, though it still went bang every time. I replaced the factory recoil spring assembly with a beefier stainless steel guide rod.

I have two Glocks, both Gen4. But I hate the factory plastic guide rod so I changed my G17 to a Gen3 stainless steel guide rod. My G26 is still all factory for the time being.

Some are still experiencing problems with the RSA in new Shields. If I were to want a single stack 40 or 9 semiauto again, I would get the Walther CCP.

The Shield was a great shooter and EDC for me for nearly a year.

 

[CB3]

Yes.

Out of the box, one can expect the same reliability as any other mass produced, quality handgun, including a Glock.

That being said, all mass produced, quality handguns, even when fired at the factory prior to delivery, have a very small percentage of units that fail immediately upon delivery or soon thereafter. It happens.

For most people who buy a defensive handgun, part of the purchasing routine involves thoroughly testing the handgun with a pre-firing inspection, cleaning, lubrication, and a trip to the range with various types of ammo, including target and self defense ammo. This is where your initial question is usually answered in the affirmative.

However, if you are asking if it is OK to skip this important step and immediately start carrying a new Shield for self protection, you are an idiot.

 

[Hunter8282]

My new 10086 shield had the bent RSA disk. As so as I got, I field stripped it and when I saw it, I didn't even bother shooting it till I got the new a replacement RSA from S&W. With the new none bent RSA installed, it's been flawless for 320 rounds thus far (including Federal 124gr HSTs). It may have worked fine with the slighty bent RSA disk, but I wasn't going to bother with it.

My other original Shield had a couple FTEs only with the 7rnd mag within the first 100 or so rounds. Quite using the mag and has been flawless since.

So my honest opinion based on MY experience is, if you get a new one, field strip and check the RSA. If it's good to go, run 100 rounds through it. If no issues, then yes I would trust my life to it and do.

Would I ever open a factory box, load up hollow points and holster up for CC? NO. I wouldn't do that with ANY gun.

That's my honest 2 cents worth.

 

[tbgunner88]

I wouldn't carry any gun straight out of the box without putting a few boxes of ammo through it, but overall the shield is a very reliable gun. I have carried mine for 2 years with no problems.

 

[Ocean1]

I picked up a Shield in .40 a few months ago and I've put about 400 rounds through without a hiccup. About six weeks ago put a Lasermax on it. Works great. As stated by others, I wouldn't rely on any gun out of the box as a carry gun. At least put a couple boxes through it before you carry it for defense.

 

[PHolster]

I don't trust any gun with my life right out of the box. I only trust it after some range time to be sure the gun is reliable. With that being said, yes, I trust my Shield with my life. It has over 6500 trouble free rounds through it.

I wouldn't trust a Glock with my life right out of the box, or a Ruger, or an anything.

 

[ChiefStealth]

I trusted mine the day I bought it. Now, 1018 rounds later, I still trust it. Not a single issue with the gun in 15 months.

 

[radtuck]

Is the recoil spring only an issue on the Shield models? I have the FS 9mm M&P.

 

[Fastbolt]

It often seems that some folks like to rely upon "feelings" when making decisions of this nature.

First of all, I've not bought a Shield 9 or .40 because I already have quite a few small 9's & .40's (and 3 compact/subcompact .45's, for that matter), but I've been seeing a fair number of Shields coming through qual ranges in the hands of our working & retired folks. I've also handled and fired some (either owned by others or a T&E gun).

I agree with the folks who suggest careful pre-shooting inspection and then test-fire to confirm normal function. I tend to like to shoot 25-50 rounds per each magazine through a pistol, myself. Magazines are at the heart of normal feeding & functioning, and it's not just the gun that merits some confirmation of normal operation.

Yes, I've seen, and have learned of (as an armorer), brand new semiauto pistols that have experienced problems "right out of the box". This extends to magazine and recoil spring assembly (RSA) problems.

Sometimes the RSA may present an obvious issue, and sometimes the RSA - which is an assembly of parts - may simply not function quite normally (spring tension, tolerances of involved parts, etc). I'm not thinking of Shield RSA's as I write this, either. I try to keep spare RSA's & recoil springs on hand, as both an own and an armorer, in case one of those infrequent instances comes along.

I've been through armorer classes for 4 different model lines of plastic-framed pistols over the years. I personally own examples from 3 of those different model lines, and I also own a couple pistols from a model line for which I've not received armorer training. I consider them all good quality examples of the concept, for their intended roles.

I still, however, examine them and check for normal function, both when the guns are new, new magazines are acquired, and periodically as I run the guns & mags through range quals, training, drills, etc.

I'd not have any issue carrying a Shield 9/.40, if I didn't already own several small 9's, .40's & .45's.

 

[Snowninja]

I've had ZERO problems with mine, going on 3 years now... As far as out of the box, of course you need to put it through thorough testing, but mine has zero changes made to as it was from factory.

 

[reddoginga]

I wouldn't carry any gun straight out of the box without putting a few boxes of ammo through it, but overall the shield is a very reliable gun. I have carried mine for 2 years with no problems.

That is what I was thinking, I just got a new gun, a PT111 G2, and I put 20 rounds in it the otherday, not as much as i would like but i plan next week to put at least 50 more through it. but it fired every time. shot 3 different ammo and one was reloads, very happy.. My next gun will be a M&P shield 9mm most likely I hadn't heard they were issues with them.

 

[Coondog40]

Hey guys, first post here. I carry the shield everyday. I have run approximately 700 rounds through my gun. It has went bang every time, it is a 40 cal. Both mags run good. This is simply my experience, and shouldn't be considered yours of course. I've run a hundred or so of my preferred self defense round also, no hickups, or hangs, miss fires or the like. Only complaint I have is that the firing pin seems to scrape the ejected round.

 

[Splitshot]

My wife bought me a M&P performance center 40.cal shield for my anniversary .I shot 200 rounds through it last Sunday. I love the porting. I would trust it.

 

[swsig]

The question is: Would you trust a brand-new, out-of-the-box Shield with your life?
John

No. And hell, no. It's taken three RSAs and over 3500 rounds for me to get to the point where I feel my Shield is reliable enough to carry. (See this thread for the sordid details: http://smith-wessonforum.com/smith-wesson-m-p-pistols/432397-shield-rsa-one-more-time.html).

Fortunately, I have a wonderfully reliable M&P 40c that was perfect right out of the box, and I've been carrying it for nearly a year. My Shield is now the fine pistol I thought it would be, but I'll likely still carry the 40c most of the time.

Bottom line, fire a lot of ammo, especially self-defense ammo, through your Shield before you carry it. A box or two is not enough. Several hundred rounds is what I recommend.

 

[curlysir]

Like several others I would not trust my life with any gun right out of the box without putting at least 100 rounds through it. I have 2 shields that I have never had any problems with. The reason I have 2 is that when I bought my first only the model with the safety was available. When the non safety model came out I bought my second. I carry it often and do trust my life with it. I will not carry any gun that I do not trust.

I have a Glock 22 Gen 3 that has given me problems that I would not trust in a self defense situation. I think I have solved the problem but still have not shot it enough to trust it with my life.

Any brand gun can fail, some more then others. The Shield does appear to have more problems then some but as anybody who frequents forums of any kind knows, you hear more about the problems then you do about the non problems.

 

[GUNs and JEEPS]

Maybe being "to new" to CC has skewed my perception.....with everything going on in the world, I went looking fora simple easy to carry 9mm. I ended up with the Shield. I shoot between 50 and 100 rounds a week mainly because I know I need the practice. I bought my shield Black Friday with Holster and a couple boxes of ammo for under $400. I feel I did well for the price point. No it is not a tack driver but with the added Hogue grip it works for me. No misfire's or FTE.

 

[M29since14]

I don't trust any handgun "out of the box." My individual example has to be tested by me with my ammunition. That said, if you just mean if a properly functioning Shield suits me, without mods or aftermarket parts, yes, it does - but I prefer the 3913.