Talk me out of this Shield

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TomJ said:
Spats,
FWIW I have the 9mm version of that gun and intially had feed issues. I sent it back to S&W, they polished the feed ramp and it's been perfect since then.
Tom
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If S&W can make it run like my Shield 9, which would fall into the "like a scalded dog" realm, I'll be tickled pink.
 
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Well, she's on her way to the Mother Ship. Should arrive by Thursday & I'll let y'all know when I get some news.
 
I picked her up today, 42 days from drop-off. The Repair Order says that they:
  • Replaced the Barrel Locking Block;
  • Polished the Barrel / chamber; and
  • Range tested her.
No cost for shipping either way. I'm pleased with that. I've never used anybody's CS much, but 42 days doesn't seem too bad.

Range report will be forthcoming as soon as I can get to the range and put her through her paces.
 
Spats McGee said:
We've hit "wear a sweater in the morning, & regret it in the afternoon" weather.
Click to expand...

The 2 inches of snow we got earlier this week just melted off in two days of freezing rain. Just in time for a projected inch and a half of snow to hit tomorrow.

Guess it's sweatshirt or light jacket weather now, officially.
 
I had a little time and weather mostly cooperated, so I squeezed in a brief range session today. The TLDR: She's better, but not quite ready for prime time.

I ran about 100 rounds through her.
  • Out of 4-5 mags (~34 rounds) of the old ball ammo, I got 3-4 failures to feed.
  • Out of 6-8 mags (~65 rounds) of other stuff, I got:
    • 1 Failure to Feed from some old JHP of unknown provenance. I know about when I got it, though, so it was likely the cheapest JHPs I could get at Wal-Mart about 10 years ago.
    • Perfect performance out of:
      • Remington Golden Saber 230 grain bonded JHPs
      • Federal Hydra Shok 230 grain JHPs
      • Winchester Ranger 230 grain JHPs.
So the trip to the factory helped, but it didn't solve the problem. That said, maybe it was an ammo problem, after all. Maybe she just likes hotter ammo, or maybe she just needs another couple of hundred rounds of hotter ammo to loosen her up a bit.

I am still impressed at how well she handles recoil. And like most of my guns, she's probably more accurate than I can really wring out of her. I don't shoot her as well as my 1911, but I don't shoot any of my other pistols as well as my 1911. At 10 yards, though, I was able to drill the bullseye with some regularity today, so I'm not complaining.

The forecast: A couple of hundred more rounds of warmer ammo, some new sights (Truglo Tritium Pros that I've already got), and she might just be ready to carry.
 
Sadly, no. As I noted above, it's been back to S&W, but I've only been back to the range with it (maybe) once since my October posting above. I was actually packed up with it on Sunday and headed to the range, but it was 41* and drizzly outside. As much as I love the range, I decided that I like being warm and dry, too. It's still having feeding problems, but I don't know if a couple hundred more rounds breaking in the new parts will solve them or not. If not, I'm sure we'll be past the warranty period by the time I get those rounds through it. If S&W won't fix it under warranty this time around, it may just have to make a trip to my local gunsmith.
 
Spats McGee said:
Sadly, no. As I noted above, it's been back to S&W, but I've only been back to the range with it (maybe) once since my October posting above. I was actually packed up with it on Sunday and headed to the range, but it was 41* and drizzly outside. As much as I love the range, I decided that I like being warm and dry, too. It's still having feeding problems, but I don't know if a couple hundred more rounds breaking in the new parts will solve them or not. If not, I'm sure we'll be past the warranty period by the time I get those rounds through it. If S&W won't fix it under warranty this time around, it may just have to make a trip to my local gunsmith.
Click to expand...

S&W offers a lifetime warranty. I wouldn't worry about it being out of their warranty period. From their website:

ALL BACKED BY OUR SMITH & WESSON LIFETIME SERVICE POLICY.
AVAILABILITY SUBJECT TO APPLICABLE FEDERAL, STATE AND LOCAL LAWS, REGULATIONS, AND ORDINANCES.
 
Since the last update, I've done a couple of things: (1) I dug around and got some advice on the internet (so it must be true, right?); and (2) ran about 100 rounds of warmer ammo through it. I suspect the FTF(eed)s were some combination of me limp-wristing the pistol and it needing a little break-in. I think she still needs a little break in, but if I concentrate on not limp-wristing, the FTFs are notably reduced. She ran much better today. I was even able to run military surplus ball through it, almost without issue. Only 2 or 3 FTFs out of 100 rounds.
 
Not to sound negative here but a few things come to mind: Firstly, I'm sure you'd agree that the old girl is not ready for serious business yet. Secondly, though anything's possible, Smith & Wesson M&Ps and Shields generally have an almost "Glocklike" record of being reliable, straight from the box. Even after a trip to the factory, your gun is still acting up, keeping in mind it's not a target pistol, it's a gun being carried for self-defense. Something other than "it need a little more 'break-in' " seems to be in play here. And, thirdly, I'm not buying the "limp-wrist" excuse; I think that explanation is used way too often to coverup a flaw in the makeup of the gun or its magazine. And even if "inattentive" limp-wristing is causing the gun to malfunction, I'm not sure I'd want to depend on any auto for self-defense if it's that sensitive to being held in the hand just so. It's not always possible to acquire a perfect grip on a gun when it simply has to go "bang" in a moment not of your choosing or circumstance.

So, I guess there's no harm in continuing to shoot the gun and hope things work themselves out. That's entirely possible, of course, maybe even likely but, sadly, that hasn't been my experience. Imo, one malfunction in every hundred rounds is one too many and is unacceptable for any firearm being carried for the sole purpose of saving my or a loved one's life. I either trust a gun completely for self-defense or I don't trust it at all. But maybe that's just me being "paranoid". I do have a lifelong acquaintance with Mr. Murphy...

If it were me, as much as I would detest having to do so, I'd send it right back to Smith & Wesson and insist on them making it right. They do have a well-deserved history of good customer service but no one's perfect. In any event, best of luck.
 
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You make good points, @SwampWolf. Limp-wristing hasn't been a problem for me, historically speaking, and it certainly never was a problem in my Shield 1.0. Nonetheless, I'm willing to concede that a certain amount of shooter error could be at play. So I'm not quite ready to send it back to S&W. Not yet, anyway. I do think most, if not all, mechanical devices need a certain amount of break-in. You're right, though, in that it's intended to be an SD pistol, not a target pistol, so even though FTFs were reduced, she's not ready for prime time.
 
Limp wristing, in my opinion (and we all know what that's worth on the market), is something typically encountered with newer, timid, shooters than those of us who have shot plenty before.

Given that you aren't a newbie by a longshot, I have serious doubts as to limp wristing being a problem here.
 
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